INTERVIEW: TALK

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Intro by: Aaliyah Abdur-Rashid 

Recap by: Sydney Martin

During a talk with TALK, Nicholas Durocher, the Canadian singer-songwriter behind TALK, shared insight into his most recent album Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, as well as his journey into the music industry.

His music has a fantastical feel, with unapologetic vocals and songs that frequently build to epic guitar riffs. He creates an atmosphere of attending a rock opera amongst the cosmos. 

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With humor, authenticity, and an admirable amount of openness, TALK answered a multitude of questions during the Zoom press conference. TALK said his music is meant to be listened to in an arena, describing his popular song “Wasteland” as “making you want to punch a hole through drywall and kiss a pretty girl at the same time.” 

His first song “Run Away to Mars,” written during April 2020 and released 15 months later, foresaw the success of his future releases. TALK shared that it “didn’t have enough infrastructure” to be released right away, teaching him about patience. Although it didn’t initially draw the reactions he anticipated, the song climbed its way up the charts over time, gaining the recognition it deserves. 

TALK drew inspiration for this single from his “highly emotional past five years,” in which he lost and rediscovered himself, remaining resilient throughout. TALK decided upon the “courtesy of telling my own story to myself” in “Run Away to Mars,” deeming it “the appropriate entrance into the music industry.” The song was a tremendous success, pivoting TALK from audiences of 200 people to crowds of 65,000.

Before TALK, Nicholas Durocher briefly played in a country band on bass. Although “not a country music guy,” he wanted to play in a band. From this experience he discovered that he didn’t just want to be part of a band but, as he frankly put it, “be the man.” 

Released in October 2023, TALK’s first album Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees encompasses similar narratives to those in his singles; love, heartbreak, and overarching resilience.

“It sounded like an album title” was TALK’s response when asked why he chose the name he did for his album. Wishing to frame the narrative of a ”forest-dwelling leader” whose spaceship crashed into an apocalyptic Earth, TALK felt the name to be fitting.

The album art for Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, amongst previous songs, was inspired by his love for fantastical games and series such as Dungeon and Dragons and Lord of the Rings.

The space-themed aesthetic of the album was sparked by his song “Set On Me.” The idea dawned upon him in the middle of the night after watching Interstellar. The song just came to him, TALK said, existing as a “magical moment”. 

“I have a lot of love and respect for that song,” TALK said, comparing it to that unexplainable ‘a-ha moment’ that artists often recount.

Iconically within his songs are epic guitar riffs that TALK attributed to his long-time friend and guitarist, Connor. The two draw inspiration for these riffs from ‘80s bands like Queen, Van Halen and Def Leppard.

Additionally, TALK spoke of Green Day’s success in mixing unexpected genres as well as the Foo Fighters’ masterful song structures of slow builds and acoustics. Reflected in TALK’s music is a collection of his favorite artists. Admirable of his favorite artists’ impact, such as Coldplay’s Chris Martin, TALK hopes to send love to the world through his music.

Beyond his music, TALK further connects with his fans over social media with the help of his social media partner Drew. He said he has come to understand and navigate these relationships throughout the years, recognizing how his engagement with his fans has the power of a positive impact.

“How do you define creative success?” was a question TALK took a second to answer.

After a pause, he simply put it as “if you’re happy enough to put it into the world, then it’s success.” TALK went on to say the less creative rules there are, the better. “Make something you love and let it go,” he said, circling back to the notion that artists often feel like their work is never complete.

TALK gave the following advice to aspiring artists and songwriters: “Write all the time, always be dreaming, always be writing,” and that “failure is a super useful tool.”

Throughout the course of the video conference, TALK spoke of his music being “from the heart,” attributing the emotional resonance listeners have shared with his music over the past years to such authenticity. 

Answering all questions openly, with humor and thoughtfulness, TALK’s displays of his heart go far beyond his music– he’s an artist deserving of great recognition.