She spent many days with frozen fingers busking in the less than tropical climate of Inverness High Street, but Tamzene will always remember the warmth shown to her by the passing crowds that put her on track to success.
With an impressive resume including opening for Sir Tom Jones, Adele and Katie Melua, as well as festival appearances at the likes of Belladrum and TRNSMT, the singer-songwriter, from Cromarty on the Black Isle, signed to a major label in 2022.
But a combination of changes at the label, feeling isolated in the industry machine and her step-dad going into end-of-life care with cancer led to her feeling burned out and deciding to step back out on her own.
Having spent time at the start of the year in the Caribbean with her mum, who now lives in Jamaica, she’s bouncing back with new releases and eyes once again firmly on making the music she wants to make.
© Supplied“It’s unfortunate, but my story isn’t unique,” she said. “I’m really grateful I was able to put out music I was proud of and to come out of that situation fairly quickly and painlessly.
“At the end of the day, music was there for me. All of the amazing people I’ve met over the last few years were there to say, it’s not the end of my story, it’s a new beginning.
“I think it’s important that the ins and outs of the industry, labels changing, people leaving, doesn’t trickle down and affect your relationship with your art. It’s a perspective thing and I’m really grateful I had people to remind me of that.”
Tamzene’s melting pot of influences
With music heavily influenced by growing up on the shores of the Cromarty Firth, Tamzene’s creativity was nurtured by her surroundings, strong traditional music embedded in Highland culture, and her family’s Jamaican heritage.
The music she’d listen to at home was a melting pot of mum Jermaine’s R&B and soul, soaking up Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin, and her late step-dad Campbell’s love of jazz and the Great American Songbook.
© Supplied“He was in a band called Highland Swing,” she recalled. “My mum is a salsa teacher and she roped him into starting his own salsa band too.
“Believe it or not, there’s a bit of a Cuban music scene in Inverness now so it’s a good legacy to have.
“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am and who I am without their support. The music coming, I wouldn’t be putting it out if it wasn’t for them and especially my step-dad. He really fearlessly encouraged and practically supported me at every stage of my career.
“If there’s also one big thing that has encouraged me to pull myself together and carry on, it’s wanting to honour everything he afforded me and my passion.
“He’d want to see me continue to chase my dreams. I do a lot of it for him, and my mum, of course, is still my biggest cheerleader.”
© SuppliedTamzene and her brother Jerome are running the Liverpool half-marathon in Campbell’s memory next month.
Processing the turbulent times through her music has been ‘everything’ to the 26-year-old, who on Friday released her latest track What Sundays Are For.
“I used to think I was quite an open and honest person, but it really all is said in my music; even all of the little bits and choruses and verses that will never see the light of day,” she admits.
“I process everything through music – the good, the bad and the ugly. It catches you every time you fall, if you let it, and it has absolutely caught me through so many tough things in the past couple of years.”
@tamzene The ULTIMATE test is the mum test 🥺🫶🏽🇯🇲
On stage
While she describes opening for Tom Jones at Audley End House in Essex in 2023 as being like an out of body experience, on stage she feels a tranquillity to match that of the waves lapping against Cromarty Harbour.
That includes even the grandest of settings, taking to the stage on tour with Katie Melua in some of the country’s most iconic venues last year.
“The tour was the pinnacle of many, many live moments for me,” she recalled. “When I was able to look out at the Royal Albert Hall, I just felt a sense of calm.
“It was a joy to play songs I was proud of and to open for such an incredible artist who has just had such a long and beautiful career. She’s really inspiring, and has overcome a lot in her career.
“With all of the change I’ve been going through in my career, live is a place where nobody can really touch you, nobody can really get in the way. It was really affirming and a really positive and pure experience last year.
“I’ve always known that I really love writing and creating music and there’s something that some people hear in what I do. That’s really just been guiding me and I felt with my previous label that maybe I hadn’t gotten to do everything and say everything that I wanted to say.
“This chapter feels like a whole lot more of me than I’ve gotten a chance to do before through things pretty outside my control.”
Inspiration in Cromarty
While she now calls London home, Tamzene’s heart will always be in the Highlands.
From busking on the streets of Inverness to spending long days of lockdown working on her music in Cromarty, she’ll always be rooted back north.
© Carina Lammers“It’s where every part of me relaxes and I’m able to really feel like myself,” she said.
“It is such a unique place to have grown up, even though my family wasn’t born there and my heritage is very mixed, there’s definitely a magnetism about it.
“I had such an amazing time busking, people were so encouraging. You meet such interesting travellers, who I always found to have really amazing stories
“Because you’re so open and available in the middle of the street, people will come and talk to you and tell you their reason for being in the Highlands.
“In a sense of building character, but also building skill and craft, I really cherished those days. They were really something special.”
© SuppliedWhat Sundays Are For
Tamzene’s second single on her new label Young Poet was released on Friday, called What Sundays Are For.
Ahead of its release she headed out onto the streets of London for a social media video, where she found herself teaching strangers how to salsa.
@tamzene Asked some sweet strangers about their ideal Sunday, mixed answers but lots of enthusiasm for a wee dance 💃 new tune out Friday!! #foryou
“It’s about telling people what you’re doing in interesting ways and getting creative. Why not go and stand and ask people what they do on their Sunday?
“It was really fun and people were really sweet and it just reminds me that it’s nice if you’re able to brighten someone’s day.
“It’s also been cool to connect with salsa dancing again. It’s a really big part of my life and my childhood. It’s been really cool to reconnect with that and just spread a bit of joy.”
Tamzene’s new single, What Sundays Are For, on the Young Poet label, is available to download and stream now
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