December 3, 2023 |
Tamera, the London-born singer-songwriter, is a true talent. Caramel-smooth vocals and thoughtful lyricism has allowed her to attract a cult following among fans of Afrobeats, RnB and hip-hop. Releasing her new EP L.I.T (Lost In Translation) on November 10, the five-track offering has firmly cemented the musician as one of the most reliable talents in her sphere. Showcasing her refined style by seamlessly coating silky melodies with lyrics exploring codependency, self-worth, trauma, spirituality, abuse and God, Tamera proves she can make music that matters. Pulling from a sonic diet of Mariah Carey, Missy Elliot and James Brown, this release comes two years after her debut EP, a hip-swirling odyssey exploring love, life and heritage entitled Afrodite.
The beauty of L.I.T comes in its display of versatility. Tamera effortlessly rolls through songs with a Hennessy-drenched attitude like ‘40 Days’, featuring rising afrobeats star CKay, through to soul-baring tracks like ‘Diversion’. Continuing to develop her refined aesthetic, the starlet has also recently dropped the video for the former – a contemporary Bonnie and Clyde-style story set among the throws of the Parisian West African community. Directed by past collaborator Remi Laudat, the dusk-lit video presents the singer as a confident force of style and individualism. With each release, Tamera is proving she possesses both the depth and range necessary to become a star.
The response Tamera has received throughout her career – from both fans and industry bigwigs alike – shows she is one to watch. This year, she made her debut Colors performance in Berlin, as well as performing at the Stormzy-curated event This Is What I Mean Day in collaboration with All Points East. She’s been recognised by Amazon Music UK as one of their ‘Ones To Watch’ and was included in YouTube’s #YouTubeBlackVoices Artist Class of 2022. Her roster of collaborators also spans wide, with upcoming artists like P-rallel and Kamille joining on an assortment of catchy bops.
Following this career-shaping release, we sat down with Tamera to speak about all things L.I.T, her biggest fears and her personal growth.
1. We love the EP. Tell us about creating it. Where did you write it and what kind of things influenced the sound?
“Thank you. Well when I decided to make another project I was convinced that it wouldn’t take long at all. My first project was written over about four studio sessions. I think this was because I was writing directly from the place I was in at that moment. L.I.T has taken a lot longer to create, roughly over a year and I believe this is because I wanted it to be a lot deeper and honest. So that meant dissecting emotions that I wouldn’t typically put on display. In doing this I also was able to better understand what those tough moments really meant to me and how strong I really am to have overcome them. I made most of the project in London and some was written in LA. For the sound it was really important to me to find a nice balance between RnB with an Afro influence coupled with a dreamy vibe.”
2. What song from L.I.T (Lost In Translation) means the most to you personally? Why?
“‘Bamba’ and ‘Anchors’ are the two songs from the project that I hold most close to my heart. Both are incredibly honest and didn’t take long at all to write. It was almost as if those songs wrote themselves. Bamba is more like a diary entry for me I touch on things I’ve struggled with and people who have helped me to remain strong, spiritual warfare and trying to stay rooted in God.
“’Anchors’ is pretty much a love song written to my creator (God) I wrote this in LA after having dealt with an anxiety attack and feeling at my lowest. However I knew I was about to fly to LA and I was expected to get some bangers for my EP. This was overwhelming so I decided I was going to completely let go of everything – fear, the pressure, being in my head and I tried everyday to be in the moment and integrate prayer into my daily routine. The connection to my creator really made me feel the most peace, and I feel anchors is a clear and true expression of this feeling.”
3. On the EP you write about “the light, the darkness, the love, the hate, the confidence and the shame that comes with being an over-sensitive, nonchalant, overthinking, emotionally unavailable lover girl.” Can you tell us a little more about your experiences with this?
“I truly feel like I am and can be everything all at once. I think this comes from trauma causing me to be very guarded with my heart but also having an aching need for deep and meaningful connections. It causes me to go head first and all in when it comes to relationships, weather that be platonic or romantic once I’m invested. loyalty is a huge thing for me. But I can also become a very cold person if I am not treated with the proper care. Now this isn’t to say I become spiteful or nasty in the slightest I just become non-existent in whoever’s life I must leave. Once I retract my energy from a situation or a person they will never get close to it again. “Emotionally unavailable lover girl.” Haha!”
4. In what ways do you feel you’ve grown as a woman and an artist since Afrodite?
“I think when I wrote Afrodite I was doing everything on impulse. Since then I’ve had to address many aspects of my way of being and be honest with myself about how these traits effect me weather that’s in a positive way or a negative way. Then make some serious changes to my lifestyle and the way I handle the way I deal with things.”
5. You’re lauded for your effortless ability to transcend genres from Afroswing, reggaeton and Hip Hop whilst feeling authentically RnB. How do you do this?
“I think this stems from my love for all genres of music and the inability to commit myself to just one. Also when I’m creating I’m fully aware that the best kind of music is the kind that makes you feel something and feeling are built up of many different colours… so I try to stay true to that when ever I’m making music.”
6. How would you describe your feminine energy if it were flavour?
“Elderflower. It’s sweet, unusual and is constantly working to bloom into something that’s beautiful and tastes amazing. You can’t have it all the time as it’s seasonal so it’s always something people look forward to experiencing.”
7. What’s the strangest gift you’ve ever received?
“My dog got me a dead mouse once.”
8. What’s your biggest fear?
“Dying without having lived a happy life that I’m proud of.”
9. Which person has made the biggest impact on you in your career? How so?
“There’s a few people that have changed the course of my career but I can narrow it down to three. The first being Naughty boy. He taught me that creating music is a freedom of expression and not a job. My two managers who have been my rocks in this industry and have seen me through so much and will appreciate them forever.”
10. I know you’ve been busy in the studio collaborating with the likes of Majid on your latest single ‘Frozen’, p-rallel on his latest track ‘I’m So High’ and Spinall’s Top Boy album single ‘Honest’ alongside Tay Iwar and TSB, but can you tell us about these projects and what else you might have in store?
“I adore collaborating with people, especially people who really inspire me and that’s why I did these collaborations. Neither were planned but kind of just happened naturally and I adore them. I’m hoping to collaborate way more this year and start my album.”
Photography by Thomas Spault.
