Hope Natasha McDonald (born 18 November 1997), known professionally as Hope Tala, is a British singer-songwriter. Her musical style has been described as pulling from R&B, Latin, neo soul, and bossa nova.

Early life

Tala learned to play various musical instruments during her childhood. Tala first started to sing at the age of 15 and wrote her first compositions during her study of music AS-Level. At home, she experimented with

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, producing demos which she published on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. Tala describes her favourite instrument as the guitar, with a preference for nylon guitars but also enjoying acoustic and electric guitars. Tala's moniker is derived from her birth name. Tala is a diminutive form of her middle name Natasha.

Career

2018–2019: Studies, ''Starry Ache'', ''Sensitive Soul''

Tala studied

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

. graduating with first-class honours in 2019. Tala turned down the chance to pursue a master's degree at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in favor of pursuing a career in music. Tala finished her first and second EPs, ''Starry Ache'' and ''Sensitive Soul'', while she was at university. She finished her single ''Lovestained'' as she was finishing her dissertation. Tala's first single was "Blue", released in 2018 which was later included on the EP ''Starry Ache''. She would proceed to release her singles "Lovestained" and "D.T.M." in 2019. "Lovestained" was written as Tala was working towards her degree in English literature. Tala's "Lovestained" would later be placed on ''Rolling Stones "50 Best songs of 2019" list at #8. The two singles would be compiled into her EP ''Sensitive Soul''.

2020–present: ''Girl Eats Sun'' and other singles

Tala's "All My Girls Like To Fight" was her first song in 2020. It was around this time that Tala had declined pursuing a master's degree in favour of a career in music. Speaking to ''Wonderland'', Tala described music as a "one-shot career" and that she would have "regretted continuing her studies" when there was the opportunity to continue on later in life. Tala described writing "All My Girls Like To Fight" as "constructing an expansive narrative in a song" and she "wanted to portray women having strength and agency in the narrative". The song would be included in her EP ''Girl Eats Sun''. Although Tala has released a number of EPs and singles, as of June 2022 none of them have entered any mainstream charts.

Critical reception

Tala's ''All My Girls Like To Fight'' was listed as one of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's favourite songs of 2020. Her song ''Tiptoeing'' was chosen by

Clara Amfo Clara Amfo (born 22 May 1984) is a British radio broadcaster, television presenter, podcast host and voice-over artist. She is known for presenting her shows on BBC Radio 1. Early life and education Amfo was born in Kingston upon Thames in Lo ...

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's "Hottest Record in the World" on 19 October 2021.

Personal life

Tala is bisexual and considers herself Black or Mixed Race.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tala, Hope British people of Jamaican descent Living people Bisexual musicians Bisexual women British LGBT singers Black British singers Alumni of the University of Bristol 1997 births LGBT Black British people