Life is "Wonderful Crazy" for Katelyn Tarver
Teen Performer Hits Chart on Radio Disney Shows
by Barbara Bales
Seventeen-year-old singer/actress Katelyn Tarver seems poised for superstardom. The Georgia native has already toured throughout the U.S. and abroad in support of her album, Wonderful Crazy, from which several hits have sprung. The title song has charted on Radio Disney shows, as well as on MYX's Top 20 Hit Music chart in the Philippines. In December, she was a featured artist on MTV Taiwan. Recently, she made the cover of Candy magazine, the number one teen magazine in the Philippines. She has also been featured in Teen People, Teen Vogue, BOP magazine (Pick Hit Of The Month - March 2006), CRW (Top 20 CCM Pop Chart for the music video "Wonderful Crazy"), American Cheerleader and Super Model Unlimited (as a model for Conair hair products).
"I would like to do more acting, too," says the budding thespian, as she lists some of her past auditions. "Conair (national print and television), MTV/VH1 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ads, the Barbie Diaries (the part of Barbie) and I screen-tested for a new MTV pilot (I did not get the role). I auditioned for Fox Television's The OC (I did not get the role). Ibm still auditioning. I think it would be fun to play a rebellious character, someone who is completely opposite from me."
By the time this story goes to print, Tarver's holiday season tour will have wrapped up. She is, at this writing, slated to perform in Savannah, Ga., for the Christmas tree lighting, followed by a performance in the Radio Disney Jingle Jam shows and concluding with a Radio Disney Noon Year's Eve show on December 31.
"Wonderful Crazy was recorded in New York City," she says enthusiastically. "It was my first album, so everything was new to me. My dad, brother and I actually moved up to New York City for two months to record the album and go on a few auditions. It was a lot of fun living in New York with my brother and dad and to see some snow, because we never get snow in Georgia. It was just a fun experience."
In fact, a re-release of Wonderful Crazy is planned, for which Tarver has recorded two songs so far: "Chasing Echoes" and a cover of the George Michaels hit "Careless Whisper." When her Radio Disney Jingle Jam shows finish, she will continue recording more tunes for the re-release. "We are in the process of looking for more songs," she adds.
Her first big gig was on Fox Television's American Juniors, a version of American Idol for youngsters that aired in the summer of 2003. American Juniors, she says, taught her a lot about performing and stage presence. It also landed her a deal with New York City-based TC Music. "I've been with TC Music for about two and a half years. They saw me performing on American Juniors and we had a meeting in New York soon after. We felt really good about it so we signed a deal."
In addition to her temporary move to the Big Apple to record Wonderful Crazy, other career highlights include "performing on the Camplified Tour, performing at the Bayfest Music Festival with Bo Bice, performing at the Radio Disney show in Tom's River, New Jersey, with Jesse McCartney, being a headlining performer on the Radio Disney Incubator tour, Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth of July show, my video for 'Wonderful Crazy' being number one video on the Gospel Music Channel this summer, my recording of 'Chasing Echoes' being played on Radio Disney, and of course my tour to promote my album in Japan and the Philippines, which was an amazing experience. Being able to travel and see a different part of the world, plus getting to perform and share my music with them, was so awesome. I had a blast and the fans were great! I loved it."
She admits that doing a duet with John Mayer or Santana "would be so awesome; their music is completely different from mine, and they are two artists I respect a lot."
As for her background, she says, "I'm from Glennville, which is about 45 miles from the coastal Georgia town of Savannah and about 100 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida. My grandmother was a music teacher in the public school system in Georgia. My dad plays guitar and my mom was in a Contemporary Christian band in college. I guess that qualifies as a musical family. My little sister Amanda is a good vocalist also."
How did a much younger Katelyn Tarver prepare for life in the entertainment field? "I haven't really made any conscious preparation, but I have learned a lot along the way," she notes. "I just make sure that I'm prepared for the highs and the lows of the business. When you are an up-and-coming artist there are lots of rejections that you experience. On the other hand, as an artist it's fun to perform and have fans enjoy your music. I guess as long as you're having fun along the way you can handle the emotional struggles. My dad has a songwriter friend in Nashville that wrote me a note a year ago that described it well when he said, 'Katelyn, let the journey be the joy.'"
Regarding her success so far, she says, "It's been really strange. You never know where your successes are going to come from. By the way, tell the people at MTV's TRL that I say, 'Call me; I'll stop by next time I'm in New York City.'"
The performances and media exposure she has had will no doubt elevate her status. How is she gearing up for what promises to be a stellar career? "I'm not really gearing up for superstardom," she says. "I'm just performing and doing what I love. Hopefully, I can make good music that people will like."
Her advice to aspiring musicians and actors is to "just keep going. Perform anywhere you can because you never know who's watching. Also, make sure that you are having fun and you love it. It's a lot of hard work and you have to remember that the journey is the joy."
Visit www.katelyntarveronline.com, www.myspace.com/katelyntarveronline and www.tandcmusic.com.
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