We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Talé Ojeabulu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Talé, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

So I started everything late: music, singing, graduating college lol. I started making music in 2020, I was already 27 by the time I made my first song. While I could say I wish I started earlier, in reality I’m glad I started when I did. It’s never too late to start something you’re passionate about. No matter the age, music is music. I’m even glad cuz I have more to write about now than before

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hey y’all, my name is Tahlele (ta-lay-lay) I’m a 31 year old musician and singer from MD. I play guitar, bass and I sing. I create my own music and write my own songs. I got into music through church and, specifically, my group of friends that played for the church. I wanted to belong with them so I started singing at the age of 17. I picked up guitar around the age of 25 and started song writing around the age of 27. The genres that I find myself most in is bedroom pop and alternative r&b. Something that I’m really proud of and that sets me apart is the type of music I make. You don’t usually find my type of sound, something hazy and laid back and sweet-sounding, in my area of MD. My songs are usually based on love and life. I also weave my faith as a Christian in my music. God is love so He’s apart of the process. I want everyone to know that it’s never too late to move into your passion as a career, even if you have a job. I’m loving the process and my growth as a musician and artist and hope everyone will continue in their passions too.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe this specific ecosystem, the DMV, has amazing talent and amazing artists. The best way we can be supported is just that – support. Support can come in many different forms: creating playlists and streaming the music, going to live shows for their artist friends and community, buying merch, sharing a song, following on social media. Artists should also support artists. While money is an important factor, collabing and creating together for the sake of music itself helps create a strong supportive community and network. We as creatives in this community have a tendency to be very inward and sometimes even standoffish. We should come together and support each other in all our endeavors, so we can create a strong artistic unit.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the process itself. Sitting down with a blank logic session, and then after some time, having a full on song is just beautiful. I usually create an idea of a song with my guitar and record it on my phone. From there I just work with idea after idea: should the song be fast or slow? Is this a love song? A sad song? I listen to the chords I create and branch ideas off. I think about how I’m feeling in real time and try to capture that moment in a song. Once I do that and I build from there, I just start having fun. That’s the most rewarding part of music: the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/tahlele
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tahlele
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@tahlele