This duo is the powerhouse team of Tarah Carpenter and Coralie Herve. LA based by way of France, they are today’s answer to the alt/punk rock of the 1990’s. They draw their inspiration from their life experiences, allowing audiences to connect on a human level. They are bold, they are powerful, they are Tarah Who?
What about your music is rebellious, unconventional, or unusual?
TGC: I think our attitude maybe. Also, I write to express myself and my emotions and I try to stay as authentic as I can be to those feelings. I don’t write a song about a topic I haven’t lived or felt.
I don’t change words to make them rhyme, I just write down how I feel, and I don’t change anything because I want it to be as it came out.
Has your musical journey had a deliberate direction, or did it simply gradually evolve in whatever direction it found?
TGC: I didn’t really have a plan or a direction. Actually, I started as a drummer and a bass player, and I saw myself as a musician. Not a singer-songwriter. Over the years, playing in bands, I started writing on the side, but I never told anyone. Then I tried to bring in singers, and guitar players until I realized that I needed to sing my songs because they were too personal. I taught myself the guitar and I started writing songs. I was producing myself as a singer songwriter. I met a few producers who thought I was going to be a pop artist, but I wanted something more rock. I wanted a band. I have worked with a lot of musicians who have helped me shape my sound. I have played with a lot of musicians, and it taught me a lot about confidence in what you want in your music and daring to say what you want. No one has the same goals so it is hard to find people who are as focused as you can be or motivated. Luckily Coralie and I have found each other and the fact that we are a duo is not intentional. Our last bass player let us down a week before our European tour, so we had to come up with a solution. I told Coralie, “If we make it out ok after this tour, we are not hiring anyone else! “
The tour was amazing, everyone loved the two-piece idea, and the fact that we were two women, I think really helped in a way. When we came back to the US, we were going on another tour that went as successful and that’s when we made the serious decision to be a duo.
If we were to look at the artists you are listening to, who would be on your playlist?
CH: For sure I would have my favorite metal bands like Nightwish, Cyhra, Beast In Black …. But I have some artists that might be surprising like Celine Dion, Taylor Swift …
When I’m going to work, I like to listen to a playlist that I made called ‘’Divas’’, female bands or artists from Metal to country to pop!!! Love it!!
TGC: I have playlists too depending on my mood or who is with me. My wife is not so much into rock, so I have a playlist with all of my favorite bands like The Distillers, TOOL, RATM, Pantera, Motorhead, Garbage, Melissa auf Der Maur, Them crooked Vultures etc…
Then when I am in writing mode, I usually listen to everything but rock, because I don’t want to get “influenced”.
I have my happy playlist, with all upbeat, happy songs, I have my gig playlist for when we have a show and I need to get a setlist together, I have a playlist for when I drive with my wife, and I know she’ll like the songs:) lol! and of course, the playlist with Coco where we have our songs we listen to while on the road.
What can we expect from you within the next 6 months? Any releases planned? Future gigs?
CH: We just released our new album ‘’ Supposedly A Man’’ so we’re gonna keep promoting it.
We are also working on our next EP, with a new single coming soon and a video for it!! It’s really exciting!!
TGC: Yes! Our next 6 months are coming up really fast! We have a few shows planned, music videos and recording in the works. 2022 is going to be fun and busy! We can’t wait to start sharing!
What has been the most challenging aspect of your current releases?
CH: We actually wrote “Supposedly A Man” during quarantine so it was really different from what we are used to, practicing the songs together and having them pretty well before going to the studio. This time we had to send each other videos, audio and do a lot of zoom meetings to talk about the songs and practice on our own. We played the songs for the first time together at the studio, which was pretty funny hahaha !!!
TGC: Yeah, I like to know the songs in my bones before going to the studio, but because of the quarantine we were not able to do that. We just trusted each other that we had learned our parts. I was stressing out a bit because I had to come up with every part, and we had booked the studio for a weekend only. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time… Luckily everything went really well, and we managed to record everything as we wanted. We wore our masks the whole time, which was really weird but it all worked out!
Do you enjoy recording and production?
CH: The recording part is another aspect of being a musician that I really like. It’s really different from the performing aspect and you need to focus on different things like your sound, the dynamic you want to give to the song, and being on time and lock with the other instruments.
There is always something new to learn, especially working with our producer Jason Orme, always an amazing experience!!
TGC: I love it. I love every aspect of being a musician. From feeling the inspiration to writing the first drafts and making demos. Getting the first idea and then going into the studio and making it real! There is always magic happening in the studio. Jason has a lot of fun instruments, and he is really good with sounds. I know how the song should sound like, as I write it, I can hear the guitar, the bass, and the guitar. Sometimes I hear the second guitar and other ideas, melodies or percussions. Jason hears things too, as we record more and more tracks. I trust him 100% with the guitar sounds for instance. He knows what I like and what fits the songs, he takes care of all of those SOUND aspects. I don’t know anything about this side of the project, and truly I don’t have the patience either. I can say “yes” “no” but that is it. Jason and I are a great team for that, and I love it when he gets into the production and starts coming up with new ideas!
So yeah, the production and recording are super fun! It is probably the most boring thing for someone who is in the room and not participating but when you are doing it, it is exhilarating… in my opinion, but it is nothing you can really tell as a story later on… and there is nothing like listening back to your song, when it is finished and seeing how people react to it.
What was the last TV series you watched on TV?
CH: I’m watching “Squid Game” on Netflix right now and it’s pretty cool!!
TGC: Gosh! My wife and I watched the first season of “Handmaid’s Tale” when it first came out and we had to take a break because it was just too twisted for us. A few weeks ago, we thought… Let’s try again! We watched all of the seasons available! We were hooked!! We were so into it, that when it ended, we missed June!
Which fictional character do you wish was real?
CH: There are so many hahahah !! It depends on the situation I will say … but my favorite is Arya Stark.
TGC: Wonder Woman… (Gal Gadot…of course… ; p)
Do you have any lucky items, objects, or traditions?
TGC: When I go on stage, yes. I have my mala beads and my Thai protection necklaces, my rings… and a bunch of other goodies. Only when I go on stage or represent Tarah Who? .
What would you bring along to an idyllic picnic?
CH: I think I will bring a speaker to listen to some awesome music hahaha !! I don’t know if it’s the best thing to bring to a picnic, but you know … hahahahah
TGC: Booze… Gummies… :D, cheese, chips… As a Parisian… picnics by the Seine was what we did every weekend… 🙂
What movie ending really frustrated you? And how would you change it?
CH: I will say “12 Monkeys”, it’s frustrating to not know if everything was planned from the beginning (and the whole thing is a loop) or if it’s gonna change. I would have loved to know the truth but at the same time it makes you think a lot about it and everybody can have their own opinion about it.
TGC: A lot of movies actually..lol! well, it’s not a movie but “la casa de papel” come on! Nairobi??? Tokyo?? and the sound of metal was kind of “blah” in my opinion… well, I guess it wasn’t at all what I expected… oh, that latest movie with Angelina Jolie? WTF?? Love Angelina, but that movie was … Bip!
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