Exclusive Interview: TaniA Kyllikki’s Delves on Her Creative Tastes, Her Inspirations & Her Upcoming Album “WHY”

It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story? How did you get to where you are today?

It’s my pleasure, thank you so, much for having me!

I think it helped that I was inspired from a young age from some great Legends in the music industry. The moment I heard them I was completely in awe. I always knew I was born for a life in music. I literally come into this world singing! I started at a very young age with my hair brush being my microphone! Lol… My story has alot of similarities to “Mary J Blige” in the sense that growing up in the projects or what we call in England a council estate. My mother was a single mother for most part of it to five children, so money was always tight and I had to share a room with my siblings. I kept them up alot with my constant singing! lol… What was great growing up is that I had such a cool mum with a great taste in all types of music genre’s R&B, soul, Classical, Pop. So I was influenced by a wide variety of musical geniuses.

Music was alway’s a huge factor in our house. My mum was just that super cool mum who would blast the music loud through the speakers in the home and car. I would take her CDs and just dream of being on stage one day, I told my mum, I will be doing that one day. I think music saved me in alot of way’s. I have a wildness inside of me and music has always helped kept me focused on a positive path, getting me through alot of lows in my life as well. All I cared about was music! From the moment I woke up to the time I went to bed, that was all I wanted to do. While the neighbourhood children was outside getting into trouble, I was indoors rehearsing to my favourite artists and writing my own songs. My first song to sing was actually Etta James “At Last” and “Gold Finger” by Shirley Bassey. Big songs for such a little girl at the time! lol… I was a old soul basically inside a child’s body. I fell inlove with Whitney Houston’s music for her extraordinary ability to sing just three words like in “I have nothing” and be able to captivate your soul with her gorgeous rich voice. Then Minnie Riperton and Mariah Carey for their extraordinary vocal range and ability to sing all up in the clouds with their whistle notes while harmonizing at the same time. Toni Braxton was another artist I have so much appreciation for, the depth and passion in her Voice is absolutely phenomenal.

One day I’d love to meet many who inspired me growing up. Especially “Mary J Blige,” being that her story growing up is relatable for me. She taught me how to be raw, organic in my own song-writing. Beyonce’, has taught me to not be afraid and stand tall! Be bold and powerful as a woman in what is a very male dominated music industry. I’ve had many challenges as a female independent artist that for some would make them want to give up. But music is my one true love, there is nothing else I’d rather be doing. It’s amazing how much all these extraordinary artists have touched my life in one way or another just through their music that has influenced alot of my own musical direction.

Where do you originally hail from and where are you based now?

 I am actually from a small town called ‘Reading’ in the UK. The same place actress, “Kate Winslet” who played the leading role in Titanic is from.

Now I live in the outskirts of London in a country area. I love rural areas it’s so good for my soul to have a peaceful place to create. There are also, plenty of horse’s round where I live. Growing up I went horse riding alot. So being that I love horse’s as much as I love creating music it’s a win, win, for me.

Congratulations on your last single “Remind Me” how do you feel about the newfound success?

Honestly I am just so grateful to everyone who supports me as independent singer songwriter, including you guys doing this interview. I love that I have people from all over the world streaming and downloading my music. It fills my heart with so much joy. What’s amazing with my last single “Remind me” is how it all happened so fast. I still have to pinch myself and say yes! R&B hit maker Neyo who I have listened too for years and been inspired by for his phenomenal songwriting ability to create hit after hit! Just presented my single that I wrote to the world! It’s honestly a dream come true. Then to have the very talented award-winning DJ Jo Paulo do a remix of “Remind me” and have it reach near the same level of success is incredible.

What was the inspiration behind the new single RARE?

RARE, only being released this week has already had a lot of interest. And again I am so grateful to everyone for their love and support of my music. This song is a co-write between me and my fiance and music partner Garry D. Hairston. He is a very talented musician and songwriter who prefers to be more behind the scenes. However his involvement plays a huge role in my music career. From producing music, coaching me, encouraging me when I need it, and looking out for my best interest like a manager would. Normally, even though I can play the piano some. Garry is the music man and I am the one who mainly writes all the lyrics.

