TALK: THE SINGLE “RUNAWAY TO MARS”
Photo Credit: Lane Dorsey
You’ve heard “Run Away to Mars” – now meet the artist, TALK behind the breakout single that’s already amassed over 11 million combined streams. Released as part of a label deal between Capitol Records and Range Music Partners, the worldwide smash is the fastest-growing song on Spotify’s Viral 50 Global chart and is now #1 on the Spotify Viral 50 – USA. Listen to “Run Away to Mars”
Born Nicholas Durocher and raised in Ottawa, this multi-instrumental wizard is at ease on piano, guitar, drums, bass, banjo, harmonica and even the mandolin. He toured Canada with a country band in his teens and honed his songwriting and production skills while working with artists at Sony, Def Jam, Wax Records, Physical Presents and more. Then, just over a year ago, he unleashed the eclectic voice and character he’d envisioned for years – TALK – and started asking the questions that are now reverberating in everyone’s minds and social media posts:
What if I run away to mars?
Would you find me in the stars?
Would you miss me in the end
If I run out of oxygen
When I run away to mars
“‘Run Away to Mars’ came to me when I was feeling really alone and isolated. Writing has always been a way for me to process and deal with my emotions, and for this song I pictured myself as far away as humanly possible. In my mind, that was Mars,” explains Nicholas Durocher. “I love movies about space and adventure, and I drew inspiration from those worlds to build my own – kind of like a kid making a cardboard rocket ship in his backyard. I just happen to be better at making songs than I am at arts and crafts. As the song started to grow in my head and on paper, it transformed into a love song for humanity. A way to feel, just for a moment, what it would be like to leave it all behind. A love song for Mother Earth.”
American Songwriter, which featured TALK as its “Daily Discovery” shortly after the single’s initial release in June 2021, said, “‘Run Away to Mars’ squeezes out every drop of humanity from his very bones, poured over an acoustic arrangement.”
The astonishing success of the song has been completely organic, driven by a series of viral TikTok posts from TALK himself. Of all the posts created using “Run Away to Mars” in 2022, TALK himself has generated 18 of the top 20 most viewed, accounting for over 16 million views. The track debuted at #2 on U.S. Viral charts and ranked #1 in eleven markets. Total daily streams have increased 1100% since July.
In an era where many artists use mystery as a marketing tactic, TALK is in your face. He’s eccentric, flashy and colorful, inspired by artists like Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Guns N’ Roses. He’d rather make his own gold sequin cape than wear a designer outfit. He writes, plays on and produces his own tracks, only bringing them to the studio for final touch ups — a rarity in today’s pop music space.
“TALK is me saying ‘I don’t care what anyone thinks, I’m going to be bright, beautiful and, most importantly, myself,’” says Durocher.
His message is simple yet profound: “Show love to everyone you meet, because you don’t know what they’re going through or where they’ve come from.
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