Romanticising dark situations into beautiful melodies: meet London’s next big thing, Tamera
“Reflective, cheeky, and flirtatious”. This is how the singer TAMERA describes her music to me; “I flirt with the concepts, I take dark situations and try to bring the beauty out of them and romanticise it.” We catch up one afternoon ahead of her October EP release to discuss all things music and er… that Love Island final? Shall we get into it then?
Tamera, hailing from Kent but having relocated to London four years ago, is one of the many hot new musical acts to hit our radar over the past few months. Applauded for her seductive R&B beats and teasing lyrics, Tamera’s music truly can transport you somewhere tranquil; her track Wickedest just makes you want to hop in a hammock and sway your troubles away. “Your secret's safe if I say so,” she practically coos in our ears.
Phoebe Shardlow: Do you remember the first song you ever made?
Tamera: Oh my god! I actually do, which is wild. I was probably around 17 and just got signed to a major label and they told me ‘first of all we’re getting you in the studio so you can start writing’. I’d never been in a studio before, it was all so exciting to me - so I went to my best friend’s house and I was like ‘okay babes you’ve got to help me write some songs before I go’. We get a YouTube beat and start writing a song that is so silly; all about waking up in some fresh new Jordans and it’s a sunny day and living every day like it’s my birthday. Looking back it’s so silly but we had so much fun trying to get there and it’s made me realise how far I’ve come.
PS: It’s totally different from where you are now.
Tamera: 100% completely different. I don’t think I knew what kind of artist I wanted to be either. I did what I thought I should, what a good song should be. Eventually, I realised you have to dig deeper and draw things out from yourself, instead of looking from the outside.
Being the absolute music dork I am (sorry to all my friends I have forced to play Desert Island Discs with me at parties over the years), I ask Tamera about her influences. She’s got a lot. Like many people these days she grew up on the likes of Frank Ocean and DRAKE, songs like Marvin's Room and Thinkin Bout You acting as emotional support blankets - you know, one of those weighted ones that help you sleep at night. Learning whether someone prefers Channel Orange or Blonde can often be an eyeopener - to many, it’s more informative than star signs.
PS: Who have been some of your greatest musical influences?
Tamera: Ooh! That’s a tough one, I listen to so many different things. I’d say that more recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Drake and KENDRICK LAMAR. I love to study rappers and the way they place their cadences and their flows. They get a lot more out of a song and in turn, are often way more creative with how they get it all out. I think it’s so fascinating, especially Drake with the punchlines, I mean that dude has been consistently giving us punchlines over the last decade.
PS: Favourite Drake album?
Tamera: I’ve been listening to a lot of Thank Me Later and also Take Care. They’re both so original and fresh.
PS: If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be?
Tamera: Ah! This is another tricky one, there are so many people. Usually, I would answer and say, MISSY ELLIOTT. But today I’m gonna say Frank Ocean, I could learn so much from him - I’d try and study him.
PS: Channel Orange or Blonde?
Tamera: Channel Orange, it got me through some stuff man. There are so many songs on that album that can just bring me back to a moment.
PS: What do you think inspires your music the most?
Tamera: It has to be my personal experiences at the time that they were happening - I will always try to immediately capture that feeling. I don’t like getting too down over things, I will always try to find the silver lining and make it beautiful.
Tamera insists to me that outside the studio she’s actually quite boring, but with such an impressive body of work being inspired by her life experiences, I sincerely doubt that. But she’s a woman of comfort and simple pleasures, I can confirm. She cherishes long baths and catching up on Love Island - I ask her what she thought of the final, did she think Choby was robbed? But Tamera is pleased for Millie and Liam and thinks the right couple won. Reality TV aside, I truly digressed here, what does the future hold for Tamera? She tells me of hopes for some music in the charts, a tour and how she’d really like to own a house.
PS: Let’s say you have the most extravagant world tour ever and you could get any designer to do the clothes - who would it be?
Tamera: There’s this London designer called Mia, her label is called MYAEMADE. She’s lit, very lit.
PS: We’re gonna have to find her for Check-Out! And if you could perform anywhere, where?
Tamera: The Royal Albert Hall, it’s so beautiful.
PS: Could you ever imagine yourself doing anything other than music?
Tamera: I feel like if I wasn’t in music and I wasn’t an artist the only other thing I could imagine myself doing and being passionate about is some kind of a writer.
As the world begins to open up again, Tamera can’t wait to meet you all. With new songs on the horizon, the singer tells me how hungry she is to get up on stage again - her first and only live show was back in early 2020. But speaking of hunger, it’s time for a classic Phoebe Shardlow question…
PS: You can invite three people, dead or alive, to dinner - who are they?
Tamera: Whitney Houston, Prince, and Amy Winehouse.
PS: What are you cooking for them?
Tamera: I’m hiring a chef! Imagine giving them three food poisoning, oh my god.
You can listen to Tamera’s latest single, Strong For Me, here on Spotify and Apple Music.
Creative direction by JEFFREY THOMSON
Photography by MORGANN EVE RUSSELL
Styling by JOSEPH PARKER
Featuring TAMERA
Hair by ASAHI SANO
Make-up by ALICE DODDS
Fashion assistance by OSCAR ZAWADZKI
Special thanks to KIMBER STUDIO and EMILY GALE from TRIPLE THREAT MANAGEMENT
Tamera wears
LOOK 1 Bralette by ELISSA POPPY; Trousers by PRONOUNCE; Leather jacket by GOLDSMITH VINTAGE; Earrings, model’s own.
LOOK 2 Dress by NφDRESS ONLINE; Jewellery, model’s own.
Welcome to CHEW THE FAT WITH…, our long-form series where we invite you to sit down with fashion’s next generation as they dig deep into their memories. To chew some fat - an informal conversation brimming with small talk - we encourage you to pull up a chair and take a big old bite as we spill the tea on the life and work of the industry’s need-to-knows. Just remember to mop up after yourself.