Success can look pretty glamorous from the outside. Big dreams, bigger achievements, and the feeling that you have finally made it. But what happens when reaching the top comes with a price? Tegan Clark’s latest single, Tallest Businessman, has some fun with that question while quietly hiding a much darker story underneath its catchy surface.
There is an interesting contrast at the heart of the song. On one side, Tegan gives us bright pop production and memorable melodies that feel playful, carefree, and almost cinematic. On the other, the song digs into the sacrifices that ambition can demand and the possibility that chasing success too far can leave behind a trail of regret.
That contrast is what makes Tallest Businessman so much fun to listen to. The track carries the kind of carefree energy associated with films like Clueless and Legally Blonde, giving it a colourful, confident personality. It is easy to get swept up in the glossy feeling of achievement before realising that there is something much more haunting sitting beneath all that sparkle.
Even more interesting is the history behind the song. Tallest Businessman is one of Tegan Clark’s oldest compositions, originally written when she was just 16 during a 30-minute songwriting challenge set by her TAFE teacher. Years later, the song has grown alongside her, eventually finding its finished form through production from MattyMadeIt.
Something is fitting about that journey. A song written by a teenager thinking through ambition and success has now become part of Tegan’s debut album, Sick or in Love. It feels like a piece of her younger self has travelled through the years with her, picking up new meaning along the way.
Tegan’s songwriting is rooted in curiosity and vulnerability, and that comes through in the way she approaches Tallest Businessman. Rather than simply celebrating success, she looks at the emotional consequences that can come with wanting more. The result is relatable without becoming overly heavy, with the catchy production giving the song plenty of personality.
It also sits comfortably within the wider musical world Tegan has been developing. Her sound moves through Pop/Alternative, Indie and Soul, drawing inspiration from artists including Olivia Dean, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and Matt Corby. That blend gives her plenty of room to experiment while keeping the songwriting at the centre.
Tallest Businessman* follows The Sun is also a Star and Love Garden, continuing a year that has already seen Tegan release two singles and her first music video. Where The Sun is also a Star brought whimsical and quirky visual energy, Love Garden explored a darker side with distorted guitars and sensual guitar melodies. The new single adds another layer, pairing an accessible pop sound with a more reflective idea about what success can really cost.
With her Bachelor of Contemporary Music from Southern Cross University behind her and her debut album approaching, Tegan Clark is clearly entering an important new chapter. At 23, she is still figuring out what it means to have her own voice, but Tallest Businessman shows an artist comfortable with looking back, questioning things, and letting old ideas evolve into something new.
As the third and final single ahead of Sick or in Love, Tallest Businessman feels like a playful final tease before the full album arrives. It may sound like a celebration of having it all, but listen a little closer and there is a warning hiding in the chorus: sometimes the view from the top is not quite as perfect as it looks.
Tegan Clark shares vibrant pop statement, balancing playful melodies with a deeper story about ambition, sacrifice and the price of success
