Exposed Vocals Interviews Tanaka Makoni

 

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

 

I was born in Zimbabwe.  I moved to East London at the age of eight.  i am a poet and vocalist. Moving to England was hard so  took solace in singing and poetry in order to adjust to living in London. l soon realized that music is my  passion.

 

From a young age l was exposed to Tracy Chapman and Joan Aarmatrading soulful vocals, l started experimenting with the depth of my voice; l soon discovered my own sound and began performing Tracy Chapman songs to my peers in primary school. My other influences are legends such as Bob Marley and Prince. l admirer their use of lyrics to protest against controversial issues in society, this admiration helps to inspire me during my  own lyric writing.

 

l strongly  believe in spirituality, it  drives my love for music. l believes that music has the ability to reach the  subconscious mind and heal.  l value the importance of music and l  hope that my  own songs can offer my  audience some form of solitude and peace of mind from any trials and tribulations they may be facing.

 

I am always hungry for self-growth, so in 2015 l enrolled myself at the institute of Contemporary Music Performance; there l gained more confidence as a performer, through regularly performing Jazz, Soul and Blues covers to my peers.

 

On a journey of self-enlightened l continue to create more music. Currently l am enrolled on a commercial music performance course in order to extend my knowledge further. l aim to continue performing at different venues

 

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

 

On a journey my stage name is my actual name. l want the audience to feel like they are connected to me and my authentic self. I love artists who have creative stage names because it makes them interesting but for me personally I want my future audience to feel like they Is no barrier between me and them. That we are one.

 

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

 

Yes I do. At this stage I feel like as an artist l am still growing and developing, so sharing my music for free through YouTube or Soundcloud is a way for me to connect with people. Also I tend to search for other upcoming artists who share their music online for free and support them.

 

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

 

Keep working hard. Being a musician is difficult. So much competition and pressure to do well, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the competition. Constantly looking at what others are doing, so my advice is for them to focus on their own material because one day people will take notice.

 

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Life is my biggest inspiration when it comes to songwriting. Sometimes life can be challenging and difficult to face, so l write how I am feeling. when l write lyrics they often start out as a story or a poem, then when l finish writing it l pick the best bits of the story or poem and create a song structure to it. Kate Bush also inspires me. I admire her lyric writing. I feel like as a musician she has a great connection with her audience, on a subconscious level.

 

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

 

Yes l do. I have a Facebook page under my name Tanaka. I also have a Soundcloud account under the same name.

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/lwQNcs6UOm0
• Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/tanaka-makoni

 

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

 

Wow that is a lot of money. Well firstly l would not know what to do with it, l would probably take a day to sit down and think properly. i would probably build my own recording studio so l can be self-sufficient. Donate some of the money to Autism and Aids research because l am passionate about finding more resources for Autism and finding a cure for Aids.

 

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

 

I usually promote my music through Facebook, twitter and Instagram. Facebook for me is the best platform to share because most people are usually active on Facebook.

 

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

 

My main aim for the next few months is to collaborate with as many musicians as l can because I want to gain more experience. In terms of working with other musicians. I also want to join poetry clubs, maybe perform some of my poems. For instance I really want to perform at the poetry cafe one day.

 

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

 

A psychologist. I am fascinated by human behavior. I watch countless documentaries on the human mind. Human behavior intrigues me, as individuals we all showcase different behaviors due to nature or nurture. I find that very unique.

 

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

 

I try to juggle everything in my life with clarity. at times l do struggle because life situations can get stressful. I meditate and read a lot of self-help books that help with managing life. Sometimes going to watch other musicians perform can help create balance in my life and stay ahead with my music.

 

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016

A lot of musical experiments. I believe in self-growth, so this year l aim to explore all creative parts of me. Maybe collaborate with painters and filmmakers to make something interesting.