TASHA VIETS-VANLEAR OF TASHA

A snapshot, a moment, a feeling, and a place. Enshrined in wax is time that although now passed, continues to echo as its reverberations catch the ears and hearts of those who recognize reflection, change, and impermanence. Arguably one of the year's finest releases, the sentiments, and momentary expressions Tasha has poured of herself into this record ARE to be admired and celebrated.

Hi Tasha and thank you for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly, congratulations on the latest record All This and So Much More. Truly a triumph and an incredible album. Canvasing the many ups and downs that make up life, can you share with us some of the events that took place surrounding the track's creation and the sentiments you explored?

Many of the songs were written throughout 2022 as I took time off from playing shows and found myself wondering what might come next, both personally, and in my career. I now see this album as a slice of my astrological ‘Saturn return’ experience. Chani Nicholas describes the Saturn return as “an initiation into adulthood. It is the time when you must define yourself for yourself. Not for your family. Not for society. Not for any fantasy anyone else has of you.” I wasn’t very aware of it at the time, but in retrospect, the growing pains, feelings of doubt, uncertainty about myself, and search for clarity around the kind of person I thought I was vs the kind of person I could see myself becoming so deeply reflects a Saturn return transition.

Sonically, how was it that you approached certain tracks in so much as looking for the right sounds and right sequence to best convey the emotions you were capturing?

My collaborator Gregory Uhlmann has a huge part in determining the sonic world of the album. I wrote and recorded demos of every song with just acoustic guitar and vocals, and I wanted to hold onto a lot of that original acoustic sound for its gentleness and intimacy. But I also knew I wanted this album to feel really lush and expansive in it’s production to match the emotional stories of the album, and Greg found so many creative ways to achieve that through layered guitars, interesting synth patches, and some upright piano.

There are so many highlight songs on this record and of exceptional note is ‘So Much More’. An uplifting track that speaks of gratitude, awareness, and benevolent love. Made even more captivating is the accompanying video clip that sees you surrounded by thousands of people, each living their own life, sharing this world, and capable of so much love. The way in which the clip ends and your contented smile makes it a very powerful and reaffirming piece. Was this something you had in mind from the start and what was the significance of the seaside boardwalk?

We chose to shoot the video at Coney Island in New York because we were looking for a location that could capture glimpses of the world around me, with organic shapes and movement. My friends coming in and out of the video act as symbols of the love and wonder I sing about in the song. The visuals and framing were very much conceived and achieved by my director V. Haddad and cinematographer Adam Baron-Bloch.

Penned over a couple of years, how much of what is on the record is universal and covers long-held beliefs and how much of it is a snapshot and uniquely specific to your most recent self?

A lot of the songs on this record were written in direct response to what I was experiencing in my life at the time, but I also think there are sentiments throughout that are reflective of an over-arching life journey. A yearning for self-assuredness, loss of love or relationship, pleasure and the search for it, gratitude…those are all things I can see myself coming back to again and again.

Often the subject matter any artist writes about is taken from their own experiences but when not explicitly referencing your own life, where do you turn to for inspiration?

I’m inspired by so much! Independent films, poetry, the music of my friends, time in nature, traveling to new cities, journaling, novels, bodies of water.

What does music in particular give you that nothing else does?

A deep and moving world-opening feeling. It gives color and romance to my surrounding world and also opens up caverns inside of me that I can’t otherwise find.