Tasmin Archer - Biography August 1992 (UK)
Someone please tell me - who is Tasmin Archer?
Tasmin Archer has the kind of voice guaranteed to silence a crowded room.
One of the most distinctive and original singer/songwriter talents to emerge in Britain for some time, it is not surprising the record company giant, EMI, is throwing considerable weight behind the September launch of Tasmin's first single, "Sleeping Satellite". An album, "Great Expectations", follows in October.
Testiment of the company's belief in Tasmin will manifest itself in a marketing initiative rarely seen in the launch of a new artist.
So who is Tasmin Archer and what is all the fuss about?
Tasmin Archer is a series of contradictions - a writer and performer who delivers powerful messages in her lyrics and claims "I'm quite a shy person and singing a song is how I best express myself", yet when meeting her in person one is won over by an effervescent personality and a manner that owes more to Dickens' Artful Dodger than the typical "earnest" singer/songwriter.
Equally, the performers she names as her key influences do not fall into the typical mould - an eclectic mix, from Elvis Costello to Judy Garland and Hollywood nostalgia movies such as "The Wizard of Oz", quite unexpected from someone who delivers such a driving blend of rock and pop.
As a teenager Tasmin spent evenings locked in her bedroom making tapes of songs she had put together, then went on to public performances - other than those in school plays - playing on the club circuit and with local bands. All this and many "experiences" later, finally enabled her to meet the main ingredients which combine to now make the Tasmin Archer sound, John Hughes and John Beck. John Hughes plays guitar, John Beck piano and Tasmin on vocals, while all three individual talents combine to write all their own material.
The trio started working in John Hughes' kitchen and the rest, as they say, is history. "We started working in John Hughes' back kitchen; there were loads of us packed in there, but us three seemed to gel together." Serious work pursued and as their talent developed they went on to record their debut album "Great Expectations" with Steely Dan's Elliot Randal, from the Pretenders Robbie McIntosh, and Paul McCartney's Paul "Wix" Wickens who co-produced some of the tracks on the album with Julian Mendelsohn.
Tasmin's debut single "Sleeping Satellite" will be released on 1 September, it gives us a glance at a style of music that will become synonomous with the name Tasmin Archer and there is a lot more still to come with the release of the album "Great Expectations", following in October.
Tasmin is not afraid to tell you what she does or does not want and her outlook on life is one that you cannot ignore - you simply have to sit up and listen, "If you neglect your dreams, it's the same as taking your own life. I guess I'm finally living my dream, though at times it seems a bit like a nightmare. 'Well shouldn't we all still believe in dreams...
Tasmin Archer has the kind of voice guaranteed to silence a crowded room.
One of the most distinctive and original singer/songwriter talents to emerge in Britain for some time, it is not surprising the record company giant, EMI, is throwing considerable weight behind the September launch of Tasmin's first single, "Sleeping Satellite". An album, "Great Expectations", follows in October.
Testiment of the company's belief in Tasmin will manifest itself in a marketing initiative rarely seen in the launch of a new artist.
So who is Tasmin Archer and what is all the fuss about?
Tasmin Archer is a series of contradictions - a writer and performer who delivers powerful messages in her lyrics and claims "I'm quite a shy person and singing a song is how I best express myself", yet when meeting her in person one is won over by an effervescent personality and a manner that owes more to Dickens' Artful Dodger than the typical "earnest" singer/songwriter.
Equally, the performers she names as her key influences do not fall into the typical mould - an eclectic mix, from Elvis Costello to Judy Garland and Hollywood nostalgia movies such as "The Wizard of Oz", quite unexpected from someone who delivers such a driving blend of rock and pop.
As a teenager Tasmin spent evenings locked in her bedroom making tapes of songs she had put together, then went on to public performances - other than those in school plays - playing on the club circuit and with local bands. All this and many "experiences" later, finally enabled her to meet the main ingredients which combine to now make the Tasmin Archer sound, John Hughes and John Beck. John Hughes plays guitar, John Beck piano and Tasmin on vocals, while all three individual talents combine to write all their own material.
The trio started working in John Hughes' kitchen and the rest, as they say, is history. "We started working in John Hughes' back kitchen; there were loads of us packed in there, but us three seemed to gel together." Serious work pursued and as their talent developed they went on to record their debut album "Great Expectations" with Steely Dan's Elliot Randal, from the Pretenders Robbie McIntosh, and Paul McCartney's Paul "Wix" Wickens who co-produced some of the tracks on the album with Julian Mendelsohn.
Tasmin's debut single "Sleeping Satellite" will be released on 1 September, it gives us a glance at a style of music that will become synonomous with the name Tasmin Archer and there is a lot more still to come with the release of the album "Great Expectations", following in October.
Tasmin is not afraid to tell you what she does or does not want and her outlook on life is one that you cannot ignore - you simply have to sit up and listen, "If you neglect your dreams, it's the same as taking your own life. I guess I'm finally living my dream, though at times it seems a bit like a nightmare. 'Well shouldn't we all still believe in dreams...
