FEATURE: Spotlight: Stella Talpo — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Stella Talpo

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I have included the music…

of the brilliant Stella Talpo in playlists before, yet I have never spotlighted her. That is an oversight on my part! Talpo was born in a small town outside Milan and raised in Singapore. Now based in London, Talpo has a wide range of musical influences - artists from Billie Holiday to Nirvana. Bringing something unique and exciting to British Soul and R&B, her alluring, soulful and transcendent music takes you somewhere sublime. I am keen to know more about the wonderful artist who, for a while now, has left my knees buckled. Her music is sensational. I am going to come to details about a forthcoming album. Before that, a nod back to previous interviews. A chance to discover more about the brilliant Stella Talpo. I am going to start with an interview from 202. During lockdown – at a time when we were all shut away -, Talpo spoke with PRS for Music about her music, in addition to what she had been doing such a strange time:

“What have been your golden rules for staying creative in lockdown?

1. Being patient and compassionate with yourself. It goes a long way.

2. Giving myself the luxury of time and not being so demanding with my productivity. I’ve been reminding myself it's okay to not feel this constant desire to be creative right now given everything that’s going on but rather be like, ‘Okay, this is really happening, how can I nurture myself so that I can be of service to the community, what do I really feel good about doing right now with my time.’

3. Creativity comes when you least expect it, not when you most want it so another golden rule is to be generous with yourself. You can afford a day off, in fact I’ve found the days off are when the songs and words actually start a-flowing. I spent too many years playing the tortured artist, the nature of creativity is not born out of struggle, which kind of leads onto next golden rule…

4. Playfulness and not scrutinising everything so much but just letting what comes come and ultimately having fun, which is why I fell in love with music to begin with. It’s been nice to have more time to just muck about rather than being so regimented in order to squeeze a London day into 24 hours.

Have you found any unexpected sources of inspiration?

Funnily enough, since slowing down I’ve been finding a lot more gratification from the repetitiveness and mundanity of practising an instrument - something I thought would never come over me. I’ve been able to listen to more music and read more books and articles as well as spend more time in nature (I love trees), which have all been feeding the ticking writer in my mind. It’ll be interesting to see how all the different elements manifest themselves into songs or lyrics soon but I must admit I’ve found it challenging to sit still and face the page since this global emergency began. I like to think of it as gathering inspiration and information for when the time comes to enter create mode.

'I think the lack of roots and sense of alienation that moving around a lot can give you comes across in my lyrics.'

You were born in Italy and raised in Singapore. How much would you say your varied background influences the music you make?

I think sonically, the cultures that I grew up in and with are yet to make their grand debut in my music, although I have finally visited my Italian-ness in mona. I like to think that the variety and the transience of my upbringing shows up in the ambiguity of my ’sound’ and my curiosity to try new things or visit and tap into different subcultures.

I think the lack of roots and sense of alienation that moving around a lot can give you comes across in my lyrics. I feel like I can’t own a narrative or a story because I’m Italian but I’m not, I’m Singaporean but I’m not, I’m English but I’m not, so in a way I guess I’m as fluid and impermanent musically and lyrically as I have been geographically and culturally.

One thing I’m certain of is how much I owe my romanticism and nostalgia, which have both hugely influenced my music and writing, to my very emotive Italian parents”.

If you are new to Stella Talpo – which many may well be -, then I hope these interviews are of use and resource. I want to bring things up to 2022. In an interview for Secret Eclectic, Talpo discussed her brilliant then-new single, Water, and the meaning behind it. This was a year when she was beginning to pick up more traction and focus:

“Describe your sound in 3 words

seductive, self-reflective, evolving / fluid

Tell us a few things about your new single Water. What is the story behind it?

‘Water’ is a playful, tongue-in-cheek track about my inner saboteur. It was born out of a frustration with my tendency to keep going back to things and behaviours I knew weren’t good for me, ‘falling into temptation’ for the instant gratification, avoiding the unavoidable. It references my struggles with mental health in my twenties and this half of me that just wanted to forget everything and just have fun, thinking it would be easier than to facing my issues head on. Guess the best way to put it is if you are a smoker trying to quit and you think, “oh, go on then”… that’s Water. It’s about the cyclical nature of that, 10 steps back for every 2 steps forward – of course, the bridge offers the self-reflection and shame that follows “giving in”, when you think, that’s the last time, no more…

Why are some people addicted to self-sabotage?

