Talker Interview
Leave your inhibitions at the door, this summer talker bares it all on her highly-anticipated debut album, I'm Telling You The Truth. After five years of releasing consistently impressive and always eccentric indie-pop anthems, Celeste Tauchar - the versatile singer-songwriter behind talker - sheds her inhibitions across 11 tracks of radical and resilient honesty.
"I didn't know that this would be my most honest collection of songs as I was writing it. I did know that I was going through an insane period of self-discovery and change, and that the only way through that time was to accept it and fully embody it," the LA-based songwriter explains.
Celeste tapped a dream team to take her raw vision to new heights, including producers Collin Pastore & Jake Finch (Lucy Dacus, boygenius, illuminati hotties), Daniel Loumpouridis (Louis the Child, KING MALA, Ryan Woods), Jon Graber (We Are The Union, Goldfinger, The All-American Rejects), and Aidan Hogg (G Flip, Hatchie).
We caught up with the talented artist to learn more about the stories behind her debut album, her artistry and her most rewarding time.
- Hi talker! Congratulations on the release of your debut album "I'm Telling You The Truth". What inspired the title?
Thank you! The title took me a long time to figure out. It was honestly the last thing to come together for this record, because the songs span a lot of different moments from the past few years. But it's the most honest I've ever felt in my artistry. There are some things I was afraid to say before - I would hide behind metaphors or vague lyricism instead of just straight up saying it, but now I just want to be my most honest self. So the title captures that honesty.
- You mentioned that this album is your most honest collection of songs. Can you elaborate on what makes these songs more honest compared to your previous work?
Elaborating on why I gave the album this title, it really just feels like a moment where I'm not avoiding any topics and I'm just being myself. It's not that I was being dishonest before, but there were elements of myself that I didn't highlight or really draw attention to. But I'm learning more and more, especially recently, that just totally being open and honest is the most freeing thing. I was afraid to talk about my religious upbringing, my bisexuality, my complicated friendships or the ways in which my parents' relationship impacted my own approach to relationships. But the reality is, those are all universal things - maybe not the exact same experiences, but we all have complicated dynamics in our lives, and sides of ourselves that we don't want to be judged for. But for me, it's so much easier to just be myself and people can think whatever around that. I think for the most part, people appreciate it and I hope it can be empowering to others to just be themselves and not worry so much.
- How did the process of self-discovery and change influence the writing and recording of this album?
The songs were written over the course of a few years, and so obviously I went through a lot of change during that time. I was in a long-term relationship at the start of writing this album, and since then have been in and out of an entire other relationship lol. I've started a new creative agency that I do alongside my music, toured, and discovered a lot of new passions. I think through all of it, I felt more empowered to lead and to know what I wanted out of this record. I think the more sure of myself that I felt, the more open I felt comfortable being in my writing, and in working with new people throughout the making of this record.
- What was the most challenging song for you to write on this album, and why?
I think actually the most difficult song to write was the first one, In Memory of My Feelings. I wrote it with my longtime friend and collaborator Dan Sadin, and it was one of the first songs I wrote after my last EP came out. I really didn't have a clue where I wanted to go sonically or thematically, and was feeling super stuck. I felt emotionally stagnant as well, which is obviously a weird place to be in when you're trying to write and express yourself. This song was me ripping myself apart and really trying to unclog whatever block was happening for me musically and emotionally. And once we finally figured out the form and structure of the song, I just riffed and let myself just pour out the emotion. It felt so good once it clicked - but it took a few days and several trips to his studio to unpack it all.
- Who are some of your biggest musical influences and how have they impacted your work on this album?
I listen to a ton of different music and have a lot of different influences, which I feel like you can hear throughout the album. But my biggest inspiration always comes from lyrically seasoned songwriters and also artists who aren't afraid to be ugly, loud, fully themselves. I took a lot of that into the ethos of this record. During the writing & recording of this album I was listening to a lot of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, PJ Harvey, and Julia Jacklin. Three artists who you could put on a bill but all have their own distinct voice. Karen O's theatrical performances are something that really changed my outlook in terms of what was possible as a rock artist. I've always listened to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I finally saw them play at the Hollywood Bowl a couple years ago and left feeling so excited - she walked out in this huge colorful cape and was slamming the microphone down on the stage and running around and screaming, but also made the 18,000 person amphitheater feel like a small club. Her energy was so big that you didn't feel far away from her, even in the upper section.
PJ Harvey & Julia Jacklin are both such poets and I think you can definitely hear their influence in a lot of my writing. Julia Jacklin especially this gorgeous and clever way with words where everything is visual and so smartly written, yet also isn't overly metaphorical and she just says what she means. I really tried to bring a lot of that into my writing on this album. And PJ Harvey just embodies everything I would like to be as I continue to evolve and make music and art as I get older. She's remained consistently artistic, weird, and fully herself, without compromising that for any expectations around how she should act at a certain age. That's the blueprint for me.
- What does your songwriting process typically look like? Do you start with lyrics, melodies, or something else?
It really depends. If I'm collaborating with other writers and producers, often it will come together all at once. I might have a topic or feeling I want to write about, and we lean into a vibe musically that feels in that same vein. I like to write my lyrics around the music because for me it's just as important that the lyrics feel good to sing, that they fit naturally into the melody. But when I start a song on my own I often will have some lyrics I've written first, that then I'll tweak as I start to come up with musical ideas. I get inspired a lot when I'm on my own in nature or in transit, and so I'll just start writing down whatever ideas come to me then, knowing I'll change it around once I bring the music in.
- What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far?
I've had a lot of really incredible moments throughout my career, both as talker and playing in other bands. I think it's kept me humble to have some huge moments while simultaneously not blowing up overnight. I got to play Red Rocks on my very first tour when I was 21, with a band I used to tour with, FRENSHIP. I played a ton of festivals with them, toured in Europe, while at the same time playing tiny clubs in LA with talker, because I was just starting this project at the time. But with talker, I've also gotten to tour, have my music placed in films and TV, and collaborate with some of my favorite artists. So that's a long-winded way of saying maybe there's no single moment. But I try to be present in it all.
I recently played my first proper festival at Belltown Bloom in Seattle, and I had a moment before going onstage where I just sat alone in my hotel room and reminded myself how cool it was to be there, asked to travel to Seattle, to play my music that I wrote, in front of people who were not just my friends. It's easy to obsess over getting to the huge stuff really fast. Yes I want to play Coachella too, but it's really no different than playing this awesome local festival in Seattle and getting to just play my music with my friends.
- What are your plans after the release of "I'm Telling You The Truth"? Are there any tours or projects on the horizon?
Great question! Lol. I honestly am still figuring it out - there's so much build up to releasing an album, and now with the way the music industry is set up and our consumer attention spans, there's this pressure for artists to immediately do something else. I am touring in July on the West Coast supporting Kississippi, which I'm super excited about. She's one of the many incredible artists I've gotten to become friends with through making music. I want to tour more in the fall and throughout next year, so I'm going to really be prioritizing that and just getting myself in front of people because I think the music really shines the most when it's live.
But as far as releases and new music goes, I'll be putting out a lot of alternate versions of my songs. Some stripped stuff, some live stuff, just having fun with the songs in a new way. In the meantime, I've been writing a bit and will start to figure out how I want to approach this next chapter of my creative life. I've experienced a LOT since finishing this record, so now I get to enjoy this release, really sit and be present in it, and then I'll figure it out.
- Looking ahead, where do you see your music career taking you in the next five years?
Everywhere, hopefully.
