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Following the success of “Run Away to Mars” and, more recently, “A Little Bit Happy,” Nicholas Durocher, aka TALK, needs no introduction. This Friday, the Ottawa native unveils Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, a powerful debut pop-rock album that draws on his rock roots. For the occasion, Pan M 360 chatted with him about his new project, his busy past year, and his love for Quebec!
On July 8, 2022, TALK took on stage at the Festival d’été de Québec, just before country star Luke Combs. At the time, the Canadian artist had no idea that his career was about to take off. After his show, a video of his excellent song “Run Away to Mars” at the festival went viral on social networks, propelling him to the top of the Quebec charts and helping him gain popularity around the globe. Since then, TALK has once again performed at the FEQ last summer, and his love affair with the province continues. He even recently got a tattoo of the Quebec flag.
Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees is TALK’s first album, rich in emotional diversity and authenticity. Whether on an energetic track like “Wasteland” or a more acoustic one like “Afraid of the Dark,” his lyrics and voice shine through and connect directly with the listener. His universe is accessible and personal, with catchy melodies. For his Quebec fans, the singer has added a surprise track to the physical copies that will be distributed in the province: his cover of La Ziguezon by La Bottine Souriante, a local classic he’s particularly fond of.
PAN M 360: Hi Nicholas! Congratulations on your debut album. After the huge success of your track “Run Away to Mars,” did you feel any pressure writing this project?
TALK: I think so. I wrote “Run Away to Mars” in 2020 and only started work on Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees in 2022. I wanted to take my time and create the best possible album. I was aware that it would be difficult to release a project after having had so much success with “Run Away to Mars.” I did my best, and I think my team and I did an excellent job. I think the quality of this opus is equal to or better than anything I’ve released before. I think it’s a very good project.
PAN M 360: What have you learned about the music industry since the release of “Run Away to Mars?”
TALK: I’ve learned that you have to be very patient. I’ve also learned that the tracks we decide to release have to be important to us because you never know if people will like them. So it’s vital to love your own tracks and be happy with what you’ve created before you share it. That way, you don’t have to worry about what people will think because you love your music. I really appreciate that listeners like my songs, but it’s important for me to be at peace with my art.
PAN M 360: How does your new project Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees represent you?
TALK: It’s a great representation of my journey over the last few years. It talks about where I came from, what happened to me, and where I am today. In my album, I talk about the times when I didn’t give up, did my best, met new people, and fell in love. It’s really about my life over the last two or three years. It’s a pretty coherent project and I think the different themes work together beautifully.
PAN M 360: How did the creation go?
TALK: It went really well. My last year was very busy because of the growing success of “Run Away to Mars,” and I had a ton of different opportunities coming my way. As a result, I didn’t have much time to go into the studio, and I had to work on the album here and there. The writing took place in several small sessions scattered over a long period of time. Nevertheless, the project came to life and I’m extremely happy with the final product. I didn’t really have any problems during the creative process. Let’s just say that I still have a lot to say, and this album is the first chapter of what I want to tell.
PAN M 360: Even though your track “Run Away to Mars” was released in 2021, it appears on your new album. Why was it important for you to include it?
TALK: It’s simple because it’s the song that started it all for me. “Run Away to Mars” plays an important role in the story I tell. It was important for me to give it another opportunity to shine because that song had an impact on all the others on the project. It was the first song I released, and it launched my career. This album is about my journey over the last few years, and it was inevitable to include it.
PAN M 360: On Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, we hear a panoply of different influences, including rock, which is very present. What do you listen to on a daily basis?
TALK: I have different phases when it comes to listening to music. I listen to a lot of Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Elton John. I also like Queen a lot, and I think you can hear the British band’s influence on my album. I also like Tom Odell’s music. I think I could name a ton of others, but that’s what I mainly listen to. I also listen to a lot of Disney songs; I think the lyrics are really good.
PAN M 360: The first thing we see of your album is the magnificent cover, which features you in a world reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings. Tell me about the idea behind it.
TALK: I had several ideas for the cover and shared them with my team. At first, I was an astronaut, and then I became a guardian of a special forest. We asked an artist to draw the whole thing, and here’s the result! I think it works with the music on the album. It’s colourful, light and imposing, just like the music on Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees. It’s the perfect cover for my project.
PAN M 360: You describe your music as “colourful, light-filled and imposing”, and this fits perfectly with the opening track “Fall for You.” How did this song come about?
TALK: One day, my team and I were playing with a guitar and some other instruments when we came up with the idea of doing a Broadway-style song, with lots of vocal layers and singing. That’s when “Fall for You” came to life. It’s a love song, about the moment when you meet someone, and you immediately understand that you’re going to fall in love. The idea is that you could do anything for that person because love is so powerful.
PAN M 360: “Afraid of the Dark” is definitely my favourite track, and it stands out from the rest of your project. What is this song about?
TALK: This song is dedicated to my grandmother. When I started writing my album, she became ill, and I had to choose between going to Los Angeles to write or spending time with her. My grandmother told me to go and create, and all I could think about in the studio was her. So that was the first song I wrote for the project. The main message of “Afraid of the Dark” is quite simple; it’s about accepting that there are things we still fear, even as adults. It’s also a reminder of the importance of family and enjoying every moment we have with the people we love. It also says that it’s important to listen to other people’s stories. That’s what this song is about.
PAN M 360: You were back in Montreal last Monday for a private album launch. You seem to have a special relationship with the people of Quebec.
TALK: Yes, certainly! My mother is French-speaking and met my father in Val-d’Or. At the time, my mother was a teacher and my father was a miner. So, I have several family members who live in Quebec, and I spent a lot of time there when I was young. I’m a native of Ottawa, and I’ve often been to Quebec City and Montreal. I’ve always been close to Quebec culture, and the Quebec public was one of the first to welcome me. Two years ago, I took on stage at the Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) before Luke Combs, and it was an incredible show. Videos of “Run Away to Mars” at the FEQ went viral on social networks. Quebec has played an important role in my career, for which I’m extremely grateful. That’s partly why I recently got the Quebec flag tattooed on my left arm. By the way, only the physical versions of my album in Quebec will feature my cover of La Ziguezon by La Bottine Souriante!
PAN M 360: Why was it so important for you to pay special attention to your Quebec listeners?
TALK: First of all, I’ve loved that song ever since I heard it when I was young. Also, I wanted to show my immense respect to my Quebec fans. It’s probably the place where there’s the greatest concentration of fans of my music. It would have been a mistake for me not to think of them after all they’ve done for me. I plan to play it at all my future shows in Quebec.
PAN M 360: I’m sure you’ll want to get this project into shows over the next few months and let it live, but I can’t help asking, what the future of TALK will look like?
TALK: That’s a good question because, over the next few months, I’ll definitely be doing a lot of shows and singing this album to my fans. But I can’t wait to get back into the studio and start creating again. I finished Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees a few months ago, and haven’t really written much since then due to my busy schedule. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
PAN M 360: Do you already have an idea of where you want to go next?
TALK: I think I have an idea, but it changes almost every day. Sometimes I want to go even further into rock, and other times I’d like to tap into folk. I don’t necessarily know what lies ahead, but I know it will always sound like TALK. I’d like my career to be like Coldplay’s, which has managed to evolve steadily over the years.
Photo credit: @iamtalk
