Behind the Music of Tasha Catour

Tasha Catour

Born and bred on Atlanta’s southwest side of East Point, the singer, songwriter, and engineer Tasha Catour is redefining the sound of her generation.  Tasha began penning lyrics as a teenager subsequently recording her first song while in high school.  As an active student at Atlanta’s legendary Tri-Cities High School Performing Arts Magnet Program (Global superstars OutKast, R&B group Xscape, comedic actor Kenan Thompson). Tasha, at 19, purchased her own studio and learned every aspect of the record making process.  Although the self-taught audio engineer was aware of her depth, she never imagined where it would lead.  “It’s been a slow grind and a process,” says the musical savant of the south.  “People don’t see the small steps you’ve made over the years before you make a huge impact.”  

After graduating college in 2011, where she received her BA degree in Communications from Alabama State University, Tasha immediately focused on her craft of music. Upon working more as a songwriter Tasha caught the attention of then rising Hip Hop artist Future.  It is through this relationship with Future where she made a pivotal transition in her career and she appeared on the track “Rider” [2012] from Future’s classic Astronaut Status mixtape. The singer/songwriter was immediately embraced by the A1 Records/Epic artist for her ability to create a sound uniquely her own and was signed as a writer to Future’s publishing company in early 2013. 

As a songwriter her soulfully sweet vocals and slick lyrical catchphrases can be heard on records from Atlanta trap stars like Future, Young Jeezy, Rocko, Young Scooter and more, but it was her collaboration with Spirit-led sensation Lecrae that would become her first major placement as a songwriter and engineer on a project as she co-wrote and engineered on for the Gravity  album, which went on to win Best Gospel Album at the 2013 Grammys.  The first week of sales for the album set a new record for Lecrae, with Gravity debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 units sold, and was the biggest sales week ever for a Christian hip hop album. 

After being in-and-out of studios and wanting to stretch her craft and reach, Tasha began focusing on production as a means to reinvent herself and take more control of her narrative a professional music maker. “ I wanted my beats to be just as hard as the guys I grew up listening to and have been inspired by —from the Timbaland’s, Rodney Jerkins,  Swizz Beats, Polow da Don’s etc.  I wanted to have that same quality of sounds and presence on the track, ultimately showcasing how a producer who happens to be a woman can stand right next to our male counterparts”.  Tasha began taking her beat making skills and ability to craft records from top to bottom in 2016. Her first major placement as a producer came less than a year later in 2017, with the Tre Beats assisted track from Atlanta based rapper Joe Gifted with his breakthrough hit “Water” which despite being an independent release peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hip-Hop /R&B Airplay Chart.

Social media’s impact can be thanked for the next major opportunity that would happen for Tasha’s career as “Water” caught the attention of megastar Keke Palmer.   While Palmer was in Atlanta for a promo tour she was filmed dancing to the song and the video was uploaded to her Instagram page, Tasha caught wind of this and wrote Keke telling her she was the producer of the song she had been dancing to and Keke responded in wonderment about the fact she was a female producer. The two eventually began working, which from their initial sessions led to Keke’s most popular music release to date ”Bossy”, the flagrant Girl Boss anthem, which she performed on Fox’s popular primetime Lee Daniels produced  STAR.  Almost 4 years later with countless sessions and fine-tuning, the Tasha Catour executive produced Virgo Tendencies EP in 2020.   Palmer also opened MTV’s 2020 Video Music Awards, where she served as the host, with a performance of the Catour penned and produced “Snack” [ the first woman of color to be the master of ceremony.]

In 2021, Tasha was invited by Billboard chart-topping producer Keyz ( Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Wiz Khalifa) to the exclusive Babyface songwriting camp where she worked alongside other hand selected talent for the legendary artist and songwriter Babyface.  Tasha and her team also celebrated a year of producing her own songwriting camp Camp Catour based in Atlanta, GA.  This year Tasha conquered a unique feat as the only female-producer a part of one of the biggest movie franchises in the film industry with her contribution to the SpaceJam: A New Legacy soundtrack with the track  “Gametime” performed by Republic Records artists Amine’ and Lil Tecca.  The original Space Jam soundtrack is one of the greatest selling soundtracks of all time.  

Tasha is currently in the studio working on projects from Monica, Chris Brown, School Boy Q, and newcomer Flo Milli to name a few to working on more TV & Film music opportunities.  When she’s not in the studio, she’s busy being a mom and raising a toddler with her fiancé, and working on developing her own music label and publishing company.   For More Information, please visit: www.tashacatour.com