Today we’d like to introduce you to Karuna Tanahashi.
Karuna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’d call myself a Renaissance woman. I practice many art forms, and I love mixing media to create quirky, multi-dimensional projects that feel totally unique to me. At the end of the day, it’s all about storytelling. You can tell your story any way you want – whether it’s through music, movies, photography, or even baking a cake. I’ve had my biggest breakthroughs as an artist when I abandoned all labels and limits. If you’ve ever been deeply moved by a song; a performance; a painting, it’s because you got so caught up in the magic of it, you could see outside of your usual patterns and imagine something new. The only way to create this experience authentically in your art is to do it in your life. You have to walk the hero’s journey – whatever it throws at you and wherever it leads. My journey has taken so many twists and turns. Never in a million years could I have predicted where I am today when I was first starting out.
If you asked a bunch of people “what I do”, you’d probably get a bunch of different answers. But it all started with acting. I moved to LA in 2009 after getting a BA in Theatre from Smith College, then doing plays and indie films in the SF Bay Area where I’m from. While living back in Berkeley, I also started writing, directing, and producing my own films. I made a music video as well as a narrative short called “Lifeline”, which I also starred in. At the time, I thought I was manifesting my dream to be an actress in LA. Little did I know I was manifesting so much more.
If you are a new LA transplant, the first step of your journey involves throwing lots and lots of spaghetti. I did the “actor” thing for a while – got headshots, did agent mailings, submitted for auditions, and took an amazing class with James Eckhouse. To this day, I consider him my biggest acting mentor. Acting is my first love, the foundation of my training, and the lens through which I see the world. But it’s only a piece of my great big adventure.
I’ve always been drawn to music. As a newcomer to LA, one of my favorite pastimes was seeing cabaret shows that featured singers from Broadway, American Idol, etc. Some of these performers, I knew from TV. I would take videos on my small digital point-and-shoot camera, then shyly approach the singers after the show. I felt invisible and exhilarated at the same time like I was watching the big leagues from the dugout.
It took me years to realize that my role was not to be a spectator in this sport. I hid behind my camera, taking photos and videos of all the music shows I secretly wanted to be a part of. The camera allowed me to be introverted but still creative, straddling the worlds of artist and observer. In 2015, my dad gifted me a Sony a7s – the best new camera on the market. It was a game changer! This was right around the time that I first discovered the LA rock music scene. My mind was totally blown by the caliber of their musicianship. Some of them, I’d even grown up listening to on the radio and watching on MTV! I loved being at those shows; capturing the moments. And of course, I enjoyed the recognition when a performer told me that I was a “really good photographer”. I didn’t need to be known as anything more. My camera lens was my Clark Kent glasses.
I’ve been a singer and a songwriter for longer than I’d like to admit. I’d always kept quiet about it because I never thought I’d be good enough to do it for real. LA is hugely competitive. Some people come here just to be singers, so who was I to try to do what they had been preparing to do their whole lives? But I kept coming back to it. I wrote lots of songs in lots of different styles. In hindsight, I think I was looking for any excuse to find my voice as a songwriter.
Gradually, I started to let my little dream breathe. I still felt like I was in the little leagues compared to the “real musicians” – the ones I’d photograph at the shows – but it was only a matter of time until I started sharing my music with them too. Looking back on it, the camera was my gateway into the world of music. It was the icebreaker that got me talking to the musicians I admired (who are now my friends). It was a place to hone my craft as a camera person, which is such a valuable skill to have, especially as a performer. It was also my secret networking tool because the whole time I was watching and documenting these rockstars, I was imagining them playing on my tracks. By the time I was ready to go into the studio, I’d known most of these musicians for a few years. We’d see each other at parties and shows, and they knew my photography. Even so, I feel totally blown away that they actually recorded on my EP! (More on that later.) All because I accidentally became a photographer.
I came to LA to for acting, but that was just the beginning. It’s not that I’m no longer an actor. It just doesn’t have to stop there. I can step outside of that box, and I can also step back in. I’ve heard so many people in the industry tell me to “pick one thing”, but that was never my way. Art is a universal language, and having more tools in your tool belt can only serve you. And just because you are behind the scenes in one scenario doesn’t mean you have to be stuck there forever! One moment you can be a PA on a TV show or a photographer in the crowd, and the next moment you can be center stage. That’s the beauty of Hollywood, and it’s also the story behind my upcoming EP – “Undercover Diva”.
