SPRINGFIELD — This summer, Tara Grey, a lifelong resident of Springfield, will be performing with her idol, Liv Kristine, in Costa Rica.
Liv Kristine is a Norwegian singer who pioneered the contrasting operatic vocals with growls in symphonic metal. She’s known for her soprano vocal range and performing in bands Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves’ Eyes.
Grey, who is a sensational vocalist herself, said she’s idolized Kristine for years.
During the pandemic, Kristine advertised online vocal coaching on Facebook. Although very nervous to contact her, Grey reached out to her, became one of her students and then friends.
“I was scared,” said Grey, who had met Kristine backstage at her concerts before. But this was different.
About a year and a half after Grey was taking lessons, she said they talked about singing together. “She invited me to go to Germany to sing at her yearly holiday concert,” said Grey. “The funny thing is my mind is still blown. I still can’t believe it.”
The concert was in 2023. Grey had never traveled outside the country. “I was over the moon,” she said.
With her idol and now mentor, Grey performed with Kristine in an intimate venue of 500 people. “I was in another dimension,” said Grey. “It was so much fun; a dream come true.”
Prior to that experience, Grey was used to performing at bars and clubs in New Jersey, such as The Stone Pony, Dingbats and QXT’s, with her symphonic metal band, Luminis.
Grey will be singing again with Kristine at a concert in Costa Rica on Sunday, July 5.
“I’m still starstruck. I don’t think that will ever go away,” she said. “We really connected.”
Singing has been in Grey’s blood since she was a child. She said, “My dad was a musician in the ’60s, in several bands, playing guitar and singing. That’s where I got the music bug from. My brother had his own band. I remember I would sing at family events.”
Grey had her first solo in elementary school at age 7. In middle school, high school and college, she was in choirs. “I was always singing in school and college,” she said. “Doing talent shows.”
But it wasn’t until 2004, when she discovered symphonic metal music, that she decided to put a band together. “I just loved it so much,” Grey said. “I was amazed with the sound. I wanted to sound like that.”
She researched symphonic metal, a genre that wasn’t really known in the United States and still isn’t well known. Grey discovered the band Evanescence and fell in love.
When Grey put her band Luminis together, the initial idea was to be an Evanescence cover band. Then she learned about other bands in Europe of the same genre. “The focus was to play other songs and try to draw people to that type of music,” said Grey. “This music is not popular. It’s not even well-known here. I’m teaching people all the time. It’s all over the world, but minimal in the United States. I’m always explaining to people what it [symphonic metal] means. I relate it to the Tran-Siberian Orchestra. It’s metal with performance and lighting.”
That is the vibe Grey aims for when performing with Luminis.
Grey feels the genre is a challenge, because people in the United States don’t know what symphonic metal is unless it’s explained to them. She said, “There’s more than just pop and classic rock.”
While friends and fans are into the music, Grey says she’s trying to find out how to grab everyone. She said, “If we were playing The Beatles, we’d have no problem.”
When Grey returns from Costa Rica, she’ll be performing several shows with Luminis in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Catskills. And when she’s not making music, she loves socializing, hanging out with her friends.
Her advice to anyone who wants to become a singer is “don’t give up.” She said, “Music is a wonderful way of expressing everything that you feel, whether good or bad. If you have that music ability, don’t give up. Dreams can come true.”
To learn more about Tara Grey, visit: https://linktr.ee/landoftara.
Photos Courtesy of Richard Rebeck and Mariel Rohrbach
