Singer/songwriter Ari Tahan rises from the depths of sorrow to release her storytelling EP 'Closure.' With powerful vocals that range similar to the likes of Adele, Alicia Keys, and Joss Stone, Ari Tahan sees her music as a cornerstone to express not only her woes but her mother's as well. Ari Tahan mentioned that watching her parents' divorce was grueling and painful. Seeing the pain in her mother's eyes served as a pure inspiration to take on the process of the 'Closure' EP to sing from her mother's perspective to take us on an emotional and empowering journey. With the intro track "Idiot," starting the EP with heavy emotions of anger and losing yourself in the process of the relationship. Opening with dominant violin strings that serve the entire way through, Ari Tahan grasps our attention with self-assured lyrics like "you've taken it away from me," and brings a message of getting away from toxic love. Through textured and cinematic instrumentals that bring "Idiot" to an exciting atmosphere, Ari Tahan's vocals and lyrics find their way straight to our hearts. Taking the 'Closure' EP to the climax with the second track "Out of Time," this song takes a more personal turn towards Ari Tahan's perspective of the exhausting situation. As she sings a letter to her father through lyrics that speak on their own, "you broke it, you fix it." It can be any child's wish to get their parents back together, and "Out of Time" displays precisely that. Not to mention emotionally-rich instrumentals through brass, piano, and percussion, Ari Tahan soars overtop with such a vulnerable message. We're nothing but impressed with her songwriting abilities at this point. Giving us a down-tempo and more serene feel, the third track "Under Water" takes us on a different kind of ride, one that we can all relate too. Feeling suffocated from a love that's gone wrong, and finding yourself deep "Under Water." This track surrounds Ari Tahan's parents and their last moments together, full of tears, fighting, and drowning within sadness. Ari Tahan effortlessly touches our hearts, with mesmerizing acoustic guitar and textured percussion she brings the 'Closure' EP to the softest and most sincere point. Reaching the end of the EP, we are met with the empowering final chapter, "Lovers Game." Entirely closing out the EP by sharing a message of acceptance and moving for the better. Ari Tahan brings an uplifting pop-infused tune through feel-good instrumentals with pulsing electric guitar, stimulating drums, and Ari Tahan's haunting background vocals. She sings lyrics of picking yourself up and walking away from the mess of toxic love. Beautifully ending off the 'Closure' EP, we can't help but feel a sense of closure as well. Ari Tahan served a brilliantly textured storyline, and it's one to take note of.
You can discover 'Closure' here.
Hey Ari Tahan, welcome to BuzzMusic! We’d like to start off by saying how important the 'Closure' EP is to anyone who’s endured their parents separating. What do you want listeners to learn and take away from the 'Closure' EP as a whole?
Hey! Thank you so much. I definitely want my listeners to understand that it’s so normal to feel angry and upset - whether it’s your own parents separating or if you are the one separating from your other half. Betrayal can be scarring - but it doesn’t define you. Time is a healer, and as I am much older now, I can say this with ease. I believe some things happen for a reason because each of my parents are the happiest I have ever seen them with their new partners, I have two wonderful families and awesome step siblings - I actually don’t know what I’d do without them! So embrace change - and just accept it in order to move on and be happy!
Not even halfway through your EP 'Closure', we were incredibly impressed by Ari Tahan’s vivid storytelling and songwriting. Could you share what helped your creative process find the right lyrics that portray the stories you want to be told?
Each one of these songs comes from real-life experiences so the writing came very naturally. Whilst studying for my exams I used to hear my parents arguing a lot so I wrote some lyrics based on what was happening around me at that point. Later on I brainstormed everything and created the 4 songs to represent the stages of their relationship.
Within your EP 'Closure', Ari Tahan sings from your mother's perspective on the majority of the songs. What made you take this innovative and emotional route?
Living alone with my mum for 4 years after my parents separated meant a lot of time watching and listening to her healing process which wasn’t easy at all for me to handle. With my songwriting, I felt I knew more about my mum's emotions over my own, and I also wanted to write in the first person so the listener could take the song and relate to it in their own way.
All four tracks on your EP 'Closure' serve a different meaning that sums up the entire project’s storyline. Are there any tracks in particular that Ari Tahan resonates most with, or are your favorite?
I love each song for a different reason, but I do love to perform ‘Idiot’ live the most as it comes with sass as well as emotion and I enjoy the hooks that come with it! There is also a remix of this song which has attracted a whole new audience for me - it’s amazing how a remix can form a whole new vibe for the song! I love it.
What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020?
During these crazy times in lockdown, I was asked to create a song for BBC Surrey day. The song was picked to be aired and was also selected for BBC Radio Surrey’s ‘Track of the Week’ which was awesome! The song is called ‘Higher’ and it is now officially released on all of my music platforms. I have chosen to support ‘Mind’ charity by donating some of the proceeds to them. The info to donate is on my Facebook via @aritahanmusic. The future is looking good music-wise and I have many more songs lined up ready to be released so keep an eye out for announcements via my social media!
aritahan.com