Tara Lily opens up about growing up with punk, Bengali folk, and finding her sound

When your childhood is scored by Scottish punk and Bengali folk music, it’s safe to say that your life will be anything but conventional (and also that you will likely grow up to be a musician)—case in point: Tara Lily. Her mom, a Scottish punk singer, and her dad, a Bengali folk musician, met and got married in South London, where Tara was born and came of age. She went on to study jazz at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. When we catch up, Tara tells me that she feels most at home—and least like an outsider—in London. Her debut album, Speak In The Dark, was released in September last year. “It’s about the things we say, and the things we don’t say...speaking out against injustices, secrets, and fascinations,” she shares. When I ask her what inspires her, she says, “Resistance to colonisation in all its forms,” in a jiffy. Here are excerpts from an interview that go beyond the album, at the core of what makes Tara Lily impossible to ignore. 

Cosmopolitan India: What have you been up to lately? 

Tara Lily: I just played a show last night, curated by Anoushka Shankar and Sweety Kapoor, focusing on brown women in unconventional careers. I’m on tour a lot, but when I’m not, I’m usually doing yoga, playing my synths, or walking my dog (a small, white Jack Russell). 

CI: What is the story behind your song 'South Bombay'? 

TL: My first time living in the nightlife capital really affected me. I fell in love with the city—and someone inside it.

CI: You’ve spoken about having been diagnosed with ADHD. Has it been a creative chaos for you—or a kind of secret superpower in the studio?

TL: It’s a bit of both. It’s definitely a creative superpower, but I fail to create any stability for myself in all aspects of my life. I’m just on a never-ending journey of emotion.

CI: What does Goddess Kali mean to you, both musically and personally?

TL: Kali Ma has given me a lot of strength in my everyday life, relationships, musical exploration, and the state of the world. She is fierce, like myself. It’s important to have these matriarchal role models and spiritual entities to call upon in our darkest moments.

CI: How often do you visit India? And what makes you want to come back?

TL: At least once a year, my mum and I do a panchakarma (a detoxification treatment) in Goa, and I always look and feel completely brand new...it’s like being reborn.

CI: Your first single, 'Who Saw Who', caught the attention of the late Virgil Abloh. Tell us more about that.

TL: I was 16 when I wrote that song. My ex-boyfriend was working with Virgil and sent him my music...it was a really exciting time. I remember when Virgil first played it, I was screaming on the phone. I love that he used his power for good, always championing new and unconventional artists.

CI: What would you say is the most Bengali thing about you?

TL: I can’t live without fish and rice...is that a bit of a cliché?

CI: As a woman of colour in the music industry, what’s something you wish people would stop assuming—and something you wish they’d notice more?

TL: I hope people will take my musicianship more seriously. I think as a woman of colour, you often don’t get taken seriously—especially by men. It’s hard, because as young women, everyone teaches us to care about our appearance and not our skills, and that’s sadly where we get most of our validation from...but then we’re condemned for that, too.

CI: How soon can we expect your second album?

TL: Hopefully next year.

CI: Lastly, how would you like to be remembered?

TL: Unconventional and brave.

Tara Lily is currently listening to...

Resist by Zeinab Shaath

 

Speaking Gently by BADBADNOTGOOD

 

Lotus by SUCHI

 

Love in the Darkness by a.s.o

 

This Is Love by PJ Harvey

This article originally appeared in Cosmopolitan India, May-June 2025 print issue.

Lead Image: Sonia Abbas and Siddhanth Ghosh. 

Album covers: Apple Music

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