Meet Tansy | Musical Du0 & Band

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

Hi Tansy, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Our balance has shifted many times since starting our band “Tansy”. In the beginning, we both lived in the same city. But, since 2019 both of us have lived across the country from one another. Will has been in New Orleans, and I, McKenna, have been living in Los Angeles. This has inevitably changed our balance, and truthfully it changes month to month. When we first began, we could meet weekly in person and work on songs together. Now, a lot of our work flow is each of us individually contributing on our own and then setting times to touch base about new ideas/current projects/to-do lists. Both of us have extremely busy and dynamic careers, so we try to take advantage of times that are slower for each of us and we both individually will lead more during those periods when one of us has the ability to do so. We always keep a list of current tasks, goals, etc. going so that there is always something to remind us of what we want to accomplish even when both of our schedules are busy!

We do make sure to take trips to visit one another at least a couple times a year as well. There’s a certain pressure to be super productive during these trips since our opportunities to be in the same place are so limited. However, we’ve learned it’s really important to put time into our relationship as friends as much as we do our music. So for example, we might take one day to spend in the studio writing new music, but then the next day we’ll take a hike together and grab lunch and we might go the whole day without talking music and band stuff. Over the years, we’ve gotten really good at communicating when each of us has the time and energy to work on Tansy stuff and when we need time to relax. Living apart isn’t easy, but having good communication and boundaries around work makes it better.

Also, for us our project and the music we make together is therapeutic, which makes finding the balance easier because working on our brand and business is a creative release and a place we can go to to find joy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We are Tansy! A musical duo that began in 2017 in New Orleans. I truly think Will and I have been able to accomplish what we have thus far, through our friendship and mutual respect and desire for authentic and emotional music. We both really value the concept of songs as stories, and we have such a synchronized way of writing those stories. Writing and creating together inspires us, and pushes us.

We just released our newest EP, “Deep End” May 2023 and we’re both super proud and excited about this release. On “Deep End”, we really let ourselves explore some new sounds and songwriting forms for our band. We are already planning our next album, and have written all the songs for it. So, our next project will be recording and completing that for release!

I think the most challenging thing for us has been living so far apart since 2019. But, also it is the thing I am probably most proud of us for! We have recorded, released, and continuously written so much music since that time because of our dedication to our music and each other. It has been such a beautiful journey. We began a series back in 2019 on Instagram called “Tansy Tuesdays” where we would release a 1 minute clip of a new song every week. One of us would start and idea and the other would finish. This really pushed our creativity and has been an integral part of our success these past few years. We came up with so many ideas, and most of our releases since then were started through this series.

Living apart has challenged us both to think outside the box in how we can create together, especially during the periods we have rarely seen each other (2020/Covid being a prime example). Our dedication to our music and the story is super important to the both of us, and this music has carries us each through many turbulent times. Our hope is that it can carry others as well through their own challenges, and be a positive force in peoples lives.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is so much in Los Angeles to see! We are big nature people so here are a few of our favorite nature escapes.

1. Eaton Canyon Falls
2. Millard Falls
3. Malibu
4. Solstice Canyon

We are also both big coffee and tea lovers, here are some of our favorite shops!

1. Muddy Paw Coffee
2. A Bloc Coffee
3. Habitat Coffee

We also love food! Here are some of our favorite restaurants!

1. Pine & Crane
2. Silverlake Thai House
3. Kitchen Mouse
4. Wild Living Foods

Favorite Music Spots!

1. ETA
2. Hotel Cafe
3. Baked Potato

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?
There are so many people in our lives who have given us support and strength to go all in on music, but one person who comes to mind for both of us is our friend Gio Blackmon. Gio is a vocalist, engineer, and producer in New Orleans and was a pivotal person in our development as Tansy. We recorded our first album “Full Bloom” at his studio and he really gave us a platform to explore our music and refine our sound. Throughout the whole process he gave us suggestions on how to make our album better. Aside from engineering the whole project, he helped with arranging and vocal production. More important than anything, however, was the positive energy and real support for our artistry that Gio provided. Both before and since the record, Gio has been a mentor for both of us, as well as for many other artists and musicians who have called New Orleans home.

In addition, we’d like to shoutout all of our family and close friends, plus the many musicians who have recorded and performed with us over the years. We love y’all!

Website: thisistansy.com

Instagram: @thisistansy

Facebook: @thisistansy

Youtube: @thisistansy

Image Credits
Emily Ferretti Nicholas Lindell-Wright