Project Description
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Interview with
TALITHA JAE
(12th August 2021)
Interview by Dave Bruce
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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
I come from a musical family so it was always a big dream – I was pretty disappointed when I got to 14 and hadn’t released an album like Leann Rimes! It took me a while longer – I realised that I couldn’t just record other peoples songs, that I needed something of my own. I wrote one song at 16 and hated it so much I didn’t write another one for about 10 years. Even then I was severely lacking confidence in my abilities and it was about a year again until the next. Eventually I saw an ad on Facebook about a songwriting circle at a local music store and that’s where it all began for me. The group was so supportive and really helped kick things into motion and I haven’t looked back since.
How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
My sound is pretty laid back but full of emotion. I think my favourite part about performing my songs is watching the thought processes and the feelings of people in the audience. I like to call it a journey through the feels. Some of the songs have slightly different feels, some are a little more upbeat and boppy, some are totally chilled out and perfect to sway along to with a glass of red, some are pure heart wrenching ballads. No matter what feel or genre they happen to be, they’ve all got one thing in common, and that’s real emotion and stories weaved into them.
Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
Oh gosh, there are so many. I’m heavily influenced by female artists. I grew up listening to lots of female singer-songwriters, from Jewel to Missy Higgins and Delta Goodrem. However, my top four fav girlies that I often refer to are Laura, Norah, Clare and Eva. Laura Marling has so many amazing songs and I fell in love with her music years ago. I was late to jump onto the Norah Jones train, I’d heard a few of her songs, and been told I have a similar vibe, but it wasn’t until a few years ago a friend insisted I learn one of her songs that I got really hooked and couldn’t believe what I’d missed out on. Clare Bowditch is just the most amazing and inspirational person, in her musical abilities, and in so many other ways. Getting to open the show and meet her in 2019 is an experience I’ll never forget and be forever grateful for. And Eva Cassidy, she was just so amazing at letting the feels shine through the songs she sang.
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Your new EP has just been released/! Describe its origin and evolution.
This EP was such a long time coming! I’d wanted to make a CD my whole life, then I had all the songs, but the financial side of things were a huge hurdle. I was lucky (I say lucky but it was actually thanks to a huge amount of hard work on my application) enough to receive a Regional Arts Development Fund Grant at the end of 2020 which funded a large chunk of the project. From there it was just choosing which songs to do when. I ended up going with a selection of my most popular original songs. I recorded with Nigel Pegrum at Pegasus Recording Studios and it was such an amazing experience – he just got my vibe perfectly and made the songs really come to life!
Is there an Album on the drawing board?
There’s already an album planned next – full of songs with positive and inspirational messages about mental health. I’ve got so much planned for the next project already but it might take a few years to get it all together.
Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
I had a sneaky launch event last month up in Cairns which was such a great night and I’ve had really amazing, heart-warming feedback from people about it. I’ve got a couple of festivals coming up towards the end of the year (yet to be announced), and I’d love to get some kind of tour happening at some stage but it’s all a bit tricky with COVID hanging around. The best way to stay in the loop is to like and follow my Facebook page (HERE) and sign up to the mailing list on my website (I don’t spam, I promise – who even has time for that?).
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How has COVID affected you to date? What have you introduced to balance the losses from missed events?
Oh gosh, it’s been a blessing in some areas, and a curse in others. Losing work and gigs and eventually my rental in 2020 was tough, having my stuff still in storage while I live with family is not fun but I know I’m so lucky that I have people I can stay with. It was hard being away from family, but we had a few zoom catch ups and lots of chats on the phone. I’ve had a few health issues in the past year and a half and I honestly don’t know how I would have coped with some of them if I had have been still working and gigging as usual. I did, however, take up livestreaming on Facebook (perhaps a little too eargerly at first with multiple streams a week) which was great. Music is my happy place and it was so lovely to be able to still do what I loved and bring joy to others at the same time. It was also amazing to connect with people all across the world and make new fans. Having the time off also allowed me to put together the grant application which led to my being able to make the album. I spent a good two months on it and I know it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good if I didn’t have that time to put into it.
So yeah, 2020 was not so great in some ways, and quite scary at times, but it also allowed me to focus my energy where it was really needed at the time and I’ve ended up with some pretty good outcomes because of it, so I really can’t complain. You’ve got to take the bad with the good and the good with the bad.
If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Ah, another hard question. I think any of my top four fav girlies would be amazing (if I actually made it through and didn’t pass out from excitement)!
Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
I just want to be able to keep making music, and to keep making people feel! It really is the best feeling in the world seeing your songs touch people. When I’ve got my next album ready to go I’d really love to take it on tour, and not just the usual tour (but also the usual tour), but to take it to schools, universities, and community events and start conversations, raise awareness, and spread the good feelings among those that might not always get the chance to attend a usual show!
