Tarn PK
Photo Credit: Lucy Hammond
New Zealand’s Tarn PK makes songs that are “personal, meaningful, and real.” The singer/songwriter has been immersed in the world of music since an early age and recorded his first songs at age of 10. Since then, Tarn has continued to home in on this craft; inspired by the sounds of the 70s, he infuses his pop hits with a touch of vintage class. Take “Talk To You” as an example, a Funk-Pop jam that now has over 180k Spotify Streams. Other songs like “Serenity” showcase modern-day production with pristine lyricism. Tarn cites the pandemic as the catalyst for his musical direction. “There was a point in 2020 around the time of lockdown in New Zealand where I realized I wasn’t really loving the music I was making,” he said. “I found like I hadn’t quite found a sound that really reflected me yet, and I think with this new EP, I’ve shifted to something that feels more right for me.” We speak to him about the new music, favorite past-times, and more!
How did you get started making music?
I think the first time I’ve ever recorded something was when I was about 10 and my parents had just bought an Apple computer. I decided to record myself singing the songs I’d been learning in my school choir. It wasn’t very good, to be honest, but it was my first time recording and from there I started recording more covers. It took me a while but I finally moved to doing originals when I was about 16, and the rest is history!
You’ve got a fantastic sound! Who were some of your musical inspirations growing up?
Thanks so much! Early on I think I was quite influenced by my Dad’s musical taste with a lot of The Beatles being played around the house. Still, when I’m writing I like to listen to The Beatles if I’m getting into a creative rut. The band that changed it all for me was this band called Walk off the Earth. They did YouTube covers and I just loved their energy. They made music look fun and I thought that was cool. In high school, I got more into jazz through the school’s music program which is where I got into drumming.
You say that you want to “convey a peaceful picture of the world” through your songs. Why did you decide to go in this direction with your music?
There was a point in 2020 around the time of lockdown in New Zealand where I realized I wasn’t really loving the music I was making. I found like I hadn’t quite found a sound that really reflected me yet and I think with this new EP I’ve shifted to something that feels more right for me. I figured this out just by listening to a lot of music. I’d made my New Years’ resolution to listen to a new album every week and I think this helped with my development and gave me some fresh ideas from places I wouldn’t have thought.
What are some of the ways that you find yourself going about this process?
I think for me the world was feeling pretty chaotic and I wasn’t feeling very inspired but the stuff I’d been making. It really came down to stripping it back just making a song with a guitar and seeing what could come from that. I knew I wanted to make something personal that was more focused on the songwriting than the production.
How have you been holding up during the pandemic? Has it affected your ability to make music at all?
We’ve been really lucky here in New Zealand that it hasn’t affected our lives too much. I found the time when we were locked down actually really helped me creatively. It gave me that chance to get rid of distractions and just sit down and make something. I think I probably made more music than I ever had before in that period. A lot of that came from me giving myself permission to make something outside of what I thought I had to be making.
“Talk To You” seems to be the centerpiece in what was an impressive debut EP. What was it like to receive such feedback on the track?
The whole ‘Talk to You’ release was so out of the blue and crazy to get such a great response. I didn’t go into it with any expectations and was blown away when I started getting on all these playlists. It’s really great and I’m still super proud of how that whole EP turned out, I think it reflects that first phase of music I was making when it was all so new to me.
Was there any song on the EP that took longer to complete than the rest?
Caught in the Wake I remember went through a couple of versions whereas the other ones were pretty immediate. I’d made the song with my mate Nick France who played saxophone on the track for a school project. The first version was a little lame. So a couple of months later I redid the production and completely changed the vibe of the song to something more dancey and current.
Your latest track, “Sky Is Falling”, is another fantastic song. What was the inspiration for the release?
Thanks! ‘Sky Is Falling’ was the first one I wrote for the EP and really came from the picked acoustic guitar. It felt personal and there was something which I loved about the Ooo’s I’d recorded so I just went with it. Joni Mitchell was definitely an influence, along with the likes of Nick Drake and John Martin. I also love Bon Iver and James Blake and I think you can see a bit of them in the track too.
What do you say to an artist who is timid to put out their first release?
It’s cliche but just go for it. If you think it’s good someone else will too. I think there’s quite a culture about releasing volume over quality, so I’d say just make sure you really like the song, I think that’s usually a good indicator of whether you should release it.
What are some of your favorite things to do outside of the studio?
Outside of the studio, I’m big into my cooking with my girlfriend. I really like the process of making something and feel it’s quite similar to the music-making process. I also really like to read about ancient history, that’s one of my more recent passions, it just always blows my mind!
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
Definitely owe my biggest thanks to my parents. They’re so supportive of me doing music and my dad pretty much spends all his spare time pretty much acting as my manager. Also, my girlfriend, she’s so great with putting up with my constant babbling about random musical things and is super supportive with all the creative ups and downs.
What can we expect from you in 2021?
I’ve got a new song coming out on February 26th called ‘Indigo Dreaming’ which is the third single from my EP. I worked on that with Wellington artist Neil Macleod who’s an amazing producer and helped out with some additional production. I’ve also started writing new music for something in the future which I’m super excited about. Other than that I’m hoping to do some more production for other people and do lots more songwriting!
Photo Credit: Lucy Hammond