About

Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, producer and record label president Talia Billig/Taali has made a career of building community and breaking down barriers. A seasoned songsmith who has collaborated with artists like Aloe Blacc, Moby, José James and Becca Stevens, she weaves a unique and brilliant fabric through all she touches. Her own music, described as a “beguiling mix of tropical pulse, chamber pop, avant-electronica, and quiet storm” has been featured in Billboard, BUST and NPR.

After receiving a BA/BFA from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music/Eugene Lang, Billig immediately dove into creation. By day, she learned the music industry working for legendary Blue Note president Bruce Lundvall. By night, she could be found playing or powwowing among New York’s Lower East Side crowd at Rockwood Music Hall, then inviting the evening's performers to her Orchard Street apartment for jam sessions. Thusly her Orchard Sessions video salon was born: Well before social media, Billig would bring in an artist, arrange a song with whomever was on hand to play, then film the result with herself typically on piano, percussion, or harmony. Totaling 18 sessions, The Orchard Sessions featured artists like Snarky Puppy, Luke Temple, Kate Davis, Matt Simons, Camila Meza and Johanna Warren.

This style of intimate collaboration inspired her to explore writing for others, and an opportunity came quickly. Blue Note star José James, whom she'd help to sign to the label, caught one of her Rockwood gigs and invited her to write on his 2014 album, While You Were Sleeping. The chemistry was immediate and electric—she landed two songs on the set, joined James' band as a background singer, toured the world for two years, and wound up co-writing five tracks for his 2017 LP, Love in a Time of Madness. Emboldened, she moved to Los Angeles to write for other musicians but soon hit an unexpected, albeit welcome, detour: she started to write things she wanted to keep.

12 of those new songs became her debut album, I Am Here, under the moniker Taali. Written, played and co-produced by Billig, the album signified the moment an incredibly driven, able, studied, and practiced artist stepped into her own.

When it came to finding a home for the album, though, Taali couldn’t imagine taking such personal work to any old record label. And so in 2018 she and James decided to found their own Rainbow Blonde Records, with the ideal of an artist collective where every person, from artist to engineer, is a vital part of the story. For Taali, this was the culmination of not only her five years at a major label, but her time on Orchard Street building something humble but meaningful.

“I exist in a space where I assume from experience that this business and overall paradigm wasn’t made for us,” she says. “I come from mentors who heard that, understood that, and didn’t let that impede them. Rainbow Blonde is a Jewish woman from New York and a mixed-race man from Minneapolis. The two of us founded it to create a space where people can fully pursue their artistry, celebrate their community, and do it entirely on their terms.”

In the years since founding the label, Billig has continued to do just that. As a record label president she rides for artists whose work fearlessly, furiously ignores genre and trends in order to stand for something. As a music industry professional she has taught at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in songwriting and music business, and works to empower and teach young artists the value of musical independence. As a songwriter she continues to build community, garnering a Grammy nomination in 2020 for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. And aa singer she continues to sing and tour worldwide. Since her debut album she has released 2 more EPs, a live LP recorded at the legendary Levon Helm Studios and a full length self titled LP in 2023.