Isn’t that the golden question. I mean, it depends on the person and it depends on the context. I don’t think there’s one reason and there’s certainly many nuances and complexities within any one reason that anything I conclude in a short paragraph would be reductive. I think in my experience, it’s just learned behaviour. If we’re used to a certain kind of emotion or experience, a certain result, being conditioned with limiting beliefs in what is possible etc, we tend to unfortunately play those out unconsciously. I think low self-worth, a lack of self-belief and ultimately, fear, are huge factors for why we sabotage ourselves… fear is paralysing and we’d much rather stay in the comfort zone of the toxic cycles we’re familiar with then abandon ship and risk feeling vulnerable, unsafe or God forbid, prove to ourselves that we’re not good enough. “You can’t fail if you don’t try”, as they say. I think the misconception about self-sabotage is that if we can’t take ourselves out of it, there’s something wrong with us. It’s simply not down to willpower or lack of wanting to… we’re up against years of learnt behaviours so really until we can get to the root of why we’re afraid or why we feel a certain type of way, why we keep going back to those things / people, we’re kind of setting ourselves up for failure. Blaming ourselves for not being strong enough is another part of the cycle so it just feeds the self-sabotage to do so.

Which is your most personal and honest lyric?

That’s a tough question. They’ve all been the most personal and honest at the point of writing but I guess if I had to choose one right now… probably the first verse of ‘Water’ or the chorus to my next single, ‘Where Did I Go’, which goes: “Tell me where you want me, where you go I’ll follow. What do you think cos I’m nobody till you tell me so. Afraid of saying the wrong thing I say nothing at all… Wonder who I would have been”.

Your music is characterised by your lovely vocal delivery. Which vocalist do you admire?

Thank you 🙂 I admire so so many vocalists, it’s hard to narrow them down. I guess the vocalists I am totally in awe of are the ones you can tell are just so real and free, so present and yet ethereal that they make you feel some type of way that feels out of body. For me, they include Billie Holiday, Billie Eilish (they’re intimacy is unparalleled), Donny Hathaway, Rosalia, Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Sam Cooke. I’ve missed out loads but those are some of the vocalists who’ve really affected me.

Born in Milan, raised in Singapore, currently based in London. What do you love/hate for each place?

Oooooo, toughie. I can’t speak to Milan to be honest, because I left Italy when I was 1. If I had to hazard a guess from going back a couple times a year then I’d say, love: food, hate: being worst dressed. For Londonnnnn, love: the people, hate: the price. And Singapore, love: the food, hate: the humidity.

When did you decide to become a musician yourself?

To be honest, I wanted to be a musician / performer since I was very small, about 3. I used to walk around with one of those tape recorders just making up songs all day and learn all my favourite dances and tunes to perform to my parents’ friends when they had dinner parties (bless them for sitting through it every time). I was about 13 when I wrote my first song with a guitar. I had my whole career arc planned out because it was always, since childhood, an unwavering decision. Of course things never go to plan but if you knew how indecisive I am, you’d know how big a deal that was haha!

Your biggest fear?

Sharks and upsetting people”.

Prior to getting to details of an album that needs to be in your thoughts, I will source an interview from earlier this month. Raydar chatted with Stella Talpo about a great new song, DUST, in addition to an album that is highly anticipated and will display the full range of her emotions, talents and sonic brilliance. I think that we are all in for a real treat:

“Hailing from a small Italian town but now a well-established fixture in South London’s music scene, Stella Talpo serves up her newest track, “DUST.” The record teems with the primal energy that the singer borrowed from her previous singles “GOOD GIRLS” and “QUICKSAND,” but cranks up the intensity just a nudge. With mythological motifs setting the stage for her forthcoming debut album MEDUSA, the song serves as a raw anthem of resilience and transformation.

Talpo explains, “‘DUST’ is a call to action and a celebration of the human spirit’s resilience and ability to rise above adversity. It’s an Invitation to rise, and refers to the energy surge when a woman feels the monster within her come alive.” Elsewhere, the songstress employs an engaging narrative, painting an exhilarating journey to visit Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry, creating a palpable sense of power and exhilaration in every note.

Slated for October, her debut album MEDUSA represents a fearless exploration of societal constraints and oppressive ideals. Throughout the 11-track compilation, Stella incorporates primal and visceral imagery to confront and normalize parts of life deemed too ugly or brutal by our sanitized society. The LP weaves a rich tapestry of darkness and light, soul and electronica, realism and myth, taking inspiration from feminist literature such as the works of Gillian Alban and Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

Having spent years experimenting with different records, Stella Talpo has concocted a soulful blend of R&B that’s been laced with a hint of ethereal darkness, creating a new alt-pop sound. Below, we spoke with the singer-songwriter about her introduction to music, “DUST,” her bucket list, and more.

How did your journey begin? What first made you fall in love with music?

I suppose it was quite an elusive starting point, it happened gradually but also not at all because it was almost always just a knowing, if that makes sense. I don’t remember not wanting to be a performer, and I started to show that inclination as young as 3, putting on shows for my parents and their friends. Bless them all for their patience. As I entered my pre-teens, music became more of an escape, and I think that’s when I started to take the path more seriously, teaching myself to write songs to express myself and what I was going through.

I don’t remember a day where I was like, “Right, I’ve decided performing is going to be my career.” I just remember there never being an alternative, although I was conflicted for a while about whether to go into musical theatre or contemporary music. I think because songwriting was such a non-negotiable for me, and contemporary music had saved my life on so many occasions, that’s how I ended up picking this road.

