Early in February, London-based singer/songwriter, Tam Alawa, released her debut single called ‘Bring Me Back’, and the track, for good reason, instantly blew up. Now, the gifted young musician has returned with ‘What I’m Made Of’, and we at Indie Top 39 think Alawa is onto something quite sonically special. I guess one could describe ‘What I’m Made Of’ as an electro-pop tune, but in truth, it’s so much more than just that. It’s ethereal, atmospheric, full-bodied, and richly complex.
Lyrically, Alawa boldly examines themes of self-love and self-empowerment, all with a stellar vocal performance that will leave you speechless. Not wanting to “put herself in a box”, the musician draws on inspiration from a wide range of artists and genres, though has been compared to the likes of Halsey in the past. Not bad company to keep if you ask me! Remember the name Tam Alawa.
Tam Alawa pulls off another stunner on ‘What I’m Made Of’! Ethereal, atmospheric, and with a vocal performance to remember, we’re falling hard for this brilliant artist!
INDIE TOP 39
What does the song mean to you?
I am so happy to have dropped this single as I’ve been wanting to do this for so long! The influence behind this track was to do with the fact that I felt like I was being perceived in many different ways by lots of different people. Some perceptions varied from positive to negative. This inspired me to write a song about how I perceive myself and the importance of self love. It’s never nice to feel weak or down based on how others have treated you and this song is a message to myself and others that you can own what you’ve got and be proud of what you’ve achieved.
Tell us about your creative process and how the song came to be?
My songwriting process is different every time. I am always open to finding new ways to express an emotion or situation and turn this into art. Sometimes I start with chords with my acoustic guitar and go from there, and other times I start with lyrics or the top-line melody. If I am collaborating with other songwriters (which was the process for ‘What I’m Made Of’) I like to feed off the energy of the room. I always ask about how other songwriters work and although I have my personal “go-to” ways of my writing process, why not try something different?
These are the situations that stretch and challenge me as a songwriter and that’s why I prefer collaborating in comparison to working on my own. I always find that the finished product is something that I couldn’t have figured out on my own, and I think that’s a beautiful thing!
What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months with your music?
I am so excited for what is ahead this year! I plan on releasing new singles as well as playing live at multiple venues. My next show is happening over the great escape weekend in Brighton and I couldn’t be more excited to perform. I also plan to focus on my songwriting.
Please finish the sentence – Music to me is…
I started writing music as an outlet, a way to document and turn my experiences into a form of art. After writing in this way for many years it had become a passion and this inspired me to study music and now I am taking Popular Music at Goldsmiths, University of London. I just love to write and I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with other artists and songwriters.
Make sure to connect with Tam Alawa on Instagram » Facebook
Now you can listen to all the 39 songs in one place, right here on Spotify!
This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.
