From TikTok Sensation to Chart-Topper: Tash Talks Mental Health, Musical Influences, and New Single "It's Really Not That Deep"

Tash, with over 580,000 TikTok followers and a rapid growth from 3,000 to 100,000 in under a month, is making waves in the music scene. Her TikTok videos, using the “Glow Up” sound, have amassed an astonishing 70.8 million views across 36,000 videos. With 72,000 Instagram followers, she connects authentically with her fans. In other words, she knows a thing or two about connecting and utilizing social media.

Not only that, she’s been featured on over 100 Spotify editorial playlists and over 450,000 listener playlists. Her presence extends to major editorial playlists on platforms like Apple Music and Amazon Music.

In this interview, Tash candidly shares her inspirations behind her hit song, “It’s Really Not That Deep,” her approach to addressing mental health, and her musical influences. We also explore her creative partnership with producer Mark J. Feist and her incredible journey from social media sensation to streaming chart-topper. Tash’s insights provide a unique perspective on the evolving music industry and its impact on emerging talents. Check it out.

Your song “It’s Really Not That Deep” touches on universal feelings of losing control and struggling with mental health. Can you share more about the personal experiences or inspirations that led you to create this song and connect with your listeners in such a vulnerable way?

I have always been quite an anxious person and I find it hard to see past the anxiety when it’s there. I get pretty bad anxiety about flying but also just generally when I feel insecure or unable to control the outcome of a situation. My mental health has become something I’ve had to really work on for the past couple of years, and I’m still learning how to look after myself when my mind is in a dark place. I really just wanted to write something to remind myself that things aren’t as bad as they feel.

It can be such a tough thing to acknowledge struggle while encouraging hope—how do you manage that balance, especially when it comes to your fans?

I haven’t really opened up to my listeners online about my mental health. I pour it all into the music which I think is the best way for people to hear it. It also helps me to process whatever I’m going through. When it’s embedded into a song I think people connect with it in a different way, and hopefully, it validates their experience too.

Your musical style has been likened to a blend of Olivia Rodrigo and H.E.R. How have these artists influenced your sound, and what other musical influences have played a role in shaping your unique style?

I love both of those artists and I’ve definitely been influenced by certain aspects of their style. Olivia is an amazing lyricist. She speaks her mind in a very witty yet playful way and I really admire that. I’m a big fan of H.E.R for her vocal tone, her soulful runs and her melodies. Her voice is very emotive without having to do a lot of vocal gymnastics, but when she does add in her runs and melismas she is incredible. Billie Eilish has also had a big influence on me, as well as Kaytranada and Steve Lacy.

Mark J. Feist produced and co-wrote “It’s Really Not That Deep.” How has your collaboration with him influenced your growth as an artist, and what do you value most about the creative partnership you share?

Mark has been like a mentor to me since he signed me in 2016. At the time I was 15, and had never stepped foot in a studio before. He taught me how to think about background vocal arrangements, song structure and to record at a very efficient pace. I am very lucky to work with someone so musical who really understands the artist and knows how to get the best out of them in the studio. We have a lot of fun working together and coming up with the vocal arrangement.

You also credit Mark with discovering you, which is something you don’t hear a lot about these days—can you tell us more about that?

It all happened very suddenly. He discovered me through the other founder of Hitmakers Entertainment, Mark Finn, whose daughters went to the same high school as me. One of his daughters approached me after I performed at the school talent show, and said that her dad was involved in this new label. She mentioned that Mark Feist was the other founder and dropped the names of some of his credits; Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Celion Dion etc. He had seen a few covers I had posted on Instagram and was keen on meeting me and possibly signing me to the label. When I told my Dad about it he thought it was some kind of scam. After chatting with Mark Feist over Skype a few times I signed with them and then flew to LA a few weeks later.

You’ve created an incredibly loyal, engaged fanbase on social media, with millions of followers. Walk us through that—how did it start and how did you end up here?

I can’t really take all the credit because I have an amazing team that help immensely with our marketing on social media. Mainly, I just post what feels the most authentic to me and my identity as an artist. I keep it mostly about the music and try to post regular covers. The growing need for content has been hard to adapt to but I think people appreciate that my posts are still authentic, and I try not to let the demand compromise the quality of what I post.

Being featured on numerous Spotify editorial playlists and other major platforms is a major accomplishment! Could you share your thoughts on the role that streaming and playlisting have played in your journey as an artist, and how do you think these avenues have transformed the music industry for emerging talents like yourself?

I am so grateful for all the support we have had from the streaming platforms for each release. The emergence of platforms like Spotify have made music so accessible and allowed listeners to discover new artists like never before. That being said, this has made the music industry much more competitive. Anyone can put music out if they want to. The struggle for independent artists is not only releasing good music but also being able to stick out amongst the hundreds of thousands of other artists that are releasing music that same day. We have had to move with the times and keep our releases more frequent, and use social media as best we can to reach new listeners.

Connect with Tash

Website / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / TikTok / YouTube / Spotify / Soundcloud

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