Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara Prager. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Tara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I always used to think I wish I started earlier, but now I am so glad that I’ve waited. I feel so ready now to step into my artistry. I have been able to truly study and perfect my craft by going to school for musical theater. I feel like if I had started this journey and gained success at a younger age – I wouldn’t have the tools to help prepare me. I know how to find grounding and peace now. I have found sobriety and a healthy relationship with my mind and body. I am surrounded by people that I know support and love me. I am allowing the hard work to pay off. I have a more clear vision of what I want my life and my success to look like, and if that was granted to me any earlier I’m sure I would’ve figured it out – but now it feels like everything has progressed exactly the way it was and is supposed to. I am so blessed to have been given the life experiences I’ve had up until this point and it has taught me so much about myself as a human being and as an artist. I think things happen for you, not to you. Timing is everything, and this timing has happened for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Tara Prager enters the stage at 24 years old with big dreams and a clear vision for where she sees herself in a year. Tara has always been a big dreamer, goal setter, and go getter. From a young age Tara has always been involved in multiple projects, most of which being creative projects. Tara grew up in Cave Creek, Arizona with her beautiful mother, father, and older sister. Tara’s family has always been extremely supportive of her creative endeavors. Tara grew up going to a lot of live theater and music events which led her to want to try theater. This sparked a flame in Tara that is now still burning bright. Tara started doing theater at the age of six where she learned how to be a team player, how to be a quiet leader, the importance of time management and timeliness, the importance of collaboration, and how to express herself in creative ways. The feeling that Tara got from performing was a feeling she knew she was never going to be able to give up, and still is the closest thing to real magic. This passion followed her throughout high school where she became president of her school’s improv troupe as well as president of the student council. She performed in countless musicals, plays, talent shows, and events that her family always showed up for. Without the support and love of her family the next chapter of her life would not be possible. Tara was accepted to many universities but chose to attend the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado where she was given a talent and an academic scholarship to pursue her degree in musical theater with a minor in journalism. With Tara’s time at college she was able to explore more of her creative passions, which included songwriting. When the pandemic hit in college, Tara dove further into her writing because performing was not an option. After graduating college as the captain of the improv troupe, president of the musical theater club, and with a 3.8 gpa, Tara decided to stay in Denver for a year to pursue live theater. Something was missing for Tara and she knew she needed more. After two years of craving in person connection and performance, she had developed a new sense of self that she wanted to share with the world. She wanted a chance to completely pursue her passions as herself, not as a character. She wanted to create on her own terms, to be her own creative director and that is exactly what she’s done.
Since moving to LA on August 4th, 2023 Tara has released 4 songs that have reached over fifteen thousand monthly listeners on Spotify. She has grown her social media platforms and is catching the eyes and ears of a new audience. She is exploring her creativity through sound and visuals by creating her first EP project which takes you down and out of the rabbit hole of being in your 20s. It is a journey through all the ups and downs of a really difficult breakup, mourning previous relationships/past self, moving cities all alone, and finding self love. Writing this EP helped release a lot of Tara’s fears and anxieties about being alone and how to deal with big change. The EP offers validation for others going through a breakup or a big life change. She is excited to share it with the world and create a community for people to dance, cry, laugh, and sing together.
I think what sets Tara apart from a large portion of the artists today is that she is not afraid to do the work necessary, in fact she enjoys it. She has always wanted to use all parts of her brain – not just the business or just the artistic side. In a day and age where you can pay for fake followers and fans, Tara makes it a priority to seek authentic connection. Tara also talks about her sobriety journey in her EP. Tara has now decided to be sober from alcohol at the age of 24. This sets her apart because it shows true commitment to herself, her craft, and her fans.
In today’s day and age, so many feel that they have to pick a lane and stay in it. It is Tara’s mission and goal to inspire people to do whatever they want. Tara would eventually like to do it all. There is nothing stopping any of us but our own selves, and I think Tara is about to show the world that there is no need to pick a lane if you don’t want to. You can enjoy and thrive in multiple lanes.
Tara is extremely grateful to her friends and family for their support and love on this journey, without them this would not be possible. She is proud of herself for making the move and giving herself the permission to move on from the life that she once knew, and step into a brand new era. An era where she is fully present in her creative and personal life.
