Meet Tierra Tanai | Artist, Creator & Healer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tierra Tanai and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tierra, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It wasn’t even just a thought process. It was damn near forced based off my character and leading abilities. At the time I wish I knew how to brand myself and market when I was still working job to job because I would’ve been the manager not the worker. I come in ready to learn, and a fast learner at that for the most part. So I develop leader traits in job roles really quickly and realized I was a Boss as a young age. Not necessarily fit to be an employee for a brand that doesn’t flow with my passion.

Not only that, my daughter was born and before she was 1 I told myself while still pregnant I would show her how to get it working for her own name verses somebody else’s. If she chooses to work that’s fine, she’ll learn how to play every position. But I wanted to be in position for my daughter and my family to really take care of them the way I want to fr. I don’t like being told what to do especially from a MF I can do it better than. So after living in a shelter for nearly a year with my daughter as a makeup artist, free lance, (natural slay faces at the time) I grinded hard my entire time there to get stable enough to provide for my child and I. Off doing what I love. Which is now my self care business @peaceofminddayspa and all natural skincare company @thegiftedglow www.peaceofmindspa.com

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started off singing since I was 2 years old my mom said. Using my bottle as a mic and running wild in my diaper. They nicknamed me terror 😭🫱🏾‍🫲🏽 Because I was a sweet child but always onDAT! Still accurate till this day lol. Music has always been in my path and purpose. I started writing and creating “song books” at the age of 7 carrying to 12 I started writing poems. Little lyrical songs in a sense. I sung in the church choir until I was 12-13 years old and sung in school choirs up until I got in high school which I then grew my love (starting from middle school) for stepping. I was the co and captain of the step team coming from middle school my entire high school years excluding my junior year. I moved around a LOT. Born on the east side of detroit chalmers and Harper GANG GANG. Lol then moving to the burbs of canton Mi, to staying in a mobile home at the edge of canton/Ypsi, to moving to Westland, to Novi (where I spent my junior year dancing in our jazz / contemporary program starting from dance 1 quickly moving to dance 3 in just a semester) To Livonia where I graduated from Churchill. AP is the name I developed in middle school when I dressed up as THURNIS HALEY (OFWGKTAIYKYK) and changed my Twitter name at the time to Uh_NamesThurnis 😂 I had a undying love for Tyler the creator and still do. He said in a video 1-3 of Thurnis Haley on YouTube “Fuck Arnold Palmer I don’t drink that shit” and since then it’s been up on my name AP. I thought that shit was so funny and been telling people that’s my name ever since. It’s my alter ego, the silly, uncivil, bad ass version of Tierra. I’m really God’s child. Ridas = devoted to God in Arabic. The last few years have been me dedicating my life to God. Really listening to his path for me and it’s been leading me to some nice places. April 2022 I won The weed bar contest and won $1000 + an interview on the weed bar with Skilla the same day Skilla Baby signed his record deal. I’m a HUSTLER. I’m a prized possession. I am a Lioness. I am deeply connected with my purpose and I am here to heal, create, and BRAND TF out of my name and purpose. I KNOW God sent me here to heal through my esthetician work, my all natural skincare products that truly heal people, giving people self confidence back, educating OUR people on the power of their skin and the power of nature, and bringing that to my music with my confidence that I pour out on these tracks while I’m rapping, unapologetically raw, gritty, real rap no cap! Bringing the hood back to healing and the healing to the hood. It’s always UPPER with me. People say I do the most because I am the most. I know my name, I know my value now, and after domestic abuse, self harm, losing people closest to me, to putting my music down during pregnancy to picking it back up once I had my daughter because that’s one of the only things that made me happy, I been going hard for my name ever since. I had no idea I could rap fr until my senior year of High. RIP Natalian and Zaid two of the people that actually helped me realize that I could. My purpose is to heal and create. I do that through my music. I make people feel good. I make girls wanna talk choppy and keep they p*ssy clean, I make niggas want to f*ck me and be my friend. All by being me. I also know how to market like hell lol. I am my brand. From my merch to the way I walk about me. I am a RIDA. Currently I’ve been working on the lions den interviews and Apsculinaryandarts to expand our peoples knowledge on healing, creators and FOOD. Which cooking is 1 of my favorite things to do, along with eating and trying new places.
I’m an overall experience. I want to be able to show the world that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First being I’m a brand ambassador for one of the first queer owned bed and breakfast in Detroit, Mi. The Copper House Detroit! I would take them there! Then we’re trying at least 3 places from my foodie page @apsculinaryandarts! One for small plates, one for drinks, and one for dinner! Of course drinks somewhere like the Willow with my girl Lisa Carielle one of the best bartenders in the city. Then of course we’re going back to my place for some well needed self care at Peace of mind Day Spa! I’d also typically always go to The Willis to see my girl Rēdi Choi singing live also! Some of my favorite places & vibes!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Miss HARMONY PEACE. My honey. My lifeline. My seed. Not only that. My mom. She’s always worked hard to pour into me and all her kids. Even while struggling with mental instabilities of her own that I too adapted as I’ve gotten older (anxiety and depression) through healing, breaking generational curses, and growing she’s allowed me to truly see the value in motherhood and not only that. Pushing forward. She’s been through so much and even not all the time, she fights hard to pick herself back up each time. I admire my mother for that. My daughter however is the reason I’m even still living. Many times my depression has caused me to self harm and not wanting to be present, and EVERY TIME I see her smile, I pity myself for ever even thinking I wouldn’t want to live my life as being her mom. She is so amazing to me. I love her so much. HARMONY PEACE. Because that’s exactly what she brought me. And she was truly made out of love. Shout out to my RIDAS = my fans/support together we devote our plan to trusting God and watch everything ride out. 🦁🫱🏾‍🫲🏽 Thankful for my ridas fasho. Pouring life into always and consistently supporting my music, my brands, and the lions den

Website: www.peaceofmindspa.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tierraxtanai?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TierrxTanai?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Tierraxtanai

Image Credits
@urbanoutrageproductions on the first photo https://instagram.com/urbanoutrageproductions?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= And Markus on the second https://instagram.com/_squidthekidd_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=