MEET TAMTAM
When it came to deciding who to feature for music the Fekr team couldn't think of anyone better than the accomplished and talented Tamtam. It’s safe to say that this particular artist is nothing short of a modern-day Wonder Woman. In her interview, she discussed the changes that have happened in regards to her mode of work. She describes her routine in the past as being “intense” and creating pressures for herself that she found she could still manage to live up to even when while more lenient, “I realized that it's all about having a positive state of mind," she told Fekr, “I started to listen to myself more and to my body more when it comes to my everyday work and schedule. I do have a routine and a plan, but it doesn't mean I have to follow it exactly the same way every day.” Tamtam also mentioned that creativity runs in her family, “both my grandfathers wrote Arabic poetry in their spare time, and that definitely made me listen to my creative voice.” Like many, she enjoyed listening to music growing up and some of her favorite musicians included renowned artists such as Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and the Spice Girls. She also often diversified her taste in music and would lean towards artists from the ’60s and '80s such as Fairuz, Simon and Garfunkel, and Nancy Sinatra. It's clear that music had a large impact on young Tamtam, she started singing at the age of eleven, and at the mere age of thirteen, she decided she wanted to pursue music as a career.
Tamtam's song “Rise” was written alongside Jordan Benjamin, commonly known as Grandson, and was produced by Brandon Woodward and Luke Walton, commonly known as Fein, the music video for this song was also directed by the infamous Meshal Al Jaser. “It's hard to pick a favorite because each body of work is so special to me, but I would definitely highlight my song Rise”, she discussed, “It's one of my favorites because a lot of my favorite creatives were involved in the making of it. It's so cool to collaborate with people I look up to and admire because the mix of everyone's creativity results in something unique and beautiful.” The inspiration behind “Rise” is the concept of rising above the noise of society and following your gut. “Growing up in a more conservative society in Saudi, made me doubt myself when it came to music.” Tamtam explained how for the longest time she viewed her journey to being nothing but a dream, “however at the end of the day, those limiting beliefs are really up to each individual to change, and once you realize that, don't hold yourself back.” Another piece of work that Tamtam would highlight is “Heartsick”. It’s a collaboration with Saud AlTurki, who is well-known to the Fekr family. The single, which was released on July 23, is fairly special to Tamtam, the artist enjoys collaborating with other creatives and people she admires, Saud being one of them. “Heartsick” is an alternative R&B track which the creator thought was a divine experience especially since both artists on the track are Saudi, which is something not commonly seen. The inspiration behind "Heartsick" was the current COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and being in the state of quarantine both mentally and physically. The situation that the world was put into showed that although being physically far away from each other, there's still a connection as human beings. “Each decision we make individually can affect us all. So it's important for each person to listen to their gut, and be positive so that collectively, humanity as a whole can reach a positive state.”
Tamtam believes that a prominent issue in the creative world is the tendency to focus too much on the business side of things. She believes that keeping business as the focal point can take away part of the inspiration about one's art and can deface the aspect of creativity. The artist explained how nowadays she's a lot less focused on these particular manners due to her managers, but for a long time Tamtam was an independent artist without a manager. “I know many indie artists who face the same challenges, and my advice to them would be to act as if they have management; keep focusing on your craft because that is what is going to lead you to bigger and better things.” A change that Tamtam would like to see happen is for the music industry, particularly managers, agents, and labels, to be more honest to up and coming artists about what resources they need. “I really believe it would help artists a lot in knowing what direction to go and how to navigate their way.“
At the beginning of quarantine, Tamtam found herself to be easily inspired, being alone at home with all the world's issues buzzing in her mind. She released an extraordinary series, “Quarantoon”, which she released on Soundcloud and IGTV, which included all the songs she wrote and produced at home. However, as quarantine progressed she found herself getting drained and less inspired. “I believe that inspiration comes when it's supposed to, I'm definitely not the kind of artist who forces myself to write everyday because when I'm inspired, the writing process flows so easily and I know that's the best time to create.” The artist told Fekr, that when she doesn’t feel inspired she tries not to dwell on it and reminds herself to be grateful for all the days when she’s been inspired and to live in the present and do whatever feels right to her at that moment.
A piece of advice that Tamtam holds close is “just focus on your craft”, she told Fekr, “I strongly believe I had to go through everything I did to be where I am today, so I am grateful for all the mistakes I made and the ones I will be making and learning from. So I guess another thing I wish someone told me is; enjoy the journey, the ups, and the downs.” As for her long term goals, the marvelous artists has an EP coming out, soon after that, she’ll release her album and start her world tour. Tamtam has a clear message and its to inspire the youth in the Arab world through her music. “The message I'd like to share to people all over the world is way beyond music, but music helps us understand that we are all connected," she believes that music is a platform that makes it possible to reach others with others regardless of their language. The artist told Fekr, “You can be obsessed with a song that's in a different language even though you don't understand one word because it's easy to communicate with music. Music doesn't argue, it doesn't fight, it's just there, in the moment, being present, always honest, and letting you absorb it.” She believes that with music we will find common ground and coexist in perfect harmony.