INTERVIEW WITH... LONDON SINGER/SONGWRITER TALI SPEAR

Tali Shear is up and incoming independent Singer and Songwriter hailing from North-West London. Tali released her debut single ‘Daytime’ in 2018 and for being a finalist in both the GIGS Big Busk 2015 and 2016 contests. Her latest single ‘Fool’ is vocally haunting and reminiscent of fellow British Songstresses like Emeli Sande and Adele. In my interview with Tali we chat about her music, musical inspirations, and much more below.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Let’s talk about your new single ‘Fool’. What’s the inspiration behind it? What was the entire writing and recording process like?

TALI SPEAR: Fool is a very honest account of how I felt after being mistreated by someone I fell for. The lyrics and melody all came to me pretty quickly as I just poured out every emotion I felt that day onto the piano and paper. So I reckon it was all written within 2/3 hours. I actually recorded it a few years ago now but always felt very unsure about releasing it because it was obviously very personal for me. But now with a few years of distance from the event, I listen to the song and just feel proud of what I've written so I felt it was definitely time to share it for others to relate to and enjoy.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Are you working on any new music currently? Will it have a similar vibe as ‘Fool’?

TALI SHEAR: I wanted to challenge myself to write an EP of more happy and upbeat songs because most of my songs are sad love songs. But then lockdown came along and I found it really difficult to inspire myself to write some happier lyrics. So at the moment I'm just writing some soppy love and heartbreak song which definitely have a similar vibe to Fool.

https://youtu.be/e7fYP8Z2Vqo

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How did you begin as a singer and songwriter?

TALI SHEAR: I've been singing since I was around 6 years and my mum is also a music teacher so there's always been a bunch of instruments around the house since I was really young. When I was around 12 years old I used to write poems or short paragraphs to help deal with any difficult emotions I was feeling. I remember one day sitting by the piano and deciding to start teaching myself some chords. From there I put a poem I'd written about my grandma to some chords I'd learnt and realised I really enjoyed stringing the two together. And from there I just never really stopped!

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Where do you normally draw inspiration from when you write music?

TALI SHEAR: When I was younger I used to write about family members and especially the pain of losing a family member. But in the last few years I've mainly been focusing on relationships I've been in or the way I've viewed relationships in general. It's really interesting to see the changes in the way I wrote about relationships a few years ago to now. So if you're reading this and we've dated, chances are I've written a song about you.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: If you could collaborate with any artist past or present who would you collab with and why?

TALI SHEAR: I've always wanted to write a track with Tom Odell. He has always been a big inspiration of mine as I absolutely love his song writing and the uniqueness of his voice.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Throwing in a fun one here... What’s your favorite ’90s jam?

TALI SHEAR: Very tough to pick just one! I'm going to have to be really annoying and pick two. Either 'Killing Me Softly With His Song' by the Fugees or 'No Scrubs' by TLC.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What is one of your favorite things about being a songwriter?

TALI SHEAR: I love that I don't need to rely on anyone to be a songwriter. During lockdown it's been a great thing to do to make the hours fly by. It's also great as I can share my songs if I feel proud and confident in them, or can keep them just for my own ears if I feel like it. I love how my song writing is completely on my terms and can be both very public or very private.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Are there any artists that have been “On Repeat” for you lately? What music have you been listening to?

TALI SHEAR: I've been listening to Mathilda Homer a lot recently, big fan of her music! I've also just been listening to a lot of old playlists I made. Lockdown has been so strange but I've found comfort in listening to some playlists from 2+ years ago. They remind me of some really good times.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: To end, what is next on the horizon for you, Tali? Thank you for your time! :)

TALI SHEAR: I'm looking to do some more collabs in the near future. Would be great to co-write again once lockdown restrictions ease. And I'm also definitely going to be writing that upbeat EP at some point, so get ready for that!

You can stream Tali Shear’s ‘Fool’ here.

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