Meet The Electric R&B-Pop Newcomer… Erika Tham

Bold, passionate and charismatic are three ways to describe emerging talent Erika Tham. The rising artist first got her start as a teen actor on numerous Disney and Nickelodeon projects including Kim Possible and Make It Pop. With her career in the acting world flourishing, Erika slowly made her way back to her first love… music. Feeling most at home in a recording studio, the songstress began honing her craft and finding her place in the industry as an up and coming artist. It didn’t take long for Erika to curate a Grammy-winning team of producers, songwriters and engineers to help her with achieving her dream of music stardom. Since diving into the industry full time, the vocal powerhouse has released her debut single ‘Admit It’. Backed by an intoxicating fusion of R&B and Pop, the sultry track gives first-time listeners a taste of her storytelling talent and genre-bending artistry. With her first single making the rounds and plans to release her upcoming EP in the coming months Erika Tham is proving to be a new unstoppable force in the music sphere. We were able to chat with her about everything from her track ‘Admit It’, her favourite memories of 2021, upcoming EP and more. Read the full interview below.

Hey Erika! How are you doing?

Hi! Really good, thank you 🙂

Can you believe that we’re in the final months of 2021! Do you have any favourite memories from this year so far?

It’s wild! Wow so many… despite global circumstances, I think this has actually been the best year of my life so far. The most recent favourite memory I can think of is when my friends threw a surprise party for me for the release of my debut single a couple weekends ago in LA! They’d all watched what it took to get to that point and so getting to celebrate that moment with them was so beyond special… I have the greatest friends in the world!

Let’s dive into the music, specifically your single ‘Admit It’. The lyrics and production are so unique and the cross over between genres really stands out! What was your creative direction for the song?

Thank you! Going into it, I knew I wanted to make something that featured traditional Asian instrumentation but was framed in a modern, pop/R&B structure. I’d explained this to the producer Deion and the next morning he played me the beat that would eventually become “Admit It”! In terms of lyrical content, it was Major who first said the words “Admit It”, which is what inspired me to write the first line of the song, “I’ll admit it, I wouldn’t know love if I was in it”. As soon as I said the line in our session, it was like a light bulb went off in all 3 of our heads. I think the concept was something we could all so closely relate to and it allowed us to just be so honest when it came to writing the rest of the song. 

You partnered up with the talented Major Myjah and Deion Gill on the record! How did you guys meet and get to work together?

I’d met Major through my manager and first worked with him in January of this year. We hit it off as creatives and as friends very quickly and made some of my favorite records I’ve ever done together! Then, when I was in Atlanta, he introduced me to Deion! Major and Deion are a part of a group named Ghoss signed to Atlantic and so they already have a long history working together. The three of us clicked very quickly and have so much fun together. Not only are they some of the most talented people I know, but they’ve also become great friends of mine! 

What type of feeling or meaning do you want fans to take away after listening to your music?

As an artist, I want to create this strong, feminine, sensual sonic world for people. Something that’s part journal-entry vulnerability, part whispered seduction, part no-holds-barred gravitas, but always framed in a way that makes you feel like a bad b*tch.

How would you personally describe your songwriting process?

Every song is different! When I first started songwriting, every song started on my piano at home but nowadays the music happens in so many different ways. With my upcoming EP, I took a completely different approach than anything I’d ever done before. I spent a week at an Airbnb in Atlanta with Major and Deion and got to work. We wanted to make something cinematic, immersive, and unique, so the first day there we went to Walmart and bought a white board and just dove deeper into what this sonic world we were creating might look like; everything from colors to weather and moods, approaching it almost as if we were directors making a movie. After Deion made a couple tracks, we matched each track to a different point in this movie’s storyline, based on how it made us feel. I think the original “Admit It” track might’ve been ‘the heist’. Once we had the tracks, the melodies and lyrics came next. 

You’ve got lots more music on the way, tell us a little bit more about the upcoming releases?

Yessir!! The rest of the EP dives deeper into the sonic world we’ve introduced with “Admit It”, but the other tracks are a little more upbeat and have really fun concepts. We also did a live stripped acoustic version of Admit It with Brian Kennedy on the keys that will be coming out soon! I’m so excited for people who like the original version of “Admit It” to hear it this way! It’s so different to the original but it’s particularly special to me since it’s just vocals and piano, which is what I know best! 

Let’s bring it back to the beginning. When did you first fall in love with music?

I think I’d have to credit the Disney renaissance era of films for that. One of my earliest memories is running through the backyard in my Snow-White merch singing “Someday My Prince Will Come” haha talk about foreshadowing… 

Was there an album or specific artist that inspired you to pursue a music career of your own?

I wouldn’t say there is any one album or artist in particular that made me want to pursue music… I listen to almost everything and have done so for as long I can remember. When I was like 6 years old and living in Beijing, my Dad gave me his iPod to listen to music on the bus on my way to school. All that was on there was Elton John and Eric Clapton and Bonnie Tyler, all of whom I fell in love with, then I would come home and blast Avril Lavigne and the Hannah Montana soundtrack.

With everything you’ve accomplished so far, what kind of advice would you give your younger self?

It’s okay to be different and to not fit in… one day it’s going to be something you’re extremely grateful for. 

What can fans expect from Erika Tham in the coming months?

More music with music videos that I’m super excited about!! 

Make sure to check out Erika Tham’s latest release’s ‘Admit It’ and ‘Admit It (Acoustic)[Live]’ below.