Exclusive Premiere: Mumbai Pop Artist Tarra Has an Awkward Crush in ‘I’m Not Me When I’m With You’

Channeling a bit of Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, Mumbai-based pop artist Tarra is cheery, anxious but hopeful in matters of the heart on her latest single “I’m Not Me When I’m With You.”

A singer-songwriter since the age of 13, the 18-year-old previously made her debut with the song “This Isn’t Love” in 2021. While that was a lot more angsty in nature, Tarra is a tad lighthearted albeit frustrated on “I’m Not Me When I’m With You,” which addresses a crush about her own awkwardness and how the artist often gets in her own way. She says in a statement, “I think getting butterflies in your stomach is nice and all, until you get completely flustered and don’t know how to act.”

Over easygoing pop elements – gentle synth pads and beats and vocal layers – Tarra opens up about navigating a situation she’s found herself in. “I don’t even like football that much, I lied so you’d be impressed,” she sings.

With this song, Tarra’s intent was to sing about how being awkward around a “certain someone” is probably universal. At the same time, the song did come out of a personal experience. “Not too long ago, there was a boy I liked. Whenever he spoke to me, I would start freaking out internally. I would tell myself to be cool, calm and collected, but as soon as I was near him, all of that went out of the window. I would lose grip of myself, becoming all jumpy and panicky and acting in ways that I otherwise never would.”

Watch the video for “I’m Not Me When I’m With You” below.