Tara Beier

Beier was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her father is Filipino and mother is of British, Austrian and Scottish descent.[5] Her great-grandfather was a working pianist in Victoria, Canada.

Throughout her childhood, her family moved three times. She attended three different elementary schools and three different high schools. They lived in a wealthy horse village for a period of time, where she cultivated a love of animals and nature and became an avid equestrian. She would often sleep in barns to get up early to trail ride.[6] She took horseback riding lessons and would muck barns in exchange for lessons. Her parents eventually separated and later reconciled. She describes her childhood as "difficult and at times confusing,"[6] and says that this gave her a great sense of independence from a young age.[6]

She started playing classical piano at the age of 5. She also tap danced as a child and was an avid equestrian. Beier attended The Royal Conservatory of Music for over 10 years. She had a very strict piano teacher who suffered from alcoholism and Tara would sometimes leave her classes crying and in fear. She persevered for the love of music, and has stated, thankful for the strong foundation in music she received due to this experience.

She attended Simon Fraser University, where she earned a BA in Criminology. Her degree granted her an understanding of society and human behavior, and she became an advocate for criminal justice and prison reform. Beier originally planned to go into law before embarking on a career in film and music.

Tara has openly admitted she has an unstable relationship with her father.[7] Beier has stated that she spent several years working with a psychotherapist to reconcile with this, as well as other traumas from her childhood, and attributes her sense of identity to songwriting and psychotherapy.[8]

Playing the role of Buffy Sainte-Marie inspired Beier to focus on music.[16] In 2016 she released her first album, Hero & The Sage’’[17][18] produced by Bret Higgins, the bassist of the Great Lake Swimmers. Songs from the album were well-received and got significant air time on radio stations across Canada and the USA. In 2017, Tara self-produced California 1970, a 6 track EP, at The Village (studio) in Los Angeles, with guitarist Adam Zimmon, drummer Tripp Beam, bassist Eliot Lorango, and keyboardist Sasha Smith.[19] Additional vocals for the EP were recorded at the home studio of Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum in Hollywood.[16]

Tara then released a single called “Forgiveness”[20] with Grammy award-winning producer Doug Boehm. She then toured with her band throughout Toronto, Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. The band played at Riverfest in Ontario, Canada alongside MGMT. They have also played at Canadian Music Week, headlined at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, and at the Rockwood Music Hall in New York City.[21]

In July 2021, Beier commemorated her twin pregnancy with a semi-nude photoshoot on the cover of life-fashion journal Harpers Bazaar.[22]

Her life and music have been discussed in American Songwriter, ET Canada, GQ, the New York Times, Harper Bazaar and NBC news.[23][24][22] She has also appeared on the cover of LaPalme Magazine, British Thoughts Magazine and Contrast Magazine, among others.[25][26][27]

While working on a Nivea television commercial, Tara met film producer Dennis Beier.[22][23] The two married and currently reside in Los Angeles, CA and Joshua Tree, CA[5][33][38] and have previously resided in Hamburg, Berlin, and Toronto. They have twin sons, Austin and River, born in 2021.[39]

Beier frequently uses social media, especially Instagram, to advocate for reducing plastic waste and preserving the environment.[40][41][42][43][44]

• Angel Olsen
• Neko Case
• Sharon Van Etten
• Laura Marling
• Kyrie Kristmanson