Estonian pianist and composer Rahel Talts returns with Back and Forth, a new album shaped by movement, memory, and change. Set for release on 28 November 2025, the record brings together an international quintet led by Talts and featuring British guitarist Rob Luft, capturing seven original compositions written during a period of transition following her move from Denmark to Lithuania.
In the interview, Talts speaks openly about how change, nostalgia, and anticipation coexist in her music, from the deeply personal Pärnu, inspired by her seaside hometown, to Naujas Skyrius, which reflects the excitement and bittersweetness of new beginnings. She discusses the evolving trust within a band that has grown together over five years, the freedom she has learned to allow her musicians, and how Rob Luft’s arrival added fresh energy and perspective. Recorded after a Baltic tour, Back and Forth emerges as a snapshot of where Talts finds herself today—embracing imperfection, collaboration, and the ongoing journey between past memories and future possibilities.
1. Back and Forth was written during a time of transition after your move from Denmark to Lithuania. How did that period of personal change shape the emotional direction of the album?
The big change which brings with it excitement, curiosity, bittersweetness and maybe a bit of uncertainty about the future as well is definitely something that inspired and influenced me while writing the music for the album, and I think You can also hear that while listening to it. The music is hopeful, melodic, energetic, positive, but at times also melancholic and emotional, and it expresses my feelings at this period very well. I lived in Denmark for more than 5 years and then moved to another country, Lithuania, which is also not my home country so it was about leaving behind one beautiful chapter of my life and moving on to the next, and this involves many feelings and emotions, for sure. For me, mainly positive ones since I really love change (in most situations) and new adventures.
2. The album title suggests movement between past and future. How do nostalgia and anticipation coexist in these compositions?
I find that nostalgia and anticipation are quite similar in my head often, or bring me the same emotion maybe. I am a daydreamer so I often think about the past and good old times and get a really heartwarming feeling about it, and then I also imagine the future in a sense of what could I be doing next career wise or actually in general in life as well. What are the possibilities and how cool things there are more to do and explore. This really drives me forward and gives me lots of motivation and passion, dreaming and imagining I mean, or maybe you can also call it manifesting. This brings me happiness the same way as thinking about the past. While listening to the album, I hope that everyone finds their own meaning and feels something beautiful and of their own, be it past, present or future times. A fun fact – I have a song called “Present Moment” from an older album which is literally about being in the present moment and here I am addressing the theme of past and future in my new album. I guess I have covered all the three tenses in my music. 🙂
3. “Pärnu” is named after your seaside hometown in Estonia. What does that place represent to you today, and how did you try to translate those memories into sound?
Pärnu represents so many beautiful memories, lots of nostalgia, lifelong friends and close family. It is one big part of what shaped me as a person, where I grew up, made first friends, studied, learned. It is where my roots are, therefore it means everything to me and it always sits close to my heart. So it actually came quite easily to translate these feelings and moments from Pärnu into music, without a lot of effort. I sat by the piano and started playing with nostalgic, even longing feelings and thoughts in mind and music just naturally flowed out. I am very happy about that.
4. “Naujas Skyrius” literally means “New Chapter.” When you were writing that piece, were you feeling more excitement or uncertainty, or a mix of both?
I think I was mainly feeling excitement, because I am almost always up for new adventures and change. I really like that, in fact. In a way, I enjoy not being too comfortable and settling down in one place for a long time, although that is also very nice and needed at some point, but going around places and trying new things is usually exciting and makes me feel alive. As you hear the song, it can also sound a bit melancholic perhaps. I think I also felt a bit of sadness or bittersweetness of finishing the chapter in Denmark which was quite many years of my life and gave me so much, but I was definitely ready for the next one. The piece is also inspired by the Lithuanian folk melodies and the vibe I hear in their music often.
5. “Jungle Party” brings a very different energy to the album, with its Latin-inspired, danceable feel. What role does joy and physical movement play in your music?
People often say my music is always so happy and joyful, for some it is even too happy, so I think maybe this positive, hopeful or joyful writing I often consider as my thing because I have written like that a lot. It doesn’t mean that I am always happy, but somehow music for me is something uplifting and naturally just compositions with positive tone come more easily to me than sad ones. I express myself like that, I am a hopeful and solution oriented person, trying to find beauty in as many moments as possible. The idea for “Jungle Party” was to write an easygoing party tune that fits in the end of a concert as an encore for example and audience can leave with a positive emotion. I wrote that right before our first Southeast Asia tour so we would have something new and fun in our program.
6. You’ve been working with the core quartet since 2020, touring extensively together. How has that long-term collaboration influenced the way you write and arrange music now?
