Q&A: Talia Goddess "Let Go"
☆ By Luis Blanco ☆
THERE IS A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN THINKING OF NEW PROJECTS AS NEW BEGINNINGS - 18-year-old, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, model and DJ Talia Goddess’ latest single “Let Go” serves as a farewell to the past and a hello to her next chapter in moving forward. Wintertime can be self-reflective when thinking about our memories and what we aim to accomplish as the new year unravels, and lyrically this song transcends listeners into thinking of the duality between love and loss, and a modern perspective of experiencing a heartbreak. Following with her volumes of ballads collected within the year, Talia releases visuals that encompass a reminiscent feel of 90’s and early 2000’s art. Raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Talia’s scenery displays multiple spots in New York that represent who Talia is and where she comes from.
Instigated by her soulful voice, we’re thinking about our past lovers and the difficulties of recovering after going through a break-up. “Let Go” reminds us that being emotional is a part of being human. With the strength embedded in Talia’s music, we know we can be strong, too. In launching her own record label, Trance Records, Talia has been producing her own music, having experience in being a multi-instrumentalist. Goddess is not only a rising star in the music industry but has been claimed as one of the top go-to DJ’s in NYC youth scene. All of which her work clearly states her passion for making music and how artistry is created not only with taste but with a heart of gold.
Ultimately, her musicality is expressed in a divergent amount of forms, whether it’s utilizing her vocals, DJing, or playing instruments. Talia Goddess has taken advantage of every opportunity there is to create works of art. One of her most profound talents is producing music, having produced all her songs herself. NYC is her stomping ground and she has tapped into many different scenes, making connections, and getting the attention of others by showcasing her talent. Miss Goddess lives up to her name as a young multi-hyphenate prodigy that embodies an eclectic old soul. At so young of an age, this is proof that future generations will be going into a new era of redefining and reinventing the creative industries.
Beautiful in every shape and form, a role model stands before us that we can look up to when it comes to constructing a unique, yet nostalgic sound coming from within. Talia Goddess has no plans in changing who she is when it comes to promoting a self-portrait through her lyrical language in which is not only shown in “Let Go”, but in her upcoming project as well. When you’re feeling a mood that can be emotionally crippling, listen to Talia Goddess as she will take you on a journey you will not only daydream of, but feel alive in the darkest of times. On February 26th, Talia Goddess will start her new chapter by releasing the first single “Never Wanna Fall” off of her upcoming EP Poster Girl. Read below to learn more about the message behind “Let Go”, the evolving visual side of her work and more.
LUNA: How are you doing lately and how are you taking care of yourself these days?
TALIA: I’m pretty good - the past few months I’ve been tapping into my art. I think that between graduating high school, taking a gap year and the global pandemic, I've had a lot of time to really just work on my eye and really get a gauge of what direction trying to go with it. It's been super reflective and fulfilling getting to know myself in this way.
LUNA: How have you kind of seen your creative process shift over this time?
TALIA: The biggest shift has just been the ability to not perform and just being around people and living in New York city - the culture and the people have been such a major source of my inspiration.
I have a set up in my room, so I’ve got that all set up which has been super nice. In terms of where my inspiration comes from, I’m pulling from my different places and this journey. We're all navigating this and trying to understand, and this within itself is inspiring in a way.
LUNA: Aside from New York and the pandemic, what’s been inspiring you these days?
TALIA: I've been listening to a lot of an overwhelming amount of music because Spotify recently released the Spotify Wrapped so I asked all my friends to send me theirs so I can go through it.
LUNA: Who’s on your Spotify wrapped?
TALIA: My top artist was Kali Uchis and she's dope. I’ve been listening to a lot of Erykah Badu, Kali Uchis, Beyonce - she’s really been the vibe. Thundercat too as well as Tame Impala’s latest album.
What’s also been really inspiring is a break up I had a few months ago. The thing about dating an artist is you know I’ll make songs about you. So I have all these love songs and now it’s time for the heartbreak songs. That’s the energy I’ve been on lately.
LUNA: Your recent track, “Let Go” really has a strong emotive flow to it and it has almost kind of a stripped down feel. Sonically, what direction do you see your music going in now?
TALIA: “Let Go” is a piece of a collection that I'm hoping to release soon, which is really a small capsule of songs I've been working on from an emotional time. The way I do music, especially being that I produce my music, is that there are songs that I make for myself and there are songs that I make with the intention to release to the world. “Let Go” is a breakup song and I was honestly was speaking from the heart and just wanted it to feel super airy and like hypnotic, just like super trancy, and I say that word because I recently launched my record label “Trance”, and the type of music that I make and that I aim to make is very much that with the intention to stimulate people's emotions and evoke those feelings. I think the beautiful thing about music is that you can put together the words that other people may not have.
LUNA: What type of role do you think the listeners playing when you’re making music?
TALIA: I think because I haven't really released a body of work it's hard to get a gauge on who's listening to my music. So I don't usually think about that. That song specifically, “Let Go”, I was thinking about this song is for my ex - I’m talking to you.
So the listener can either assume the role of this is something you can relate to, or almost like a bystander hearing me speak about this.
My music is a reflection of me. My career is a journey that I want to take people on and just to see the ups and downs of life, adulthood and understanding what's going on in my little teenage life.
LUNA: How would you compare the feel of the rest of the project to “Let Go”?
TALIA: The theme is pretty consistent; whether I'm in love or not. The songs were made over a span of three relationships more or less. I would encapsulate this upcoming project as my high school years and experience. It's pretty consistent and not the entire thing is about that, but that's the general theme in terms of the vibe.
I definitely do experiment with genres - I think the inner producer in me gives me that liberty which I fucking love and take advantage of. So I have a bit of dancey tracks, some ballad songs, R&B of course and hip hop. It’s about finding a nice balance that can kind of overlap and makes sense together.
LUNA: On the flip side, the video for “Let Go” is super vibey. What role are you tending to play with the visual side of your work and do you see that evolving more?
TALIA: That video probably cost me like $5. It was just me and my friends with my little GoPro camera, and this dress I was supposed to wear to prom, but it never happened. I was like, “you know what? I got my license, let’s do something!”
When I think about my music and my visuals, especially being at an intersection between music, fashion, lifestyle and nightlife, it's allowed me to really just reimagine how the role that my visual plays.
I'm used to being a model and being sort of a muse for brands and things like that. So it’s still an interesting process of how do I represent myself on my own projects? I think a key part of that is just New York and my New York style. Keeping it real and keeping it true. I'm also playing into this Talia Goddess fantasy that I've created on social media that is super glammy and super mysterious.
I guess the goal as I work with my peers is to keep that organic feel. A quote that really resonates with me is “progress, not perfection.”
I can't stress that enough that we are in a pandemic, so I don’t want to paint an image that isn’t real. There's no need for that.
When I think about my visual identity I also think about my sexuality and how I kind of hop between and play between femininity and masculinity. That's something I dabble in a lot and it’s something that’s an intrinsic part of me. So as I continue to make visuals, I'm excited to play around with how I represent myself, my visual appearance and the concepts that I make.
LUNA: I think what you said is kind of important - you have to start somewhere. Everyone kind of forgets that we look to more established artists who have budgets and they didn’t do it overnight. Make your DIY video with your friends to start somewhere.
TALIA: Yeah and I think people can appreciate that more. I'm an independent artist. I don't have a label budget and I'm not going to run a facade as if I do? There's also a level of being able to relate to that. I think a major part of my artistry is just being relatable in the sense that having gone through heartbreak, I be going through the motions and it's not that different from other people and I think that's super important to connect with people. That's what I aim to do - connect and inspire people.
LUNA: You found the record label and creative agency Trance, which is really exciting! Can you share a little about what led you to creating it and how it's all going?
TALIA: Trance is actually a rebrand of a collective that I started in high school called Not No Typical and that wasn't a label. I went to a performing arts school so I knew a lot of creatives, so it was an opportunity for us to kind of work together and do events and projects. With that collective, we did an art mural in Bushwick that's still out there, we did a bunch of jam sessions with merchandise, we did poetry nights too. It was super cool and we were building a community where young, creative people can actually come together. The issue with that though is that I was in high school, I was also a musician and it was just like a lot.
Now I have way more time so Trance is a rebrand of that and honing in on music. I’m working with producers and visual artists to create media and mediums that can work with this new age of entertainment and music. It’s super, super, super new, and it's really in the baby stages right now, but essentially where I'm aiming to go with it is to be able to give resources to artists, local artists, whether that's with like studio time, and I'm actually looking to build a studio for Trance and just providing that space and that those relationships to build content. That's where it's at right now. and I'm really excited to just see where it goes.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for 2021?
TALIA: My intentions for 2021 are to scream to the world. I don't know if it was that New York energy in me, but we’re really never sleeping and we're still here, you know?I think like if there's anything this pandemic has taught me is that life is a gift and that's why it's called the present. I feel like we took life for granted, and so with that, just living unconditionally and really going after what it is that I want to do. So 2021 is just a year full of releases, projects, content, collaboration and community.
CONNECT WITH TALIA GODDESS
SOUNDCLOUD
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From Pavietra 🕊️ https://t.co/BXVgWlZud8 -
slowthai by Rosie Matheson 🤩 https://t.co/z7SDfFQ5iF
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RT @i_D: Ian Kenneth Bird photographs young punks on Polaroid: https://t.co/MKT0tMUqO9 https://t.co/a0tTl12ML5
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RT @AnOtherMagazine: #DreamHome – this isolated idyll in the mountains of Lanzarote 🌵 📸 via Nowness, photography by Clemence Blr 🔁 https://t.co/GUusdxD0cg
