Taali Releases New Single 'Snowfall on Orchard,' Featuring José James

Debuted by KCRW today, Chamber-pop singer/songwriter Taali has unveiled an intimate duet "Snowfall on Orchard" featuring her creative partner R&B/jazz vocalist José James. The breathtaking song is the second single off her forthcoming Were Most Of Your Stars Out? EP due out November 8 via Rainbow Blonde Records, a label and worldwide collective she runs with José James, and engineer and producer Brian Bender. Taking after fearless piano-led lead single "Los Angeles", the EP is an entirely acoustic collection filled with unparalleled honesty, expressive lyricism and vulnerable fragility. Taali will be performing live across the US with stops in New York City, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Behind the inspiration, Taali shares, "'Snowfall on Orchard' and its surrounding EP, 'Were Most Of Your Stars Out?' honor where I come from, where I've journeyed, and where I've landed. I wrote "Snowfall on Orchard" with José in Manhattan, during a blizzard. It was and remains a transparent, dreamy accounting of the beginning of a love affair. After I wrote the song, I settled in Los Angeles for two years, where my writing and creativity exploded. Los Angeles (the current worldwide capital of songwriting, in my opinion), shaped my sound and it shaped my soul. We founded our record label with Brian Bender in Atwater Village, and now run the label as a bicoastal venture. The song grounds us in the city we wrote and recorded it (NYC), and the city where it was mixed and released (LA)."

Taali, like onetime New York resident and modern storyteller Leonard Cohen, successfully weaves Jewish culture, melody and harmony into the wider American pop landscape. After years of vocal cord issues, which culminated with surgery and Taali unable to sing herself, she leaned harder into writing for others. She left her roots behind, and moved to LA in 2017 where she contributed seven songs to James' album, Love In A Time Of Madness and wrote for/with Mad Decent hip-hop innovator Jarina De Marco and gospel performer Mali Music. She also joined a Jewish service called Nefesh, part of Los Angeles' Wilshire Boulevard Temple during which time Taali both rediscovered her artistry and her Jewish culture. She is now preparing to debut her new self-produced EP. "L.A. is where the three elements came together," Taali says, reflecting on her last two years. "My Judaism, my legitimate love for pop music--and New York harmony."

Listen here:

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