Chatting to new dance sensation artists Alex Hobson and Talia Mar

With over 800,000 dedicated YouTube subscribers, 1 million Instagram followers, and millions of streams on her songs, it’s safe to say that Talia Mar is one of the UK’s leading online sensations right now. Known for empowering R&B-driven anthems, she has decided to switch things up by releasing a euphoric summer dance track, “Good On You,” with rising producer Alex Hobson. The Manchester-born talent, who recently signed a major label deal with RCA Records, is currently racking up the streams and is bound to dominate the airwaves and the clubs in the foreseeable future.

Hobson’s collaboration with Mar might be perfect for the summer season but it’s also an all-around feel-good bop that is there to lift your spirits, no matter the time of year. With already three million plays on Spotify alone, Pentagon spoke to the duo about the track that continues to gain massive amounts of momentum.

So, how did this collaboration come about?

Talia: I got this message about Alex and all his music and stuff and I thought it was really sick. I heard the track and it’s not something I would normally do, it’s really out of my comfort zone but I thought it was such a cool song, therefore, I couldn’t say no.

Alex: For me, I had just signed with RCA for a couple of tracks deal and we were working on the first single and were chatting about how we could get a feature on the song. We threw a few names about and I found out Talia wanted to work on it and I was like sick, let’s go with it.

Was the song all already written before hand or did Talia go in the studio and write some of the lyrics?

Talia: It came to me as the track, which is something I normally don’t do. I was like hmm… I’m not really sure but once I heard it, I was literally playing it in my car non-stop and I was like, okay, this is a good sign. I kept having to stop myself from singing it in front of people.

Obviously, you enjoy writing your own songs and will continue to do so. However, do you think you’re now more open to the idea of taking a song that was written beforehand?

Talia: I think I always said I would never say no because if a song is good and I enjoy it, why wouldn’t I wanna sing it? It’s not something I seek out to do necessarily, but if the right song comes along, the right song comes along.

What inspired the song to be created in the first place?

Alex: Summer. Especially after last year, no one has been able to go out and do anything. I was like right, I’ve gotta do something that lifts people’s spirits a bit.

Talia: It’s like a summer infatuation song, that’s what I always feel when I hear it. You’re on the beach and you see someone fit and you’re like, “I’ll look good on you!” *laughs*

I’ve seen people waiting to hear it on an episode of Love Island. Has that happened yet?

Talia: It hasn’t! But it’s a very Love Island vibe.

There has been a lyric video released but are there plans for a music video?

Alex: I’m not sure, I don’t think there is any talks really.

Talia: I don’t think it needs one to be honest. It’s one of those songs, I don’t think it needs a visual to bring it to life. It’s so bouncy as it is. I think if a video is going to add something to a story and the feel, go for it. If it’s not, I’d rather just listen to the song.

Has the success of the song come by surprise or were you confident from the start it was going to go down well?

Alex: For me, I’ve always released stuff on an independent label so I’ve never really had or seen a fanbase that goes proper in for a song before. Even when we teased the song on Tiktok, the number of people that were dead excited was mad. I know most of them were from Talia’s side because she’s got a massive following, but it was mad to see everyone going in on it. It’s crazy.

Talia: I knew it would do well because it’s a good song but you’re always a little apprehensive when you release something new and you can’t get too ahead of yourself. I think we’re both pleasantly surprised with how it’s gone.

Alex: It must have been more surprising for you Talia because you don’t normally release this type of music.

Talia: Yeah, it was so different for me. I had no idea how fans would take to the song.

The statistics continue to grow. How often are you checking them?

Alex: Every day! I’m on it.

Talia: Really?! I’m pretty good at not over checking but I do enjoy analytics, I’m a bit of a statistics nerd. So, from that side of things, I love knowing what percentages increased or decreased but I’m not super focused on it. It’s normally my mum that’ll message me and I’m like okay, I’ll have a look *laughs*

How has releasing the song during the pandemic been like? It’s obviously restricting to an extent.

Alex: I’m used to releasing songs anyway while completely hidden away in my bedroom, that’s just what I do, I’ve done it for years and years. Obviously, since signing with a major, things are different. They wanna do shoots where you’ve gotta go out. Even when I signed with RCA, I couldn’t go out and meet the people I signed with because of covid. That’s the only thing that’s been a bit weird.

Talia: I think the same here. I’ve done everything from my bedroom so anything that’s slightly more outside is new. I don’t think we’ve actually felt it in the same way as others. The only difference is that with every shoot, everyone is tested and wearing masks. Other than that, I have noticed it as much with music.

For each of you, who are your music inspirations?

Alex: MK, which people can probably tell with the sound of music I make, DJ SKT, who I used to listen to a lot growing up. On a DJ level, James Hype is ridiculous and I’m grateful enough to have met him.

Talia: It’s very different for me. Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, I grew up listening to a lot of Destiny’s Child, TLC, the R&B kind of stuff. Basically every female artist out there, I love!

Every pop diva out there!

Talia: Yeah, if she’s been called a diva, she’s probably in my top.

What’s next for both of your individually?

Alex: I’ve got loads of new music just sat there ready to go. It’s just a matter of putting the songs out there. I’m quite excited about it.

Talia: I’ve literally just gotten back into the studio now so I’m writing new music. Hopefully, releasing some more stuff but you never know.

What is something you would like to achieve before the end of the year?

Talia: I think releasing regularly and having a bunch of performances lined up, fully having the pandemic behind us and just go go go back into music. It’s not a specific goal, it’s quite generalised but I think just having loads of music out and performances sorted is what I want to do by the end of the year.

Alex: I think mine is pretty similar, to be honest. I just wanna keep growing and take everything day by day and hopefully see it grow while trying some new stuff.