Tanarsha Hunter, Singer and Rising Songwriter

 Women and Adversity: Tanarsha Hunter

Singer and Rising Songwriter

 When The SoundHouse, a live music venue in Shallotte, NC, opened in August 2018, members of the Pamoja! band accompanied lead singer Tanarsha Hunter. Her rendition of “Smooth Operator” sounded as if Sade was in the room singing the song. Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself” was another hit as was Kool and the Gang’s “Fresh.”

  I asked Tanarsha, 33, about her career and invited her to participate in this blog.

She was born in Anderson, SC, but the family moved several times because her father is a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The family spent most of their time in Myrtle Beach, and after Tanarsha graduated from high school there, she went to University of Virginia in Charlottesville where she majored in government and politics. Now back in Myrtle Beach, she says she’s “not married…yet. I have no children…yet.”

JAM: Is singing your primary source of income?

TH: While I wish it was, singing is not my main source of income. I have a full time job as a luxury auto broker. 

JAM:  How did you get into singing?

TH: I started singing when I was three years old. Since my father is a pastor, I was always called to sing in church. 

JAM: What was the biggest obstacle you faced when you decided to be a singer?

TH: My biggest obstacle when I started to become serious about singing was overcoming my self-consciousness and fear on stage.

JAM: What is the biggest obstacle you face now?

TH: I face the same obstacle now of being self-conscious on stage, but it has gotten a lot better over the years. Once I started to be confident in my own skin and with my talent that began to change. I’m still a work in progress, I want to be able to show my true personality on stage comfortably.

JAM: What is your goal as a singer?

TH: My goal is to have enough gigs to be able to be onstage doing what I love, at least part time and most weekends.

JAM: Do you write songs?

TH: I have in the past and want to get back to it and still sing, but I’m thinking of a law degree.

JAM: What do you want people to know about you?

TH: I want people to know that I absolutely love being a woman, and I’m incredibly blessed to be able to share my gifts with people from all walks of life. 

Email: tanarshah@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanarsha.hunter

Instagram: tanarshah

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