Tara Beier Talks New EP ‘Her Story,’ Pregnancy, Navigating Throughout A Pandemic & More

So much has changed since you last covered Contrast in 2020. You are a mom of two, have released your new E.P Her Story and so much more? Update our readers on Tara Beier 2022. How did the concept of ‘Her Story’ come to be? The concept of “Her Story” was conceived during the when I was pregnant near the end, in the third trimester. I wanted to continue to do music in some capacity as I was managing my pregnancy and I knew that when the babies were born I would literally have no time at all in the first year, which is generally the hardest with newborns. So as an alternative, my manager in Nashville suggested I do a covers album to keep me creative and working. At first I was hesitant about it as I normally write my own original music but then after much thought, I felt very intrigued by the idea.

I have always been inspired and kinda obsessed by the music era of the 60s and 70s. I like to think I had a past life during that time, lol, I probably died young and came back again in the 80s? No, but it really all stemmed when I studied that timeframe for a movie I was in where I played an activist folk singer, Buffy Sainte- Marie. I learned a lot about the beaniks and folk singers on Haight Ashbury street in San Francisco, Greenich Village in NY and Laurel Canyon in LA. For Her Story, I wanted to really focus on bringing the stories in songs of these women into 2022. It was really inspiring to see these women’s lives more closely, bond with their music and learn their own individual styles and approaches of writing. It gave me much strength as a female artist looking up to these women.

How did the E.P creation help in this transitional time – a pandemic, new mom etc.? This creation of “Her Story” EP kept me mentally focused, it was my light at the end of the tunnel. It distracted me from the physical limitations of my twin pregnancy and gave me a kind of sanity.

It was exactly what I needed. I remember speaking to my producers when I was in the hospital about to deliver that week. We were planning to record after the babies were born, so it definitely gave me a rope to hold onto. After the babies were out, about 2 months after, I went to the Village Studios and recorded in Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nick’s spot and I just felt so grateful and happy to be alive. With the power of music I had made it through! My babies were also listening to me sing the songs as newborns, which was so magical for them, they could feel my voice and vibrations. Music is very powerful, the energy of these women’s songs carried me through the hardest times of my pregnancy. I will forever be grateful.

The producers of “Her Story” are Sarah Emily and Danny Berrios that reside on a gorgeous farm just outside of Nashville, TN.  They creatively brought me to a new level as an artist in my sound and voice. We had so much fun selecting the songs, consciously picking those that I could personally relate to. That process was super fun and organic! It was like shopping in a clothing store and picking my favorite clothing, each piece different and special.

The women we chose to cover were Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Sibylle Baier and Barbara Keith. It was really interesting to explore the different styles of singing, story and lyrics of each artist. Like for instance, Joni Mitchell’s song “California”  was technically challenging from a musical standpoint where Sibylle Baier’s song “Forget About”  was simple music theory wise yet felt very vulnerable in her delivery of the lyrics. I might not I’ve had to stretch so much vocally but I definitely needed to dig deep emotionally. Overall, covering all these women really allowed me to explore and stretch my voice in different ways. It was an amazing challenge and I really enjoyed it.