Today we’d like to introduce you to Tasji.
Hi Tasji, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve loved singing ever since I was a little girl, but I started writing songs and playing guitar when I was 12 years old. I’m originally from a small farm town in Illinois and LOVED Taylor Swift, so naturally, I fell into writing country music. I began performing at small bars and festivals when I was 15. My vocal teacher at the time introduced me to a producer named Joe Carrell in Nashville, TN.
I began making trips to Nashville to work with him throughout high school, and my first EP which was released in 2015. Around this time, I was beginning to make a name for myself around the central IL area and was getting opportunities to open shows for some of my favorite country artists. It was a really cool thing to experience and I met some really beautiful people along the way. Once I graduated high school, I decided to move to Nashville and attend Belmont University, where I majored in Music Business with a Music Production emphasis. I released my second EP, “Forever in a Second,” in 2018, which charted on the iTunes Country Albums Chart. However, throughout college, I slowly began to fall into pop music, as I started producing my own music and connecting with DJs. I sent one of the first songs I produced to Hoang, a DJ who found me on YouTube. The original track wasn’t that great, but I’m so thankful he believed in me enough to co-produce it. The track, “When You’re Lonely,” has over 600,000 streams on Spotify now. That experience really encouraged me as a beginner female producer.
During my senior year of college, I connected with a dance producer named SJ, who I’d been a big fan of. He really encouraged me as an artist/producer and became a mentor. Eventually, we decided to work together, and I began making trips to LA. Around the time of my graduation in December 2019, I decided I would make the jump and move to LA when I saved $6,000. I think at that time I had $2,000. I had a part-time job that didn’t pay much, but through demo work and a lot of intentionality, I somehow reached my goal in February. I packed my car full of everything I could and drove to Los Angeles over the course of 4 days. It’s definitely been a challenge adjusting to the city during a pandemic, but I’m slowly getting more familiar every day. My days are currently filled with production, writing, or top-lining tracks for other DJs. I’m currently working on my next EP, which will hopefully be released in 2021. I’m so excited!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Yes and no. My mental health has been the biggest struggle along the way. My jaw locked in 2018 and I began to deal with severe TMJ. This made it really painful to sing for extended periods of time, let alone eat. After many doctor visits and no solutions besides an invasive surgery, I took it upon myself to research it and discovered it was tied to suppressed anxiety. In the past year, I’ve begun therapy to process things that I had buried so deeply and two life-saving surgeries I had as a child. I would say dissociation, derealization and depersonalization are the most challenging experiences to work through. The deconstruction of my faith and religious beliefs have also been a big part of this journey. I was leading worship at one of the megachurches while living in Nashville.
It has been a scary, anxious, and beautiful process to step out of the framework that once dictated my life and decisions. Especially in an unfamiliar city during a pandemic. But I’m finding so much peace in expressing freely and having the autonomy to put the pieces back together in a way that feels good to me. Even though it’s been a tough journey, I’m thankful for the struggles I have. It gives me and my art more depth. I am more authentic and I love better. I connect with and see people on much deeper levels than I used to. I am so thankful that I have art as a tool to express the things that are difficult to put into words and hope that it can make someone in the world feel less alone in their experience.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m most proud of the fact that I sing, write, and produce. Around 5% of producers are females and I feel really passionate about changing that. Many females are on the same page and it’s really exciting to see. Although it’s been quite the learning curve and can sometimes make my creative process take longer, it doesn’t feel like a complete authentic expression of me unless I’m doing all three. I love production so much because it allows me to express feelings that I can’t put into words. Sound design is an endless ocean to explore. You have the ability to create literally any sound in the world–a sound that hasn’t existed before. That idea really excites me.
What makes you happy?
Many things!! Nature, the people in my life, deep heart to heart conversations, expressing myself creatively (music, dancing, painting), and most foods. These are the things that feed my spirit and make me feel closest to my authentic self.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamtasji
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tasjibachmanmusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamtasji
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/tasjibachman
Image Credits
Logen Christopher Connar Tandy Johngrs
