Tao Andra has been steadily carving out her own space, with a sound that leans as much on instinct as it does on precision. As her momentum continues to build, she remains focused on doing things her own way – keeping the process personal and the output intentional. With the release of “Born Again (Babylonia)” marking her latest step, we caught up with her to talk about her approach to production, the ideas that drive her work, and where her head’s at right now.
You’ve been building a strong momentum lately and this new release feels like a bold step in a different direction – reworking a track that already carries emotional weight for a lot of people can be risky. Did you feel any pressure taking this one on?
The only pressure I felt was to do a good job and to feel satisfied with my work. I never do things randomly, there is always an intention behind everything I put out. My focus is expressing what’s in my heart and that takes some of the pressure away. As long as I am being authentic, I believe people will feel it and connect to my music.
What does the track personally mean to you?
For me, it’s life before this track and life after this track. It’s the song that got me into into electronic music. I remember exactly where I was when I heard ‘Born Again’ for the first time. I was at a student party in Rotterdam in 2010. At that moment I was in university following a completely different path in life. I never imagined I would end up doing music full-time so reimagining this track is very symbolic for me. It almost feels like destiny!
There’s a fine line between nostalgia and reinvention – at what point did you feel like you’d “unlocked” your own version of the track?
My aim was to imagine the song from a 2026 perspective with sounds and influences of this time. The thing that took most time was deciding what elements to keep and what elements don’t fit with the story I am trying to tell. After I recreated all the main sounds I had a first version pretty quickly. My biggest dilemma was the main break. I think even before submitting the final master I still wondered if I should to change it. The original has a very iconic string section that ultimately I decided to not include which was a very difficult decision.
The vocal plays such a central role here – did having it re-recorded open up new creative directions for you compared to working with the original?
The vocal is the only thing I wanted to keep intact, precisely because it’s so central to the song. It was important to let the vocals tell the story and keep the attention on that story. It’s also the element that listeners connect with the most so I made a point to let the vocals shine and make them sound even bigger.
Your productions often thrive in late-night settings – did you design this track with a specific moment on the dancefloor in mind?
“Born Again” coincidentally sounds very good in clubs but also on the big stages. I didn’t particularly think about that in the design process, however I wanted to make it sound as big as possible because it’s a track that carries a lot of power. More importantly, I wanted it to be a song people remember.
How much of this record came together in the studio versus being tested and refined in your DJ sets?
I haven’t played many shows the past two years, so a lot of my music comes together strictly in the studio. Some of my music I released without ever having the chance to play it in a set. In a way, this helped me learn to trust my vision and build an arrangement that tells a story rather than thinking where it might work. When I did share ‘Born Again’ with a few DJ friends, their feedback was very positive. That’s something I do regularly, share my music with friends for feedback.
You’ve been steadily building momentum with strong DJ support – has that changed how instinctive or calculated you are when making new music?
I always say my business model is following my heart. It’s the only strategy that worked until now, especially in my productions. I think the biggest influence in my music is my mood. I am naturally an extremely energetic person, so my sound is simply a reflection of that. I believe it’s more important to develop my own identity than focusing on who might play my track. I would risk running in circles forever. Generally, my biggest inspiration comes from my daily life. For example, every day I drive to my studio and I let the radio play. Some sounds I hear really inspire me, even if it doesn’t come from electronic music.
There’s a cinematic quality to how you build tension – do you think in terms of storytelling when arranging a track, or is it more about physical energy?
I like telling stories in my tracks but it’s not a general rule. I enjoy creating questions and answers, tension and release or exciting breaks. But every track is different. Sometimes I have the idea of the main break and develop my arrangement from there. Sometimes I have one sound that inspires me and I try to build around it. It’s never exactly the same process. When I feel I’m repeating myself or use the same tools too much I love shaking things off and doing things completely different. That’s what makes making music exciting for me.
Revisiting a track from the early 2000s, what differences stand out to you most between that era of dance music and today’s scene?
In the early 2000’s everything was more simple in many ways, but much richer. The culture was very pure and music was the main attraction. There was no online experience. If you wanted to listen to music, you had to go out and buy the CD or go to the party. The way we experience and consume music nowadays is very different. We don’t hear tracks that feel timeless anymore. Everything feels a bit too fast, too loud, too rushed. However, people are still very passionate about dance music and that’s great!
You move between underground clubs and big festival stages – does that duality influence how you approach a release like this?
Born Again’ is a powerful song with a powerful message. I would love to see it play everywhere, from underground clubs to big festivals and beyond. Luckily it’s a track that works well for different moments. The way I approach it is to respect what the song wants to become without forcing any specific direction.
After working so closely with an existing idea on this project, did it leave you feeling more inspired to collaborate, or more eager to return to completely original material?
I love collaborations. I even wondered if me and Adam Clay the singer on ‘Born Again’ should do something original together. That’s still on the table so I hope we get a chance to make it happen.
Tao Andra, Adam Clay – Born Again (Babylonia) is out now via We Next Records: https://umg.lnk.to/__bornagain
