Q & A with Taj Farrant
By Julie Wenger Watson
On Sunday, February 25, just a few months shy of his 15th birthday, Australian blues prodigy Taj Farrant will make his debut at Cain’s Ballroom. Inspired early on by the sight and sound of Angus Young shredding at an AC/DC concert, a young Taj knew he wanted to do the same. Soon after, his parents and grandparents jointed to gift him a guitar for his birthday, and he started down his musical path. Since that time, he’s shared the stage with artists like Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas, among others.
Without a doubt, Farrant’s career is a family affair. His parents, tattoo artists Brandin and Cassandra Farrant, have supported him from the start, scheduling their own work around his tours. Younger sister, 13-year-old Jazel, a skilled musician in her own right, is along for the ride and will join her brother on drums for part of the evening.
I believe your parents and your sister, Jazel, are traveling with you on this tour. Can you describe what that’s like?
Yes, we are traveling all together. It’s super fun, as we are a close family and that makes it easy. I have recently invested my career income into two tour buses that I own and now have a full outfit that tours with me on the road. My family and I have our own bus, so that makes it easy for us to go out and do cool things, like Niagara Falls, and venture out on our own for some family downtime, time permitting of course.
How do you and your sister handle the “regular” part of being kids your age? Things like keeping up with schoolwork, etc.?
We’ve been doing this for so long now that being on the road is our normal, so it’s easy.
What are your favorite things about being on the road?
Meeting new people and my fans, seeing places we haven’t been before and experiencing different cultures and trying new food!
What are the parts you like the least?
Waiting in between shows. I get antsy when we have a few days in between because I just want to get back on stage and perform.
Have you officially moved to the US?
Yes, we have moved to the US to help further my career. There are a lot more opportunities we can take at short notice over here. We will decide by mid-2024 where we want to call “home,” but for now both buses are more than plenty and makes sense while out on tour.
For those who haven’t seen you play, what can they expect from your show?
Each show is different because I don’t play the songs exactly the same, but at each show, fans can expect emotion that gets built up as the show progresses, and the energy in the room builds up throughout the night.
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been working on my album, which should be released by August, and I am releasing a new single each month leading up to its release date. My last two singles, which I released last year, both went to #1 on the international Blues Singles charts back-to-back, within a month of each other.
Outside of blues, are there any artists you like?
I love Aretha Franklin. Outside of blues, I enjoy listening to R&B and rap because it’s something I can just relax and listen to without feeling the need to critique or think how I would play it differently.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you and your music?
In addition to being a technical player, I really focused the last seven years of my career on the feeling of the music and the tone that I have developed to become my own and not be mimicking anyone else. I get compared to Gary Moore and Stevie Ray Vaughan a lot, which is a huge compliment because they are both my idols, but with my new album coming out, this will give everybody a good indication about the artist I am becoming and who Taj Farrant is.
