The daughter of an architect and a speech and drama teacher, Tara was introduced to the world of drama and music at a young age, studying Speech and Drama up to grade eight in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Tara Blaise’s singing career began at 16 when she formed a band called Les Legumes with some school friends, but it was her stint as a backing singer with Dublin band The Wilde Oscars that first brought her to the attention of the Irish music scene. After The Wilde Oscars came Igloo. Having made a name for themselves on the Irish live circuit, they entered the studio and produced a couple of well-received singles. Subsequently, when much-vaunted band Kaydee sought her out after their singer quit, she agreed to join. The Kaydee album on EMI was re-recorded to feature Tara’s vocals and released to very positive reviews. However, despite regular touring including a Midem showcase and a London live club residency, Kaydee never quite hit the big time. Having just decided to go solo, Tara received a call from a friend who hooked her up with John Hughes, (manager of The Corrs, Musical Director of Alan Parker’s film of The Commitments, and former musician with Minor Detail). John Hughes was in the middle of his own instrumental album (Wild Ocean released in October 2004 by 14th Floor Records/Warner UK), and he was looking for a vocalist/lyricist. They collaborated on one track, “Dancing In the Wind”, and the association worked so well that they recorded another, “Come Away”. Concurrently, Tara took the time to complete a course in Drama at Dublin’s Gaiety School of Acting, finishing in time to add vocals to Deo, the first single from the Wild Ocean album. Tara also appears in the video for Deo, shot in County Antrim, including The Giant’s Causeway. John Hughes offered her an album deal on his own Spokes label, and sent her to Los Angeles to work with Corrs producer Olle Romo, resulting in her debut album Dancing On Tables Barefoot. The first Tara Blaise solo single was “Fool For Love”, featuring only Tara’s voice and a string quartet. Both “Fool For Love” and follow up “Paperback Cliché” were playlisted by BBC Radio 2 in the UK and Tara covered much ground with a tour of UK regional radio stations, perform with Corrs’ guitarist Anthony Drennan. “Paperback Cliché” was a huge radio hit in Ireland, gaining more than 4,00 plays, and listed at No 2 in the Irish artist airplay Chart, behind U2. The album Dancing On Tables Barefoot was released in the summer of 2005, and described by Hot Press as “a warm and honest record, lit by a genuine sense of personal adventure, and delivered with feelng and panache in equal measure.” The Sunday Times said ‘Pretty much everything here could be a single…’ Live shows in the summer of 2005 included The Isle Of Wight Festival (where a video was shot for third single “The Three Degrees”), T In The Park, the Richmond Festival, Yorks, The Secret Garden, V Festivals in Chelmsford & Staffs and in Ireland the Oxegen Festival (Naas, County Kildare). She headlined London’s Bush Hall in September 2005, and had her first headlining Irish tour, culminating in a Dublin show at the Sugar Club in November. |
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