Tana Rose is a classically trained vocalist and pianist with a robust education in music and entertainment management. She’s written and produced songs for artists all around the world and runs her own record label KB Recording Group.
Tana released her debut album Petals & Thorns in 2019, and she is quickly amassing a dedicated following of fans on YouTube and Spotify.
She kindly answered a few questions below.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background before becoming a professional singer/songwriter?
Of course! I was raised in the suburbs of San Francisco and, at the age of 5, I started studying as a classically trained pianist and vocalist with industry experts and classily trained pianist and vocalists in their own right, Mary Drummond & Jetha Hothman. Coming from a family of traditional business owners in real estate, it was a huge surprise for them to see me write, compose, & produce full-length projects by the time I was 12 years old.
During High School, I attended singing and acting classes at the school of John Robert Powers. Through school, I was then able to attend iPOP! (International Presentation of Performers) and won 5th place in the 13-17-year-old singing category out of 3500 other contestants at the age of 13.
After I graduated high school, I then attended The Los Angeles Film & Recording School and graduated with an Associates of Science in Recording Arts, an Associates of Science in Music Production & a Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Business Management. In addition, I have worked closely with and studied under industry experts such as Multi-Platinum Record Producer Andrew Lane and Grammy Award-winning Audio Engineer Joel Numa.
For the past three years, I have been the Chief Operating Officer for multiple entertainment businesses including my record label KB Recording Group that is also distributed through Sony Music Entertainment and helps develop aspiring recording artists in the entertainment industry.
Who are some of your major inspirations as an artist?
As a teenager, I was very inspired by Lady Gaga and how creative she was when it came to her fashion, make-up, personality, and music. She was able to stand out in the crowd and create such catchy songs that would be stuck in my head for weeks. Personally, I don’t feel that she is appreciated enough for her talents because not a lot of people are aware that she actually received a full-time scholarship to Juilliard after she graduated high school. Her amazing music and persona have always continued to inspire me!Meghan Trainor has also inspired me when it comes to my music. Her choice of instruments and use of harmonics gives me goosebumps every time I hear one of her songs. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t heard her music!
A role model and inspiration in my personal life is my father. Over the course of my life, he has constantly worked hard to be an excellent provider for my mother and I, as well as also being a dedicated father. Lastly, my fiancé is an inspiration to me every day. He’s taught me almost everything I know when it comes to the entertainment industry! He’s dedicated, hard-working, and can problem-solve like no other. Not only is he my partner in life, but he is my Manager and the Chief Executive Officer of our Record Label KB Recording Group.
What is your process for writing a song? For example, do you start with the vocals or instrumentals?
The process is different for every song. It always depends on my mood and the content of the song itself. I wrote ‘Roses’ entirely in my head, and was able to type up the lyrics, produce it, and send it off to our engineer in less than 2 hours.
Sometimes, a chorus will pop into my head, and I have to rush to a notepad to write it down. However, most commonly, I will sit on my piano and play chords and melodies until I find something that inspires me to start writing lyrics to. Once I’m finished with the lyrics, I will then start with the music production in my digital audio workstation. Once the composition is finished, I will record the vocals in one of my studios and then send the session to our mixing and mastering engineer!
You have some well-produced music videos – how did these come about?
Thank you! I came up with the concepts for my music videos through a lot of brainstorming and storyboarding with my team. We would think of plots, messages, colors, and even people that would be beneficial in developing the visual I wanted to deliver to my fans.
Then we went through the entire music video production process. Pre-production, which involves location scouting, casting, costume designing, planning and gathering of props. The crew, my management team and I would then start the long production process – some of my music videos took over 14 hours of filming! Afterwards, we went into post-production and edited the video and made sure it was perfect down to every last frame.
How do you like to unwind in your spare time?
To be honest, I don’t. I’m constantly working towards my goals. I’m either working on my music, my company, or helping to develop other artists through KB Recording Group. If I ever happen to stumble upon a day off, it’s usually spent listening to new music and brainstorming new music, spending time with my fiancé, or planning out the next week.
There is always something to be doing that can help you further accomplish your goals, no matter what. I’m grateful to have such a mindset that allows me to pursue my goals with the utmost ambition and create amazing music every day!
Are you working on any new music at the moment?
Always! I release a new cover every single Saturday on my YouTube Channel. I also have a ton of new music finished, and I will be releasing a new single every month through my record label starting in November. In addition, I’m writing and producing songs for our artists and clients for KB Recording Group that will be coming out very soon as well!
Thank you Tana for your time!
You can listing to Tana Rose’s music at YouTube and Spotify.
