Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
Canadian artist Tara Kannangara talks us through the single ‘Lisa Turtle’, hometown hangs in Chilliwack, and more
We first caught wind of Tara Kannangara with her recent ‘Extraordinary People’ EP, five tracks of rock pop bliss. In particular, the Saved By The Bell influenced ‘Lisa Turtle’, a catchy indie-pop number that was designed to be played on repeat.
We recently spoke to Tara about her latest EP, the single ‘Lisa Turtle’, and everything else in between.
Kieran: Hey Tara, Great to chat with you today! How have you been?
Tara: Things have been great! I’m currently hanging out in my hometown of Chilliwack, British Columbia with my mom and dad. I just got back from a tour in Norway with an artist I perform with named Jeremy Dutcher so I’m pretty jetlagged.
My niece and nephew are also visiting so it’s been a lot of video games, library trips and pickleball. Pretty awesome actually.
Kieran: How’s your 2024 treating you so far?
Tara: It’s been intense! Releasing a record, even a little EP can feel like a massive endeavour. I’m quite pleased with how everything turned out, but it definitely took a lot out of me. The music industry moves quickly these days so I’m currently trying to figure out how I can hold on to this positive energy until it’s time to move on.
Kieran: SO, when did you start making music and when did you know you were ready to release into the wide world?
Tara: I started making music quite young. I took piano lessons at around 4, started singing at 5 and took up the trumpet in high school. I was making a lot of noise back then, but I didn’t think that I was actually going to turn it into a career. A teacher of mine suggested that I could actually be a musician, which at the time I didn’t really believe, but over the years I discovered I had an aptitude for it. I started writing my own music in my early 20’s and it wasn’t until a decade later that I felt comfortable releasing it to the world.
Kieran: Are there any particular people or artists that have influenced you and your sound?
Tara: I’m a big music fan, meaning, I like all types of music. For this particular record we were inspired by Mitski, Charly Bliss, Deerhoof, St Vincent to name a few. I’m also heavily inspired by pop culture, I’m a big TV person, I love movies and I really enjoy checking out comedy. Honestly, anything that makes me laugh will somehow filter into my songwriting.
Kieran: You recently dropped your latest single ‘Lisa Turtle’, can you talk us through this release and what it means to you?
Tara: This track means a lot to me because I feel like it really succeeds in turning somewhat complicated subject matter into something joyful. I collaborated with my friend, Brittany Farhat, who’s an acclaimed filmmaker in her own right, to shoot a music video as well as a live performance video from our EP release show. I think both visual pieces give the track a lot of context.
Listen to ‘Lisa Turtle’ here:
Kieran: How did you go about the writing and recording of this release?
Tara: The song is about the character of Lisa Turtle from a 90s TV sitcom called Saved By The Bell. When I was really young I watched that show and noticed that her storylines were constantly being underwritten. In my head I thought, “why can’t I see more of Lisa?” I think back then, black and brown folks were rarely the main characters, so I wanted this song to be a loving homage to Lisa, who I think deserved to be the star of the show. Sometimes I feel that way about myself so I feel very connected to her.
In terms of the production, my producer, Michael Fong and I wanted the track to give the essence of a high school gymnasium. I remember when we recorded it, Mike wanted to recreate the sound of people cheering in a gym, so we set up a lonely microphone in the middle of a giant (recently abandoned) studio, and I basically cheered and screamed by myself for hours. Since it was in the throes of the pandemic, it was rather cathartic.”
Kieran: I am guessing it is safe to say you’re a big fan of Saved By The Bell?
Tara: Haha yah. Zack Attack forever.
Kieran: When writing your music do you tend to lean towards abstract stories such as ‘Lisa Turtle’ or do you like to write from a personal space too?
Tara: Lately I’ve been writing from a very personal place. I’m striving to create music that feels very direct, almost undeniable, if that makes sense.
Kieran: Lastly, what else can we expect from you in 2024?
Tara: I miiiiight be releasing something in the fall if all goes well! I’m looking forward to getting more of my music out there. Right now I feel like I’m stuffed with ideas that need to get out to the world. Gotta get that sweet release.