Tanita Tikaram on her new album and why songwriting remains a sanctuary during uncertain times
Nearly four decades on from her debut album, Tanita Tikaram reflects on her creative evolution, her sources of inspiration and how she continues to find meaning in music.
In 1988, 19-year-old British singer Tanita Tikaram achieved chart success and recognition across Europe with her debut album, Ancient Heart. The moody single “Twist in My Sobriety” became an enigmatic yet undeniably catchy late-night classic. In the years since, Tikaram has intermittently released new music, drifting in and out from under her early-won popstar crown. Now she returns with the new album LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right) and a show during the EFG London Jazz Festival. Here, Tikaram discusses how her songwriting has evolved over the years, learning to collaborate with other creatives and her musical influences.
Is the new album a follow-up to ‘Ancient Heart’?
Not necessarily but the albums mirror each other. Ancient Heart’s songs reflect a teenager’s search for identity and belonging in a world that she often felt alienated from. The pieces featured on LIAR are from the perspective of someone who, having found her place in the world, now sees that world and its values and ideals crumbling around her.
Musically, both albums find the right balance between light and dark, which I always strive for. When I started my career, I was the archetypal singer-songwriter penning lyrics in a bedroom with no experience of playing with other musicians or arranging a song. That has changed over the years. What I am most proud of in LIAR is bringing out the best in the collaborators who I have been working with and – thanks to producer Andy Monaghan – creating a unique and compelling sound.
Has your approach to making music changed throughout the years?
When you are young, you are thrilled by writing and producing anything. But as you get older, the editing and selection process is harsher. I was also creating alone when I was younger. I am now more aware of the musicians I work with and their qualities. Though I’m not specifically writing for them, I consider very early in the arranging process how a particular player can enhance a song. I often use the lead instrument in a composition as the other voice telling the story.
Who are your musical influences? Have they changed over time?
When I was very young, it was my parents’ record collection, which included the occasional crooner, such as Nat King Cole and Dean Martin, from my dad and the likes of Barbra Streisand and Shirley Bassey from my mum. Others were releases from Trojan, Atlantic and Stax records, as well as albums by the Beatles. As kids, my brother and I were obsessed with a rock’n’roll radio station that we listened to late at night in Germany. Then I discovered singer-songwriters as a teenager. I was 30 when I began playing the piano, which introduced me to classical music and opened my ears to jazz. If there were to be a single artist who covers the whole universe of music, it would be Nina Simone – there is usually a song by her in my head that I’m obsessed with.
There are strong political themes in your new album. How does songwriting help you understand the world?
I was conscious of trying to find a poetic language for troubling political events. I suppose that finding a way to express those feelings is a comfort. Judging by how people have thanked me for not pretending that everything is normal and writing songs that recognise we are living in a very dark time politically, it makes me feel less alone.
‘LIAR’ is out now. Tikaram plays at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 15 November.
