Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
DEMO TRACKS
MAYBE BABY- You’ll have this R’n’B track on constant rotation. This track is autobiographical in the loosest sense and is about being honest with oneself and taking the flack for the disintegration of a relationship.
24/7- For this ballad, Taneta took her inspiration from the old school and her love of gospel to get that truely classic feel.
TO GET A MAN- Taneta originally wrote this song as a down-tempo, jazzy track inspired by a romantic misadventure gone horribly wrong! She explains how there can be no fool-proof way that a girl can win a guy’s heart; how some girls live by the rules, and how others break them and that ultimately, neither is a guarantee of success.
BLACK DIAMONDS- Interestingly, this neo-soul number was penned several years before she first heard Angie Stone’s album. Great minds must think alike!! This would have been around the time Taneta first started learning from Tomorrow’s Warriors (see below) and learning how jazz/hip-hop can comfortably work together.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
INTRODUCTION
Taneta’s music is a blend of R ‘n’ B that derives its inspiration from a wide variety of influences. Dating back to her first solo public performance at the age of 8, she has gravitated towards music styles that not only moved her, but in particular those around her. As such she strives to create music that draws in her listeners, depicting universal experiences of love in its myriad of forms- from the failure of love and the fear of it; to the liberation of love and the redemption it brings.
THE MUSIC
True to her individual style, Taneta chose to use the production skills of the inimitable “Lamone” of Makastrator Studios, Zimbabwe whose hip-hop/jazz pedigree blends well with her sultry vocals. Incidentally, she points out, he is also her baby bro’! Despite the many advantages that London brings, she felt that this was all about keeping it real- the music, the sound and her message. She felt that the bond they share would help her best achieve that, and that this would be the perfect way to introduce the real ‘Taneta’ to the world.
DEMO TRACKS
MAYBE BABY- You’ll have this R’n’B track on constant rotation. This track is autobiographical in the loosest sense and is about being honest with oneself and taking the flack for the disintegration of a relationship.
24/7- For this ballad, Taneta took her inspiration from the old school and her love of gospel to get that truely classic feel.
TO GET A MAN- Taneta originally wrote this song as a down-tempo, jazzy track inspired by a romantic misadventure gone horribly wrong! She explains how there can be no fool-proof way that a girl can win a guy’s heart; how some girls live by the rules, and how others break them and that ultimately, neither is a guarantee of success.
BLACK DIAMONDS- Interestingly, this neo-soul number was penned several years before she first heard Angie Stone’s album. Great minds must think alike!! This would have been around the time Taneta first started learning from Tomorrow’s Warriors (see below) and learning how jazz/hip-hop can comfortably work together.
BACKGROUND
The music that enveloped her from an early age reflects her eclectic, cross-continental upbringing: born in Birmingham in the UK, taking root in Zimbabwe and finally settling into her grown skin back in London. She describes how there was a persistent stream of Stevie, Roberta and Aretha-country music, reggae, rock ( unashamedly she remains a huge fan of Joan Jett), pop and 80’s romantic vibes, all of which meant that to Taneta, music was just music- devoid of genre, colour or politics.
Early Experience
Taneta’s desire to take to the stage first began to take shape in nightly performances for her parents, re-enacting the music videos of the likes of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. Vocally, she credits the evolution of her sound to the moment she first heard Mariah Carey’s ‘Vision of Love’. She joined a girl band, The Funky Divas (no guesses as to the inspiration behind that name)- which was slightly more imaginative than their original name, The Supremes (!!). This experience developed her appreciation for texture, tone and harmony and she formed her own gospel choir at her local parish, reinventing the Sunday morning repertoire with a fresher, more youthful sound. Needless to say, as the choir grew in popularity, the number of kids getting caught smoking in the church gardens mysteriously dropped!
London was her real training ground
LONDON: JAZZ & HIP-HOP
London was her real training ground. Starting with the Sunday afternoon jam sessions at Camden’s legendary Jazz Cafe, she found herself embraced by an elite of young jazz musicians, called Tomorrow’s Warriors. Once she’d licked the standards- acquainting herself with the haunting ‘realness” of Billy Holliday and her fearless style, her eyes were opened to a whole new world of expression which started to filter into her writing and stage performances. The band’s sound was a fusion of funk, reggae, blues, hip-hop and contgemporary jazz. She was able to share the stage with names that many young singers could only dream of, including the Mercury Award winning Soweto Kinch, David Okumu and Jason Yarde. She even had the honour once of the highly regarded trumpeter, Dennis Rollins leaping on stage and riffing as she sang Stevie Wonder’s ‘Have a talk with God’.
LONDON PERFORMANCES
The Bug Bar, Brixton
Cargo, Shoredtich
The Spot, Covent Garden
WKD, Camden
Royal Festival Hall, Jazz Festival- Free Stage
Jazz Cafe, Camden
Tantra, Brewer Street; also aired on cable
LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT
DEAL....
Taneta freely admits to walking away from deals that she felt would not add value to her solo career, most notably a project of “House Divas” inspired by one of Europe’s foremost house producers. The concept was for three different divas front a compilation of House anthems the recording of which was to be filmed by MTV, culminating in performances and a to
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