In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up & coming stars on the planet.   

This time it’s the half-Iranian, half-English singer and production powerhouse, TĀLĀ, who’s creating truly global music for the post-geography generation.

Raised on a cosmopolitan diet of Persian music, “cheesy pop”, UK garage and the golden era of American R&B, this former BRIT school student has gone on to create some of the most vibrant, multicultural music in recent times. Thus far she’s dropped 3 EPs: her mysterious debut The Duchess, its full-throttle follow-up Alchemy and the globe-trotting MALIKA which features a veritable treasure trove of eclectic of musicians the world over including Turkish pop singer Atiye, Korean girl group WA$$UP and Egyptian MCs Sadat and Alaa Fifty.

To be sure, TĀLĀ’s manifold music exposes us to a wealth of ideas and cultural contexts - in this sense her music provides a profoundly educational purpose - but somehow the sheer extent and voracity of her cross-cultural exchange takes us even further, into completely unchartered territory; into a world between worlds.

With a name derived from the Farsi word for ‘gold’, we can’t help but think how wonderfully apt ‘TĀLĀ’ is for an artist so confident in name, and in practice.

We caught up with the South-London songstress, following the release of her tropical new cut 'Talk 2 Me', to chat travel, inspiration and UK club culture. Here’s what she had to say…

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TMR: Your eclectic music suggests an equally eclectic set of influences. What are some of your musical and non-musical inspirations?

TĀLĀ: Travel has always been really important and a really big inspiration for me. Experiencing new places and cultures and discovering music from the countries I've travelled to has always played a major part in the music I create.

TMR: Travel and cross-cultural exchange seem integral to your music (as suggested by your use of samples, your videos, and your collaborations - most notably on the MALIKA EP). In what ways do travel and experiencing other cultures affect you and your music?

TĀLĀ: When you travel to a new place, your senses are experiencing so much, from what you hear, what you see, what you smell and the food you eat. That experience you take from that adventure is enough to inspire music or anything you create so it doesn't always need to come from the music you discover. The main thing is the experiences and the adventures I've had. I've been lucky enough to visit some amazing places and collected amazing samples on the way. I’ve recorded stuff that I've been able to use in my music, sometimes it’s just on my phone. It’s like capturing a memory and then I put that in my music. To me, when I hear it, I always think of that place and that’s something quite special.



TMR: In addition to engaging with other cultures, MALIKA also sounds like (at least) some of its roots can be found in the atmosphere of the club. How do you feel about the club space and the music it creates?

TĀLĀ: I feel like particularly the UK's underground scene and the club are very important. The underground scene is where I came from and the music that I grew up listening to that has influenced me and continues to influence me as an artist. The UK has a very important and influential underground scene and the club culture has played a major part in supporting those underground artists/DJs and has been a space where people can discover new music. It's this culture that makes me feel proud to be from the UK.

TMR: More than most music out there, TĀLĀ really feels like a project that has a purpose. Would you agree? If so, what is that purpose?

TĀLĀ: Yeah, I'd like to feel that my project does have purpose because it comes from the right place. The purpose for me is to make good music, and to work with other people that are making good music and continually push boundaries, and keep creating. To me, music really is the universal language and has no boundaries. It brings people together from all different backgrounds, cultures and ages and can be unifying. When I travelled to Egypt last year to work with Sadat and Alaa 50 for my MALIKA project, I remember sitting with them at their record label (100 Copies) and thinking how amazing our jobs as artists are. Firstly I’m sitting in Cairo, we don't speak the same language and we come from such different cultural backgrounds and places in the world. We had a translator but really we were just working off the energy amongst each other and none of that mattered cos we all shared the love and appreciation for good music. Bringing people together through my music is a huge thing for me.



TMR: Many haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing your music live. What could we expect from a TĀLĀ set?

TĀLĀ: With the live show I always want to engage the audience’s senses. I want it to go beyond just sound. I want to push boundaries and challenge the audience on a multi-sensory level. I am meticulous with detail and because of that it’s going to be a constantly evolving project, experimenting with new ways that I can achieve that. It's a one-woman band and I'm in complete control which has its challenges but also makes it really exciting to perform.

TMR: You’ve had a handful of videos thus far (including ‘Serbia’, ‘Alchemy’ and last year’s ‘Wolfpack’) alongside a run of excellent front covers. How involved do you get in the visual side of things?

TĀLĀ: I'm always involved in the visual side of things, from the artwork to the videos, to the look of my live show. I think it’s a very important part of being an artist today. It’s not a separate entity to me, the music and the art are completely part of the same package. I’m a perfectionist and I’m always conscious of that and hope that’s not too challenging for other visual artists to work with but in my experience me having so many ideas and wanting to be involved has been a real positive.



TMR: You recently produced an official remix of Katy Perry’s ‘Rise’. There have always been pop elements in your music but, if you don’t mind us saying, this came as a quite a surprise! How did this opportunity come about? Is working with Western popstars something you’d like to explore further?

TĀLĀ: I've been thinking about doing a remix for a while and I wanted to have a real vision for the first song that I did and the right song just hadn't come along. When Katy's team asked if I wanted to do the remix for ‘Rise’ and I heard the song I had a vision straight away. I loved how epic the song and her vocals sounded and it gave me lots of room to play with it. I am always open to working with artists from all backgrounds and all genres, for me it’s about the music and the artist and whether I think I can add something to it.

TMR: What would be your dream collaboration?

TĀLĀ: I have so many ideas of people I want to work with and it changes constantly, there is so much music I am constantly finding so it changes all the time. However, two people I would jump at the chance to work with are Timbaland and A.R. Rahman, scrap that… work with them both together. That would be some crazy collaboration.



TMR: We’re a blog specializing in new music so are there any up-and-coming artists you’re really enjoying lately?

TĀLĀ: There is a sick producer called LOXE you should check out. He's most known for his work with NAO but also has a solo project that is dope. My friend recently played me some of Murlo's music. Really sick vibes. Eddy Temple Morris recently sent me this crazy track called 'Hert' by an Iranian producer Mahdyar Aghajani featuring rapper Dariush. You should check it out.

TMR: What does the rest of 2016/2017 hold for TĀLĀ?

TĀLĀ: I took a bit of a break this year however during that time I've been making a lot of music. I feel like I've really focused in on what I want to do and you can expect a constant flow of music now and continuing into 2017.

TĀLĀ’s Zāl EP, which features 'Talk 2 Me', is out 9th December.

-Karl Jawara