New album NEON COWGIRL out July 11th - featuring guests Ashley Mcbryde, Shelly Fairchild, Grace Bowers and Neil Finn, catch Tami on the US Outlaw Tour with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, Before she returns to NZ for the Neon Cowgirl Tour .
Tami Neilson has been called a "fire-breathing R&B belter" (Rolling Stone) and a "full-tilt badass" (Saving Country Music), electrifying peers and fans worldwide with her powerful, emotive voice and riveting stage presence. Tami grew up on the road, traveling North America in a motor home with her family band, The Neilsons. Today, she reaches into her own history
with her latest single "Foolish Heart," a song inspired by Roy Orbison. She met the late legend as a baby when her father's band supported him on tour. The song's lush string arrangements and soaring vocals call to mind the epic, countrypolitan sound of some of Orbison's '60s hits and was performed and recorded live in one take in one room. Tami is also releasing an accompanying video for "Foolish Heart," also recorded in one take.
"I grew up with a photograph of Roy Orbison cradling me in his arms, tucked into the pages of my baby book”, she recalls. "I was just an infant when my Dad played a venue with him. When he met him backstage afterward, he asked if Roy would mind holding his new daughter while he snapped a photo of us. Roy’s face lit up with delight and he happily complied. I like to think of this moment as my true christening. A tiny dusting of his magic falling onto my bald little baby head, a seminal moment of musical destiny. Driving past his old house in Nashville, I felt a deep sadness, reflecting on the tragedy and heartbreak that plagued him in his short life and this song poured out of me. I named the demo 'Orbiting Orbison' — that’s as close as we can get to reaching his greatness."
The video is meant to evoke the loneliness of the performing life — the life the audience never sees”.
I wanted to capture a true-to-life moment that performers experience after they walk off stage from the applause and connection of thousands of people to being completely alone in silence as we remove the layers of artifice," Tami explains. "It’s how we all feel when we can remove our brave faces and allow ourselves to fall apart and release the pain we carry. This is one take, made completely by humans, with their foolish hearts beating in their chests.”
STREAM/ PURCHASE "FOOLISH HEART" HERE
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR "FOOLISH HEART" HERE
NEON COWGIRL will be released on July 11 and features guests JD McPherson, Ashley McBryde, Grace Bowers, Shelly Fairchild and Neil Finn. Tami and her band joining Willie Nelson, and then Willie and Bob Dylan, on this year's Outlaw Festival tour. She will also be playing Willie's Fourth of July Picnic, and a few dates at The Grand Ole Opry. This month, Tami will be in Europe for shows in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. She then returns to New Zealand to tour her new album Neon Cowgirl in October.
Her huge, glorious voice and powerful live performances have won the admiration and support of some of country music's biggest names and fans worldwide. Check this space for tour dates: https://www.tamineilson.com/tour
Tami Neilson NZ “Neon Cowgirl” Tour Dates
FRI 3 OCT: Opera House WELLINGTON
SAT 4 OCT: Aotea Centre AUCKLAND
SAT 11 OCT: Isaac Theatre Royal CHRISTCHURCH
SUN 12 OCT: Theatre Royal NELSON
FRI 24 OCT: Arts Festival TAURANGA *tickets
Info + Ticketing: PLUS1.CO.NZ / TAMINEILSON.COM