Reem Altamimi ’10 doesn’t like to talk about herself, but once she begins to talk about music, her passion shines right through the shyness.
The Ojai Valley School alum, who goes by the stage name TamTam, returned to Los Angeles last week from performing her original song, “Gender Game,” at the 2nd Global Symposium on Gender in Media in New York. She was invited by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and has another performance on Oct. 6 in LA.
Reem originally was presented with this opportunity when she was asking the Institute if they would help her launch the music video for “Gender Game.” Instead, they asked her to perform the song as the opening act for the Gender in Media event.
“I was really lucky,” Reem said during a phone interview. “Things happen when you least expect them; when you’re focusing on one thing, others arrive.”
Reem first developed an interest in music when she was just 11 years old. When she turned 13, she left her home in Saudi Arabia, and travelled to Switzerland for boarding school. There, she found the ability to move past her restricting parents and was able to try music. She sang “Thriller” by Michael Jackson in a talent show at the school, and won.
“I realized I wanted to pursue music as a more serious thing, but my family didn’t really take me seriously,” she said. “I thought, in the back of my head, that it wouldn’t happen.”
Entering OVS her sophomore year, Reem joined the chorus and participated in musicals every year. When she was a senior, she was able to take Lisa Boyd’s voice class, where she was able to refine her technique.
“I think Reem really improved in terms of her confidence as a singer,” Mrs. Boyd said. “She was always very hard working and always wanted to do her best.”
After graduating from OVS, Reem studied economics at UC San Diego. Her parents did not want her to study music; instead, they wanted her to do something more serious. She chose economics because she liked math, and made a deal with her father that if she could graduate early, he would allow her to stay in LA to work on her music. She graduated six months early in Dec. 2013, and moved to Los Angeles in January.
“I’ve been trying to meet as many people as possible, but of course, the industry is hard,” Reem laughed.
When she was 18, she wrote the song “Little Girl,” which her father loved. However, when she told him she was going to post it on YouTube, he strongly refused.
When he found out that anybody could see the video, he told her, “I don’t want the whole world to see you and know your name.”
Subsequently, Reem adopted her stage name, TamTam, and posted the video. Afterwards, drawing inspiration from her father’s protective nature, Reem wrote the song “Gender Game.”
“If I were a guy, he probably wouldn’t care as much [about me posting the video] as he did about his daughter,” Reem explained.
Reem considers herself a feminist, when that term is defined as someone who advocates equal rights. She considers her father to be a definite motivator in becoming a feminist, and thinks it is a good thing. He was always supportive, but did not want her to take any risks. He now supports her music career.
Gender equality, especially for women in the Middle East, is very important to Reem, a Muslim woman. Reem explained that by Islamic law, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, while in Islam, equality is promoted.
“In the history of Islam, women led wars, and now, you are telling them they can’t even drive?” Reem expressed.
Reem hopes that one day, gender equality will be achieved, and she is doing all she can to join the mission as she lends her voice to the cause.
“I want to inspire people to follow their passions,” she said. “I also want to show people that we can all get along – all belief systems, religions and cultures – with some communication.”
