Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Nassar.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, my passion for singing came at a very young age influenced by my mother. Being a part of choir and theater in High school fed my love for performing and being on stage. At the age of 14, I recorded my first song in the studio. I then began collaborating with local artists, by the age of 18, I started booking shows and performing at various venues in my hometown and in the city of Detroit. I took the leap of moving to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams. The first gig I booked was singing background vocals for the group Westside Connection on a song featuring Nate Dogg on the Jay Leno Show. I continued to write and record music with diverse producers for other artists while pursuing my solo career.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I think every day is a challenge. If it were easy, then everyone would be successful. People assume just because your a pretty girl that can sing, that it will be easy to make it in this industry. That definitely isn’t the case. I believe its harder for girls. There’s so much about this industry that people don’t understand and never will. A big challenge for me was trying to find other things to do to make ends meet to continue living in Los Angeles because we all know it isn’t cheap. I knew I wanted to sing and write songs but that wasn’t paying the bills fast enough for me and I learned it would take time. So I picked up a job in retail because I also have a love for fashion. Working in retail led me to meet amazing people and I began to build a clientele. I then started organizing closets, personal shopping and styling for these clients.
What are the projects you’ve worked on as an artist. What are you most proud of ? What sets you apart from others?
There are many things I am proud of, one thing being that I’ve never given up. I think it’s important to celebrate every accomplishment along the way whether its big or small. I’ve demoed songs for artists such as Janet Jackson and Demi Lovato. I’ve been featured on songs with artists such as rapper Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. I feel blessed to have been a part of Snoop Dogg’s critically acclaimed gospel album Bible Of Love. I am co-writer on the song titled “In The Name Of Jesus” featuring October London. The album came out in 2018 which was the number 1 gospel album and number 1 streaming gospel album in the country according to Billboard and SoundScan. The thing that sets me apart from others is my Palestinian background and my ability to sing in both Arabic and English.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My mother has always been a huge inspiration to me. Everyone tells me that I got my voice from her. She used to sing at parties and weddings overseas in Palestine, where she was born and raised. She has such an incredible voice. The first song I ever learned how to sing was in Arabic, one that she would sing to me all the time when I was a child. The song was ”Batwanes Beek” sung by a famous Algerian singer named Warda Al Jazairia. Thats when my love for Arabic music started and I began listening to other Arab singers. I remember when my mother bought me my first microphone and karaoke machine, at the age of 10. I would rush home from school every day to sing on it. It was the best present I ever received. My father was also a huge inspiration in my life. He passed away when I was 13 years old. I was extremely close to him and thought my world was going to end. To help me deal with the pain of losing him, I started writing poems in my journal. I then turned those poems into songs and thats how I started songwriting. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. I remember him telling me that he would support me in anything I wanted to do in life and he told me to never give up on my dreams and what makes me happy. I just pray that I’ve made him proud.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtenah
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TNassarMusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamtenah
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/tenah-1
Image Credit:
Chris Swoszowski
Jennifer Kovchyan
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