Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara J King. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tara J, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
A meaningful project for me is Show N’ Tell, a YouTube kids’ music channel I launched with my husband, Joe, during the pandemic. After becoming a parent, I realized it was hard to find content for my kids that was high-quality and age-appropriate and doesn’t drive parents up the wall. So I decided to create it myself.
This project was different than others in my career, where I’ve collaborated with other pros within the bigger music industry machine. For Show N’ Tell, I’m in the driver’s seat for the first time, steering the vision from start to finish, which has been empowering and deeply rewarding. I’m getting to pour my years of vocal training and songwriting into something that feels aligned with my heart.
What makes this even more special is working alongside my husband. Together, we’re creating something born out of inspiration from our kids and our family life, which is the most important and precious thing in my world. Writing and producing these songs has been pure joy. It’s stress-free, fun, and like a second childhood, but with all the wisdom and experience I’ve gained along the way. Seeing this music connect and resonate with families around the globe has been pure joy. It’s a project that feels perfectly aligned with who I am as an artist, a mother, and someone who loves to create meaningful work.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi, I’m Tara J. King, and my 25-year journey as a singer-songwriter, performer, holistic vocal coach, and now YouTube content creator has evolved with each season of life. When I was young, I put everything I could into chasing stardom, inspired by my idols and what I thought was my destiny. Later, my talent became a way to survive, to make a living. And after so many ups and downs, getting so close to what I thought was success, and all the high highs and low lows, I haven’t given up yet. But I’ve realized it’s no longer about proving myself to the world, but honoring the person and artist I’ve grown into.
Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure I was singing before I could talk. I got my first taste of the music industry in high school. I joined a girl group during my senior year and a performance in Atlanta caught the attention of Peabo Bryson, the Grammy-winning “Beauty and the Beast” singer who mentored me early on. I poured everything into music: writing, vocal training, practicing guitar, and performing anywhere I could. By 19, I was in a studio recording my first album, surrounded by musicians and producers who had worked with legends. I was convinced I was on the edge of something huge and my childhood dream was about to come true.
But the music industry has a way of humbling you. I was 23 when I turned down a publishing deal through Atlantic Records. At the time, I thought something better would come along where I could be the star, not just the writer. I didn’t realize how pivotal that choice would be and how much harder the road could get.
Around that same time, I kept finding myself in rooms with industry vets – well-connected men with influence and the power to open doors. But every time I got close to an opportunity, I’d discover there were strings attached, and when I refused to cross that line, the opportunity – and the relationship – vanished. I’m proud of those decisions, but I won’t lie. Walking away made me question everything.
A pivotal experience as a finalist on American Idol led to another disappointment and I decided to pack up and move to NYC. I spent the next few years hustling, taking odd jobs to pay the bills. I gigged constantly, singing in clubs, taking vocal students, and doing any collaboration that came my way – some with big names, others just because I needed to pay the bills. I took on unique opportunities to grow my skills, like performing as the lead singer for a touring Cirque company, which brought its own kind of magic. One of my favorite memories from those years was Stevie Wonder pulling me aside after a performance to tell me how much he loved my voice. I think about that often because, even in the grind, those moments reminded me that I was still on the right path.
Eventually, life shifted again. In 2019 I became a mom, and suddenly my relationship with music felt different. I wasn’t chasing stardom anymore, I was creating something that mattered, something that connected. During the pandemic, my husband Joe and I started Show N’ Tell, a YouTube kids’ music channel. What began as a way to blend music with parenting quickly grew into something I’m incredibly proud of. We write educational songs and bring them to life with our own animated characters, soothing lullabies, and even do live-action music videos, story time, and art sessions. It’s meaningful work that brings joy to families around the world, including ours.
Looking back, every season of my life taught me something: the ambition of my youth, the resilience to keep going when things didn’t work out, and the freedom I feel now, doing work that reflects who I am. I don’t regret the hard times and disappointments because they all brought me here. And if I could tell anyone reading this one thing, it’s that the most rewarding part of the journey isn’t the worldy accolades or success – it’s finding out who you are and being that person that brings fulfillment.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I think a lot about when I was 23 and turned down that publishing deal with a major label. At the time, it felt like everything I’d worked for was finally paying off. But I believed so deeply in myself and my potential that I couldn’t bring myself to take anything less than what I thought I deserved. So I turned it down. Looking back, I realize I was too young to understand that life is made up of stepping stones. I didn’t have the patience to see the long game.
And who knows? Maybe it was the right decision. Maybe I dodged a bullet. But in the end, it doesn’t really matter, because that choice put me on a different path, one that threw me into the fire and forced me to learn resilience.
After that, nothing came easy. Instead of stepping onto a fast track, I had an uphill battle, basically starting over and hustling to survive. During those years I learned that no one hands you your dreams – you have to build them, brick by brick. I learned to keep showing up, even when the world told me “no,” and to stay on the path and let it shape me into something stronger.
I didn’t get the stardom I chased as a teenager, but I got something better: grit, integrity, and the kind of resilience you only earn by walking through the fire. Those hard years gave me a family, meaningful work, and a deep understanding of who I am. Resilience led me to a place where I can confidently say I’m exactly where I need to be.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is knowing that no one else can create exactly the way you can. There’s something so powerful about embracing your authenticity, stepping outside the mold, experimenting, and pushing boundaries until something feels right. If it doesn’t sound or flow the way you hoped, you keep exploring until it clicks. Then the rewarding moment hits when it sings well, writes well, and feels like an honest expression of who you are.
But for me, performing live is where it all comes to life. I’ll never forget the time I sang at The Apollo in New York City. Just standing on that legendary stage felt like stepping into a vivid dream, surreal, like I wasn’t fully awake. The nerves, the self-doubt, the little voice asking, “Can I really do this?” – they were all there. And then the lights hit and the band started playing, and it was just me and the crowd.
When you’re performing, there’s this moment when everything clicks into place, when you stop overthinking, and you start flowing. You can FEEL the audience, and it’s electric. They give you energy, they pull something out of you, and it takes you to a level you didn’t know you had. And when they cheer for you, it’s not just a great feeling. It’s the answer to that quiet question every artist carries: “Am I really good enough?”
That connection, whether it’s on a big stage like The Apollo or in a small, intimate room, is what makes creating and sharing art so special to me. Those moments when the art I create becomes something shared, something that moves someone else, are what I live for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.showntellkids.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showntellkidsofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/showntellkids/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@showntellkids/
