TASH SULTANA, a gender-fluid multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer-songwriter, engineer, and entrepreneur, has been a powerful presence in the music industry for the last decade. This week they’ve shared “James Dean,” the first single from an upcoming EP out later this year (TBA) through their label, Lonely Lands Records.
“James Dean” is a powerful and soulful song about self-reflection and transformation. It’s a heartfelt ode to learning who one’s true friends are and having the courage to cut ties with those who don’t add value to one’s life. The song is driven by a strong guitar riff and a steady beat, while TASH‘s passionate vocals entice listeners to reflect on the relationships they have and how they can make the necessary changes to move forward in life.
“I feel like the entire point of my career has always been DIY,” TASH says. “I’ve always produced everything, written everything, played every single instrument you hear, engineered it, co-engineered and sometimes even mixed and mastered. I have always done all of that but I feel like people still just don’t get it and to me it’s the most important message to send out. I remember once someone in an interview literally asked me ‘who is your guitarist’—I had to laugh. So I do it all. I have had great mentoring with my studio engineer Richard Stolz. That’s very important to highlight. He’s taught me a lot over the last few years.
“I actually wrote ‘James Dean’ in December 2021 when I took another trip falling off the face of the earth—I feel like that’s where most of my songs come from, the pits of hell.”
Their first release, the Notion EP, accumulated multi-platinum singles, and TASH’s debut album Flow Statelanded in 2018, quickly becoming gold-certified and spawning platinum and gold records with the singles “Mystik” and “Murder to the Mind.” Flow State would go on to win an ARIA Award for Best Blues & Roots Album as well as international awards cementing TASH’s status as one of Australia’s biggest musical talents.
In 2019 alone, TASH sold more than 500,000 concert tickets globally. Over the years, they’ve notched up major international appearances at festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits,and Montreal Jazz Festival. They sold out the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in just five minutes. Committed to delivering the highest quality of live performance, TASH spends most days in practice, again with DIY attitude TASH and their team custom-designed a loop station that took over two years to build–it is the only one in the world that can operate at such a level.
Their acclaimed second album Terra Firma landed in 2021, garnering widespread praise for TASH’s raw and reflective songwriting and ambitious musical arrangements. Like everything before it, the entirety of the record was carved by TASH–every instrument played, every bit of musical arrangement, every bit of production. But for the first time, Terra Firma saw TASH bring in a couple of close friends and collaborations to co-write–including Matt Corby, Dann Hume, Jerome Farah, and Josh Cashman.
Terra Firma reached #1 on the charts in their native Australia and secured multiple nominations and a win for Rolling Stone Australia’s Best Single for “Pretty Lady.”
The MTV Unplugged (Live in Melbourne) album was released in 2022. A stunning display of TASH’s consummate talents, it gave audiences an intimate glimpse at an artist that has grown immeasurably since they began their musical journey. Not only that, TASH mixed the record entirely by themself at their own studio, Lonely Lands Studio.
Their extensive catalogue has nearly broken the internet, notching billions of streams and counting.
In recent years, TASH’s skill has expanded far beyond the studio. In 2019, TASH launched Lonely Lands Agency with Lemon Tree Music’s Regan Lethbridge and UNIFIED’s Jaddan Comerford. In the space of a few years, the boutique booking agency has grown into one of the biggest and most reputable in the country.
In addition, TASH is also the driver of Lonely Lands Records, the label through which they put out all their music. It’s this natural instinct for the music business and attention to detail that have made them a formidable presence in the Australian industry over the last few years. As TASH says, over the years, they’ve developed an incredible team around them to make their vision a reality.
“I am completely in control of everything, literally everything,” they say. “But when you’ve got the team around you, you develop a clockwork system where you learn from each other…none of this is possible without a team around me. We have a tight, tight team.”
“James Dean” is available on all streaming platforms NOW
