Tatiana Owens Discusses Sync Licensing And What It Means To Be Indie
Tatiana Owens' music has been featured on multiple TV shows, but what she loves the most is performing on stage in front of a live audience. In a pre-show conversation filmed in March 2020, Tatiana shares highlights of her musical career, including the success of her song "Trigger" (featured in TV shows including Ray Donovan, Shameless, Dynasty and more) and her decision to remain an independent artist.
Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Tatiana grew up in the church singing gospel music, and was exposed to a variety of music and genres at an early age. Having found a deep connection with music exhibiting soul funk and pop elements, she was inspired to pursue music. At age 15, she started songwriting and co-writing and soon discovered career opportunities in writing music.
“I got my first placement on The Hills when I was 16,” she recalls. Having her song "Boy Watcher" featured on TV motivated Tatiana to continue writing. “I realized that I can actually make a living out of [songwriting] and placing it into television and film.”
Tatiana Owens at a live performance at The Groove, accompanied by the Make The Funk Band
That’s not to say that she would be content with songwriting alone. “I express myself on the stage,” she explains, “like Beyonce has her Sasha Fierce, I have my own personality and liveliness that come out when I'm on stage. It's so weird because if you ask me to read a speech in front of five people, my heart would start pounding so hard and I'd be like, ‘oh my god, I don't know if I can do this!’ But if you ask me to perform, even if it's just talking to the audience in front of a thousand people, no sweat.”
Finding Success in Sync Licensing
She pauses here to check how much time we have before her show starts, and I know it’s my cue to hurry the conversation along. I ask her to share the experience of having her music placed on TV, a much-envied achievement for songwriters to get their music exposed to a wider audience. She responds by first acknowledging the volatile nature of a career in music. “Sometimes with independent artists, we go up and down in our career. I look at where I'm at in my age and what I've accomplished, and I am so grateful. I would say that [having music placed on TV shows] is a highlight and an achievement of my career because it has helped me get fans from Singapore or the Philippines that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten if my song wasn't on a certain show.”
“I get to control everything that I do, everything that I write, everything that I sing, and I can say no.”
Writing “Trigger”
Out of many sync licensing opportunities she’s had, she considers “Trigger” from her 2014 EP, Colorful, to be the most successful example. “I think why it's been such a big success is because it's really a timeless piece of music,” she says. The music has been featured in multiple TV shows including Ray Donovan, Shameless, and Dynasty, to name a few. "I wrote it at the time about a relationship, but it can mean so many things: goodbye to your business work situation, for example.”
I ask her if she had in mind where she wanted the song to appear during the writing process, to which she responds by not only saying no, but also suggesting that doing so may be harder than one expects. “I think a lot of misconceptions and problems with a lot of writers who just write specifically for TV is that they write for the film or TV and then they try so hard to get it right, to make it fit, and it ends up not fitting.”
She adds: “I write music just because it's something that I love to do and something that I'm feeling already. And then if it just happens to fit in whatever, then it does. But if it doesn't, no love lost, because it's still a good song that I put out, it's something that I'm happy with. So it's more about you being happy with your work than it is about getting into [sync licensing]. And I have done things like that, but it's so hard. Most of the time – 90% of the time – it doesn't fall through because it's not the right fit.”
Colorful – EP by Tatiana Owens
The Decision to Stay Independent
By this time her band members from the Make The Funk Band are already gathering around the stage with their instruments, ready for final checks before the show starts. I ask her one more question about her decision to remain an independent artist, rather than signing with a major label. Her answer, in essence, is about the ability to retain control over her creative work.
“I get to control everything that I do, everything that I write, everything that I sing, and I can say no,” she says. “A lot of times in major labels, you're stuck to a situation where they have control, the A&Rs have control over the music that they pick for you to sing, and you can't write it, you can't express things from the heart. And longterm, you don't own your masters and success is not highly likely because you're not invested in it.” I agree that independent musicians nowadays have more access to tools that can help them build a career, but there’s also no lack of competition. So how can an indie artist break through the noise and get themselves heard?
“Social media is great,” she replies. “It provides a platform for you to express yourself in your music. However, it is now with an algorithm that’s not easy for people to go viral anymore. So you really have to believe in your work, push for it, and also invest in yourself. Use your money and invest it into yourself and your career.”
And with that, I thank her again for spending time with me before a live performance. While she checks in with her band, I quickly find myself a seat before the place completely fills up. It’s time to get ready for the show.
Interview conducted and written by Louise Lau. Connect with her on social media @offstagetunes
Watch video highlights of this interview
Tatiana’s upcoming album, Colorful Too, will be released in late summer of 2020.
Visit Tatiana Owens on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook