A Year to "Grow" - In Conversation with Tanis
Interview by Mallory Thompson
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
Photos by Paul Cruz
Meet Tanis, a woman of many talents. Having acquired her musical talents at the young age of 11, it was her dad who told her she should start writing down the songs she thought up. There, her skill and passion for composing began. Coming from eccentric parents who loved to travel the world, Tanis grew up with creativity from delving into hobbies like music, storytelling, and photography. Today, Tanis is a singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Her music is bold and not afraid to take alternative routes and blend the borders of genres. She is a proud recipient of the prestigious Elmer Bernstein Award for Film Scoring from the Steinhardt College of New York University in 2016 and has since worked on films, TV series, and commercials for various genres in China, United Kingdom, France, and the United States.
Along with her passions for music and film scoring, Tanis is also a humanitarian who supports a range of different causes. While living in China, and to this day, Tanis has been helping and donating to a private medical foster home called Blue Sky Healing Home. This foster home takes care of kids from all walks of life, especially children with special needs. In order to help raise funds for Blue Sky, Tanis created and self-published her own photo book and various prints in order to sell and give all of the proceeds to help out these kids.
Amongst the craziness of 2020, Tanis released her single, “Grow,” which deals with the themes of uncertainty and change. In a year like 2020, this song had an important message and I was interested in learning about Tanis and how she used the year 2020 to ‘grow.’
First off, how are you doing right now amidst all the craziness in the world?
In all retrospect, I am doing very well. I have been very fortunate so far with my health and my work. But most importantly, all my family and loved ones are currently healthy and safe.
Where are you currently based, and how has it been through the quarantine?
2020 has been nomadic and I have been living off the same suitcase for more months than I have anticipated! Normally I am based out of New York, but when the pandemic began to take hold in early March, I was in London on a work trip. Unfortunately, we had to cut it short, and I decided to join my family in the Bahamas. As beautiful as the Bahamas is, after four months of lockdown, island fever kicked in. I was concerned about the situation in New York, and when travel was allowed in early July, I moved to Switzerland where I am working remotely in the mountains.
I’ve read that your dad has been a major inspiration in your life as well as through your career, so can you discuss your childhood and how music shaped your upbringing?
Both my parents have been major guiding lights in my life. They both built their careers from the ground up through hard work, determination, and perseverance with humility and integrity. My parents embrace the world, and I grew up in a constant creative surrounding and was educated in many different countries. This has allowed me to speak several languages but has also greatly influenced my music and my artistic views.
Tell me your story. I’m interested in hearing about everything that has led up to this moment.
I come from a very non-musical family. We often joke about my parents’ off-tune singing and wonder how I came to this career path. It is probably my dad’s love for music and growing up with all those beautiful (varieties) of sounds from classical to the Beatles to pop constantly playing at home. Needless to say, my parents made us (my brother and I) learn the piano.
Having a dad who is a children’s story writer, storytelling was a big part of our childhood. Being a very shy and introverted child, with stories and music, my world was full and I was left to my own imagination. One day, my dad happened to hear me at the piano and asked what I was playing. I told him that it was just some improvised invention.
“You should write it down,” he said. I was only 11 and not entirely sure what I was doing, but that was the moment I began composing. As I got older, I started adding words to my composition. The words became my voice.
Music has been my companion through my teens and into my adulthood. It has travelled with me through many countries, through the ups and downs of my years growing up, and it is here now to stay.
I love that, and I’ve heard that, in addition to your music, you also score films. How did you get into film scoring, and what has been your favourite film you’ve scored?
I lived in Beijing, China for my middle school years from 12 to 16. At 14, I submitted a lullaby-like piano melody to Disney Asia as they were looking for a fresh tune for their film project, Trail of the Panda. It is a story of a friendship between an abandoned young boy and a lost panda cub. This led me to work with arrangers and producers who helped me bring a simple melody to life within the context of the film. This experience anchored deeper my love for music and opened up an even larger world of what music can do: the connection where the right and delicate touch could bring together images, words, and emotions to truly deliver the message.
Is there a specific film genre you haven’t worked on that you’d like to score one day?
I would love to score a dramatic feature or biopic one day soon.
Talk me through the songwriting process of “Grow.” What does this song mean to you?
Being an independent artist and working alone most of the time, one can feel stagnant at times or left behind the curve. I believe there’s always room to grow and to be better in all aspects of my life. However, there are days whereby one just needs a little bit more time and hope that the people out there will wait for you and give you that chance. That is what “Grow” means to me.
You originally released this song in May 2020, so why did May feel like the best time to release it?
May – the sun is warming, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming and the garden is growing! Can’t think of a better time for a song named “Grow!”
What are your biggest goals as an artist?
The most meaningful feedback I have received in my career so far is when I got a message about how my song got someone through a really difficult week and they just wanted to thank me. That is why I make music. I truly hope my music can be a companion to others much like other artists’ music was a companion to me.
Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
This is always a hard question for me, as I listen to all sorts of music from a hip-hop track all the way to classical composition. But if I have to name some, I would say Bon Iver and The 1975. I could play their songs on a loop and will always hear some new elements I didn’t notice before. They just never get old.
Where do you find inspiration for the music you write?
I find inspiration from all over. Sometimes it is from my own personal experience, but more often it is from people I talk to. Listening to others is a gift to journey into more experiences than your own and [there’s] so much to learn from. Same experience but a different perspective is even more fascinating.
How would you describe the music you make in 3 words?
Tranquil, visual & blue.
What is the most important thing to you about making music?
It just makes me happy!
As an artist, why is it important for you to get involved in causes that matter to you?
First and foremost, I believe that as individuals, we all have responsibilities to be a positive addition to the society we all live in and to make it a better place for ourselves and for all. I used to think that my singular action will bear no fruits, but through encouragement, my belief today is that “small streams make large rivers.”
Can you talk about Blue Sky Healing Home and why this cause is so important to you?
My journey into Blue Sky Healing Home began when I met Micky in Beijing, China in 2008. Micky was abandoned at birth. For reasons I can't personally comprehend, he was left in the freezing cold on a hillside in Shandong Province. Micky was nearly completely frozen when he was found. As a result of frostbite, his left toes had to be amputated.
Unfortunately, Micky was also diagnosed with congenital complicated heart disease. Micky fought through all kinds of illnesses in his first year of life. His little courage was my inspiration, and my photography book project was my first step towards helping him get well. Sadly, he passed away a few days before the delivery of photography books. The total proceeds from the sale of my first book plus my subsequent book and exhibition went on to help other children at Blue Sky.
Thanks to Micky and Blue Sky, they set me on a path toward helping unwanted children, abandoned not only by their parents but also by society in search of the minimum responsibility and involvement. They changed my life forever.
How has 2020 impacted you and your music? Have you been inspired by the change or driven by frustration that is happening around the world?
2020 has been a uniquely frustrating year; I wouldn’t mind having a reset button! It has also been a heartbreaking year full of losses in addition to the struggle that our world has been dealing with in this pandemic. But all this has also given me some time to stop and reflect on how I can improve both myself and my work as we push on forward. I don’t know if this has been the most musically inspired year of my life but this has definitely been a year of personal growth and maturity for me.
If someone reading this article had never listened to your music, what should they listen to first?
They should go listen to “Grow.”
What can readers expect from you for the beginning of 2021?
I was hoping to release a few more titles after “Grow” but decided to put it on hold till 2021. Please be patient and stay tuned!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank YOU for being interested in me and my work, and thank you for your faith in new artists like myself.
You can listen to Tanis’ single “Grow” on all major streaming platforms and you can check her out on social media at the links below!