Meet Tara Prager

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tara Prager. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tara below.

Tara, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
I was fortunate enough to have parents who supported me no matter what. They celebrated my self expression and encouraged me to be individualistic and independent. Growing up I remember them always saying, “What other people think of me is none of my business.” They taught me the lesson from very early on that the only people’s opinions that mattered were my own and those closest to me. I have learned over the years that if someone has something negative to say, it probably means they think negatively of themselves. People who are busy doing great don’t have time to hate. I think embracing the fact that we only have one life to live is extremely important. We cannot let a hater get in the way of pursuing our dreams during the precious time that we do have here.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
From a very young age, I always knew I needed to be on stage. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in theater growing up and I fell in love with making art in all forms. My dad was a magician and my mom was a yoga teacher, so they understood chasing a passion- and that’s exactly what I did. I grew up song writing, making music videos, performing, dancing, acting, painting, and expressing myself in every imaginable way. It led me to studying musical theater in college. where I did musicals, plays, improv, and even started a band. I took a year after graduating to work a normal job and quickly realized that was not for me. Creating art wasn’t a want, it was a need. I packed up my 2009 white chevy Malibu and headed for LA on July 31st 2023. I am so thrilled and grateful to be here now. I am currently in the process of creating my first EP, ‘Time 4 T.’ It will live in a soulful dark pop genre. I have been adamant about making sure to network and connect with producers, writers, singers, and creatives of all kinds while being out here because I believe that projects are always better when you collaborate. I will be making a music video for each song and tying the project together like a short film. The EP follows my journey of finding self love, inner peace, and the navigation of my twenties as I ‘go down the rabbit hole’ of distractions that we face in this time.
It is my first big project and it means so much to me. Musical theater was and always will be my first love. However, sometimes I felt that I was stuck in a box with musical theater. Within making my own music, I have found so much creative freedom and it’s so empowering. If I want to make a indie singer songwriter song and put it on the same album with a dark jazzy pop song, I can.
I am really excited about this first EP because it is allowing me to tie all my creative interests together. I am writing and recording the songs, collaborating with others to do so, creating/directing music videos, acting in the music videos, and creating visually and sonically pleasing content. I want to inspire people to create outside the box and not feel like they have to choose one lane and stay in it. I feel as human beings we all have so many different sides and layers to us that make us who we are, and I want that to shine through in my music.
If you’d like to follow me and see my journey progress my username is @TaraPrager on all platforms.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first quality that came to my head was confidence. Confidence is something I have to practice every day. With confidence, I think ‘fake it til you make it,’ is useful to some degree. Having a mantra that boosts your confidence and grounds you can be very helpful as well. I have a mantra that I say every day when I wake up and every night before bed that is very simple, but over time it is extremely helpful. I think it’s important to remember that if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

The second quality is working well with others and just being someone that other people want to work with. Growing up in theater really taught me how to work well with others. I also participated in student council which taught me quiet leadership skills. These two activities in particular showed me that everyone has something special to offer. I was able to experience the magic and joy of collaboration from such a young age that it shaped my need for it. It also showed me that if someone is difficult to work with, it slows a process down and sucks the energy out. I think just genuinely being kind, showing up on time, listening and giving your input when it is needed, and doing your part is such a massive step in progressing in any journey.

The last quality is perseverance. You have to have patience and the belief that you know your time will come if you continue putting in the work, seeking opportunity, having confidence in yourself, and being a good person. My parents always say
We show up, suit up, do the next right thing, and the results are up to God.” I try and remember this. My parents continuously show me that hard work pay offs. They have been married for 35 years and that did not come easy at all. They are so in love and it inspires me every day that beautiful things are worth working for, and I always keep that in mind on my musical journey.

The best advice I have would be to take time with yourself. Journaling always helps me to stay grounded and put things in perspective.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking to collaborate with artists of all kinds! I like to think of myself as a visionary and it’s difficult to make visions come to life by yourself. I have always loved having photoshoots and modeling and I would love to incorporate that into my music videos. I would love to collaborate with photographers and film makers. I also would love to collaborate with other song writers. It is always so interesting to see other song writer approaches. I’m looking for musicians as well. Ideally I’d love to start a band and be able to perform live. I’m looking for anyone who loves to collaborate creatively. If that’s you, feel free to connect with me on any of my socials @TaraPrager!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Got one from Pinterest (purple concert photo) The rest are my original photos

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