With “RARE” I wanted to switch things up and do a co-write of the lyrics with Garry and write about the love we have which is just like the title of song says, “RARE.” A back story behind us is that we are in a long distance relationship. Garry lives in North Carolina USA and I live in the UK. How we met was through Facebook. I was in hospital at the time in ICU with pneumonia. Shortly before that I had shared acapella of a song I wrote on my socials asking anyone who would like to produce the music for my up-and-coming single release. The song was called “This is who I am.” Garry had reached out to me online and surprised me with this gorgeous piano piece around it, that honestly made me cry! It was exactly what I wanted. After that and many songs collaborated between us later! Well, the rest is history. In more depth behind my love song RARE is that behind closed doors even though I don’t appear sick in my photos, I go through alot being that I was born with a heart defect that has caused me to have mini strokes. I also have chronic asthma and autoimmune illnesses I take chemo for weekly for the rest of my life. Plus incurable illnesses like iih and meniere’s disease that could cause me to go blind or deaf at anytime. Mentally I go through alot as well, this is due to past and present experiences in my life that cause me to suffer with random panic attacks now from PDSD. Garry really has stood by me through so much when most men may have left. It’s hard enough being long distance, add that to all the stresses of our life’s on opposite sides of the world and it’s not been easy. This makes me have a lot to be thankful for in my relationship with Garry, not just professionally speaking, but in my personal relationship with Garry as well. We have held on through alot including sadly me having miscarriages. Our love is just like the title of my song, it is rare. So I hope that “RARE” can be as successful as “Remind me” if not more so, being that it comes from a more deep meaningful place in both mine and Garry’s heart’s.

How would you describe your sound to someone who just listened to your music for the first time?

If I were to put myself in a box I’d say my music genre is soulful R&B with hints of Pop element. But my overall sound has different textures to it. I have within a 5 octave vocal range and can sing contemporary R&B, pop and classical. So my overall sound is across mix of genres that I also put in my music. My most successful song “lie with me” was sang in a soulful popera sound. While “This is who I am” was sang in more soulful jazzy style. Then “Remind me” and “RARE” are cross mix of R&B Pop. So when it comes to my upcoming album WHY due for release 30th November this year. What people can expect to hear is cross mix of genres in these featured songs.

Which release of yours has had a large impact on your life, whether the storyline was based on a life experience or the process of putting the song together helped you approach music production differently?

That’s a great question!!! Hmmm well, I’ll be honest all my songs I write come from true life experiences if it be mine or someone else’s. But if I were to pick one it would have to be my single WHY named the same as my upcoming album. The story behind is that I witnessed a lot of domestic abuse from my step father until my mother finally divorced him when I was about 9. Unfortunately by then the mental scars were there for life. I was really nervous to release a song like this. Was definitely the hardest song ever written and recorded to date. But I wanted to use my past pain to help others by letting them know that it’s not okay to suffer any kind of abuse in silence and to get out of that dysfunctional environment. No one deserves to be treated like that.

Why, since it’s release has been shown a lot of support. And I was fortunate enough to be made the face of their July issue in the “New Music Times UK” magazine this year.

Favorite guilty pleasure?

 I would have to say it’s simply just chilling in my hoodie and sweats on my day off with extra meaty extra cheesy Papa John’s pizza, caramel chew ice cream with cookies and binge watching my favourite shows. I’m busy alot so this is the perfect day for me! Lol…

 Night owl or morning person?

I do have to be up early most days but I’m most definitely a night owl! I write and record alot at night actually. There is just something about working through the night that appeals to me more.

If you had one message to give your fans, what would it be?

That I love them all so much with all my heart!!! If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have a music career as a independent singer songwriter. And I am so grateful to them for sticking with me through all the challenges I face in my life as well, which at times has meant delays in my music being released on time. They are truly amazing people and I hope God blesses me to be able to give them many more  years of my music that will inspire, uplift and get them through many of their own experiences in life good and bad. God gave me the gift of music and I will use this beautiful gift I’m so grateful for to the best of my abilities.

For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?

Remember to put a note in your diaries for 30th November this year! That’s the date for my album release WHY. And I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have writing and recording it. Godbless you all for sticking with me on my musical journey. And thank you so much to you guys for this awesome interview it’s been a pleasure.

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