Tasmin Archer
Singer-songwriter, Tasmin Archer studied Typing at Bradford College in 1980.
Tasmin left Grange Upper School with
several CSEs and after becoming a machinist
at SR Gents she came to Bradford College to
study typing.
“I do remember being very nervous when I
first attended the course but I was surprised
about how relaxed and laid back the classes
were. Even exam day was fairly relaxed. The
typing has of course been extremely useful,
especially in these days of computers and
email when it must have saved me hours
and hours in typing time. I wish everyone at
Bradford College all the best!”
Tasmin used her typing skills as a clerk at
Bradford Magistrates’ Court before she
concentrated all her energies into her
musical career. She paid her musical dues
playing in local bands and doing session
work. She wrote her own songs at home
in her bedroom and after meeting John
Hughes and John Beck they began working
and writing songs together in Hughes’ back
kitchen. Their first demos were rejected but
then EMI offered Tasmin a contract in 1990.
Tasmin’s debut single, Sleeping Satellite,
taken from her album Great Expectations,
went straight to number one in October
1992. Her integrity was evident when she
donated all the royalties from her second
single, In Your Care which was about child
abuse, to Childline. In 1993 she won the
Award for Best Newcomer at the BRITs but
shunned fame, caring more about her music.
She released her second album Bloom in
April 1996. Tasmin then took a break to
re-evaluate her career and recover from
a period of writer’s block. In 2002 she
returned to writing but this time did not
have the issues that came with the big
recording contract and had control by going
back to basics. It was a return to writing
songs in the back bedroom, recording at
home and working again with old partner,
John Hughes. Tasmin released the album On in September 2006, on her own terms and
her own label, Quiverdisc.
Photograph supplied by Tasmin Archer