Tamara Williamson

Queen Street Royalty

Tamara Williamson has been an artists artist for more than thirty-five years. She has been described as an atmosphere builder, storyteller and provocateur. She takes the audience on a journey that keeps them hanging on each word or note.  Her style was built at the forefront of Grunge in the nineties and she became dubbed The Godmother Of Indie on Queen Street. Her music drifts between alternative pop, raw striking punk to simple quiet poetic wanderings.  Tamara is forceful and still pushes boundaries, getting the attention of Rap Artist Tremayne and being featured on CBC’s “q” in June 2021. Always pushing her horizon’s In 2019 Tamara received The Adam’s Award for her book/musical The Break-Up Diet. A ninety minute alternative musical production that received 5 star reviews at Toronto Fringe.  Tamara also has a successful podcast, is a painter, musical producer and is writing her next book The Mirror Horse. 

Born and raised in London England she moved to Canada in 1991 where she was signed to BMG with her band Mrs. Torrance. She then went on to an accomplished solo career and has released seven albums under her own name.  She has been included in projects with Arts and Crafts, King Cobb Steelie, Do Make Say Think, Rheostatics and has toured in Europe and across North America many times playing Folk Festivals in Canada,France, Germany and Spain.

"I’ve admired Tamara for years; she cut a certain path of determination for me by having musical conviction long before I understood those stakes for myself.”  Feist 

“Someone who can take a room and transpose it onto another plane, a voice without restrictions.” Martin Tielli (Rheostatics) 

Her affect is dauntingly flat at first, but once you get to know her style (and deadpan sense of humour) the 90-minute-show becomes engrossing, like a really good extended Moth Radio Hour story backed by your favourite indie bar band. Toronto Star

“The Break-UP Diet is real, raw, funny and terrifying. Come for the cautionary tale, Stay for the music.This is new and you have not seen it before.”Jeff Rogers

Tamara Williamson’s The Break Up Diet is a clever, emotional and intensely personal narrative that takes you, insight by insight; from heart-hollowing suspicions to explosive confrontations to painful introspection; through what is essentially a brilliant musical autopsy of a failed marriage.Charles Spearin. Broken Social Scene.