Brooklyn-born and -bred artist Tamar-kali is a second-generation musician whose music truly defies boundaries – and really traverses the spectrum from her unique alt-rock sound (which you can hear on her album Black Bottom) to more orchestral pieces she composes and arranges for her string sextet and voice project: Psychochamber Ensemble.

And if that weren’t enough, she also broke into the film score world with 2017’s Mudbound. With a few more scores under her belt, she worked with director Josephine Decker on this year’s Shirley in which Elisabeth Moss masterfully brings horror writer Shirley Jackson to life.

“When I asked Tamar-kali to go wild, she went WILD,” said Decker. “Her spirit is inside this film in a visceral, guttural way. She brought such rich rhythm and power to the score of Shirley. In a film about two women unraveling each other, Tamar gave gravity, grace, and nuance to the mysteries their union unleashed.”

We had the pleasure of chatting with Tamar-kali about her career, the wild variety of sound she employs in her music, and working on Shirley.

Tamar-kali’s score (Milan Records) is available now from all the usual outlets.

Roarbots: Did you come from a musical family?

Yes, my father played bass in local funk and soul bands up until I was a toddler. My aunt was a singer in the same scene in the 60s and early 70s. In addition, I was deeply steeped in the African American musical traditions from gospel and spirituals to the blues when visiting my extended family in the South.

Roarbots: Your quick bio makes a point of saying you have “roots in the coastal Sea Islands of South Carolina.” How much of a role does that play in your music?

Well, my cultural identity as a woman of Gullah Geechee descent provided me with a strong sense of self and resilience. I think those traits and that foundation fortified me as an independent artist. It is natural that those sonic experiences of my youth would filter through into the music I create in some way, even if not a direct literal representation.

Roarbots: Composing for films is a relatively new step in your career. Was that a direction you had been planning to move in? Or was it more serendipitous?

100% serendipitous. It was a pivot I had not expected. It presented itself very much in line with how I have lived my life as an artist. Another artist engaged me to collaborate. The opportunity to collaborate with other artists across disciplines is something I was seeking at the time. The challenge inspired a deepening of my practice and allowed me to really expand in my artistry.

Roarbots: Creatively, is your approach to a film score different from your approach to a more personal project, for example a solo album or something with the Psychochamber Ensemble?

Absolutely, I am the final word on my performance work. My role in film is that of a creative collaborator. My initial impressions and ideas serve as the foundation for what will ultimately be the score. There is an extensive feedback and editing process that truly develops and refines the work to shape it into its final form. There are times when a cue rings true from version 1. I won’t deny that those occasions are a great ego boost, but a successful marriage of disciplines requires exploration and exchange.

Roarbots: At its core, scoring a film is a bit like telling someone else’s story. With Shirley, you’re telling Shirley Jackson’s story through music, but it’s also done through the lens of the director, Josephine Decker. How much room is left for you, the composer?

The score is the vehicle through which the viewer is transported in to the world of the film. It is a conduit – a gateway through which the audience experiences full immersion. The room or space I occupy as the composer exists within, around, and throughout the story itself.

Roarbots: The score for Shirley has a heavy focus on the human voice, both in isolation and as part of a chorus. What about this project lent itself to that sound?

Josephine and I were in agreeance that the female voice would be a foundational element of the score, literally giving voice to the three female characters in the film: Shirley, Rose, and the missing girl, Paula.

Roarbots: I’ve seen a lot of people and pieces take the easy route and call your music “genre defying,” which makes sense since your music absolutely spans wildly different genres. I’m curious, though, how would you classify your music?

I describe my work by the range it encompasses – from aggressive melodic rock to experimental chamber classical – although as of 2019, I’ve started playing in the orchestral pool.

Roarbots: All art is political, but do you feel like your music – or your role as a musician – has taken on new dimensions in our current environment?

I’ve been black and female all of my life. This “current environment” is an unveiling for those unfamiliar with the experience of the marginalized. As a synthesis of everything I have ever seen or heard and the sum of my experiences, my work has always reflected that reality in one way or another – whether as lyrical content or through abstraction.

Roarbots: If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?

I have always been and would always be a musician, even though there are other facets to my personality, from other creative expressions – dance, craft, and visual arts – to academic interests like linguistics, history, and anthropology.

Roarbots: Who’s the one composer working today that everyone should listen to?

I would never choose just one. It’s a big world with a lot of exciting work being created all the time. I would suggest that people look into local contemporary composers in their area, take a listen, and support what you enjoy. Look for opportunities to experience the work in concert when and if you are able.