We were lucky to catch up with Tara Dente recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I moved from Asbury Park, New Jersey to Nashville, Tennessee in October of 2021. I had grown up in Jersey, with a 2-year adventure in southern Vermont from 2015-2017. I had gone through all the “normal” channels of childhood and young adulthood in education, ultimately earning a bachelors degree in psychology and a minor in women’s studies in 2011. I worked in the mental health field for about a decade on and off in many different positions, with my favorite population being adolescents. I was able to connect with them the most, having not too long ago come out of that era of my life with a little bit of wisdom to pass along and a heart for them. I probably was unknowingly searching for some kind of personal resolution with my own issues in adolescence while helping them, looking back. I had also been in the service industry since I was 14 and had had jobs on and off until I decided to liberate myself about a year ago from brick and mortar positions with a remote gig, in order to travel more freely. Since I was a child I have played piano and had an ear for learning songs and melodies, resisting formal music education but thankfully taking some knowledge from any I did receive. I played piano in church, and discovered the guitar when I was about 16, also around that time being graciously given vocal lessons by a friend who had been successful in the music industry. Around the age of 17, I wrote my first song with lyrics on guitar and realized it was easier for me to write lyrics while accompanying myself on guitar rather than piano. It’s possible there were too many options on piano, whereas I was limited to only a few chords on guitar so it helped me to lock into song structure more easily. After that, I wrote songs privately in my basement apartment in the home where I grew up, going to school and work during the day and staying up late avoiding writing papers that would be due, or other assignments that didn’t interest me. The songs were calling. Somehow I managed to graduate with some accolades, diploma in hand, with two identities; one visible to those around me, the other, a shadow self who would daydream of being seen one day. After getting some treatment at the age of 24 for mental health issues that had been building for at least a decade, along with regular therapy, I was finally able to break through my fear of being seen and jumped into an open mic night. I sang 3 of my quiet folk songs in a rowdy bar and could barely be heard, but my chest was on fire—fully alive—and I felt like I had taken off an invisibility cloak. That began a 10-year run of open mics, features, showcases, headlining gigs and building from a solo performer to a 6-piece band. This band would help build and carry me through my time in New Jersey, ending with a main stage set at Floyd Fest in Virginia, July of 2021. I had 3 albums behind me, a single, another on the way, and an itch to self-produce and explore my sound differently. I also needed a new environment, one where I could learn as much as possible about music and the industry. I wanted to hear and learn more about roots, folk, Americana, and even country (something I didn’t grow up around) to better understand my sound and where I wanted to go with it. New Jersey was gracious and supportive to me, and often I was one of only a handful of local americana/ folk acts so I was able to have some spotlight. The majority of the sounds I heard were indie, rock, hardcore, pop, and more in that vein, with many talented folks in our community. However, with my contextually unique sound, came a feeling of being unchallenged. I wanted to be a small fish again, and that’s exactly what happened when I encountered the vast talent in Nashville, particularly in the genres that pull me. I had some incredibly gracious friends in New Jersey who helped me through my stable times, as well as my addressless periods, offering couches, rooms, emotional support, and laughs when I felt like an alien, never know when, where or how to settle down—or if I ever would. It was after a birthday trip to Nashville in June 2021, that the possibilities I felt, took my heart and imagination. Within 4 months, I was living there and ready for the next chapter.
Since last October, I think life has finally opened up to me, as I am wide open to it all. I want to soak in everything I can. A few awesome spots in East Nashville had given me a stage early on which made me feel welcomed right away, and also, like that small fish. Which is good. It’s what I came here for. The remote tech job ended, I drove Uber for a while (to the demise of my sanity for a short moment), and am writing this as I’m on tour to Whidbey Island, Washington with no formal ties to a day job. So it’s all forming as I go. That’s the thing, right? Take the leap and the net will appear? Let’s hope so! What I’ve learned so far from those in this industry longer than me, is, it’s a long game. If you love this—and I do—it’s something to keep working at no matter what. Moving through trends and moments where you feel nothing you do matters. If you validate what you do first, others will see the value in you, too. Similar to me embracing my own birthright as an artist, they might just take a while to come around.
Tara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee. I am looking to get involved in publishing and learn more about that side of the industry. I am loving learning more about “writes”, or, collaborate writing with other songwriters. That is new for me, but I can see how it will teach me a lot and help open up my views.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Having worked in the mental health industry for a decade before deciding to commit to music as my career and my identity being “Songwriter”, I had to deal with my own judgements of this title and lifestyle. I have always had a boss, supervisor, and a set of rules to follow at work. As an independent artist, you write the rules and set your schedule. You decide what works for you. There is definitely a feeling of being “lazy” or “wrong” when taking time to nurture the artist child within oneself, where sometimes doing nothing is needed to make space for the creative flow to happen (see The Artists’ Way for more on this! It changed my whole outlook on being an artist). So I have to regularly validate my work, and see it as that—work—and a job, that is just as valid as anyone else’s work. The only difference is this kind of work is right for me, so I’m less at war with myself when I sit down to do the process, because it’s in alignment with who I am, not a costume I need to put on to get though the day.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I mentioned this earlier, but The Artists’ Way by Julia Cameron (audio book/ paperback/ work book/ morning pages journal) had absolutely changed my direction back when I was stuck in the mud in 2020. It’s the first time I truly felt validated and “named” as an artist. Like, I have a place in all of this. I’m not just a child with finger paints. This is a job, a lifestyle, a pursuit, and an honorable path. I recommend this resource to ANY kind of artist, or someone who is not sure if they are one and would like to explore that and peel back the layers.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Taradente.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/taradente?r=nametag
- Facebook: Facebook.com/taradentemusic
- Twitter: Twitter.com/taradente
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCvc-JgdE_Iz4T3fMDCBToZQ
- Other: https://taradente.bandcamp.com/ https://youfoundmusic.com/tara-dente
Image Credits
Hat with blue sky background: James Carter Slicked-back hair with guitar and starry background: Maggie Ellmore Others: myself (no credit necessary)