A Cairns-based singer-songwriter who pens relatable songs across jazz, folk, country, indie pop, and blues styles, Talitha Jae recently released her debut EP.
Titled 'Spilt T', the six songs track the different stages of romance-love.From her debut single 'Chasing My Tail' about modern dating, to 'Ambiguity' that revolves around whether your new squeeze is as into you as you are them, before 'Slow' questions whether you're jumping into a relationship too soon.
"I structured the flow of the tracklist to take listeners on a journey through the feels," Talitha says.
'Butterfies & Anxiety' – Talitha's second single – covers the mental gymnastics required when the happiness of a burgeoning relationship is questioned by personal thoughts highlighting doubts.
'Waterproof Mascara' is pretty self-explanatory – it's about the heartbreak we endure when a relationship ends; before 'I'm Done' offers an upbeat mood for when you're ready to end things for real.
"I used to attend a songwriting group with local musicians and I was struggling [with] genre one day and a friend said: 'T, your genre is the feels.'
"While I protested that feels wasn't a real option, he had a point.
"My songs all come from strong emotions and it's my way of working through what I'm feeling. . . it's real and it's raw, and I think that comes through."
A great partner for relationship advice (whether you're at the start, the middle or nearing the end) is tea; and Talitha (who is referred to as 'T' by friends and colleagues) is quite the tea aficionado judging by the listle she's supplied.
1: T2 - New York Breakfast
T2 has a lot of amazing teas; it's a shop I should not be allowed into unsupervised.I once tried doing a click-and-collect order so that I would just stick to what I needed, but when I went in to pick it up I got sucked into about four different teas on top of what I'd ordered. Fun fact: The teacup on my EP cover is from T2.
New York Breakfast is my absolute favourite tea and I have one almost every day (although I have it in the afternoon, not at breakfast). This one has hints of vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon-like flavours - yum!
2: Twinings - Lady Grey
This tea is magic. I bring it out whenever I am (or someone else is) stressed out. It's like a big, warm hug from the inside; you instantly feel your body relax wth the first sip.I usually carry at least one individually wrapped Lady Grey teabag in my purse at all times, because you never know when you or someone else might need an instant calm down.
However, they've stopped selling those packs at Coles and Woolies (and nobody wants an unwrapped teabag floating around in their purse), so I'm on the hunt for the illusive 10pk to restock my stash.
3: Dilmah - Rose with French Vanilla
Dilmah also has some great teas and this one is no exception. It's a delicate little sip that is perfect for a chilled-out afternoon when you're feeling a little bit fancy. The rose and vanilla are so balanced, and it goes down a treat.4: T2 - Honey Vanilla Honeybush Tisane
This is probably my favourite caffeine-free tea. I can only have one cup of caffinated tea per day or its straight to panic station for me, so it's great to have another yummy option.This one is loose leaf, so I haven't been having it as often because my handy dandy T2 Teamaker is in storage (thanks COVID) and TBH I just couldn't be bothered with the infuser balls most days.
5: Nerada - Rooibos & Vanilla
Another great caffeine-free option (also just realising that almost all of my favs have vanilla in them – apparently I'm quite the vanilla fan).I leave my caffeinated tea for the afternoon crash, but I like to start the day with a cuppa as well so this is usually what I'm sipping on my way to work in the mornings; it's a great way to start the day.
It's also grown up here in Far North Queensland, so it gives extra good feels of supporting local.
