Biography
A veteran of Ireland’s live circuit, folk-pop vocalist Tara Blaise achieved her breakthrough only after quitting her fourth group to pursue a solo path. Born in London as the eldest of six siblings, she relocated with her family to County Wicklow at the age of three. Her mother’s work as a drama teacher placed her on stage from childhood onward. While enrolled in Speech & Drama studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Blaise formed the group Les Legumes alongside school friends, yet it was her role as a backing singer with the Wilde Oscars that first drew industry attention. She subsequently fronted the short-lived Igloo, whose several well-received singles preceded a Kaydee project that signed to EMI yet failed to reach mainstream audiences. Once she chose to perform alone, an acquaintance connected her to the Corrs’ manager John Hughes, who recruited her to sing on multiple tracks from his Wild Ocean album. After finishing a drama course at Dublin’s Gaiety School, Hughes offered her a recording contract on his Spokes imprint and dispatched her to Los Angeles to collaborate with the Corrs’ producer Olle Romo. Her first album, Dancing on Tables Barefoot, appeared in 2005 and included the singles “Fool for Love” and “Paperback Cliché,” the latter becoming a major airplay success across Ireland. The record’s reception brought a headline tour, slots at U.K. festivals such as V, Oxegen and T in the Park, and a role in Jeff Wayne’s musical adaptation of War of the Worlds. In 2007 she opened for Michael Ball and Brian Kennedy throughout the United Kingdom while also appearing in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Tao of Bergerac. Her follow-up, Great Escape, containing tracks produced by Mutt Lange, arrived in 2008.