Meet Anelle Tarke | Artist/ Singer Song Writer & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anelle Tarke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anelle, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work life balance is never balanced. I’m either focused more on my life or more on my work haha. I’m still trying to find the balance. but it is difficult. Back in 2020 I felt like I had so much energy so I focused a lot on my content because I was home all day in the pandemic. In turn, that also allowed me to focus on spending time with my family since I was home all day.

I don’t have the same energy that I had a few years ago. So I try to focus on my health overall because at the end of the day that’s what matters most. I gotta be alive and well in order to do the work haha.

I try to think of balance as a give and take. I get to do something for myself and then I need to do something for my work. Vise versa. If I create a few videos for a brand, then I get to take a 20 minutes nap. If I write a part of a song or record a part of a song, I get to watch an episode of my favorite show/anime. I think that is balance for me. And that looks different for everyone.

I haven’t perfected it, but I’m taking steps towards finding it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a singer songwriter and recording artist. I’ve been singing all my life and have always known I wanted to be a famous singer. I always sang throughout school, I was in choir, a capella, theatre, and improv in high school and college. I was even in a barbershop quartet for a few years.

I didn’t release music until 2020 during the pandemic. I put out my first song, “Say It With Ya Chest” and it currently has 20,000+ streams!! The song is a mix of a pop and rnb vibe. I want the rest of my music to reflect this sound. The other songs I have out, “I&U” “Unwind” and “Damn” are more of an rnb/soul and alternative vibe. But I want to be a pop star. So I want my music to have the elements of pop, rnb, and alternative while being a feel good upbeat song.

I think it was easy-ish to get to where I am today, but maintaining/continuing to climb is the hard part. I think TikTok made it easier for people to get their foot in the door when it comes to the things they’ve always wanted to do. It gave us a platform
to showcase our talents and find connections that would’ve taken us years or maybe never would have been able to attain in order to enter the industry. The other side of TikTok though is when you feel that immediate success, but your videos don’t perform as well as they initially did, you start to get in your head or feel imposter syndrome as if you never deserved it. It’s hard to feel worthy sometimes, but I have to remind myself that I didn’t get here by accident. I put in the work to get to where I am AND where I’m going. It’s a constant mental battle, but ultimately I know I’m meant for this and I’m proud of the work I’m doing.

Now that I’m finally out of that stage (ish) I can start posting again without focusing heavily on the numbers and more on the content. But social media is what helped my first song garnish 20,000+ streams. I didn’t have PR or a marketing team behind me pushing the song. I was pushing it out on my social channels and more people started to find the song. I learned that I don’t have to focus so hard on the numbers or on other people finding me and changing my life. I think that was a big thing for me. I kept thinking that if I blow up then the right people will find me and then I’ll be rich and not have to worry about money ever again. But when you’re waiting on that, it slows down the process of the work you’re doing because then you feel like it’s never enough if no one comes along. I learned to stop putting my faith in other people and to start putting my faith in myself!! Everything else will come when it needs to, but letting go of control will help it not feel like a life time.

I want the world to see my story and know that they’re not alone in the ways they feel about theirselves. As creators we all go through similar feelings about our work, what people think of it, what people think of us, etc. but it feels better to know you’re not alone in that feeling. I want people to know I’ve felt/feel the same things and I made it. (and am always making it because my journey isn’t over it’s just beginning). But if you look to me for inspiration just know that we’ve gone through similar things so that means if I can make it, you can too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hmmm that’s a tough one because I’ve only been in LA for about a year and I’ve barely explored LOL. But, I’d definitely eat at Blue Ribbon and walk around The Grove. If they’re feeling Jamaican food, I’ll take them to Little Kingston in Inglewood. We can go up to Anaheim and go to Disney! Or do some boogie boardin’ at Malibu Beach. Manhattan Beach is beautiful too. If they want to go to the fair, the view from Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel is beautiful. And we’d have to go to the UbaTuba on Melrose Ave Weho for a fireeee acai bowl. And since I’m a soho house member now *subtle flex* I’ll take them to the West Hollywood location for brunch and the Soho Warehouse location for dinner. I’d also take them to BBQ Chicken in Koreatown cuz them wings?! BUSS. and for dessert if they’re craving some ice cream I’d take them to Ginger’s. I never had lavender ice cream in my life until I went there and…it’s AMAZING.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have a few someones who deserve some credit for my story. I’ll start with my brother Anthony Tarke, He’s always believed in me every step of the way. We have regular sessions of encouraging each other as we pursue our dreams. (He’s a professional basketball player who plays in the G-League and has played in the NBA). His words of encouragement and seeing his journey always inspires me to do more.

Secondly, all of my friends and family who constantly push me to be a better version of myself in everything I do. Whenever I’m feeling low or feeling imposter syndrome they pick me back up and let me know I’m a star. I adore them.

Lastly, this program I recently entered “Creative Futures Collective x Soho House” mentorship program for young minority creatives in the entertainment industry is helping my career.. Me and 24 other creatives got paired with mentors in our industries where they help us progress our careers. It’s a 16 week program, so it’s not over yet, but I’m grateful for this opportunity and know it will do wonders for my career. My mentor, Karly Wilhelm, has been so amazing and I’m so blessed to have her help and guidance and to be a part of this program.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anelletarke/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anelle-tarke/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnelleTarke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anelletarke/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-cRYdhmRLnhM4yb116V7IQ

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anelletarke

Image Credits
Image 3 Credit: Robert Lapierre – @thatkamkidd on Instagram Image 2 & 4 Credit: David Le – @minhute on Instagram