Every month Brave Island runs a Young Creative of the Month fund, where we spotlight a local young creative with an interview on our blog, and support them with funding of £100. For November, it’s Musician Talitha Monaghan. This fund launches at the beginning of every month, you can apply to be Young Creative of the Month for December here.
Please can you tell us about your creative practice?
My creative practice is singing and music, whether it be as a member of a choir or in my rock band or, as I’ve been focussing on more recently, my solo folk work. For as long as I can remember, making music has been my lifeblood, and I always wanted to be a professional singer since I was a kid. I’ve spent years training and learning, not just in singing, but I’ve practiced songwriting, as well and singing and acting in musicals, and I taught myself to play the guitar.

Who or what are the biggest inspirations for your Music?
In terms of attitude, I have always been inspired by my singing teacher, Linda Filby Borrett, who I’ve been doing lessons with for over a decade. She has always encouraged me with her bold and relentless approach to life, and inspired me to be hardworking and to shine bright, not just in music, but in life. I am also inspired by my band mates from my college band, Stereo Screams, and how much they have taught me about making music together as a team. The inspirations I draw from in writing my own music depend on which genre I’m writing for; I was inspired to start writing folk music when I played Dungeons and Dragons for the first time, and became interested in what music might be surrounding my character in the world of the game. From there I began looking into well known folk songs, and some modern folk artists, such as MALINDA, the Oh Hellos, The Amazing Devil, and Derina Harvey Band have inspired me with their ability to create such a warm atmosphere. I am, at heart, a storyteller, and folk music has a history of such amazing stories, and I take inspiration for my songs from any little story that comes to mind, but I am particularly inspired by the fantasy settings of dungeons and dragons, and the story possibilities those settings offer.

You’ve got a new EP coming out soon, can you tell us a little about this?
I originally began writing my EP, Tales from the Tavern, as part of my course at Platform one, however, after some unfortunate delays in production, it has been pushed back and it’s still in the final stages, and I’m planning to have it out by the end of the year. It’s my first real exploration into Folk music, and my attempt at recreating the feeling of community that comes with a pub full of people singing from their hearts after a few too many drinks.

Where can people find your work if they’d like to support you?
I’m talimonaghanmusic on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and soon on streaming platforms once my EP comes out. I’m printing a short run of CDs and preorders are up on my website talimonaghanmusic.com as well as a link to my merch store and other places to support me, information about past projects, news about upcoming gigs, and contact details for anyone who might want to hire me for events or gigs.