Check Out Tamara Mechael’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Mechael. 

Hi Tamara, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
From a young age, words have been my passion! I taught myself how to read when I was three years old, and from there I started writing stories, poems, and songs for leisure. I grew up musically inclined and spent a lot of time with my sister making our own music and forming mini bands. I learned to play the piano & sang in church choirs, gaining me an introduction to music theory. From there, I started singing at the Detroit Opera House in the Michigan Opera Theater Children’s Chorus, and this is where I received the bulk of my music theory training. I started writing music professionally in the studio when I was in the fifth grade at age 11, and my first client was my sister Farrah. Since then, I’ve written songs for numerous projects and released a book called “Utopia Poetry” when I was 16. I moved to Burbank, CA right before the start of my junior year of high school and haven’t looked back! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the hardest parts about pursuing a career in the entertainment industry is getting out of your comfort zone. Growing up in the Midwest, I always knew there was a whole world waiting for me to discover. I wanted to make an impact on a bigger scale than I could if I stayed where I’m comfortable all my life. However, that doesn’t make it any easier actually getting up and leaving. Going to a new city with a dream that many others share was definitely a new experience, but I learned a lot along the way. Other obstacles are the countless naysayers and doubters you will meet along the way. For example, kids (even my closest friends) at Catholic school used to make fun of me for singing at the Opera House in fifth grade and called me a liar when I casually mentioned I was an extra in “Fun Size” (roles I booked for myself, my mom, 2 baby cousins, and sister when I was only 9). Further than that, I once had a car ride with a friend’s mom who considered herself close family, and the main topic of discussion was “When are you going to give up this music stuff and actually pursue something logical and realistic?? How long are you guys going to keep this up before you quit it?” I was 14, she was well over 40. My sister’s childhood friend went out of her way to rate my book 1 star online when I first released it. My entire Chaldean family does not support my career in music, and many of them have either “banned” their children from talking to me and my sister or told them other harmful things about us. These are the people “closest” to you. Don’t forget these things. This is a sacrifice we had to be willing to make to do what needs to be done- which is to heal the world with God-given music. I do believe in the future I will be reacquainted with my first cousins, at the very least. But that was definitely the hardest struggle along the way. As they say, haters make you famous! It’s not those who support you that get your name out there at first. I learned the hard way the number of people you’d lose and the sacrifices you’d have to make along the way, but I wouldn’t change a moment of it and I regret absolutely nothing. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a writer in the truest form. I do not write to my own ability, and I recognize this every day. My gift of words is nothing short of just that- a gift from God- and it translates exactly how He wills it to be scribed. Truly, people used to ask me how I could write such deep, intense songs at such a young age. They would question from where I got my inspiration. I always had the same childlike, naive answer: “I don’t know.” And that is true, I have no idea what inspires me. I do not think before I start writing, and the words/melodies/music all come at the same time. It’s like every time I write something- whether it be a song, screenplay, novel, etc.- a part of my soul comes out into it. I don’t create music and love to write because I think it is a fun hobby- for me, it was never just a hobby. This has been my lifestyle since I was a child. I am madly in love with words and the power they hold; I just know so much goodness and love can be spread throughout the world through words, and I am blessed enough to be among those who get to spread them. I want everybody in the world to know that they can do whatever they want to do in life. I write to say what needs to be said, and I write for whoever needs to hear it. My writing is more spiritual than anything, and I am really proud of how much of myself I’ve put into my work. I have no doubt that I’m on the right path and I’ll continue on it for the rest of my life, wherever it leads me. Something that sets me apart from other writers is that I love business and have a natural knack for the legal/technical side of things. I couldn’t be fully satisfied only exhibiting the passionate side of myself; I need my brain to be stimulated in a logical sense, and I love critical thinking and problem-solving. I’m actually studying Marketing at Purdue right now, which I have totally enjoyed as it’s allowing me to use parts of my brain that I don’t get to use while writing! 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I learned how to be able to accept that plans often change on the fly. My life has always been in constant flux; nothing has ever stayed the same for too long. This has been something that I’ve struggled with over time, as I mentioned before, it’s never easy to get out of your comfort zone. In a way, Covid-19 forced me to get out of it; I was left with no choice. A lot of things happened that impacted the trajectory of my career, and I had to make some major decisions and movements over the past two years of which I am still weighing the outcomes. Because Covid showed me how quickly things can change in the external environment and how that has a chain reaction in almost every industry and society, I’ve had less trouble with things changing in my career. There is nothing wrong with a bit of change, and to be afraid of it is only setting yourself up to be dissatisfied with where you’re at in life. Changes aren’t inherently good or bad, there will never be anything that feels 100% perfect. With the right mindset, almost anything can be turned into a good situation. That’s why it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of different situations before making any decisions, but it’s not good to regret the decision you made. Once you’ve chosen to do something, it is your responsibility to see it through. Covid has sort of made me more accountable for myself and my endeavors in that way. 

Contact info:

• Website: tamaramechael.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/tamaramechael
• Twitter: twitter.com/tamaramechael
• Other: https://www.tamaramechael.com/product-page/utopia-paperback