Indie-rock artist Tanaya Harper is heading to WAMFest Live to showcase (with her band) as well as the WAMAwards as nominee for Best EP.
“I'm really happy with where I'm at at this point of my career, and I'm just going to keep doing it,” Tanaya says.
The Perth artist's debut EP 'Some Kinds', released back in June, was a work in progress for a few years and has now been nominated alongside acts Feels, Kat Wilson Trio and Demon Days.
Being her first release, Tanaya says the nomination is a massive motivation. “It feels really nice because it's the first thing I've ever released. It's been a really long time coming – it's taken me years to actually muster up the confidence and courage to record songs and put them out," she says.
“Also, the other nominees in the category are all so phenomenal. It's that much nicer to be along that [list] of other artists. I will keep writing music and keep recording. You should only ever do music for yourself, but it's just nice to know that there are people who like it after not putting anything out for so long and having so much self-doubt for years.”
Although the nomination came as a surprise to Tanaya, it has been in her cross hairs. “Leading up to the 'Some Kinds' recording I started this vision board and I had a list of things I wanted to tick off... I had 'get a WAM nomination for 2018' as a goal and I got one!”
Along with her WAMAwards nomination, Tanaya will be heading to WAMFest as a showcase to perform in her band for the first time after running solo for the past three years. She describes the opportunity to be a great payoff.
Read our recent article about Tanaya's top 5 happy places here.
“I've been working really hard and I think my songs are good because I would never play songs I don't like. [The] discerning objectivity that I've had with myself has paid off," she says.
“I'm also playing alongside of my absoutle favourite bands in Perth. I'm just thrilled. It just runs back to that recognition. I'm really happy I've held onto my integrity and I've only put out and performed stuff I'm really happy with, and now I'm a showcase performer. It just feels really nice.”
Tanaya teases that fans heading to WAMFest can expect a fresh set from the artist along with a new twist on some of her songs.
“The important thing about this showcase for me is that it's going to be my first offical gig with my band that's been slowly getting together," she says.
“[Fans can expect] something different because I've been solo for three years. It's probably going to be a refreshing set, but it'll definitely be something they haven't seen from me before.
"Also, I think it's going to be heading back in the pop-grunge direction now that I have a band. It'll be less of a moody sound than it has been for the last little while.”
