Tara Hawley
A fellow musician stated years ago that Tara is “fast becoming a stylist,” for her singing evokes the spirit and sweet familiarity of the old in a new and refreshing style all her own. Local DJs are calling Tara “a dynamic singer,” “definitely a star on the musical horizon” because they agree that she has something special—the unique ability to communicate the emotion of a song along with the voice, pitch, and quality to back it up. For that reason, she has been compared with the likes of leading jazz and contemporary singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Maureen McGovern, and Karen Carpenter.
Whether it’s how she feels as she’s singing on stage as she’s interpreting a song or as a receiver of someone else’s performance, Tara remarks on how she always finds herself amazed by the power of a live performance: “I mean, we have every kind of music on CD, online, at our fingertips, and yet we feel this need to hear music performed live. Obviously, it’s an entity unto itself, something that can’t be completely captured in a bottle. Recorded music is truly amazing, and I love and am inspired by the creative process of it so much. But it’s really only one part of what a singer should be able to do as an artist.”
To challenge herself as a live performer and artist, Tara has spent time working as a runway and print model, taken theatre and dance classes, and has even worked as an extra on major motion picture sets. Among her many experiences as a live singer, Tara has had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem for the Cleveland Indians and at local events in her hometown. Many audience members often remark that she appears extremely comfortable on stage and puts them at ease as well—a crucial element in the art of successful live performance.
Among many things, a love for classic films from Hollywood’s Golden Age (inherited from her grandmother), music from the Great American Songbook, stage & film musicals, dance, and visual art & design have helped shape the artistry that Tara presents today. As a great foundation, Tara’s family history has played an important role in her love for music and the arts. Her grandparents frequently appeared on country western music radio shows in the late ‘40’s and ‘50’s and the family has also been involved in Gospel music, singing in church and even on TV and radio.
As a child, Tara was never far away from music. Her childhood memories are full of musical puppet shows for the family, singing harmony parts and hymns in church, and playing piano at home. She sang her first solo onstage at the young age of 4, accompanied by her uncle on piano at her local church.
A number of years later, Tara, her mother, and brother formed an a cappella trio which performed at banquets, church services, club meetings, and festivals. This experience gave Tara the opportunity to work on the techniques of tone, blend, pitch, and, most importantly, her inherent love and ability to sing harmony. As a teenager and in her early twenties, Tara worked on her solo skills entering small competitions and singing as a church and wedding soloist. During this time, she was hired to sing jingles, demos, and background vocals, and started singing in a Christian bookstore café, leading to a number of solo Christmas concerts in the Cleveland area.
It wasn’t until Tara was in her senior year at The University of Akron that she decided to pursue a singing career. Meeting college friends to play music in the student union re-awakened a passion for performing with a new eagerness. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from The University of Akron with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Professional Writing, Tara was finally at the place where she felt that a singing career could have the focus and determination which she had previously needed to give elsewhere. Tara had come full circle to the place where she’d started—a very different pursuit now in her mind than from when she had re-entered college two years previous with plans of a career in publishing and editing.
But the skills she had honed in writing translated into a new dimension for her: songwriting—a new way for her to combine her passion for words and music. Currently, Tara continues to work on original material, and, as time goes by, she’s looking forward to having more opportunities to write, record, and share her own creations with the world. She also looks forward to the possibility of collaborating with other songwriters and producers in the future, adding different perspectives and colors to her own ideas.
Most recently, Tara has collaborated with talented producer Jim Wirt (who has worked with Hoobastank, Fiona Apple, etc.) and some amazing musicians to bring eleven of her original songs to life! She’s excited to have an entire album of original material, eight of which she penned herself and three of which she co-wrote, that will be released on November 10, 2017!
“Music has just always been around me—been a part of my life. I love so many kinds of music,” says Tara. “My family would sing in church, at holidays, and in the car as we listened to music and traveled just about anywhere. The days before DVD players in the car and cell phones and life interrupted, so-to-speak. It was just scenery, music, and conversation—life and its soundtrack wherever we went.”
Presently, Tara is performing around the Northeastern Ohio area, charming live audiences and local radio audiences alike. In addition to her solo performances, she has also had the privilege of being asked to appear as a guest vocalist on local jazz musicians’ recordings and to perform as a featured guest at various events with the area's top talent from jazz trios to full orchestras.
Drawing on foundational elements from the past and adding her own personal flair, Tara has decided to find her own niche in the world of music. When she performs, Tara enjoys sharing a combination of unique and traditional arrangements and some of her personal favorite songs that are not as well known:
“It’s so great to be able to sing the songs you love. There’s nothing like the beauty of a strong melody and lyric and expressing that to an audience. While I absolutely love to sing classic songs and interpret them in a new way, I’m also really looking forward to sharing my originals and seeing how they may fit into the landscape of popular song. Music is always such an unexpected adventure!”
“God has really blessed me with some amazing opportunities, and I look forward to all of the wonderful things ahead. The response has been overwhelming, and I’m so grateful for everyone who has lent their support and encouraged me along the way so far. I know there is so much more to come, so much to learn and discover. The possibilities of music and imagination truly are endless…”
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". (Philippians 4:13)
