ON THE PRECIPICE OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT
A CONVERSATION WITH TARA MACLEAN
There is an old saying: βShoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.β This adage could certainly apply to Tara MacLean, whose star IS on the rise, again.
The Prince Edward Island-raised singer-songwriter has been enjoying a career resurgence of late. Perhaps best known for her early career work as a solo artist, as one third of the band Shaye, and as a performer in the Lilith Fair womenβs touring music festival, MacLean has just published her first book: a memoir, entitled Song of the Sparrow. In it, she writes candidly about overcoming poverty, violence, and abuse. As a soundtrack to her memoir, MacLean is also releasing the album Sparrow, which features new songs and rerecorded works from the past, which connect to certain sections of her book.
Early reviews of the book are glowing, and it was added to The Toronto Starβs bestseller list, just one week after its release. Understandably pleased, MacLean says, βI feel unbelievable! β¦ Iβm getting a lot of feedback from the book, really quickly, from people who are reading it. Itβs really making my heart just feel so good. Itβs such a vulnerable share, so to be getting back that type of feedback, itβs making me feel like, βOkay, thatβs why I did it. Now itβs all starting to make sense.ββ
Writing about aspects of her formative years, and of her career in music, MacLeanβs words are honest and direct. This proved to be difficult when it came to describing some traumatic events of her past. She notes, βThere were some parts of the book that were so difficult to go back to, and I really wanted to be as real with them as possible. So I did have to return, in my mind, to those places. And, I would tremble as I wrote them. There are three or four in particular, that were just so, so difficult to write. When I would go back and read them, they would often be in the present tense, which was so interesting because it told me that I was really there. In my mind, I allowed myself to visit it, from a witnessβ perspective, which is a pretty safe place to see it from, like Iβm aware.β
βI couldnβt write about them, I donβt think, if I hadnβt metabolized those experiences. This was another level of catharsis, it was another level of healing, to write about them in this way, and then to share it. But I did feel like I must have chosen to share those things because it was time, and it felt right. So, even though it was difficult, I felt like I was on the precipice of something different, like sharing a new level of something that is almost unsharable. But I wanted to do it because I thought, βother people have been here, tooβ and maybe they would feel less alone in that darkness.β
Song of the Sparrow is beautifully written, and MacLeanβs descriptions of people, places, and events are incredibly vivid. So much so, that one might imagine the book as a feature film. Responding to this, the author says emphatically, βOh! Well, thatβs the dream, absolutely! Absolutely, I would love, love to see it made into a film. I would love to see Prince Edward Island painted the way that I tried to do in words, but in film. Absolutely! Thatβs the next dream, honestly!β To stay true to her book in any potential screen adaptation scenario, MacLean notes, βThe hope would be that it could be someone like Sarah Polley, or someone who is really amazing at taking a book, and amplifying it, in a way. So many times a book gets squished, or contracted, in a film. But a really great filmmaker could actually make it come to life in a whole new way, and thatβs what Iβm really hoping will happen.β
It is interesting that the album Sparrow is being released alongside her book, as one art form seems to inform the other. Fans of MacLeanβs music will be interested in reading about her life, and those who read her memoir may be inspired to seek out her music. The artist says that it was not a calculated decision, though: βI was just going to write the book. And then, about halfway through, the wonderful woman who is my marketing manager just kind of gave me the idea to write a song for the book. And so, the title track, βSparrowβ came out of me. In the book, I was writing these in-depth descriptions of writing the songs. It just seemed like such a great idea to rerecord them, by visiting them as the woman I am now. It felt really good to do it.β
MacLeanβs trust in her record producer Daniel Ledwell was key to Sparrowβs brilliant outcome. She notes, βDan is an incredible producer and a dear friend. I just trusted him so much and was way more hands-off with this albumβ¦ Rather than me sitting there, saying, βOh, I like that, I donβt like that,β I would just wait, and listen, and let him kind of unfold into whatever magic he was looking for. He really is a genius, and I felt really blessed. And every time he would find the sound, I was floored. I was just blown away. It was way better than I could have imagined, every single time!β
This is truly a time to shine for Tara MacLean, but what of the future? She laughs and says, βWellβ¦! I mean, world domination!β. Her big dream involves creating βa show that has the songs from Sparrow, and some of the stories from Song of the Sparrow, done with symphony orchestras around the world. Singing with a symphony is the pinnacle for a singer. I would like to take the little girl form the plywood stage in the prologue of my book, to the great stages of the world with the best musicians in the world.β
Although the first Lilith Fair festival happened over 25 years ago, the feelings of love and support from that time are never far from MacLeanβs heart. As for the notion of that festival being resurrected, she says, βI would love to be part of that! Thereβs the old saying, βIβm carrying my grandmotherβs picket signsβ. Weβre still here. Weβre still fighting. I will do it with my art forever, but Iβm honestly hoping that this book will help women speak out and use their voices. I use my voice a lot, and itβs time to amplify other voices. Thatβs what this book is: itβs an invitation to scream. Itβs an invitation to sing. Itβs an invitation for us to use our super powers to make change in the world. Clearly, thereβs a lot of work to be done.β