Tamara Kumbula - 'hold yourself to the same standard as the best male producers in the game'
By Run That Again
@tinycutiepie
Tamara Kumbula is one of those golden finds. A modern producer and singer with a real flair and distinctive style, her music combines so many genres - from pop to R&B, to gospel and rap influences.
Her music contains Solange-like vocals, Kanye West-like production and the attitude of Natalia Kills. But what really sets her apart is her well-executed switch-ups and her ability to move seamlessly between dark, theatrical beats to lo-fi intimacy- showing her real talent as a producer- and certainly one to really keep an eye on in the music industry.
At 21-years-old, the South-African, now LA based, artist has seen some serious success; from being featured in global V Magazine to being signed to Preach Media.
Every single one of her tracks offers something different for your ears, with her latest track Clockwise (Gold) seemingly starting off like a badass Hip Hop track before switching up to an upbeat pop feel-and trust us, it’s done extremely well. We chatted to Tamara Kumbula about her recent track and her career so far.
We feel like you're an anomaly in the game along with Rhapsody and Little Simz (UK). What do you feel makes your music so unique?
“Honestly, I think there are a lot of things I try to use in my songs to make them different. I’m really big on the concept of blending genres and experimenting so for example, if I’m making a hip hop song , which is typically very bass/percussion heavy, I’d add different strings like cellos or violins to switch it up. I also think that I blend talking and singing a lot, which I haven’t heard from many artists.”
Your best switch up in Clockwise (Gold) is jarring but in a way that we can't stop listening! Is a big part of your music challenging your fans in that way?
“Yeah, definitely. I wanted to make Clockwise really different like that, where I start out with a super simple melody with two instruments and have it build and have a really busy chorus. I think it’s really important to change your flow in your songs and personally, I think it’s one of the most important concepts to keep in mind when you’re making a song because the unpredictability keeps your listener interested throughout.”
How did you get into music?
“I’ve always been interested in music actually, so I wouldn’t say there was a definitive point where I dove head first into it. I was always big on writing and singing when I was around 8 or 9 but I didn’t really decide to pursue it professionally until I was around 17.
Throughout high school I was really into a lot of extramural so I picked up guitar and theory along the way and started making beats. I was also into drama and dance so I think that helped me develop my stage presence a lot.”
The cover art for Clockwise (Gold) is quite frankly awesome, how did you come about choosing it and what does it represent?
“Haha thank you. I actually took the original photo in my bathroom and I knew I wanted go have an illustrated version of it. So I went on Instagram and found this really dope artist called @tinycutiepie and explained the concept I wanted, which was super minimalistic but also powerful self portrait, and she sketched it. I definitely wanted to use a symbol of women empowerment in the cover ( hence the women on the table ) without over embellishing because that’s the main theme of the song.”
What made you move to LA in 2018, was it solely to pursue music?
“It was a combination of things but music was definitely the main driving factor. I always wanted to travel and study abroad and LA is the entertainment capital of the world, so there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to live there. I love the city too and when I found out Anderson Paak was a Musician’s Institute alumni (the university I go to), it definitely solidified my decision.”
What advice would you give to female producers who are looking to get more in the music game?
“Don’t be lazy haha. Do your research and hold yourself to the same standard as the best male producers in the game. I say this from experience, when you put half as much energy and time into honing any skill you shouldn’t expect the end result to be any different.
“Hold yourself to the same standard as the best male producers in the game.”
Don’t let your pride hold you back, ask questions from other producers and start hanging out with them more. I know doing research on the internet can be a drag so I found just hanging out with a lot more producers introduced me to some really dope plugins that I probably wouldn’t have found as quickly.”
Dream collaboration?
“Oh that’s a really hard question haha. I’d probably say Beyoncé, Big Sean, Post Malone, Amine or BROCKHAMPTON.”
You recently got featured in V magazine, what does it mean to you that people are vibing with your music and what are your goals for this year?
“Yeah, it’s honestly still crazy for me. I think a lot of artists hear so many “nos” that you unintentionally take your progress for granted. Seeing that people actually vibe with my music is so motivating I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe it. In terms of music goals, I’m going to release my album this year and hopefully 2 or 3 more singles after that. I also really want to collaborate with as many artists as I can and overall, just push myself to make better music.
Personally, I want to focus my time on things that’ll benefit my career and just surround myself with people that I genuinely care about more. I kind of went through a rough patch earlier in the year and ‘Clockwise’ was the product of that and after seeing the results, I’m so determined to build more based on experiences that I would’ve previously seen as ‘awful’.”
Stream Clockwise (Gold) here.