Tanya O - Interview

September 10, 2024

Tanya O - Interview

Last week we had the pleasure of chatting with Tanya O who is a singer-songwriter from Kerry. She spoke to us about her latest single ‘Let Your Fire Burn’, her inspirations, what she would like to see change in the music industry and much more. Check it out below!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a singer-songwriter from Kerry. I play piano and have been recording my original music the last two years back in Dingle and really excited to be releasing it all over the next few months.

We are huge fans of your latest track ‘Let Your Fire Burn’, can you tell us a bit about the track and what was the inspiration behind it?

Thank you very much. I wanted to write an honest song about my own struggles with self worth. I think everyone has gone through moments of doubting themselves and feeling like they are not good enough.

This song is about accepting and loving yourself as you are despite the societal pressures that I think everyone faces and it’s just about being comfortable in your own skin.

I think it’s easy at times to look around and to think that we are alone in these kind of thoughts but I think anyone can relate to this. I co-wrote this song with Pa Sheehy and it was such an amazing experience diving into these raw emotions and creating this song.

What inspired you to start making music?

Growing up there was always music in my house as my dad worked in the music industry. He bought me a little toy keyboard when I was around 7 and I instantly began figuring out basic chords and writing songs on it. The songs were fairly useless as you can imagine at the age of 7 or 8 but I developed a love for it then and have had the music bug since.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Growing up I listened to a lot of RnB and loved Whitney Heuston, TLC, The Fugees and Michael Jackson.

Can you remember the first time you wrote a song and what it was about?

I vaguely remember writing a lot about heartbreak and break ups in general… at around 8 years old. I had one song called ‘goodbye for now’ which was basically about the devastation in having to leave my partner who I still loved but we got tired of fighting. I had obviously no idea what I was talking about so I think my parents must have definitely found this really strange when I’d perform it for the family.

What is the first CD/Vinyl you ever bought?

I remember buying ‘If you had my love’ by Jennifer Lopez when I was around 9 or 10 and that’s the first one I remember buying. I was very lucky as my dad was djing at the time so we had so much music available at home so I would mainly buy CD’s for the artwork on the covers.

Do you have any other hidden talents outside of music?

I don’t at all. I used to dance a lot growing up but looking back I wasn’t that great. I did really enjoy it though.

If you could invite 5 musicians dead or alive to dinner, who would they be?

I love this question. Stevie Wonder because I would be completely in awe of his talent, Lana del Ray for the chill vibes, Dolly Parton for the positivity, Prince for the entertainment and Michael Jackson to see his dance moves. I think that would be a pretty entertaining evening.

Has your music evolved since you started making music?

Definitely. I have songs that I composed and recorded when I was very young so there’s been huge changes over the years. I’ve been really lucky to work with a lot of different artists and writers over the last few years and have learnt a lot too. I am now just writing really honest music and making music that I really like as opposed to making music that I think would do well mainstream wise.

If you could change anything about the music industry what would it be?

I think it can be tough when you put so much work into writing and recording songs and when released they do pretty well but some of the streaming platforms pay you pennies for it. I know there’s lots of talk of this changing but I haven’t seen a lot of change in this area yet. It’s great to see more Irish female artists being played on Irish radio too so I think this is something that definitely needs to continue and not start to fizzle out again.

Who is your favourite Irish artist at the moment?

I absolutely love Hozier. I think he is just such a talent and is a great example of staying true to yourself and your own authentic sound.

What is your go-to feel-good song to distract yourself from hard times?

Strangely enough I listen to a lot of sad music whether I’m in a good place or a bad place and still those sad contemporary style songs are always what makes me feel better.

Is there any advice or insights you would like to give to anyone reading this who would like to pursue a career as a musician or within the music industry?

It’s a tough industry but if you are making authentic music that you are passionate about then I would go for it. I also think it’s really important to develop your craft and work as best you can on your musicianship skills of whatever instrument you play as this will all stand to you.

I also think it’s really good to collaborate and continue developing your sound. Lastly. Always trust your gut, never lose the magic in your music and remember why you began playing music in the first place.