Brit School alumni Talia Mar is a force to be reckoned with.

Around seven years ago Talia began sharing content on YouTube, amassing more than one million subscribers and accumulating over 100 million views. fast forward to today and her social media presence has garnered an impressive following of over 3.9 million fans who call themselves “Martians“. 

You may also know the songwriter as a guest vocalist on Sigala’s critically acclaimed hit Stay The Night and for her captivating performance alongside him at Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball. Additionally, she has contributed to other notable songs such as Sweet Lies by Nathan Dawe and Good On You by Alex Hobson. These are only a few achievements that highlight Mar’s undeniable musical talent.

Now, Talia is embarking on her solo career, recently unveiling her gorgeous debut single, Self Portrait. The music video which was directed by Kassandra Powell, features Talia contemplating her identity through various reflective surfaces such as mirrors, glass, crystals, and TV screens. It serves as a metaphor for the way toxic relationships can distort one’s self-perception, reminding viewers to prioritize self-care and embrace their true, confident selves. 

1883 Magazine speaks to Talia Mar about her debut release, collaborating with Sigala and how it affected her career, plus much more.

You recently released your first solo single, Self Portrait, which is super exciting. What inspired the song and how was the whole creative process?

I really wanted a song that felt self-empowering. It is all about girl power and putting yourself first and the other side of when you come out of a relationship – whether it’s a friendship, a romantic relationship or else, and you feel a bit down on yourself and you have that moment of like realization of like, you know what, I’m actually so much better than they made me feel. Sometimes it’s hard to put these things into words. So you’ve got to sing about it, do you know what I mean?

I also really enjoyed the music video for the song. How did that whole idea come about and how involved are you in the whole planning process for music videos?

Normally I’m a bit of a control freak. I like to have control over everything but for this video, there were so many different routes that we could go down. I just loved the way that the director, Kass, portrayed it and she seemed like she genuinely loved the music and she was really excited. We jumped on a Zoom and she sort of had this idea of me being in an art installation and being this piece that’s untouchable. And there’s a boy who’s trying to get control and it’s like, but you’re past that and I just love the way that she spoke about it. It all came together really quickly though, it was a case of weeks.

That’s the dream. You also collaborated with the likes of Sigala and Nathan Dawe – now that you are doing your solo music, how have those collaborations contributed to your growth as an artist and your whole musical style?

I was so lucky to get to essentially jump into such progressed music. They are so far in their careers and they’re doing so well, I feel like I got to basically watch a masterclass on what to do. It definitely helped just from the sense of that I have been at these shows and I’ve been in these rooms and I’ve got the advice from these people that know what they’re doing. It definitely helps just mentally.

Yeah, I can imagine. Did it feel daunting to put your own music out there?

I was a bit nervous, but I think I’ve been so excited for it. I was so ready and I love the song so much. I did have a bit of an internal panic but it’s fine, haha. 

Your fans seem to have responded so well to it, too! I know you call them Martians, how did that whole name come about?

Yeah, my fans are honestly the best. It was years ago, someone on Twitter I think said it. They were having a whole discussion because they wanted it to be with Mar, my last name. So they were saying Marlettes, like Starlettes. But I just loved the idea of Martians, we’re all a little bit weird and not from this planet. We’re basically all aliens from somewhere else and we just found each other.

Haha, Martians makes so much sense when you think about it! You have also got an upcoming EP on the way, which has been in the making for two years, right? Can you share something about that already or is it still top secret?

It’s still top secret. I’ve been writing this EP essentially for the last however many years. There’s just been so much music that’s now changed the whole trajectory of this EP. I honestly couldn’t even tell you. We’ve got so many songs, we are now trying to decide what’s gonna make the cut and what’s gonna maybe be later or what’s not gonna come out. But hopefully I’ll get to put that out sooner or later. 

That’s so exciting!  How do you decide what goes into the EP, do you have a process for it?

There’s so many people now on my team, it’s not just me, there’s a good 10 people that decide what happens, and there could be six people going yes, love this, and the others are going, I hate that song, so at the end of the day I have to really love it and feel like it fits. And there are some songs that I love but they just make no sense on this EP, and maybe those will come out in like five years. 

Oh gosh, I can imagine. Do you remember the first ever song you wrote or recorded?

It was called Dark Room when I was eight. It was emotional. The lyrics are like, sitting in this dark room alone, wishing I had you to hold onto. And I’m like, I’m eight years old, who was I wishing I was holding onto at eight? 

Haha, I love that, it’s hilarious what we came up with when we were kids. It’s all about the progress isn’t it! Do you have any gigs and festivals coming up soon?

I’m coming on with Nathan at We Are Festival which I’m really excited about because I’ve not done a festival before so it will be my first one.

Ah, exciting! Finally, do you have any pre-show rituals to calm your nerves before you enter the stage? 

Just a red bull and then we just go. If I think too much, it’s detrimental.

Self-Portrait is out now. Follow Talia Mar @taliamar

Interview Antonia Kuenzel