Tara wants to spread love and light to her fans. She wants to spread the magic of her music to all who feel drawn to listen. Tara wants to inspire a new freedom to come as you are and do as you please. As long as you are not hurting anyone along the way – that is what this life is about. Tara wants to encourage fans to embrace their desires, sexuality, thoughts, feelings, and dreams. Tara wants to encourage her fans to not take this life for granted and to show up for themselves every day. Tara has started doing this mentally and physically every day and it has changed her life completely. Tara wants a brighter world with happier individuals, and she knows that it starts with herself.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I want to give my parents everything. I owe everything to them. They were at every single performance growing up telling me “you’re special,” “you’re talented,” “you’re smart,” “you’re beautiful.” I do not take this for granted or lightly. I know that I am so extremely fortunate and blessed to have grown up with the love and support of my family. I know that whether or not I pursued a creative career, my parents would be proud of me – in fact they might sleep a little better at night knowing that I wasn’t – but we’ve all known since the moment I stepped on a stage that this was not something I would ever be able to give up. I need to share my light with the world because it is a feeling that I am truly in love with. And without the support and love of my parents, I would not know this love. My parents also took me to so many theater performances, concerts, art shows, played music in the house, did magic, all of the above! So all of this incredible art was introduced to me at such a young age that I was inspired the second I came out of the womb 9/9/99. I think being born on this day always made me feel special too. The angel number 9999 means that your guardian angels want to help you acknowledge the path you’ve traveled and everything you’ve learned. Unfortunately, when I was much younger I experienced a lot of death. A lot of relatives passed on before I even turned 16, so I experienced a lot of grief from a young age. These relatives were the most beautiful loving souls who also would come to my shows and support me. I believe that there were a lot of amazing performers in my family that did not get to see their dreams come to fruition, and I would like to do this for them too. A lot of them did not follow through so that they could create the family that I am a part of. I have angels in my soul, guiding me to my success. I am doing this for me, but I am doing this for my whole family tree of magicians, artists, singers, and lovers. So in a roundabout way, the goal and mission of my creative journey is to share the love and support that my family and my angels have given to me. I want to be a friend to my fans. I want to be a light and love to the world because my angels and my family were a light and a love to me, allowing me to pursue my dreams.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was that I had to “grow up.” We are taught all our lives that at a certain point, we just have to “grow up.” We have to become boring adults with boring jobs, not go on vacation until we’re sixty, settle down, neglect our fun hobbies, our alone time, and regret a life “we didn’t get to live.”I will not look back on my life with any regrets for things I didn’t do. Of course, we all have regrets for things we have done, and we can make amends and move on. But I want to live this life to the fullest. We are on this planet for 100 years if we are lucky. I want to live those one hundred years through the eyes of my most imaginative, carefree, present self. That to me – feels childlike. Although I am grown, I still feel like a child in the best ways. I had to learn that I can be childlike, and very much an adult. I do not need to settle for a boring life in order to be a successful adult. I can live a colorful, creative, and vibrant life and still make money and have consistency. “Growing up,” does not mean neglecting the things that bring you joy and light. Becoming sober has really opened my eyes to childlike wonder again. My weekends have moved away from habitual binge drinking and regrets, to peaceful time with quality people who enhance my life.This also feels like childlike behavior to me. As a kid we looked forward to our playdates, begging for just one hour longer to hangout with our bestest friend. We spend time coloring, playing, creating, and chatting – all of which, when you become an adult, feel like “a waste of time.” There is “no time to color.” “Coloring is not productive.” Something I had to unlearn was also the definition of “productivity.” If I feel better mentally and physically after an activity – it is productive. As an adult we think if it is not making us money or furthering us in our career, it is not productive. It feels really good to make money and further my career, but it also feels really good to light a candle, journal, and draw. This is productive to me and I have the time to do so because I am not going out and partying. I am spending time with myself and allowing my creative mind to wander to new places which in turn helps my creative journey. I cannot create if my creative pathways are blocked. Something I’ve learned in the last few months is that things happen for you, not to you. I think I had to reach a low so that I could find this peace. A childlike peace. Knowing that everything is going to work out, because it always does.
Everyone always says “I want to feel like a kid again,” and pursuing a career in the arts has made me feel like a kid again. I still have to pay my bills, not throw tantrums, and do all the human stuff- but approaching life with wonder and life, feels so freeing. Being “grown up” felt like I had to suppress my imagination and I am learning now to embrace it. I don’t feel judged by doing or wearing something silly, I feel empowered. I feel empowered being different and unique. I will not let being an adult strip me of my originality and I want to inspire my fans to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: taraprager.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taraprager/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taraprager/videos
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@taraprager