The Tribune

By LESH

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN entertainer TAP is setting out to prove that there are no limits to her talents.

TAP became an online sensation with her debut comedic video blog, entitled “TAP says, ‘Can you tell me how to get to Shaniqua Avenue?’”

Just recently, she used her brand to create awareness about an issue that impacts many women, men and Bahamian families: domestic violence.
She told In Ya Ear that many people know TAP the comedian, the vlogger and hostess, but not many people know TAP the singer.

Before all the attention she gained from her short YouTube vlogs, TAP said she was always heavily involved in and connected to music.
“My father, Leonard Perpall, is a musician and I grew up in a very musical home. His father before that played in the Lou Adams Orchestra. I always loved it and I love writing and recording. For a while I’ve been in and out of music studios and always wanted to put something out, but the process to me is a bit more tedious than blogging and shooting videos. With my comedic videos, I control more of that aspect because I can shoot, edit, write and produce them. It is like a one-woman army kind of thing,” said TAP.
Last Valentine’s Day, TAP decided to finally face the music and put her work out there with the release of her single “Jealousy.”
“When I wrote the song it was about me being friends with a guy. We were really good friends and I never had any feelings for him or anything like that, but when he got a girlfriend I realised how much I liked him. With me being a very real person with myself, I was honest enough to say that she has him because she was willing to open herself and be vulnerable and I wasn’t willing to do that. I can’t be mad at her because this person did not do anything to me, and that is basically the song,” said TAP.
In the song, TAP said she sings from a jealous point of view. She said she is not upset with her love interest’s new lady, but with herself.
“A lot of people can relate to the situation, but it is a more honest, sobering kind of song. The message is to just be honest about your feelings from the beginning and it won’t lead to jealousy,” she said.

TAP describes “Jealousy” as an R&B song with an acoustic feel. “The guitarist is Gary Francis of the bands Avante Guarden and Haven. We got together and came up with the music for it,” she said.

TAP said she feels more like herself and also vulnerable when she is involved in music. She said she feels more pressured to make it perfect before putting it out there for public consumption.
Previously, TAP worked with producer Showtime Shaddy and rapper M Deez on a song called “Don’t Let Go”.
“If people heard me before it would probably be from that. I also sang a little bit before in one of my videos with Shaniqua. I have been taking my time making sure the presentation is right and that it comes out at the right time, and I think I am finally ready,” she said.

“I am evolving, so I don’t want to just get stuck in a vlog category, that is why I am expanding my horizons,” said TAP.
While the entertainment industry is not an easy one to work in, TAP said she has no plans on giving it up any time soon.
“There are a million and one people who want to be a star, who can sing and act better than I can, but for me, I am confident because I think what sets the winners apart from those that don’t make it is definitely their work ethic,” TAP said.
She said an aspiring musician has to be willing to put in more than enough time and effort into their work if they want to be successful.
“Sometimes you are going to feel like you are not going to make it, but you have to keep pushing,” TAP said.

“A lot of people get close, but they don’t keep pushing. If it something that you really want, you are going to do whatever it takes. I need to do all of this as much as I need to drink water every day, it is want I want to do.”