There’s a quiet kind of confidence that runs through everything Talia Mar does now – hard-earned, self-defined, and a far cry from the uncertainty that often shadows artists who grow up in public. A decade into her career, she stands at a turning point: no longer just navigating the industry, but reshaping her place within it.
For many, Talia first appeared on screens – funny, candid, and instantly relatable in the early days of YouTube and social media. But behind the vlogs and viral moments, music was always the through-line. What began as a parallel passion steadily took centre stage, evolving into a catalogue that charts her growth not just as a singer, but as a storyteller unafraid to interrogate love, identity, and vulnerability. Over the years, she’s moved from tentative releases to a more assured, genre-blurring sound – one that reflects both her influences and her independence.
That independence didn’t come easily. Parting ways with a record label can be a destabilising moment for any artist, but for Mar, it became something else entirely: a recalibration. Going independent has allowed her to rebuild her creative process on her own terms, stripping it back to instinct and intention. The result is music that feels sharper, more personal, and undeniably hers.
In this conversation, the singer reflects on the defining moments that shaped her – both online and off – and the sometimes complicated relationship between the two. Growing up with an audience has meant learning how to draw boundaries in real time, figuring out what to share and what to protect. It’s a balancing act she’s still refining, but one that has ultimately strengthened her sense of self-belief.
Now, as she marks ten years in music, there’s a sense of perspective that only time can bring. The pressure to prove herself has softened into something more sustainable: a trust in her own voice, her own pace, and her own path forward…
2016 marks 10 years since the release of your first official single ‘Stolen’. How does it feel to be celebrating a decade in music?
What? I didn’t realise it had been that long! 10 years? I honestly can’t believe that! That’s really thrown me off… wow (laughs). Okay, how do I feel? I feel amazing hearing that to be honest with you. A decade in music feels like a real achievement.
When you look back across your career thus far, what experiences feel most the defining to you now?
My show at The Omeara in London stands out as a pretty pivotal moment for me. Staging my own show, on that scale, was something I’d never really done before, so it was a big learning curve, but I look back so fondly on the whole experience – from the launch to the rehearsals, to the promotion and the days leading up to it, it was a lot of fun! Yes, it was a bit of a gamble, and maybe I was deluded (laughs) but as a creative process it gave me so much, and I also think it helped me to fully cement my relationship with my audience and the people who listen to my music, which is super important.
Delusion isn’t always a bad thing! I would imagine having a strong sense of self-belief is key to making it in this business! How easy has it been for you to believe in yourself, and have faith that this career was within your reach?
I honestly think maintaining a strong sense of self-belief at all times is near to impossible (laughs). For me, it’s something that goes back and forth. I have these major highs and moments where I’m feeling delusionally confident, and then major lows and moments where I’m feeling delusionally unconfident. Going from one to the other can be tough, but I think those two conflicting feelings need to exist within me, because they help keep me centred. What advice would I give to someone struggling to believe in themselves? I would say, just keep going! Keeping pushing forward and try not to listen too much to those doubts and insecurities. And also, don’t be too hard on yourself! Whenever me and my friends are having a down moment we always joke and say that having a delusional moment is much more fun, so we try to come up with some crazy dream or new goal to try to achieve (laughs).
You’ve done an amazing job at evolving with the times, pivoting and adapting, and doing all of the things you need to do achieve longevity. How has your idea of “success” changed since you first started out?
I think when anybody first starts out in this industry, they deem success as being signed to a major record label and having impact on the charts. Which a long time ago is how success in the music business was measured, but times have changed A LOT in recent years. And I give major props to RAYE for that, because she’s really shown newer artists that’s not necessarily the path you have to take anymore. There’s still a lot of focus on numbers – wether that be number of followers or number of views – but in terms of who you partner with, and how you get your music out there, I think that comes down to the individual now, there’s not one set way of “making it” in 2026.
Tell me more about your journey as an independent artist…
Well… as you say, it’s been a “journey” (laughs). I think in the beginning when I was first starting out, there were all these stipulations that I put upon myself – connections I felt I needed to make, and deals I had to do in order to make a real go of it. But then I got to a point where I realised that I perhaps didn’t want all of those things in the same way I thought I did, and so I took a leap of faith and decided to go it alone. I remember when I left my (record) label, I was kind of shocked at my desire to do so, because I never thought I’d be someone who would want to do that! I thought I’d want that backing and security behind me at all times, but I soon released that taking all of those external pressures away, leaves room to discover and enjoy other types of success.
