The year 2020 caused many of us to find new hobbies and try certain things that maybe we've always wanted to try but never had the time for. It also forced us to slow down and be grateful for what we already have. You see, in a world where everything is so fast-paced, it's easy only to find ourselves looking towards the future and forgetting the past. But what if looking back and revisiting old ideas and projects propel us forward? Well, the story of how Brooklyn-based producer and singer Tal Simon crafted his most recent EP 'Reworks' proves just that.

21-year-old Tal lost his collaborative projects and job, as many did when the pandemic forced us into quarantine. He utilized the extra time for self-reflection, which resulted in him reopening his old hard drives instead of starting over and creating new material. Tal discovered hundreds of half-finished loops, vocal stems, and beats he barely remembered recording within those hard drives. Just like that, he had found what would occupy his time during the lockdown.

And thus, 'Reworks' was born, which consisted of five of his favorite b-sides from his discography, compiled, reworked, and remastered. Each song contains old memories for the young singer and helps make this an EP filled with nostalgia. Socrates once said, "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." Tal Simon created a genre-less project that flows with ease from old parts of himself because he didn't resist the past. The singer instead built from it, and his EP is a testament to the joy and creativity that one can produce from bringing our memories into the future.

“Accompanying the EP is the official car live session for his cozy, mellow track "Hollandaise," an ode the countless Saturday mornings growing up spent with his family at Ricky's Diner, a staple in the small town he grew up in Connecticut.” Watch below:

Now that he so cleverly constructed from his past, we can't help but wonder what is next for this promising artist. Until then, you can get to know him a bit better with our Five Fun Facts with Tal Simon.

1. I'm a big fan of eggs. Pretty much every day growing up, I would wake up and make some sort of egg dish before school, and my mom would walk in the kitchen and go, "egg boy!"

2. My parents are from North London, we would take trips overseas to visit family often, but not recently due to covid. Hopefully, we'll be able to go back soon, though!

3. I'm really good at ping pong. Or at least I think I am, lol. Growing up, my dad and I played pretty competitive games. Shit was serious. Not as serious as my nana, though, who actually won a few small table tennis competitions back in her day.

4. I got "best dressed" in high school.

5. I used to be a valet parker at a Hospital. Some of the cars were either super nice like Teslas and Corvettes, and some were like decaying manual Volvos from the 80s that smelled like stale cigarettes. Suffice to say, it was bittersweet.

   - Tal Simon

Written by Piera Lolandes

Photo by Nathan Bajar

Connect with Tal Simon: INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD