Tamara & the Dreams just wants to be a successful bisexual (preaching to the choir).
Written while Tamara was backpacking across the Greek Islands, a gorgeous backdrop which would have anyone dreaming of their idyllic life, “Successful Bisexual” is a gleefully unconstrained, heart-on-sleeve anthem about living life to the fullest.
It’s Tamara Reichman’s first release as Tamara & the Dreams since 2022, and it’s a delightful indie-pop gem that positively ushers in a new musical chapter for the Melbourne-based artist.
There’s something of Courtney Barnett in the witty lyricism of “Successful Bisexual”, and Tamara strikes the right balance between humour and sincerity in the track.
“After so many years of not feeling comfortable in my skin I finally felt ‘me’ — I finally felt confident, hot, independent — like I had ‘come of age’,” she explains of the meaning behind her comeback single.
“I wanted to capture that feeling of running out of time, being afraid of the end of youth, and this imagined age when you have to ‘grow up’ and stop living life to the fullest,” she adds. “The lyrics ‘age another year’ are repeated, and I tried to capture the urgency and finiteness of life, how scary growing up is, but also how time is our greatest gift.”
It’s little wonder that Tamara has the importance of making the most of one’s time on earth on her mind: while hitchhiking through Europe last year, she received the devastating news that her mum had died, which understandably delayed the release of her single.
That profound loss naturally led to the track’s main theme taking on new significance.
“Now I have this song about being scared of aging and wanting to live life to the fullest, that’s taken on new meaning because you truly never know what’s around the corner,” she says. “I’m no longer scared of aging, now I understand getting old is a privilege that not everyone gets, and I want to make the most out of every day I get to spend living.”
That’s what makes “Successful Bisexual” such a joyous listening experience. “The antidote to grief is a lust for life,” as Tamara notes.
Tamara & the Dreams’ “Successful Bisexual” is out now.