Talia Mar – Suit & Tie (Official Music Video)
Your most recent single ‘Suit & Tie’ is an absolute pop bop! How do you feel about the song now it’s out? Does it feel like something of a rebirth or a continuation of what you’ve been doing…
I’d say it’s more of a rebirth than a reinvention. It’s basically me saying “hey everyone, this is the kind of music I’ve been trying to make and release this whole time… enjoy!” And I don’t say that with any ill will, and it doesn’t mean I don’t like the music I’ve put out in the past, it’s more a case of me feeling liberated and free to really explore my artistry and make the kind of music I feel best represents who I am. For a long time I’ve been fighting a bit of a battle to experiment with this particular style and genre. There are songs I’ve recored in the past that I’ve loved and been really excited about, but for whatever reason they weren’t even able to be considered to include on a project… let alone be put out as a single! So I think this song represents and cements the idea that I can put out whatever I want now, and the feels amazing.
How much value do you place on fan and industry reaction to determine the impact of a song?
That’s an interesting question… honestly, I think before I can even start to consider other peoples opinions, I have to first decide what I’m hoping to get out of a song. For instance with ‘Suit & Tie’, I knew the reason I was putting it out was because I wanted reintroduce myself to people and set more of a tone for what’s to come from me musically moving forward. So at no point did I think about, or expect an overwhelmingly positive response. It was a gamble that could have easily gone one way or the other! People might have said: “woah, this not what we’re used to hearing from you, this is too much of a change!” And I would have understood that… the reality is my biggest ‘hit’ is a dance track, my last few releases have been super pop heavy, so to some people, this track could be perceived as being a little left field; and I’m okay with that. So at this moment in my career, I don’t like put any pressure on myself. I think as you develop more of your own sound, and become comfortable in what you’re trying to do, that’s when you do tend to rely more on the opinions of others as a sort of marker of impact and success.
Making music I would imagine is like a form a therapy, meaning you can put your thoughts and feelings out there, and express yourself however you chose… how easy is that for you?
Honestly, really easy! I’ve always been an open book. Even in those moments when I’m trying to be a little more private and closed off, you can see everything I’m feeling as it’s written all over my face! I don’t hide my emotions well at all… and I never have (laughs). It’s like a running joke amongst my friends and family at this point, but it’s just how I am. I’ve been writing songs now since I was about 8 years old, and for whatever reason I’ve always felt comfortable expressing my feelings through my music. If my parents said something that annoyed me, or there was a drama at school, my thing was to write about it and turn the experience into a song. That was always my way of dealing with things.
What does your songwriting process usually look like in 2026, and how has it evolved since those days?
It’s hard to say really, because I genuinely think it’s different every time – no one writing session is ever the same. I’ve got ways in which I like to work obviously – one being working out a concept for a song based on a title, I love that! I have hundreds of potential titles written down, and each one intrigues me because until you sit down to elaborate on it, you have no idea what it could be about. I’ll often come to the studio with either a title or a bunch of different phrases or lyrics, and it’s a case of me then just bouncing ideas off of the people I’m working with, and seeing what we come up with. Sometimes I’ll hear a beat, or something being played on a piano and I’ll come up with a hook or melody from there. It’s kind of cool to start with nothing then before you know it you have this whole song written seemingly out of nowhere.
Are there particular emotions or experiences you find yourself returning to within your music? Or do you prefer to keep pushing the envelope so as not to repeat yourself?
I definitely like to push the envelope and try to evolve my writing style and ideas with each song. One of my favourite things to do is to write in the third party, and have a song be about someone else. Why? Because I feel like there’s only so much one person can write about their own experiences before it becomes a bit tired and boring! But when you write about other people, and you share a different view than your own, you’re really able to get creative and tell a story… and to me that’s what a song is, it’s a story. There’s a song of mine called ‘You Did That To Amy’ that I wrote about my best friend and everything she went through during a really difficult time in her life. I wrote it from the perspective of me as her friend, rather than the person going through the things she was, and I think that made for a really interesting track.
“The fact that I was able to leave a major record label, and continue to make music is down to social media – that’s how powerful and important it can be.”
How do you balance creating music that feels authentic to you with what your audience might expect?
