Bloom

As nice as it would be to have someone save me the painstaking exercise of delving deep into my own personal attributes to write this bio for me, it’s easier for me to just to tell you straight up how it is than to try and pretend someone knows me well enough to speak of my existence and write this in third person.

As most people can talk about themselves and their careers with no remorse for slightly exaggerating the minor details of their success, I am an emcee, who is forced into the public eye and would not for one second risk not being taken seriously for the sake of making myself sound better than I truly am!

Let me take you to the begining where I first found the spitting excitement in battling firey emcees every Friday night at DoubleBeef in 2002. I began writing and performing in Sydney’s inner city where I was born and raised and was quickly recognized as a feisty up and comer with a hell of a lot to say and an unstopable attitude. I teamed up with Mass MC, administrator of ozhiphop.com and DoubleBeef Records, performing at & promoting gigs all around Sydney.

I soon got the travel bug and set off around the world in search of inspiration continuing to write and develop my style. I performed solo for three years before meeting Rudy and formed 'Speaker pimps', which due to an unfortunate fall out between two members fell apart after making only 5 tracks. I then joined Sydney crew ‘The Konvicts’ in 2005, a make up of five emcees and a dj.

After leaving Sydney in 2006 for the outback, I formed a 2 piece outfit ‘Vdub’ doing shows in Darwin and Tennant Creek where I worked for a year making hip hop tracks and film clips with the indigenous youth. Now living in Alice Springs I have replaced the backing tracks for a 9 peice live band including sax, trumpet, didge, keys, bass, guitar, drums and 2 vocalists, which has ignited a whole new style that has been exceptionally received by everyone who has seen the show.

With reviews like "Bloom has quickly become one of the leading lights in the Alice Springs live music scene. She packs substantial lyrics with a street-smart style and presence that captures a broad audience. Bloom delivers a smooth rap flow backed up by a funky live band and classic hip-hop beats." from Music NT and “BLOOM BOOGIE” aka Tanya El-Gamal is a poetic tour de force. Catch her fire, fusing the lyrically sublime, soulful melodies and rockin’ beats.” Patrick McCloskey – Artback NT Arts Touring.

My lyrical content comprises of my 25 years of life’s teachings, the struggles of my past, the insanity of my adventures and my favorite men who gave me nothing more than something to write about. Growing up in Sydney gave me the opportunity to experience life on many extreme levels. Quickly gaining an insight into the world’s layers, rising from an uneducated rebellious street kid with bad friends to a smart respected young woman who has an undenied ability to extract even the slightest positive from the harshest negative. Seeking refuge from my thoughts and scattered loose leafs I often find myself strapped to snowboards, motorbikes, skateboards and anything else that inspires me to think outside the square.

My musical influences range from Sade and Lauren Hill to Portishead and Sarah Blasco. My first ever tape was Guns n Roses, November Rain followed soon after by Arrested Development which I still thrash on a daily basis.

Music was not welcome in our home when I was young as my father is an Egyptian muslim so the only thing that came out of the stereo in his house was the Quaran. My mother, an anglo country girl also disapproved of the grunge and hip hop tapes that I loved so on the rare occasion that music was played in her house it was Elvis, Eric Clapton or Nina Simone, which I much preferred over the quaran. The realization of my musical talent and love for performing was not clear until my late teens although I loved writing my own lyrics to pop songs when I was as young as eight but never thought I would be a musician as at that time musicians and fame was nothing but a figment of societies imagination.

I owe alot to music, it gave me something to live for, to be proud of and most importantly helped me understand who I am and appointed me a position where I can not only create but contribute as a mentor for our struggling youth. As much as I love making music and playing with words, my passion is my weakness and I do question my abilities every single day. This process though extremely painful only makes me more determined never to give up on what I have poured my blood sweat and tears into which is evident in every word that is executed from my lungs.