OUT NOW: New album from Prince’s Protege – Ashley Tamar Davis

Inspiration behind this album:

10th Anniversary from the release of my 1st album release My Name is Tamar. It wasn’t until the fans/ supporters a.k.a. #TamFam reminded me that this past March was my 10-year anniversary. Since moving back to L.A. in 2018, I started working with a Polish musician, Michael Nocny, who discovered me on Instagram. While working together I knew that the music needed to be released. And when we first started we were just vibe-ing and working together. I’d been producing music centered around my divorce of 2-years and it was sitting in my laptop. I let Michael hear two of the songs and he was on Cloud 9 listening to “What is this Feeling?” He asked if he could produce it, and after I heard his version I knew it was time to focus on an album.

Why releasing now? What do the songs mean to you?

These songs are an ode to perseverance. It takes so much to produce a full album. We are in an era of EP’s or single releases and that doesn’t satisfy me. I feel an album tells a story. Going through a divorce and claiming my faith by moving back to L.A. was a huge emotional roller coaster. I knew that I had to write down every single emotion and feeling. I knew, if, celebrating My Name is Tamar that I needed to re-visit songs from it and re-invent them and I also wanted to include some of my songs with Prince. The Estate, however, has not agreed to giving me their approval. And with this, I went into a slump. All that Prince fought for, for me and other artists to own our careers and music and in a blink of an eye, I am being “Taylor Swift’ed!” So I did something about it. I re-wrote some of my songs and collaborated with notable artists such as Jason Moran, Mark Kelley (The Roots) and Eric Harland. I was so nervous in asking them to be a part of this album. Could I afford them? Would they say yes? And so forth. Not only did they say yes but they filmed the session during the pandemic from New York. So the songs mean confidence, faith and resilience. I stick to my love for rock and jazz and as an ode to my mom, Dr. Davis, I added an inspirational / gospel song about a real-life encounter I had with an Uber driver while on tour. So this project is as real as it gets.

What message are you wanting to share with your fans?

Stick with what gives you peace and joy. Stop second guessing your ideas and know that God will give you every single tool and team of people to execute it. I want my fans to know that I enjoy reading every single message and I listen to every suggestion and I really factor in their ideas. So this album’s about the industry and being an artist. This should help. and PR campaign is a tribute to them for their loyalty.

Why is it a good time for women in music? Why is a bad time for women in music?

It’s always a good time for women in music. But it’s a bad time if we don’t align and band together more. My latest executive opportunities came through a female. And that’s a rarity in this business. I am for all races and genders. However, it hits differently when women support each other and pay-it-forward. With all the disparities and pay gaps, women must have their voices told in a better light than what we are being fed through media. It’s the BEST time for me to launch my production company. It took me weeks to realize “why can I not find any Black female who has launched a live entertainment production company?” That’s a problem. So I’m glad to be a catalyst in this change

Ashley Támar, author and powerhouse contemporary vocalist versed in classical to jazz to musical theatre and beyond, is known as the muse and protégé of Prince by gaining notoriety for co-writing their Grammy-nominated duet “Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed” (3121 / Universal Republic).

With a recent achievement having landed as Music Supervisor for the highly anticipated “That Damn Michael Che” show on HBO Max, Ms. Davis proudly hails as a graduate of University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.

Beginning August 27th, Ashley will tour with the famed Stewart Copeland Orchestra for numerous performances with her premiere debut in San Diego, CA. A co-star as Chief Linda in the BET+ sitcom “BRUH,” Ashley curated an edutainment book and workbook for aspiring artists: “100 Things to Know as an Independent Music Artist.”

Ms. Davis just unveiled her 4th independent album My Name is Ashley, featuring Jason Moran, Mark Kelly, Mononeon, Eric Harland, and Jellybean Johnson (just to name a few) as a follow-up to her previously independently released albums: My Name is Támar and I Am the Storm, via her company Syren Music Group.

With recent jaw-dropping performances on NBC’s “The Voice: Season X,” Ashley Támar was recently nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone) in the critically acclaimed Broadway film “A Night with Janis Joplin,” in which can now be streamed worldwide on BroadwayHD.com.

Ms. Támar is the lead actress of “A Topaz Troop,” a children’s television show circulating in numerous festivals including the Los Angeles International Film Festival. Davis has become a household name as a leading performer in numerous Tyler Perry/LionsGate productions set to DVD’s across the globe.

Though music is a conduit for reaching people through song, Ashley Támar has successfully initiated various community outreach projects: The Syren Arts Academy, the College, Career, and Empowerment Summit (Co-Founded with her mother, Dr. Carolyn Davis), the Támar Talks Podcast, Next Level Houston, and DocFest.

Támar has performed an eleven-city national tour “Támar featuring Prince,” as well as on Good Morning America, Saturday Night Live, the NAACP Image Awards, the BRIT Awards as well as having been featured in numerous magazines such as Glamour, Billboard, PEOPLE, and VIBE.

A seasoned creative curator both on and off-stage, Ms. Támar is building a musical empire independently by securing effective outlets in which to display her sound and the sounds of artists to come.

She has recently been named brand ambassador for Atlas Ocean Voyages and continues to develop innovative creative content with collaborators both nationally and internationally.