- MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.
- Tia McGraff: Thank you for the beautiful opportunity and blessing to share my music and stories with your audience. Also, for supporting indie music!
- MuzicNotez: What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?
- Tia McGraff: I began singing on stage professionally, after winning the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest at 19. I was on a tv show with Johnny Cash and June Carter and my single, Mister began receiving a lot of attention on Canadian country radio. Singing has always been in my blood. My grandmother was from Transylvania and had the most beautiful voice! She inspired me to sing. Songwriting was a gift I discovered after I bought my first guitar and has been my passion for so many years and for so many reasons. Now I share the stage, songwriting, and life with my beautiful husband, Tommy Parham and that makes it amazing!
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MuzicNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?
- Tia McGraff: I love Linda Ronstadt’s voice and artistic phrasing etc. She has always been my biggest influence for vocals. Songwriting would have to go to Mary Gautier and Joni.
- MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
- Tia McGraff: That is a great question. Goals and priorities change with life experience. There are days I question why the big record deal or publishing deal didn’t happen for me? I’ve had so many wonderful blessings with song placements, concert opportunities, but my biggest blessing was meeting and sharing life with Tommy. At this point we are still trying to figure out, “where to next?” We have a lot of song ideas and inspiration flowing right now. We’ve been on the road for the past 15 years and are enjoying a little down time at home too. This will give us space and rest to see where our goals are.
- MuzicNotez: What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?
- Tia McGraff: That is a hard one to answer. We’ve been touring all over the the USA,Canada and the UK….each concert has its own special place in my heart. I love performing benefit concerts and receiving the feedback after that we’ve been able to make a difference in someone’s life. For example, we performed a concert at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre, Port Dover, ON this spring and just learned that from the proceeds, 5 children all dealing with major health issues, have the opportunity to go to various camps this summer. That just makes my day!
- MuzicNotez: You have received a number of awards and nominations, including Grammy nods, how does it feel to have your hard work rewarded recognized like this?
- Tia McGraff: Awards are wonderful and I always welcome them, but they are so subjective and most of the time political, that I don’t take them to heart.
- MuzicNotez: Your latest track is entitled ‘Stubborn In My Blood’, what motivated this track?
- Tia McGraff: My roots run deep and after visiting Transylvania and Scotland, I’m in awe of my relatives who sacrificed everything to come to Canada so their children’s children could have a beautiful life. I am so blessed to be able to wake up every day and make music. I wouldn’t be here doing that if it wasn’t’ for their stubborness and dreams.
- MuzicNotez: Similar to John and June, your partner in life, Tommy Parham, is also your partner in music. How has this fueled your music career?
- Tia McGraff: Tommy and I are so passionate about each other and creating music that there isn’t a day when we aren’t discussing or creating new songs and ways to share our talents. Touring is difficult. The traveling and being away from home. But sharing the road with Tommy is fun and exciting and we’ve made so many amazing friends around the world. They know us now as Tia and Tommy or T’n’T! LOL
- MuzicNotez: What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?
- Tia McGraff: I’m starting my next children’s book. We are also writing new songs and starting the recording process here at our home studio this summer.
- MuzicNotez: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?
- Tia McGraff: Tommy and I are so blessed to be able to keep on making and sharing the gift of music. It’s not easy in this day to keep on keeping on, but because of our amazing fans around the world, we are able to do so. I also want to mention that we have an amazing team of promotional professionals working with us. Michael Stover of MTS Management is one of the greatest people in the industry I’ve worked with.