Electro-pop artist and harpist, Tatyana, is back with new single and video, “Right Places,” that dawns an impressive new era for the dynamic producer, songwriter and performer. The “New & Notable (Bandcamp)” “Rising Artist (Vinyl Me, Please)” is known to make a “Smooth pop gem (Dork).”
Cultr calls TATYANA’s music “An astral surprise sculpting her musical dreamland – a vivid wonder that will consume your consciousness” and this new single is no exception with its cheeky, fun and poppy energy that becomes an instant time machine moment to first crushes, pink lollipops and dancing like everybody is watching.
On the freshly released bop, Tatyana sings irreverently over a bouncy, guitar-like synth hook and twinkling harp melodies, winkingly prompting her subject to “love me in the right places.” Co-producer Joseph Mount (Metronomy) helped fine-tune the track, resulting in a careful distillation of Tatyana’s signature sound that fuses her classical training with her keen sense for pop songwriting. “Right Places” is the kind of precisely produced, impossibly catchy pop that takes other artists their entire careers to nail.
Tatyana comments on “Right Places”
“I wrote ‘Right Places’ in 2019 and it feels good to finally put it out. At my shows, people always ask me if the main hook that underpins the song is an electric guitar, but it’s actually a synth sound I designed in Ableton. Lyrically, it’s quite an in-your-face – sexy song. I love a double entendre – “love me in the right places” could mean different things. To me, the song captures the high you feel when you meet a stranger you have undeniable chemistry with. It’s so pop and punk and fun and goes off every time I play it live.”
In the “Right Places” official video, soft pink hues light up Tatyana’s face as she gets ready to go out after a call on her lobster-shaped phone. The video is inspired by the kitschy and witchy film “The Love Witch.” Soft, sultry and sexy cuts from deep eye contact to legs rubbing gently together bring the energy levels up continuously and explodes for a final scene showing Tatyana donning a gorgeous kokoshnik (a traditional Russian crown, that’s part of the national dress), in a neon purple square, where it’s just Tatyana, her harp and her passion.
Video director Kai Marks comments on working with Tatyana
“I am beyond happy we were able to capture the raw energy and emotions of Tatyana‘s track. Working with her alongside an incredible crew made this whole project come together and enabled us to create something memorable.”
You can buy / stream “Right Places” HERE.
More info about Tatyana
Born in London, Tatyana Phillips (aka Tatyana) has lived in Holland, Russia, Singapore, and Boston – where she attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship – before settling back in her hometown in 2018. The transient nature of her upbringing has certainly informed her music: from underground raves to viral YouTube covers to playing harp on tour with Neneh Cherry, there seems to be no scene that she doesn’t thrive in. However, it was her unusual childhood and strict household that become the most formative piece of her inspiration puzzle.
Tatyana was not allowed to watch television or listen to contemporary music, as her Russian mother feared what Western propaganda might do to her young daughter’s mind. She encouraged Tatyana to formulate her own thoughts, without the hypnotizing sway from glittery pop music that Tatyana would later go on to make herself. Tatyana grew up watching Soviet cartoons, biblical stories and animated Shakespeare plays, and on occasion, she was granted the sweet treat of Top of the Pops, which thrilled her to her core.
After being put in front of a piano at 3-years-old and only being allowed to listen to Russian Classical music (Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, etc), there was immeasurable bliss when TATYANA’s brother’s guitar teacher snuck her a mix of Beatles songs on a burned CD with she was 8-years-old. She didn’t know which songs were from which albums, but she did know she was instantly obsessed. It was around the same age when she found her parents’ ABBA Gold CD.
Speaking about this formative experience, Tatyana says
“I would listen to ABBA in secret – this was the first music I fell in love with, and it’s the reason I make pop music today. I would weep listening to “The Winner Takes It All,” and decided then that I wanted to write songs just like that.”
A year later when she was living in Holland, Tatyana’s choir teacher gave her the opportunity to be the voice of a Dutch cartoon character called “Miffy,” for which she recorded an entire album’s worth of music for the show. To this day, Tatyana’s first work still racking up views amassing the 3.5 million mark. Her comfort in the studio grew and her desire to be in those spaces grew with it.
So, later when she moved back to London, she started recording herself using Garageband and wrote, recorded and produced her first solo album before the age of 12. She would burn CDs and sell them to her friends and family, instantly embracing the DIY spirit that she carries still.
Before starting at Berklee, Tatyana was honored with acceptance to BRIT (where both Adele and Amy Winehouse attended). She had to leave when her family moved to Singapore, but she decided not to let it slow her down, and she leaned on those DIY tendencies, once again, and began doing YouTube covers and racking up hundreds of thousands of views. The fire in her belly continued to heat up and it was soon noticed by Sinderlyn.
In 2020, Tatyana released her thrilling debut EP Shadow On The Wall via Sinderlyn. The self-produced collection was met with praise from tastemaker outlets like NYLON, The FADER, Office Magazine, Bandcamp, The Line of Best Fit, Crack Magazine and more, as well as an exclusive vinyl pressing with Vinyl Me, Please’s Rising program. Pointing to her producer skills, The FADER couldn’t help but notice the “lushly produced” sound and The Line of Best Fit pointed out the “ethereal quality” of the music.
These triumphs have laid the groundwork for Tatyana’s new tracks, and “Right Places” is the first glimpse: an in-your-face ode to sexual attraction and chemistry. A show is announced in London on November 23rd, supporting Charles Watson, at The Social.
Tickets are on sale now. Stay tuned for more from Tatyana by following her on social media for more live performances, new photos and pop inspiration, and be sure to stream “Right Places,” out everywhere now.
Watch this space for updates in the Music Videos category on SA Music Zone.
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