New York City is known as a city of dreams. If you can make if here, you’ll make it any where, as the song goes. There is nothing more inspiring than watching someone’s dreams come true.

I attended a performance at the Cutting Room that made my heart sing for this very reason. I couldn’t stop smiling, I was so happy for the beautiful and talented artist on stage! It was all I could do to keep from jumping up and dancing to celebrate- Tamar Davis is living the dream!

Tamar Davis is a singer/song writer from Texas who came to NYC with stars in her eyes. During her special one night only performance in the heart of the city, she certainly proved herself a star. I didn’t know much going in, only familiar with Tamar Davis as one of the leads in Motown: the Musical. I left her 9 song performance thrilled by such a joyous performance, fully understanding why Prince (yeah, Prince!) calls Tamar his muse.

Between songs, the audience was treated to stories of her artistic journey thus far. A perfect mix of covers and original songs included “Be Calm”, “All of Me”, “Juz Do It”, and “Heartbeat” illustrated a fabulous artistic life that has so many more places to go. A cover of “Thank You” allowed for a showcase of talent from each member of the fantastic band. When Tamar sang “I want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin” you felt the true message behind the lyrics. This is a woman who is so thankful to be living her dream and to share it with us.

Girl’s got serious good vibes. Kindness and warmth exuded from her throughout her energetic performance. It was a really intimate show, not necessarily easy to achieve with a rocking 7 piece funk band. The atmosphere was special, I’ve never felt anything like it before. You could feel the love in the room. Tamar pointed out her mother in the audience and several of her mentors, no doubt she also had countless friends in attendance. Lot’s of love there, but there was something else too. This is a woman you immediately root for, you want her to soar. Even beyond that, watching her do what she does best inspires you to pursue your own dreams.  When she sang her Grammy-nominated single “Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed” I thought to myself, “Hell yes you are, Tamar! And you know what? I am too.”

Every Monday Tamar releases a new song on her website that’s free to download. #TamarDavisMusicMondays No joke! How awesome is that? This is an artist who loves what she does above all else. She wants to share her gift with the world. This was so obvious in her performance and even in her blog and social media. With roots in jazz, funk, and R&B her songs are uplifting, inspiring, and many of them dance inducing. I’d highly encourage you to check out this amazing performer.

Dandy Wellington, the dapper front man of  the wonderful opening band (aptly titled “Dandy Wellington and His Band“), introduced Tamar saying, “It’s not fair. It’s not fair. We all got God given talent, and here she is stepping up in here all fabulous–” You could feel the love and the respect. Did I mention Tamar’s incredible voice? Yep, with beauty that is so apparent inside and out, plus a spectacularly beautiful voice? It really isn’t fair. With someone else, you might hate her for it. With Tamar Davis, you can’t help but love her.