Tracking back to some of your early work in 2016, you’ve experienced a lot of growth as an artist. How did you get to where you are today and how do you feel you’ve grown as an artist?

Oof, this would take a long time to answer. I got to where I am today with a lot of facing the music (pun intended) and my fears. I had to go through a lot of personal growth to understand where I was still playing small and feeling self-conscious about being totally myself and also trusting my own sense of what I like or don’t like. I was really lost in 2016, and in many ways, that was when this process of ‘unbecoming’, if you will began in my personal life, and naturally, that bled into my creative life.

I’ve grown as an artist because I’ve learned to be my own voice of reason and compass. I used to be so afraid of getting something wrong or just being wrong generally that I didn’t have the capacity to ask myself what it is that I wanted or enjoyed. I was just in a hurricane of emotional s**t frankly, and I had stopped trusting myself as a writer, and there was a lot of shame around who I was. I felt like I always had to prove myself, had this unnerving sense that if I wasn’t a multi-instrumentalist or the best at everything, then I wasn’t a worthy artist.

That’s definitely taken years to shake off, but I feel that growing into a more confident and unapologetic women has meant growing into a more confident and unapologetic artist.

Your latest release is the gorgeous single “DUST,” which serves as a celebration of the human spirit’s resilience. Can you dive into what inspired the song?

You know when you see someone who just has lost their faith in themselves or just doesn’t see their power the way that you can? And you just want to shake them awake and be like, look at how fucking amazing you are, you were born for greater things? I really wanted to write a song that was like the wake-up call, the “on” switch, that would help someone breathe the truth of themselves in and kind of kick them into gear to feel they are capable of anything. I wanted to write something that I could play myself when I was feeling despondent or powerless to remind myself that that primal strength is in me, and I got this.

Pivoting back into music, what else is on your bucket list?

The top thing on my bucket list my whole life was completing an album, so that feels amazing. I would say next on would be a tour or to film a live video with Colours”.

Let’s end with that album. MEDUSA is the debut album from the simply magnificent Stella Talpo. On her Bandcamp site, we find out more regarding this amazing work. It is out on 13th October. I would seriously recommend people buy it is they can. If not, go and stream the album and support Stella Talpo by getting the sord out and sharing the music:

“After spending the last few months hunkered down and tapped into a creative stream of literature and art, Stella Talpo returns with the support of PRS’ ‘Women Make Music Fund’ for her debut album ‘MEDUSA’.

Immediately marking a grittier, primal turn in Stella’s R&B sound, ‘GOOD GIRLS’ brings in elements of leftfield alt-pop and a wild edge that sets the tone for the upcoming record. The track holds no prisoners, adopting visceral, gory imagery to comment upon oppression experienced by women under patriarchal structures. The message is double-edged, with lyrics discussing the importance of solidarity and the power in numbers needed to break barriers and enact change.

"GOOD GIRLS is about empowerment and solidarity. It urges listeners to be strong and fight for freedom, rather than being a ‘good girl’ who follows the rules and stays in the shadows. I set out to describe the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated world and the ways in which women have been held back and manipulated.”

Across the 11 tracks that make up her debut album ‘MEDUSA’, Stella challenges societal ideals and oppressive frameworks. A central thread of mythological, primal & visceral imagery is used to normalise elements of life that are part of the ugly (but real) human experience, contrasting with the sterilised society we occupy, where we’ve been detached from our primal nature. “Initially, the concept was inspired by the ‘Chimera’, a creature villainised for its grotesque form, which paralleled the story I wanted to tell about our inner darkness & imperfections, the things that make us animals that we’ve hidden away, particularly from a woman’s point of view.”

A result of years of musical experimentation and growth with producer Lewis Moody (30/70, Cherise), the project marks an injection of ethereal darkness and alt-pop sound design into Stella’s soulful R&B songwriting. Influences range from the leftfield electronics of Gazelle Twin and the

cinematic soul of SAULT, through to engagement with contemporary feminist literature by the likes of Gillian Alban and Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Their writings acted as a springboard for many of the lyrical motifs explored by Stella, as she explains; “Women Who Run With Wolves unlocked so much for me creatively, inspiring a lot of the purpose, metaphors and repeated literary motifs on the album.”

Born in a small town in Italy, but now firmly rooted in South London by way of Singapore, Spain and America, Stella has released a trilogy of EPs in the lead-up to her debut album. Finding widespread critical support from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, CLASH and New Wave Magazine, as well as BBC Introducing, Reprezent Radio and Rinse FM, she’s now ready to share a body of work that truly represents her eclectic musical tastes and travelled upbringing. Also a keen reader of literature and poetry, her evocative, insightful lyricism is at the centre of her alluring, boundary-pushing work”.

I was keen to highlight and celebrate the phenomenal Stella Talpo. An artist that I have known for a while, she thoroughly deserves mainstream success. With each song and interview, we get different sides to an amazing musician and human. I am excited to see where her career will take her. An artist that everyone needs to look out for, Stella Talpo is…