Working independently from his bedroom studio, the New York artist Tarune – the solo project of the multi-talented Giullian Yao Gioiello – has seen two of his songs, Met A Girl and Goodnight Baby, embraced by the indie-folk community on Spotify, leading to 13 million streams just for those two tracks. Now Tarune has shared new single ma 間 as he prepares to launch his biggest artist project to date this summer.
Tarune
An expression of catharsis, confessions and self-discovery, ma 間 takes Tarune back to the emotions of his early childhood when his mother left for Taiwan. Now in adulthood, Tarune is able to confront his fears, vulnerabilities and the simple truths that he had locked away unspoken. But as he explores themes of abandonment, his voice grows in confidence and reflects the personal growth that confronting the issue has given him. The music is equally as compelling, his softly enunciated voice, gentle guitar chords and nostalgic melodies creating an intimate intensity that feels as if you’re in the room with him.
Listen to ma 間 below:
The word ma 間 is the Japanese concept of negative space. Its use here was inspired by an interview in which the director, animator and famed Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki talked about the importance of using space and calm moments to give his stories a greater dynamic impact. Tarune also found serendipity in the word’s dual meanings, it also meaning ‘mother’ in both English and Taiwanese.
Tarune says: “I believe that this song fell out of me so that I could hold myself in the ways I always needed, and maybe never felt I was. I needed this permission to take the time to feel, slow down and find the space to just be.” ma 間 was written and produced solely by Tarune, with mixing from Jake Aron (Solange, Snail Mail).
Raised in New York to a family of Italian-Taiwanese heritage, music was a key part of Tarune’s early life: chanting in meditations to singing in a church choir, studying Spanish guitar, experimenting with Garageband and, later, teaching himself Logic. But it was the world of acting in which he first made an impact, featuring in numerous productions including Marvel’s Iron Fist, the Netflix film Catfight as Sandra Oh’s doomed son, or more recently A24’s thriller Sharper alongside his frequent music collaborator Justice Smith. He can also be spotted in cameos with his musical peers, having featured in the music videos for Laufey’s Everything I Know About Love and Maya Hawke’s Dark.
While he still acts, Tarune relished the freedom and the lack of preconceptions that came when he made music. Inspired by the likes of James Blake, Phoebe Bridgers, Nick Hakim and Luiz Bonfá’s Introspection album, his music focuses on authentic emotions and quiet melancholy, with pain – from loss to heartache – a prevalent theme in his soothing cocktail of indie-soul and bedroom pop.
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