Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Támar Davis.
New York Times describes Ashley Tamar as ”Having a voice that can fill three stadiums and the moves of Tina Turner.” Ashley Támar, also known as the muse and favorite singer of her mentor Prince, gained notoriety for being the music legends “Protégé́” while co-writing their Grammy-nominated duet “Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed” (Universal Republic, 3121).
Along with her sophomore album release “I Am the Storm,” and with recent jaw-dropping performances on NBC’s “The Voice: Season X,” Ms. Davis is currently on tour in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical “A Night with Janis Joplin” (A.C.T. Theatre & La Mirada Theatre) in which she was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and can be streamed on Broadway HD worldwide (January 2019).
To add to her musical theatre repertoire, Ms. Davis has been featured as Sarah Vaughn in “Sarah Sings a Love Story” (NYC) as well as debuting in the national Broadway tour, “Motown, the Musical” (Diana Ross u/s, Esther Gordy, Gladys Knight, Gladys Horton, Lula). Ashley Támar has toured with Tyler Perry’s “Madea Gets a Job” prior to touring with “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” “Laugh to Keep from Crying,” “The Marriage Counselor,” and “A Madea Christmas,” all in which are Lions Gate productions set to home DVD rentals.
With performances for our former 41st President and 1st Lady Barbara Bush for their 19th Annual “Celebration of Reading” and for our 43rd President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State at the “Helping a Hero” event, Támar continues to excel in creating her own path. Támar recently launched the “Támar Talks Podcast:” a weekly podcast about the Entertainment business as it relates to Education.
A graduate of University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music with a bachelor’s in music business Támar was honored as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts while attending Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where Támar also received three Gold medals in the NAACP ACT-SO competition. In 2010, Támar initiated and created Syren Music Group, LLC: a music entertainment company that specializes in the advancement of independent music and live entertainment which was funded through personal finances acquired while on tour and starring in Tyler Perry’s stage-play “The Marriage Counselor” as the only nuanced lead (New York Times).
Through the creation of Syren Music Group, LLC Támar launched two independent albums “My Name is Tamar” (3.24.2011) and “I Am the Storm” (9.30.2016), whereas the former album garnered sales from Japan, Belgium, Barcelona, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States with additional article write-ups from Glamour magazine, VIBE magazine, the New York Times, US Weekly, Sophisticate’s Black Hair and the Vegas Tribune, with complementing appearances on Great Day Houston, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, and the BET Awards.
Tamar is the co-founder of two philanthropic initiatives: The Syren Arts Academy and The Tamar Davis Project: an international, educational and artistic project designed for singers, artists, musicians, writers, painters, composers, choreographers, and dancers to benefit from opportunities that will become catalyst to successfully launch their careers under the watchful eye of industry professionals turned mentors.
During Super Bowl, Tamar successfully re-introduced alongside her mother Dr. Carolyn Davis, their philanthropic and educational initiative: the “College, Career, and Empowerment Summit.” This monumental achievement was an inspiration to Houston’s youth about the importance of attaining higher education and was successful through the partnership with Houston Community College, NIKE, and Stewart Cadillac (just to name a few).
Special panelist, exhibitors, and guests included: Howard White (VP Brand Jordan/NIKE), Ricky Davis (Former NBA), NASA, Minute Maid, Bullritos, Dr. Reagan Flowers (CSTEM), John Lucas III (Toronto Raptors; NBA), Ricky Davis (former NBA player), NASA, Hewlett Packard, Dr. Umar Johnson (Certified Psychologist) and influential City Council Members and political activists.
Ms. Ashley Támar continues to pay-it-forward for the next generation via her various Edu-Tainment initiatives: Co-Founder of DocFest; The Tamar Talks Podcast: a weekly direct-to-fan radio broadcast featuring topics in the Arts & Education; the College, Career, and Empowerment Summit: an annual Teen Summit focused on non-traditional careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics; the Syren Arts Academy: a 6-week summer artistic camp for teens and young adults, and the Támar Davis Project: an artistic, mentoring startup from conception to production..
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth is the last word I would ever use to describe my journey. It has been a “faith-filled-unexpected turns-full of highs and lows” journey. Although I’ve always been raised in a praying home and loving family, when you experience the real world, especially the world of Entertainment, you get tossed every way possible. You can audition for a role five times and still be told “no” for the part.
I have earned income and yet live in months where the telephone has not rung. I have seen some of my peer’s book jobs that I at once desired. You experience being prepared to wait then hear the words of a lifetime: “you booked the part.” Through it all, if it wasn’t for my faith in God and family, I would have quite a long time ago.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Syren Music Group, LLC. – what should we know?
Syren Music Group (SMG) was created in 2010 after learning the pitfalls artists experience in owing taxes. I was not fully educated as to why I needed to create my company, but once I properly organized it, the dream begins to take wings. SMG is a multi-dimensional independent, entertainment artistic startup, created to combine entertainment, arts, business, and technology as collaboration among singers, musicians, composers, engineers, and entrepreneurs as a quest for uncompromising authenticity and cultural relevance to freely create, produce and market one’s talent.
SMG has earned industry-wide recognition through Grammy Award nominations, international television recognition and international radio airplay allowing SMG to continually invest in future-shaping technologies and artistic trends. Syren Music Group distinguishes itself from other independent entertainment companies as being the most influential “edutainment” organization in the world. Edu-tainment is the process of merging education and the arts through innovative and effective business strategies.
Through this initiative, SMG has launched groundbreaking educational Summits and events for this generation thus, bridging the gap and interconnecting entertainment & business, training in the arts, engineering technology, and social media with individuals currently in entertainment, as well as artists seeking to launch such careers. At SMG, we are dedicated to supporting individuals’ personal and professional growth that supports successful and lasting careers in entertainment.
For example, SMG connects those with aspiring talent in the performing and visual arts with information and training in: (a) business: to assure compliance with tax regulations and contractual agreements; (b) improving talent and performances skills; (c) opportunities to showcase talents in a professional manner in front of live recorded audiences; (d) building a personal brand and marketing strategy through social media.
We are most proud of partnering with other creatives from all artistic genres and occupations and partnering them with influential brands and persons of influence.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
One of the qualities I feel that is most important to my success is my professionalism and honesty.
From valuing time to exploring creative options for others, I leave an opportunity feeling empty knowing that I’ve given all of myself, in time and/or talent to someone else or to another organization or event. Whether I am getting compensated or not, we value providing a million dollar performance from inception to production. I also value a personal relationship with whom I come in contact with.
From the beginning, I see each venture as a family-oriented dynamic. Some would argue to keep them separate, but I have seen this be a strong attribute that we possess. Finally, I feel we are excellent at bridging a continual post-communication with our clients as a building block to more growth.
Contact Info:
- Address: 17117 Westheimer Road, Suite #127 Houston, Texas 77082
- Website: www.TamarDavis.com
- Email: SyrenMusic@SyrenMusicGroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheTamarDavis
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamarDavisMusic
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TheTamarDavis
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleytamardavis
Image Credit:
Peter Loder Photography, Karen Martinez, Coby Rich Photography
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