Tatyana, the Wild Card
Tatyana and her harp have always been a package deal and for good reason—together, they are magical. Hailing from a Russian mother and an English father, classical music was the stepping stone that led to a sea of other treasurable genres. And from the moment Tayana started playing pop and jazz, little did she know that she was simultaneously unlocking the doors into a new world.
We all want to know when did you first pick up the harp? Was it love at first sight?
It was love at first sight. I’ve been playing classical piano since I was a child. When I was living in Moscow, I was in a conservatory there. I was like 10 or 11, and they offered me a second instrument—they said, "You should play something new." They offered me the choice between the flute, the harp or the trombone. When I came into the harp corridor there was this tiny girl sitting on books, big books because she couldn't reach the full harp. I saw her and thought, "Oh my god, that's amazing. I want to do that."
You’ve had the chance to call Holland, Russia, Singapore, Boston, and London your home at one point or another. What was that like?
It was crazy. It was good. I moved either house or country every four years of my life. There was a lot of change, a lot of being the new kid, and a lot of uprooting your life and starting all over again. It was kind of a blessing and a curse. Living in Singapore was really cool because Asia is so different from the West—it was so eye-opening for me. I wouldn't change it. i think it was an interesting way to grow up. It definitely shaped me as an adult.
If you weren't doing music—what would’ve been your second career choice?
That's hard. It's sort of been like an all consuming thing. My mother put me in front of the piano when I was three. It was always a part of my life in this major way. I wanted to read English. I really love literature and books. I thought maybe I could be a writer of some kind. [Music] was always just part of the plan. I've never had a memory before it.
Talk to me about your music—more and more artists are finding new ways to describe their sound. You prefer to use colors instead of a genre. What is the color of your music?
It might be a little on the nose. I picked blue because it is the color of my harp, but I do like what it signifies, the mood and the emotion of it all. I like music that's in between sad and happy. It's nostalgic and melancholy. And I think it might be because I moved around so much. I've left a lot of people and friends behind in my life, and I think perhaps it comes from that feeling of remembering.
You’ve been in the music scene long before your debut song—what was touring with Neneh Cherry like?
Yeah, this is kind of going back to when you asked, "What else would you do?" This is one part of my musical work—I work as a harpist. I was on tour with Neneh Cherry which was one of the best experiences of my life. I really enjoyed it so much. She's such a true goddess! Everything about that experience was wonderful, the tour bus and the team she assembled. I don't really get homesick, so I think I'm very well suited for life on the road. I'm really trying to bring harp into a contemporary context, and I am always looking to work with people who want to use this instrument in a novel and interesting way.
In light of these unprecedented things that are happening, how are you? And how are you managing all of this free time that comes with social distancing?
I'm okay! I'm holed up with my crazy Russian mother—which is great! We're managing to kind of occupy ourselves with parties and vodka shots, so we're doing okay. I have my little studio set up here. In a way it's been nice to totally immerse myself into music making. I have a meditatio—a sound led meditation known as healing harp, so I have been doing some Instagram lives of that. I find it really peaceful. For me it's a meditive thing, so any chance i have to share the feeling I get from playing is lovely. I want to do that. I feel that it can help people or bring them a piece of joy during these troubling times.
If you could collaborate musically with anyone in the world, dead or alive—who would you choose?
Gosh! That's a hard question. There are so many people to choose from. There are a lot of artists I love and admire, but it's hard because I'm predominantly on my own. It's rare for me to do sessions with other people. I think I would just enjoy being in a collaborative space just to learn things from people I admire. Tame Impala comes to mind because he's a one man production wizard. I would really love to see how he gets his drums to sound so sick. Kimbra I think is really amazing. I think she's really slept on by the industry. She's so awesome. I think more in concept of what I can gain from their concept. I enjoy working on my own but I would to see what their studio secrets are.
Now that the debut single is out the way, the world is your oyster—what do you plan on doing next?
Obviously it's not the time, but I would love to play a lot of shows—and I think in the future we will get back to that. And I can't wait to go nuts on stage because it's going to be a long time coming. My full length is in the works, perhaps it'll be a Corona album. This is a period of time where lots of artist are hunkering down and writing their next masterpiece.
