Talia Mar: “I hope I can give people confidence; that is my main drive in life”
The musician talks motherhood, being an independent artist and staying true to herself.
Photo: Press
Talia Mar has been a standout presence in the UK streaming space over the past decade and has been consistently releasing music alongside these ventures. Charting multiple times, Talia has been impressively balancing all of this for a long time and, following some huge life changes occurring last year, she’s returned with a bang to release her first track since previous single Suit & Tie dropped in February of 2025.
We chatted to the powerhouse regarding her latest powerful single, Lady, which was released in April, and addresses important topics surrounding what it is like to be a woman in today’s world and how Talia envisions the future she would like her daughter to experience.
We’ve seen you direct and even edit your own music videos before. What was the vision for the Lady music video, and how does it visually represent the song’s themes?
I wanted to give the song a story that essentially I hadn’t told in the lyrics, to give a bit more of a perspective on the experiences I had growing up. I touched on topics to do with food, the industry and how I felt like I had been a puppet at times. I wanted to show my personal experiences whilst still talking from the perspective of women everywhere.
In a previous interview, you talked about going independent and wanting to release music that ‘actually meant something’, not just sounded cool. How does Lady represent the full creative freedom you’ve fought for?
I think that had I written Lady when I wasn’t independent, it wouldn’t have been something that was even considered as a single. It isn’t up tempo, summery or ticking boxes that the industry wants for a single release. It was really nice to write something that I really loved and put it out there as a release!
Last year, you released the empowering Suit & Tie, which dealt with power dynamics and independence. How does Lady feel like a natural next step or evolution from that mindset now that you’re a new mum?
Suit and Tie was written years ago, and Lady was written as the first song post birth so, naturally, my life had changed a lot. I think that really comes out in the lyrics and in the music. They feel like sister tracks production-wise, and they sit really nicely together. Lady was further along in my life, and I really think the storyline tells that.
You’ve shared that Lady was the first song you wrote after having your daughter, Juni. When you sat down to write her first song, what thoughts were running through your head, and what was the initial emotion you wanted to capture?
I was talking in a session about a scenario where someone had made a comment about Juni being a ‘Lady’, and it was more me telling the story that sparked the themes of the song and how I was feeling a little disheartened, but also hopeful, and then it all spilt out as we started writing.
The song addresses the pressures of ‘being a lady’ versus teaching true womanhood. Looking at Juni now, what’s the most important thing you want her to understand about strength and self-worth?
I want her to understand that her opinion matters and she should never be silenced for any reason. I hope I can instil that in her, and I will do my absolute best to make sure she is always heard.
Your sound has been described as ‘pop with an R&B edge’. Were there any specific artists or songs from the ‘90s and noughties that inspired the soundscape of this track or upcoming releases?
I am heavily influenced by a lot of ‘90s [and] noughties music. I was a massive fan of Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Whitney [Houston], Aaliyah — all of the icons. When it comes to Lady specifically, there was no sound I was necessarily going for; I wanted it to fit the lyrics. Every song coming up maybe pulls from someone different, but I don’t even realise we're doing it, it just happens naturally.
As Lady storms the Top 10 on iTunes, for a fan who is just finding your music, what one message do you hope they carry with them after listening to this song and others in your catalogue?
I hope I can give people confidence; that is my main drive in life. I want people to feel like themselves and feel happy in doing so. I know it can be a tough journey, and I really hope that my music can give even one person that confidence.
Apologies for the potentially sensitive question. You recently became an Ambassador for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and have been fundraising at Jingle Jam. You mentioned suicide prevention is ‘really, really close to my heart’. What had planted the seed for that cause in your life, and what responsibility do you feel as a leader in this space? What changes would you like to make for our generation and future generations regarding this subject matter?
I briefly touched on this before, but I did unfortunately lose someone to suicide, and I would like to do everything in my power to ensure no one experiences what her family did and what me and my friends did at the time. I would love for people to talk more openly about it. I think that suicide being a taboo subject is quite dangerous, and the more that people are open and free in the conversation, the less it will happen because people will have a safe space to talk.
In your vlogs, you’re streaming games and filming reaction content alongside your music career. How do you stay creatively challenged across three separate disciplines (singing, streaming, vlogging) without feeling burnt out? If you do feel like that, what gives you the strength you need to get up in the morning and push through?
It is natural for everyone to feel burnt out, even when you feel like you’re not doing much! What gives me the strength and motivation is making sure everything I do is 100% true to myself. It means I can continue doing what I am doing and love doing it without burning out because it’s my life and work weaving into one.
Hosting gaming parties on Twitch is different from making pop music in a studio. You’ve often said the creator community is incredibly supportive. If you could only pick one streamer/artist to collab with on your next big creative project, whether that be streaming or music, who would it be and what would you make?
I would love to do something with a girl group; it isn’t something that happens very often because there are already multiple members in a group, so they don’t need to work with other artists. I would love to work with Say Now or FLO or an up-and-coming girl group because it’s such a fun and girly space!
As an independent artist who does everything from writing to planning campaigns to directing videos, you must have a million ideas colliding at once. What’s the most unconventional thing you’ve learned about yourself since becoming a new mum that directly changed how you approach a workday now?
I wouldn’t say I have learned something about me that has directly changed my workday, but I would say that I have learned about how to spend my time. My time now is mainly spent with my daughter, so when there is time I have allocated for work, it needs to be so much more streamlined and thought about than just off the cuff. That is quite different for me as someone who enjoys spontaneity and taking things in the moment. I have to have much more structure, which has been difficult and different, but ultimately rewarding!
Finally, with over 800,000 followers on Twitch, millions across socials, and a hit song about shaping a new world for Juni, what’s the one piece of advice you hope your followers remember when they’re having a tough day?
My biggest piece of advice is to keep going and keep trying, no matter how hard it might seem. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even when it really feels like there isn’t. Whatever extenuating circumstances it may be, there is always something to look forward to, even if you don’t know what that is yet. Just hold on.
You can also find this interview in print. Pre-order Issue 2 of The Indie Scene Magazine here.
