| Tara Kemp | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Tara Leslye Kemp[1] |
| Origin: | Livermore, California |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Years Active: | 1991 – 1994 2013 – present |
Tara Leslye Kemp is an American singer best known for her two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1991: "Hold You Tight" and "Piece of My Heart."
Kemp signed to Giant Records in 1990, a new sublabel of the Warner Brothers music label. In January 1991, her self-titled album and debut single "Hold You Tight" were released. "Hold You Tight" became a hit, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the song was certified gold by the RIAA and ranked as the twenty-fifth best-selling single of 1991. The song also peaked at No. 69 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] In May, Kemp released her second single "Piece of My Heart", which reached number seven on the Hot 100 in July and was the eighty-fourth best-selling single of the year. A third single "Too Much" was released, but stalled at number 95.[3]
Following the release of her debut album, Giant began to interfere with Kemp's recording of her sophomore album. Wanting to sign to Atlantic Records – where most of the people who had signed her to Giant had moved to – Kemp asked to be released from her contract.[4] However, Atlantic did not sign her. Kemp released two more songs: in 1993, "Action Speaks Louder Than Words" was featured on the soundtrack for the Fox television series, Beverly Hills, 90210;[5] and "Come Correct", which was released independently in 1994. Owing to issues in her personal life, she left the music industry soon after.
In 2013, Kemp launched a Facebook page and YouTube channel containing new photography, uploads of vintage material, and teasers to a new track called "Water." In 2014 and 2015, Kemp revealed in interviews that she was working on new material.[6] [7] In April 2016, Kemp released "Paris in Spring" (featuring D'wayne Wiggins), her first single in 22 years, as a charity single to benefit victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks.[8]
In January 2021, Kemp revealed plans to independently release her shelved sophomore album and remastered versions of her 1991 singles.[9] She is working with New York City-based Shakir Entertainment Management.
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Dan | AUS [11] [12] | CAN [13] | NZ [14] | UK [15] | |||||||||
| 1991 | "Hold You Tight" | 3 | 4 | 15 | 68 | 24 | 19 | 69 | Tara Kemp | ||||||
| "Piece of My Heart" | 7 | 47 | - | 156 | 81 | - | 92 | ||||||||
| "Too Much" | 95 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 1994 | "Come Correct" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | rowspan="2" | ||||||
| 2016 | "Paris in Spring" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||