I think at first I used to be very strict about what I envisioned in music and how a tune has to sound exactly like I imagine in my head. I was also more of a perfectionist with little details than I am now. Over time when we grew closer with the band and got to know each other on deeper levels I think I let go of that “everything has to be as I imagine and perfect” kind of mindset which probably got embedded in me because of the strong, soviet-like teaching style at music school when I played classical piano. I am of course forever grateful for that, it shaped me a lot and made me who I am today in music and in life. I would not want it other way. But in my band, now I feel like I give more freedom to the band when I bring a new composition to the rehearsal, I trust them more and also I know them as musicians and human beings and often write music thinking about them and their musical skills particularly. Where they could shine more, what is more comfortable for them etc. I am more experienced than in the start of the band and can let go of control more than before and that feels liberating, giving the musicians more freedom. Not everything can be or should be perfect and I want to embrace the imperfection.
7. Rob Luft joined the group after a performance at Jazzkaar and quickly felt like “a missing piece.” What did his guitar bring to the band that surprised or inspired you most?
What surprised and also inspired me the most was how well he blended in to the band from the get go. He is a really talented, incredible musician who has a lot of experience playing with many different artists and he really fit in with us well. I very much love to use guitar in my music so I knew for quite some time that I would like to add a guitarist feature to the band. We had never met with Rob before that concert so I was taking a chance when inviting him to join us hoping it works out and we mesh together well musically and humanly, because you never know before you meet. Of course I knew that he is an absolutely amazing artist but you cannot predict will you work together well or not. We were so lucky because I absolutely enjoyed what Rob gave to my music and the positive energy he radiates and so did the others. I also feel that mine and his compositions really fit together in one program which creates a nice wholesome program. His beautiful, positive compositions, high energy and masterful playing inspire me a lot and he gives a fresh perspective and new power to the band.
8. The album was recorded after a Baltic tour, when the band had just been playing night after night. How important was it to capture that sense of momentum and connection in the studio?
It was very important. I always like to arrange a studio session after a little tour or a concert because then the music is really clear and the musicians are on top of it; the program has been played through for several times and is ready for the studio. The challenging part in the studio is that quite often you are in different rooms, far away, sometimes cannot see each other, communicating only through the microphones and headphones. This can mess with the connection and high energy that we feel on the stage close together but on the other hand, the studio situation forces you to open up other senses and focus double, listen extra closely and keep the concentration on point. I think we found a beautiful chemistry and momentum while recording “Back and Forth” and I am very proud of the work we did and really grateful for the excellent musicians for their invaluable input.
9. Your band brings together musicians from several countries and musical backgrounds. How do these different perspectives shape the collective sound?
Everyone in the band has their quite different background and personality which I find really captivating. They all bring something special to the table depending on their roots, influences and upbringing. For example, I have a background of going to Estonian Etno camps for many years where I learned lots of folk songs from all over the world and this definitely shaped my understanding of melodies and influenced the writing of melodies in my music which I still use in my compositions. On the other hand, I was introduced to jazz very early because of my parents who are both jazz musicians. I was listening to lots of bebop as a teenager like Charlie Parker who was my favorite and still is one of them. To talk about the core quartet, our bassist Mariusz can play anything exceptionally, because he has a diverse background in music. Particularly, he has been playing a lot of free jazz in his life which he really shines in. Mariusz has very good ears and is always in the moment, listening to everyone. Jesper, the drummer, is a perfect combo of talented and hard working so he can nail anything on drums. He is very enthusiastic about any project and never hesitates to try new things, that is why lots of musicians invite him to their projects. I often think about him (and Mariusz as well) while writing new music, where he can really show his best side. Our saxophonist Donatas has a history with singer-songwriter country-folk music and also classical music. He plays guitar and sings very well as well, so he is skilled in many areas and styles which makes his spectrum and tool kit really big and wide in jazz. We all have lived or living now in Denmark so I also feel like we have grown together so much that we understand each other really well – on stage and off stage, not to mention all the traveling we have done together. We definitely get each other much faster musically than in the beginning. With everyone contributing with what they’ve got you get the sound that you hear on the album and I am very thankful for their trust in me and huge efforts they put in.
10. You’ve described Back and Forth as a musical snapshot of movement, between countries, stages of life, and memories. Looking back now, what do you feel this album says about where you are as an artist today?
One of the reasons I like making albums is because listening back I can see where I was at that point of my life or what were my thoughts and feelings, which people I had around me and all that. It is the most beautiful thing, it is like a timeline of my life I feel. Back and Forth is still quite fresh album so I am not yet looking that much back to it, I feel it is happening right now and I am in it. The music of course was written about two years ago but it still feels very relevant. The nostalgia about Pärnu is still there, I still go back to the good old days and potential exciting future in my mind, I still get disappointed at times and so on. When I listen to each tune, I remember what it is about. I am not living in Lithuania or Denmark at the moment, but they are both a huge part of my life and I go there often for projects, friends and loved ones. I like to believe that every album elevates me musically and helps me develop as an artist because I gain more experience, new ideas and fresh perspective from people I work with or life itself and this album has definitely done that as well which I am endlessly grateful for.
