"From the introduction of his show to his closing regards, Jay makes connections with individuals, young or old, in the audiences across the nation where Jay has played."
MEET COUNTRY ARTIST
Jay Taylor
Age
30
Hometown || Currently Live
Duette, FL
currently in Nashville, TN
What made you want to start
singing/writing?
I grew up listening to my mom and family sing in
church, there was really never a starting point that I can remember, everyone
around me just always sang; whether you were good or not. I’m really thankful
that I learned early on that singing wasn’t just about the notes you were
hitting but the emotion and feeling behind those notes. I started writing my
own music in my early teens. Before that I would take songs that already
existed and steal the melodies and write my own lyrics. Parody them I guess. I
got older and found my own sound more. It took me writing hundreds of songs
before I found what grooves, melodies, and lyrical content best suited my
personality. Before that I was just basically copying what my musical heroes
had done.
Do you play any instruments? Did you
teach yourself?
I play guitar, piano, harmonica and a little
ukulele. I actually just picked up harmonica a couple years ago and I love it.
I played it on one of the tracks off the EP “How I Wanted To”. I love a lot of
the older blues guy’s style of playing. I just wrote a song on Ukulele and I’m
getting ready to demo it. That’s a cool instrument. I taught myself mostly but
I got a lot of tips and help from the musicians I met when I came to town like
Jason Link, Forrest Lee Jr, and Jim Thacker.
Who are your biggest musical
inspirations?
Hands down my mother. She is, to this day, the best
singer I’ve ever heard. I was always taught to mean what you sing and to make
sure everyone else knows that you mean it too, and no one embodies that advice more
than her. I grew up listening to The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Eagles, George
Strait, The Beach Boys, Motown, and southern gospel so I’m sure that influenced
my sound as well.
Where do you get inspiration to
write?
Just like anyone else I get it from what I’ve dealt
with. Love, heartbreak, or even just looking outside and seeing a bird on a
tree and wishing it was springtime, then thinking of a green eyed girl you want
to be with. That’s how I wrote “The Green Dress Song”. I was simply sitting having
breakfast and wanted to write a song about the first things that came to my
mind. I started looking around and grabbed a pen and out it came. Inspiration
is a very mysterious thing. It comes anytime anywhere. You just have to be
ready for it all the time.
Do you have a favorite song that
you’ve written or co-written?
My favorite song on the EP is “The Light”. It means
the most to me. I was going through a time where I was questioning a lot of my
own beliefs about God and whether I believed in him. It was actually during my
time on “The Voice” and I had a dream one night in my hotel in LA that I was in
the woods and felt really lonely and I saw this cabin that was beautiful with
all the lights on and for some reason, I didn’t want to go in yet. It was really
metaphorical to me and it touched me. I
wrote “The Light” the next day in about 20 minutes.
What moment in your career is your
favorite thus far?
The one that sticks out the most is winning a
statewide singing competition in 2004. It was called Florida’s Super Singer and
it was televised and made a big deal of in FL. I was 17 and wondering what I
wanted to do with my life and that win and the opportunities that came from it
made me open my eyes a bit on what I really loved.
Finish this sentence, If I could
write a song for or with anyone I would choose….?
If I could write a song with anyone I would choose
Paul McCartney… I think he is the best and most creative musician there is
right now and possibly ever.
If I could write a song for anyone it would be
George Strait. Everyone wants George to sing one of their songs!
If I could sing a song with anyone I
would choose….?
I would choose George Strait. I think he is the
best country singer of all time.
Where do you see yourself in a year?
I’m not so sure about where I see MYSELF, but I see
a lot more people having and listening to my EP. I’m really proud of it and I’m
spending this entire year touring and promoting it.
5 years?
I see myself doing mostly the same thing I’m doing
now but on a larger level. 2 or 3 more albums/EPs out. More music and a few
more team members to the cause. Personally I would like to be settled and
married. I’m not sure about kids but definitely married.
If I wasn’t a singer/songwriter I would
be…?
Wishing I was.
I’m afraid of…?
A couple years ago I realized how much my fear of
failure was holding me back from success. I made a conscious effort to not let
fear determine how I reacted to anything. So whenever my instinct is to be
afraid of something it’s usually telling me that that is really what I’m
supposed to be doing. Except for heights…That’s not good for anyone lol
I never get tired of…?
Listening to George Strait or the Beatles
What is one thing people may not know
about you?
I love to read and I have a collection of vinyl
records. Hundreds. Mostly country. I love the sound of an old record player and
how it sounds. It’s just different than a cd or mp3.
We are a month into the new year,
what does 2015 look like you for? New music? Festivals? Etc.
Just put out a brand new EP in January, I’m doing a
nationwide tour all year promoting it.. Northeast, Northwest, West, Southeast,
and I’m working on mid-west as we speak. Festivals, Bars, Fairs,…pretty much
anywhere I can plug a microphone and a guitar in. You can check out my tour
dates at Jaytaylormusic.com
I N H A L E T H E J A M S
C O N N E C T
[photos and quotes from Jay Taylor || www.jaytaylormusic.com]