In November, Tanya O'Callaghan was announced as the new bassist for Whitesnake , replacing Michael Devin Antihero magazine , the artist revealed that the invitation came from David Coverdale .
The bassist explained that Coverdale probably knew who she was because they had both played at the same festivals. “He called me personally,” she says. “It was a direct call, a very direct invitation. But that comes down to years of working and making yourself known in the scene. There’s no magic formula,” she asserts.
Tanya continued: “People ask me how I got this. I think it was a bizarre combination of working hard for years on tour and people seeing you play and you have to have a presence. And obviously, your resume speaks for itself. And then, I think the Universe aligned and Whitesnake needed a bassist. I feel very honored that David called me immediately. I think I was fresh in his mind because he saw me play. It’s a great honor. And this is an incredible band.”
Tanya O'Callaghan has a great weight on her shoulders, not only because she's filling in for the bassist who held the position for 11 years, but also because this will be David Coverdale's last tour before he retires from performing. The bassist says she's learning the songs until the tour begins in eight weeks.
“I need to put in a lot of effort with [Whitesnake] because I didn’t grow up listening to that. It wasn’t the kind of music I listened to. But obviously, they have a plethora of epic hits, so I want to do them justice,” he says.