Tara Henton, Mus’00, Ed’01, is a rising star of the UK country scene whose recently released single debuted in the top 10 of the UK country charts.
Henton grew up listening to all genres of music in Kenora, Ont., but her love for classic country artists such as Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn was strongly influenced by her father. She began piano lessons at age six and vocal lessons at age 10, fueling the fire of performance. In school, Henton participated in talent shows and recitals, sharing her passion with the crowd. In high school, she played in a few bands, including the “should-have-been hit band” Deaf Janitor. Henton had her first experience performing country music with a local cover band called The Secondhand Band, where she mainly played keyboards but also sang a few songs.
Henton loved her high-school music program and credits her former teacher, Michael McIsaac, Mus’81, Ed’82 for helping to get her into the Bachelor of Music program at Queen’s. During her time at Queen’s, Henton founded, ran, and was president of the Queen’s Line Dancing Club for three years. She also was an assistant conductor with Cantabile Children’s Choir under the direction of Dr. Mark Sirett.
After finishing her degrees at Queen’s, Henton was unsure of what she wanted to do next. She thought back to one of her housemates, who often discussed her summer backpacking trips to the U.K. That, coupled with a fascination with all things British, including Monty Python, led her to start a new chapter of her life by moving to the U.K. in 2001, where she taught music at a primary school in Lowestoft.
Henton enjoyed teaching but yearned to share music that she was truly passionate about, so she immersed herself in writing. The pandemic gave her the final push she needed to start sharing her work with others and performing original songs on live streams. In early 2021, she decided to work towards releasing her debut single. In September 2021, Henton began a year-long mentorship program with The Songwriting Academy UK, and she is looking forward to the opportunities this will open for her with her music career.
Nowadays, Henton teaches part-time for a primary school in Dagenham, mentors music students of all ages globally via her online private lessons, and spends the rest of her time writing and producing music and enjoying time with her husband, Kevin, and their daughter, Cassidy.
Henton’s first single,” Now That You’re Gone,” was released on Sept. 17. It peaked at #4 on the UK country charts and #108 on the UK chart overall. Henton describes the response to her debut single as a “pinch-me moment.”
Her next single, “Wild Horse,” will be released on Nov. 5 and will be available for pre-order on iTunes and pre-save on Spotify starting Oct. 22.
You can keep up with Tara Henton through her website, her Buy Me a Coffee community where subscribers get a private monthly Zoom concert, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube). Stay tuned for another release in the new year!
