SJ Talbot is an up and coming indie-pop artist from Dublin. She has recently graduated from BIMM Dublin where she studied Songwriting and Vocals. On the back of her debut release ‘Envy’, Ciara Brennan caught up with SJ to find out more about her songwriting and her plans for her music.
‘Envy’ is your debut single. What about this song made you pick it as your first track to share with the world?
I think Envy is the most honest track I have made in a long time. It fits as a debut single because it definitely shows my transparent side, which is how I’d like listeners to get to know me and my music.
For ‘Envy’ you used the experience of a bad breakup to inform your songwriting. When writing music do you often derive from your life experiences?
I try to write songs that are as close to real life as possible. Sometimes a memory of a night out or someone from my past pops into my head and I think to myself I can definitely turn this story into a song! Someone could say something to me casually and I have a lightbulb moment, then it gets turned into an entire concept. I also love to read, and that inspires me to sit down and write a song that is based off something completely fictional, just to practice my storytelling.
You have been studying at BIMM and working as a session musician over the last few years. How have these experiences impacted your songwriting?
BIMM taught me the importance of networking and playing with as many people as possible, and so the experiences I have had as a session player and songwriter have been so impactful. I have gotten the chance to collaborate with so many different artists and bands, some that write music in a totally different style to me. Working with other people is not always easy, especially when you have conflicting ideas, you have to find a middle ground. I love it though; it pushes me to experiment and it has definitely helped me to discover my own sound.
What are your plans for the next year? Can we expect more releases?
Now that I have graduated, I have more time to develop ideas for projects that I have been working on for a while. I also cannot wait to play a show when the live music scene is back up and running. I am confident that I will have more tracks to come soon!
Listen to ‘Envy’ on Spotify and follow SJ Talbot on Instagram.
Interview by Ciara Brennan
Featured image by Luminographer
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