EDZOR TALEZ: “ON ME” IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STOP WAITING FOR THEM

Sometimes the hardest person to rely on is yourself.

Not because you're unreliable.

But because believing in yourself becomes a lot harder when you've spent too much time waiting for somebody else to believe in you first.

Edzor Talez's new single “On Me”, released September 18, comes from that exact place.

It's a song about disappointment.

About people who weren't there.

About fake support.

About being doubted.

But most importantly, it's about what happens when you stop letting those things decide where you're going next.

NO MORE WAITING

The opening immediately sets the tone.

“You don’t talk to me crazy / been in the dark that's the place you wanna take me.”

There's frustration there.

But there's also a shift happening.

The darkness isn't where Edzor intends to stay.

“See now I'm on / see the brightness don't phase me.”

That's the turning point.

The people who wanted him stuck don't get to decide whether he moves forward.

And that's what makes “On Me” more interesting than a simple song about cutting people off.

It's not just:

“They did me wrong.”

It's:

“They did me wrong — and I'm still here.”

THE COST OF TRUST

Throughout the first verse, Edzor talks about people who expect things from him without necessarily giving anything back.

People who say yes, then maybe.

People who tell you to stay, then lie.

People who make you question yourself and then turn around and call you crazy for reacting to the situation they helped create.

It's messy.

Because real life is messy.

Not every betrayal comes from an enemy.

Sometimes it comes from somebody you thought was on your side.

And that's where the song becomes relatable.

Most people don't have a dramatic movie-style betrayal story.

They have smaller versions.

The friend who disappeared.

The person who only called when they needed something.

The person who doubted you.

The person who made you feel like you were asking for too much when you were really asking for basic loyalty.

Edzor isn't pretending those experiences don't hurt.

He's saying they don't get to control him anymore.

SNAKE ME ONCE

The line:

“Snake me once / no you can't snake me again”

pretty much sums up the mindset.

The first betrayal might be somebody else's decision.

The second one becomes your responsibility.

That's uncomfortable.

Because taking responsibility means admitting that sometimes we ignore the signs.

We give people another chance.

Then another.

We put more faith into them than we put into ourselves.

And eventually we have to ask why.

Edzor's answer comes through in the chorus.

ON ME.

“So I guess it’s on me.”

At first, that line could sound negative.

Like he's blaming himself.

But listen to what comes immediately after.

“Days in the dark had no1 to help me.”

“Life made me strong and it led me to see.”

“That only I, only I can fail me.”

That's not self-blame.

That's ownership.

There is power in knowing that your future doesn't require everybody else's approval.

THE ARTIST BEHIND THE SONG

That message feels particularly relevant to where Edzor Talez is in his own artistic journey.

Edzor has never really fit neatly into one box.

His musical background includes Kizomba and Angolan-Portuguese influences, while his more recent work has moved through rap, R&B and Afrobeats.

Even Edzor describes himself as more than simply a rapper.

An artist.

And that's important.

Because “On Me” isn't trying to prove that Edzor has everything figured out.

It's showing an artist continuing to figure himself out.

That process has already started getting recognition.

Earlier this year, Edzor was selected for Factory International's Factory Sounds Class of 2026 — a programme designed to support Greater Manchester musicians and help develop the region's music industry.

Factory International describes Edzor's practice as exploring storytelling, ritual and experimentation, with his work drawing on personal history, community and the relationship between sound and physical space.

That's a very different picture from simply calling somebody “an up-and-coming rapper.”

He's building something broader.

And “On Me” feels like another piece of that development.

FROM DARKNESS TO BRIGHTNESS

There's a recurring movement throughout the song.

Darkness.

Then brightness.

Being deceived.

Then becoming more aware.

Relying on other people.

Then relying on yourself.

Being told you can't do something.

Then watching the person who said it wrong stand there while you rise.

“said I couldn’t do it / now you see the rise.”

That's probably the simplest summary of the entire track.

You don't have to convince everybody.

You just have to keep going.

And sometimes the best response to somebody who underestimated you isn't an argument.

It's progress.

EDZOR IS BETTING ON HIMSELF

There's something quite timely about “On Me”.

We're living in an era where artists are constantly told to build a team.

Find your people.

Get the right connections.

Network.

Collaborate.

Build your circle.

And all of that matters.

But there is one uncomfortable truth underneath it:

Eventually, you still have to bet on yourself.

Other people can open doors.

They can't walk through them for you.

Other people can support the vision.

They can't have the vision for you.

Other people can believe in you.

But they can't replace your own belief.

That's what “On Me” ultimately sounds like.

Not isolation.

Not bitterness.

Not “I don't need anybody.”

Something more mature.

“I can't control everybody else.

But I can control what I do next.”

And maybe that's the real growth.

THE QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Edzor Talez has already spent years finding his sound.

From his Kizomba roots to rap, R&B and Afrobeats.

From independent releases to BBC Introducing attention.

From performing around Manchester to becoming part of Factory International's 2026 Factory Sounds programme.

Now comes another record.

“On Me.”

And the message is simple.

Stop waiting for the people who keep making you question yourself.

Stop giving your energy to people who have already shown you what they're about.

Stop letting somebody else's lack of belief become your limitation.

Because eventually, it really does come down to you.

So I guess it's on me.

And if that's the mindset Edzor is taking into this next chapter...

the interesting question isn't whether he believes in himself anymore.

It's what happens when he does.