STRAND Showcase Spotlight: In Conversation with Tally Spear

Photo by Jamie Waters

Tally Spear is well and truly on the rise. With her unique sound, self-proclaimed as ‘emo-flecked pop’, and candid, brutally honest lyrics, she has spent the last four years carving out her place within the music industry.

As one stop on her meteoric journey, she's set to perform alongside fellow musicians TASH and Bridget at FEMMESTIVAL's next showcase at Two Palms Hackney, centred around female performers, and supported by us here at the STRAND. In the final week before the show, Tally and I caught up to discuss all things music, the choices that have gotten her to this point in her career, and her hopes for the future. 

I first wanted to find out what drew her to a career in music to start with. "I think it was just destiny," she told me. "I used to love writing poetry and stories a lot when I was young, so when I learnt how to play the guitar and piano, those words just sort of turned into songs." She also credits having grown up in a "musical family" - her father and brother are both musicians, and her mother is an actress - which made becoming a musician herself a natural path to take.

Currently, she’s riding the high of announcing her upcoming single 'Self Confessions', due for release on the 26th July - the same date as the FEMMESTIVAL showcase. As the discussion shifts towards her upcoming performance, it becomes clear to me how much she connects with others through live music. “I’m really excited”, she shares, noting that this will be her first live performance since October 2023. “I’ve got a lot of new songs in the set that I’m playing live for the first time, including my next single ['Self Confessions'].”

Promo photo for 'Self Confessions', by Jessie Rose

A release day is always a highlight on the calendar for any artist. I can’t help but ask if this single is a sign that more songs are on the way. “I have lots of songs that I’m very excited to share”, she says. Although she’s unsure what form this might take, “I’m trying to listen to what my friends and fans are saying and what they gravitate towards, then building my release plan around that. It will most likely be in the form of an EP at some point.”

A choice that, in a world increasingly focused on a ‘viral moment’ and quick-fire successions of single releases, is an astute one. Tally is admirably focused on producing music to meet her personal aims and objectives, both creatively and professionally. I question if there’s a theme to her upcoming songs, to which she replies: “It would be about me confessing things, like my insecurities, my flaws, my quirks, my random strangenesses”. She divulges, “Hopefully people will find refuge in that. If I were to describe it in one word, it would be ‘honest’.”

And ‘honest’ she is. Tally has amassed an audience of over 2k monthly listeners on Spotify with her authentically poignant lyrics, bedded amongst punk-infused choruses and catchy hooks. But what appears from the outside to have been a clear-cut rise to success has actually been a long journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Tally walks me through this path: “I’ve been through many different phases. I started off as a country/folk artist, and now - having tried lots of different types of music, and been lots of different types of people - I feel like I’m finally making the songs that are most authentic to me so far. I’ve learnt a lot. Everyone’s journey is so unique to them.”

This gets me thinking about the challenges artists face in defining their brand whilst simultaneously keeping things new and exciting. I pose this to Tally, who responds, “I think the biggest challenge has been figuring out my voice. Learning how to be ‘Tally Spear’ as an artist, as well as someone else. Learning who that artist is, what she represents, and how to bring my core values and personality into my artistic projects.” She admits, “That’s been the challenge because there are so many different sides of myself.” Does that affect her music, I ask? “I think so," she says. "I love pop music, rock music, and heavy metal music. Depending on my mood, different sides of myself and my tastes come out in what I make, and I’ve found it hard trying to refine all the many different ideas I have.”

Photos by Jamie Waters

Feeling a necessity to define oneself within a specific genre is a challenge that many artists have spoken about. The restrictive nature of it can stunt creativity and limit the avenues an artist may choose to go down. Clearly, Tally is aware of this. She speaks on the difficulty of “trying to find a way to have those versions of myself, but also making sense and having a unique voice that people understand. People want to know what you are. They want to know if you’re a rock artist, a pop artist, or an emo artist. At this point, I’m closer to figuring that out now, than I have ever been”.

Through this self-exploration, Tally has produced a deeply personal body of work. I ask which of her songs she is proudest of. “I would say a song called Constellations, which I released last year. I wrote it when I went to LA. I was staying there on my own, and I got the news that I’d lost a friend very suddenly. When I put the phone down, before I’d even had time to react, this song was written. The melody, the idea, the concept, the lyrics were there. It was like it had just arrived in my brain. It was the easiest, quickest song I’ve ever written. I’m really proud of what it is, and it means the most to me.” This is easily seen in the emotional depth of the lyrics. The song is a poignant tribute to loss and grief, and shows how vulnerability and truth come naturally to Tally. 

Her intimate connection with her emotions only becomes clearer when asked about the best piece of advice she’s ever received. “I think, ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway.’", she says. "It’s not really a piece of advice, but it's a mantra that I think about often. If I only did things when I felt comfortable and at ease, then I wouldn’t do anything.” 

This is a mantra that is clearly working, with the anticipation of an exciting new collaboration due to release at the end of the summer, and tentative plans to tour in the near future. On this, she speaks to how much she would love “to be on the road, travelling with the music, connecting with people I’ve met online in real life and playing in their cities”. 

While they may have to wait for Tally to arrive where they are, fans in London don't - as they can catch Tally in Hackney next Friday, July 26th. Get your tickets to the FEMMESTIVAL showcase here, while you still can.

To keep up with Tally Spear’s latest releases, follow her on Instagram and pre-save her upcoming single, Self Confessions, on Spotify. 

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Edited by Talia Andrea, Editor in Chief