The Undercover Diva is my avatar; my alter ego. As a singer, I worshipped the likes of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Anne Wilson, and Aretha Franklin. Their world felt totally out of my reach – at least in public. But maybe I could be a diva in private. Nobody had to know because I was on a covert mission. This felt fun to me. It also took away the pressure of having to impress people, and it gave me the quiet confidence I needed to explore and embody that diva. In this private space, I could finally let go of my limitations! I didn’t have to be Whitney or Mariah. I could be my very own thing. The song “Undercover Diva” is lighthearted, silly, and fun. At the same time, writing it was really empowering because it allowed me to see that what I thought were my weaknesses are actually my greatest strengths.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It isn’t a smooth road for anyone in this town. We all have our own unique set of struggles. For many of us, it involves for money; balancing work and creativity; seeking or maintaining recognition; and trying to stay sane through it all. We live in a technocracy, which makes it extremely difficult to be an artist. Residuals and royalties aren’t they used to be. There is a huge importance placed on gimmicks and social media followings, which rarely translate into earning a livable wage. The social media fixation also makes it harder to focus on your inner self and nurture your creative soul. So we find ourselves caught in the hamster wheel – working long hours in the gig economy, constantly posting and commenting to build our public status, and making our art when we should be sleeping. The system needs to be restructured from the top down in a way that recognizes the value of creatives; not just for their likes, views, and cover songs but for their real artistry and honest work.
Another big challenge for me has been learning how to stand up for myself as an artist and also as a woman. It sounds simple enough, but it requires a self-knowledge and inner strength that took me years to cultivate. The industry can be brutal, so you need all of the resilience and self-love you can get! A lot of people miss the point, choosing style over substance because they think they’ll get their “big break” by being seen in this car, at that place, with those fancy people. I have been guilty of this at times. You want the dream so badly, you’d do anything for it. But it isn’t worth losing yourself. Nowadays, I surround myself with amazing people who respect me and whose core values line up with mine. Everything good begins from this place, including but not limited to making great art.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
As a multi-disciplinary artist, I am constantly surprising my audience as well as myself. I have no idea what the next project will be or what form it will take. Many of my projects involve music and film, but I’m also a baker and a chocolatier. Occasionally I fire dance. I strive to be the kind of content creator who colors outside of the lines, yet everything I make – no matter how different – has my stamp on it. As far as my aesthetics, I’m into offbeat humor, as well as music and pop culture of the 80s and 90s. I’m also heavily influenced by Broadway. I love boy bands, a capella, and vocal arrangements in general.
One of my recent ongoing projects has been making short a capella cover song videos. I do everything from the arrangement, to the wardrobe, to the filming itself. I sing all the parts (usually 4 of them), sprinkle in some choreography, and edit myself together. Before doing this project, I’d struggled with feeling pigeon-holed into working behind the scenes. Making those videos was the first time I summoned all my superpowers to shine the spotlight on me!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am thrilled to announce that I will soon be releasing my debut EP – “Undercover Diva”! It’s five original songs; pop-meets-Broadway-meets-classic-rock (with a little bit of country-pop). I’ve been working with my producer Omer Avni at RiotVan Studios in North Hollywood. He has taken my music to a whole new level, and I am so proud of what we’ve created. I also feel tremendously lucky for my dream team of session musicians, which includes Danny Seraphine (original drummer of Chicago), Rich Redmond (drummer for Jason Aldean), Russ Irwin (longtime keyboard player for Aerosmith), and Randy Cooke (session drummer for Kelly Clarkson and so many more). One of the songs is a duet featuring multi-talented recording artist Scotty Grand. We just finished mixing last week, and it’s about to be mastered. To say this is a dream come true would be an understatement. It’s the dream I didn’t even dare to imagine, now coming true! More details to come. I will keep you all posted via social media.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karunatanahashi/
Image Credit:
Daniel Corey, Dan Margolis, Jesse Stern, Brandon Doo
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