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Photo: Kin Cordell

Talia Jackson continues to surprise fans by opting for glittering guitar riffs, iridescent synths, and savory vocals on her new song “You.” Exuding with an indie-pop-rock foundation, the rising singer-songwriter continues to experiment at the intersection of pop and R&B, channeling feelings produced from a toxic “relationship” into an earworm of a single that is relatable and reflective.

According to the Wisconsin native, “You” was the first song she ever wrote and co-produced in the studio. “I do draw a lot of inspiration from the future if that makes any sense,” she said. “I wrote them last year during the early pandemic lockdowns, in the mindset of how I would be this year. It’s incredible listening to them again. I was so hurt and destroyed last year, and I’m obviously in a very different place now, but listening to those songs and being on the other side of that dark cloud is inspiring to me. And so I think future Talia always inspires me.”

“You” is an amalgamation of alternative R&B and pop styles that features passionate vocals, rhythmic pop melodies, and soul-baring lyrics. The nineteen-year-old shared that she used songwriting to heal from heartbreak and the conflicting emotions experienced in an unpredictable, confusing, and “hot and cold” relationship. “I had experienced a lot of hurt within the last two years, and so when the pandemic hit, I was alone, and I was hurt. And the only thing I could really do, and the only person I could talk to, was myself. And so to get everything in my head, out of my head, I had to write, and music was something I’d always loved. Singing had always been part of my life in a way, never in a career way, but it’d always been there. Thankfully, my mother told me that I should consider writing music, and she said it’d be healing for me."  

Jackson explained that she genuinely had never thought she would be where she is now with music last year. ”‘You’ is honestly the most healing song I’ve ever written. And at the same time, it feels the most, I guess, freeing, almost euphoric feeling I get when I listen to it because I know what I went through, to write it.“

The music video for the single is equally as entrancing. Fans are shown neon-lit scenes of Jackson brooding and debating whether she should reach out to an aloof lover. The turmoil she is experiencing is poignantly written and intoxicatingly sung on lyrics like, "I should probably let go / But you make me feel like I run the world / Next week I’m just another girl.” The production and arrangement emphasize the emotional stakes of the tumultuous situation with a glittering, neon vibrancy.

Although Jackson might currently be best known for her role as Jade on Netflix’s Family Reunion, it’s clear that many will soon be falling in love with her authentic writing and soulful sonic presence.

Listen to  "You" below: