‘What You See Is What You Get’: Q’s With Tash Sultana’s Managers Regan Lethbridge and Jaddan Comerford

Dara Munnis – Tash Sultana
In her element at Sasquatch Festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA

For this week’s Hotstar Tash Sultana, Pollstar spoke to her worldwide manager Regan Lethbridge, co-founder of Melbourne-based Lemon Tree Music, and co-manager in the U.S. Jaddan Comerford, founder of Unified Music Group.

Regan Lethbridge: I first started booking Tash as an agent in early 2014. We built a really solid trust and it evolved into management in early 2016 under Lemon Tree Music. Pat from a Melbourne group called Pierce Brothers was raving about a busker called Tash Sultana, Tash was booked on some Pierce Brothers supports and it all started there. I still remember the first meeting very well and remind myself daily where it all started and never to take anything for granted.

Lethbridge: Tash was an incredible live performer and simply had amazing songs. Initially pulling huge busking crowds then once we put a live strategy in place every single show sold out. I love working with former buskers as their work ethic is like nothing I’ve seen and they live and breathe music. I loved Tash’s unique vision and the challenge of bringing that to life with a truly great global team. 

Jaddan Comerford: The way that Tash connects with the audience is on a level that I have never seen before. The crowd are captivated by every single second of the show. Because Tash comes from a busking background there is that rawness in each performance and you can tell that Tash is loving every second of being on the stage and the audience are right there with her.

Lethbridge: It was at Shebeen, a 150 capacity room in Melbourne, Australia. The vibe was insane and from day one you could feel something very special was brewing.

Comerford: The first time I saw Tash play live was at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Regan had called me so excited about Tash, so I went along to the show to meet Tash and see the show for myself. It was a mid-week show and my wife Rachael had to leave early as she had an early morning flight the next day. She told me not to come home until we were working with Tash.

Can you take us through a couple of milestones during Tash’s career up to this point? 

Lethbridge: The whole thing has been a whirlwind and it still feels like we are deep inside it with plenty of work to do worldwide. But a few things like breaking the attendance record in Tash’s hometown of Melbourne at Margaret Court Arena to over 300 million [Spotify] streams to big festival moments around the globe have all been incredible moments and to hearing the first full run through of Tash debut album in the studio.

We are always looking as to whats next though and dont really sit still or pop the bubbles. It’s about what’s happening three miles down the road and keeping everything focussed.

Comerford: A big moment for Tash this year in North America was Coachella Festival. Coachella is obviously one of the biggest and well-known festivals in the world. And to see Tash own the stage and pull a big crowd was a huge moment in the lead up to the album release.

Comerford: We’re extremely happy with the reception of Tash’s debut album. We had the number-two album in Australia behind Eminem’s surprise album, Kamikaze. Number four on the alternative album charts and number five on the rock album charts in the U.S., as well as Top 20 debuts in Germany, The Netherlands and New Zealand.

The album is tracking well across all streaming services. Because the music doesn’t sit under one specific genre it’s very accessible for most playlists, anything from ‘Chill’ lists over to the more ‘Rock’ focused lists. 

Lethbridge: Live and streaming is everything in our world. Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand and Turkey have all surprised us with their numbers. U.S. has always been number one and very strong plus Australia and Europe are strong. 

Comerford: What you see on stage and in interviews is the real Tash. Tash is extremely passionate about the music and the fans, knows what Tash wants and isn’t willing to make any compromises when it comes to her career. That’s what I love about working with Tash, what you see is what you get.

Lethbridge: We are looking well ahead to Nov. 2020 touring globally and Tash has starting writing album number two. That will be ready when it’s ready, but it’s an incredibly exciting time. 

Lethbridge: Tash is the same person I met five years ago. A good human being, very funny at times and just incredibly driven. I love how unique Tash is and the feeling that anything is possible. Tash is like family to me and I can’t wait to see where this crazy ride takes us next

Comerford: As I mentioned above, what you see with Tash is what you get. I love the friendship that I have built with not only Tash, but with Regan and Dave from Lemon Tree on a professional and personal level. We’re all so lucky to be on this crazy ride together and I’m extremely proud about everything we have accomplished so far. This is only the beginning!