An achingly intimate eruption rising up from the depths of the soul, Taloula’s stirring second single “Find My Way” is a vulnerable reckoning – a powerful return from the artist formerly known as TAL.
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Stream: “Find My Way” – Taloula
It’s not easy to find your own way through life, especially if you don’t know who you are anymore.
“It seems I don’t belong in this space, slowly feelin’ out of touch with my generation,” sings a heavy-hearted, firm-footed Taloula in her stirring sophomore single. “I almost lost the best in me, sacrificing in the name of validation.” It’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of ourselves – to stray off whatever tracks we had in place – and while that sometimes works out, it can be incredibly hard to recenter and find our balance, especially when that might mean cutting people out of your life or leaving a part of your life behind.
Lost and found can be a cute children’s game, but the fun is over when you’re the one at stake: An achingly intimate eruption rising up from the depths of the soul, Taloula’s “Find My Way” is a vulnerable reckoning: A heartfelt confessional longing for peace, tranquility, and renewal.
I don’t know if it’s gonna be
The whole me, it’s so hard to say,
Now I’ve lost belief in me
They make it look so easy
But I don’t get it,
What am I missing ?
It seems I don’t belong in this space
Slowly feelin’ out of touch with my generation
I really really want to find my way
Gotta keep it real, I’m not afraid
Released November 19, 2021, “Find My Way” is a powerful return from singer and songwriter Tal Benizri, and her second single release (following September’s “Keep on Tryin'”) under her new moniker, Taloula. Formerly releasing music mononymously as TAL, Benizri occupied a space as one of France’s bigger pop exports; signed to Warner France, she released five albums (many of which have been certified platinum and multi-platinum) and collaborated with such artists as Little Mix, Sean Paul, Wyclef Jean, and more.
Now living in London and recently “reborn” as Taloula, Benizri is rediscovering herself, reclaiming her voice and vision, and “taking back control” of her artistry – all of which can be felt, to one degree or another, in “Find My Way.” The soft and (bitter)sweet neo-soul ballad offers a breathtaking sneak peak at Taloula’s forthcoming debut EP The Evolution of Taloula, co-produced with multi-instrumentalist Linden Jay (Sinead Harnett, Doja Cat) and set for release on December 17, 2021.
Singing alongside a gentle guitar and light background keys, Taloula pours her heart out. She’s actively trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be within this soul-stripped song, baring herself for all to see, hear, and feel: “I really really want to find my way, gotta keep it real, I’m not afraid,” she declares, going on to lament, “I don’t know if I’m gonna be everything you see in me.” Is the “you” some of that last line someone special to her, or is it herself? Is she living up to her own expectations, hopes, dreams, and desires? What passes the litmus test for her; is she on the right path?
I don’t know if it’s gonna fit
I don’t know if I’m gonna be
Everything you see in me
(Why you couldn’t see? Why you couldn’t see in me ?)
I just can’t let it get to me,
I just can’t mute the inner me,
Just to make things easy
(Why is it not easy ? Why is it not easy ?)
Speaking to Atwood Magazine, Taloula recalls how this song spilled out during a time of intense vulnerability and self-reflection. “I wanted to write about how you can get lost by making a lot of sacrifices and compromises,” she shares. “It’s not easy to find your own way through life, especially if you don’t know who you are anymore. Even if it’s good or bad, nothing matters but trusting your instinct and your inner peace. I had lost so much confidence in myself and I felt drained, this song really came from the soul.”
“I was lying on my bed, and I had just bought my first Strat (electric guitar). I was playing four simple chords on a loop, and the first words came naturally to me. I didn’t think I was going to write a song at that time. It’s the first time I’ve written a song where I’ve just let go.”
“Find My Way” truly is a complete surrender.
The song transforms, over the course of three emotional minutes, from an intimate soul-searching mission to a redemptive rise. Once she admits to herself what she went through and the person she almost lost, Taloula embarks on the path of healing: “Slowly, clearing the way, slowly, lifting the veil,” she soars, one harmonized voice cascading downwards as another one radiates in place. It’s a beautiful moment of catharsis for the artist: One in which we, as listeners, even begin to feel her pain melting away. “Slowly, finding my way… slowly, being ok,” she affirms.
Taloula is a reinvention, but perhaps this new artistic endeavor can best be understood as Tal Benizri living her truth. “Find My Way” is brutally honest; a stunning, no-frills unveiling of the self in real time. Music like this hurts; it’s real. No wonder we hear her final breath at the very end of this song: It’s symbolic of all she’s released in this one song alone.
Stream “Find My Way” below, and be sure to listen to the full The Evolution of Taloula EP upon its release in mid-December.
I almost lost the best in me
Sacrificing in the name of validation,
I almost let the fear in me,
Ruin every single perfect imperfection
Slowly, clearing the way
Slowly, lifting the veil
Slowly, finding my way
Slowly, being ok
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Stream: “Find My Way” – Taloula
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? © Alexadra Waespi
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