Dressed in black and sitting on the ground as if on a picnic in the desert, Hope Tala flips through a book. It takes a closer look at its hardcover (and pausing the video) to notice an inscription that reads “Ghosts and how to communicate with them.” Two other people are nearby. All three of them seem to be going through some mysterious objects and ingredients.
These opening images look like something out of a modern film or show about witches, but this is how the 23-year-old singer has chosen to kick off a new musical era in her career: with an intriguing music video that might seem at first glance to be a collection of beautiful shots, but is much more than that.
Released on June 18th, Mad is the first single off a forthcoming and much-awaited debut album. Tala has been officially putting out music since 2018, but only shared EPs so far (two of them). In this first taste of what’s to come, she juxtaposes bitterness with a sweet melody, and harshness with her soft voice. “Can’t believe, I messed it up, bet you’re relieved,” she sings at the beginning of the chorus. She then goes on, serving the catchiest bit: “But it makes me mad, mad, mad, mad / And I’m tearing my hair out.”
Duets not included, this is the first track that the singer-songwriter releases with lyrics that aren’t 100 percent hers. Paul Epworth – who has worked with Adele, Florence + The Machine, Foster The People and Bruno Mars, to name only some – co-wrote the song and produced it, but the collaboration doesn’t skew Tala’s writing style. If anything, it only helps it shine better.
Ever the fan of ambiguous literary works, the London-based artist loves to incorporate riddles in her music. So it makes perfect sense for her to give Mad a video that is, just like most of her songs, meant to be deciphered to be understood (are the people around her actually people? Or are they phantoms from her past? Or even a representation of her feelings? Just a few of the questions one might wonder about). Add to it an addictive melody, and you are left wanting more.
Tala has yet to reveal more about her upcoming record, but in a recent interview with Gay Times, she did say the following: “I always want to make a project that sounds like most of the songs could be singles and people could enjoy them separately. I never want to make a project where people feel like it sounds cohesive, but there are only two strong songs.” Now that’s an alluring promise.