Because I do a lot of live-streaming, and am therefore spending a lot of time with my followers in real time, I think there’s just this natural connection and understanding between us that’s been formed over the years. It’s like a friendship, you bond over your likes and enjoyment of the same things. It’s actually really funny sometimes I’ll notice people in the live chats I do saying they’ve either discovered a new artist, or there’s a particular album they’re listening too and I’m like: “oh my God me too!” We’re very much in-synch with one another – we play the same kind of games, we enjoy the same films, our musical tastes are similar, our outlook, aspirations, likes and dislikes are aligned. So I feel like I have a really good understanding of what my audience will like, which is nice.
How would you describe your relationship with social media today compared to a few years ago?
I feel like I used to be way more immersed in it a few years ago, compared to how I am now, and I don’t know if that’s because I was younger or because I was newer on the scene so I felt like I had to have a strong online presence. I used to post constantly, and spend hours coming up with different content ideas – which was fun don’t get me wrong, I always enjoyed doing it! But now I’m in a place where I’d say my posts have more intention… I mean not all of them, because I do still post quite a lot of rubbish (laughs). But on the whole, I’m posting content for a reason, not just for the sake of keeping up with everyone else.
To that point, have you ever felt a pressure to present a certain version of yourself online?
Yeah maybe! But with time and age comes the confidence to not succumb to those kinds of pressures. I look back at some of my old Instagram posts and the FaceTune on some of them is actually mental! I can’t believe I used to do that! Nowadays I’ll happily go on stream with my greasy hair up in a bun, and no makeup on, and be like “right guys, let’s play this game!” I think I’ve just reached a point in my life where I know who I am, and so I don’t feel like I have to conform or try to present a picture perfect image 24/7 – it just isn’t me, so what’s the point in trying to be something I’m not?
What positives has social media brought to your career?
Oh so many! The fact that I was able to leave a major record label, and continue to make music is down to social media – that’s how powerful and important it can be. Pre all of these online platforms, if you didn’t have a label relationship, the only real way people would hear your music was if it was being played on the radio, or if you got booked to perform on a TV show – that was it! Nowadays though, if you’re fortunate enough to build up a significant following online, you can keep your entire fanbase updated daily with what you’re doing by pressing a couple of buttons on your phone. The fact that people don’t need these big conglomerates to push their careers anymore has massively changed the landscape of music. So yeah, I’ve enjoyed huge positives in my career because of social media, and I’ll never pretend otherwise.
What does protecting your mental health look like in a very public career?
Do you know what, it’s never worked for me to take a break from social media when things weren’t going so great for me. I think I’m the opposite to a lot of people in the sense that if I’m in a bad place, I need to jump online and say: “hey guys, I’m not feeling too hot today, let’s talk about it!” I’ve got friends who need to take a break and reset, and I completely get why, but I’ve never actively done that because I know I’d then stew, and I’d get worse, and I’d spiral and… that’s never a good thing! I have to talk about how I’m feeling, and where better to do that than on social media (laughs).
How do you see yourself as an artist today?
Ooh… that’s an interesting question! Thinking about it, I don’t think I “see myself” in any specific way as an artist, because being an artist is just who I am, and it’s a part of my everyday life. I’m someone who tries to be as honest, and as free, and as fun as possible, and I try my best to be those things in the most natural, and authentic way so that I’m always being true to who I am.
So do you feel like your public persona aligns with who you are privately?
Yeah I’d say so, although I do think there are times when I’m more comfortable being “me” and perhaps not in the way you’d think. Like I’ve definitely grown in confidence when it comes to my work, and acknowledging my place in the industry. But in everyday life that’s not always the case. It’s actually a running joke amongst my friends that I can go into pretty much any business setting, whether it be music or social media, and speak confidently and get my points across perfectly. Whereas if you drop me into a social setting, I become super shy, nervous and embarrassed (laughs). So I guess there is something of a separation between the public and private me, but that just comes down to confidence, nothing else.
As you look to the future, are there any creative risks you’re excited to take in your career moving forward?
Yes! And I’m excited to so! My next single is a massive, massive risk… I don’t want to say too much, so I’ll just say taking into account the context of what the songs about, and who my social media audience traditionally is, the two do not align! It’s going to be very interesting seeing how people respond…
Talia Mar’s new single ‘Lady’ comes out April 10th and is available to pre-order here.
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