Oh, and I really want to be on spicks and specks haha!
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What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The best thing is watching the audience really connect with what you’re singing about – really making them feel. My career highlight is definitely supporting Clare Bowditch at her Cairns show in 2019. I think the type of crowd she attracts was a perfect match for me and my storytelling and chit chat too, they were so engaged and appreciative. Meeting Clare was amazing and she was so encouraging and even mentioned she’d noticed I had them eating out of the palm of my hand the entire time. I was on a musical high that night for sure.
Holding my EP launch event was also a highlight, although it was such a blurr I didn’t have a lot of time to take it in. I’m still in the process of compiling the survey data for it but it seems like everyone was genuinely impressed which is great! Although next time I’m definitely delegating a bit more of the delegating so I can just enjoy the night – lesson learned: don’t try and do all of the jobs, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.’
Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Clare Bowditch – The Winter I Chose Happiness
Artist – Ahhhhhh! Clare Bowditch or Laura Marling
Movie – Love Actually – I watch it every Christmas
Place to visit – Always been a fan of Brisbane
Venue to play – Tanks Arts Centre – such a vibe!
Food – Anything potato!
Drink – Tea… I’m a little obsessed
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I have a treble cleff and bass cleff made into a love heart.
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EP “Spilt T” available now via iTunes and Spotify
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Follow TALITHA JAE
Website – Facebook – Spotify
Instagram – YouTube
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AMNPLIFY – DB
Press Release 5th August 2021 (below)
TALITHA JAE
Cairns singer/songwriter
releases debut EP
SPILT T
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Cairns-based singer-songwriter, Talitha Jae, is an accomplished songwriter and an artist on the rise. She is currently two singles into the release of her debut EP titled ‘Spilt T’ due for release on all streaming platforms from Friday, August 6.
Whilst her musical style does sit on the fence of folk, indie, pop, country, jazz and blues, Talitha’s melodic mash-up tells quite a relatable narrative, her soft, angelic and dulcet tones engaging the listener from the beginning.
The six-track EP brings together the facets in the journey of love and heartbreak. The EP opens with her debut single ‘Chasing My Tail’ referencing the frustration of navigating the modern dating scene. It moves into the phase of ‘Ambiguity’ when you’re trying to figure out where you stand with someone. At the EP’s mid-point, ‘Slow’ describes the feeling of jumping into the deep end of the relationship and not knowing how to slow it down. ‘Butterfies & Anxiety’ – Talitha’s second single – explores the emotions where you teeter on the immense sense of happiness of a newly formed relationship whilst your brain plagues you with thoughts of doubts… “what if they don’t actually like me?”. Then it progresses into heartbreak as the relationship ends with the track ‘Waterproof Mascara’. ‘Spilt T’ then closes with ‘I’m Done’, the fun upbeat ‘I’m over it’ song with a few fun ways of telling someone to get lost towards the end.
“I structured the flow of the tracklist to take listeners on a journey through the feels,” says Talitha. The “feels” is often what you will hear T refer to when describing her musical style, which incessantly strays from genre to genre.
Talitha says, “I used to attend a songwriting group with local musicians and I was struggling genre one day and a friend said ‘T, your genre is the feels’. While I protested that feels wasn’t a real option, he had a point. My songs all come from strong emotions and it’s my way of working through what I’m feeling… it’s real and it’s raw and I think that comes through.”
It was through this songwriting group that Talitha started to pave her way to creating a catalogue of songs that she would eventually handpick from for this very EP.
Born into a musical family in Mackay and having a natural affinity for music, Talitha made the move to Far North Queensland in 2013 and it was here that she began to really evolve and grow her confidence for songwriting. Since 2018, the accolades began to roll in with her original songs affirming her as a top 10 national finalist (2018) and semi-finalist (2020) for Listen Up Music’s Songwriting Awards, placing third in the folk/acoustic category of the 2019 Australian Songwriters Association Awards and placing second at the Tablelands Folk Festival Songwriting Competition. The two later awarded in recognition for her EP tracks ‘Chasing My Tail’ and ‘Butterflies & Anxiety’.
Talitha is also a regular performer having made her very successful festival debut being booked to play three slots in 2020 at the Tablelands Folk Festival, including a spot in the coveted ‘Pub Ballroom’ venue. Talitha has also supported the likes of Pierce Brothers, The Wolfe Brothers and her most notable career highlight and an artist that she can call one of her favourites, Australian singer-songwriter Clare Bowditch.
Talitha also credits, in part, Clare for affording her the opportunity to record and professionally release ‘Spilt T’ having written a letter of support for Talitha’s application for the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) for which she was awarded a grant from earlier this year. It was through this grant that Talitha has been able to financially support this EP release.
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