Bree Taylor – Cry

By starrymag | May 27, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Bold, expressive and emotional. I am now making country music with a lot of pop influences.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences? 

 

A) This is always a tough question for me! I have so many musical influences in so many different genres, but some pivotal one’s have been Shania Twain, Amanda Marshall, Michelle Branch, the Dixie Chicks, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, P!nk and Avril Lavigne. See! It’s such a long list! [laughs] But definitely a lot of kick ass strong women, that’s for sure. I have always loved bands and male artists as well, but when it comes to influencing ME as an artist and my own sound and music I am most influenced by powerful and strong women in the industry.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Cry.”

 

A) What inspired “Cry” originally was the concept of a woman wanting her man to open up and show his emotional side and letting him know that it is okay for him to break down and cry sometimes and that she will be there for him through it all. Men are told from a young age by the media and social stereotypes that they shouldn’t cry or show their vulnerabilities. And as a single woman, I have found that when dating it is extremely difficult to find a man who is in touch with his emotions or who can open up about his feelings/struggles.

However, throughout the recording process, the meaning of the song changed for me. I didn’t want it to pigeon hole itself as one thing or to one person or type of person but to ALL people. I started hearing the bigger message behind the song and even at times felt that I was singing it to myself through times that I was struggling. I want people to listen to the song themselves and identify with it how they hear it – depending on what someone is going through or their individual experiences they will hear it and feel a certain type of way. Mental health is something that I have been very open about struggling with my whole life and is a cause that is extremely important to me. Having a song that is representative of bringing more positive awareness to mental health is extremely important to me so I am SO excited to finally release this.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to? 

 

A) I think that since the song is about such a basic human emotion – vulnerability, the song is something that EVERYONE can connect to in one way or another. That’s why I didn’t want to pigeon hole the song being about anything specific except for that it’s about being okay to not be okay sometimes, being okay to cry and show your vulnerabilities with others. I wanted the song to be universal and all-inclusive because we ALL feel these emotions and go through things that make us feel upset or vulnerable in one way or another. Vulnerability is a strength – not a weakness – and I want that positive message to come across to fans and listeners and that is exactly why I think people have been connecting to the song.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it? 

 

A) I wanted to show vulnerability and the spectrum of human emotions in a more diverse way. Ultimately, I wanted to show someone who was clearly going through something and having a hard time opening up and showing their emotions and vulnerabilities to their significant other and then in the end finally doing so – getting the message of the song across that it is okay to cry and be vulnerable. I personally find that men have more pressure on them to NOT show their emotions and vulnerabilities and personally, when dating, I have experienced this first hand and know that many others do/have as well so that seemed like the simplest way to show the story/message of the song. I really wanted people to connect with the song in their own way and then drive that message home with a video showing everyone that no matter what you’re dealing with in life, we all go through things and we all hurt and feel overwhelmed but it’s okay to share that with someone in your life and turn to someone for relief. Mental health, specifically, is an important cause to my heart. I have been open with fans about my personal journey through it, so I wanted to align myself with this song/video even further as an ally/advocate for mental health awareness.

 

Q) What is your song-writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

 

A) My songwriting process changes depending on the type of writing session I am doing. If I am just writing on my own, I usually try to write about something I am passionate about or really feeling/experiencing. My songs are all very personal journeys for me in one way or another so it’s important to me to that at the end of the day a song I release under my name is something I really love and connect with.

I also do a lot of songwriting sessions with other incredibly talented songwriters so when those sessions happen, we usually all come into the session with ideas and bounce them off one another and build from there in a collaborative way. It’s amazing being able to co-write with others because there are people who can say what you feel better than you can sometimes. I don’t always need music to write lyrics. Sometimes I will get a melody in my head and build from that or the other way around – the lyrics will flow and then the melody comes later or during and then music is built on it afterwards. I do often sit down with my piano or guitar (I don’t play either super well but enough to song write thankfully) and see where the music takes me – it all depends on my mood.

 

Q) How much of a hand did you have in the production of your music? 

 

A) Actual production I leave to the professionals, of course! It’s always great to work with such an amazing team of professionals who can bring your music to life, so I have been very fortunate to work with some great producers. I, of course, have full approval for how my music is sounding but having a good chemistry with people on my team means that they usually understand my vision from the start.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Bree Taylor performance?

 

A) I combine pop and country sounds and bring a raw and emotional honesty from the lyrics of my songs so fans can definitely expect my live show to express that in the same way. I love to have fun on stage as much as I love to pour my heart out in my music. So, I would describe my live show as fun, upbeat and filled with energy and emotions that will definitely keep audiences entertained and enjoying my music in a new way.

 

Q) Will there be an EP or full album coming in the near future?

 

A) YES! I have been working on finishing up my new EP (title in the works) and it was supposed to be released late spring, but with everything going on in the world right now it will most likely be delayed. It will still happen though – I am nothing if not resilient and nothing will stop me from making and releasing music.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

 

A) Well, there are many places that I still want to perform that holds significance to me, but out of the ones that I HAVE performed at I would say the Moonshine Cafe is one of my favorites because it’s always such a warm and intimate space that is so loving and welcoming to everyone. It is also a venue that I have gone back to many times to perform at whereas many venues are often a one time show or so for me right now. I have only been performing live for the past two years now, so I have many more venues to grace with my music and I am excited to do just that!

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future? 

 

A) Well, I would LOVE to collaborate with Carrie Underwood or Shania Twain one day. That would probably be a huge dream come true! There are truly SO many talented artists that I would feel so privileged to work with – the list is endless. I love the pop world so much as well so to work with people like Halsey, Taylor Swift or even Calvin Harris, Diplo or Kygo would be so cool! Realistically though, I think me and my girl Nicole Rayy will collaborate in the near future – we have endless requests from our fans to do so.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I JUST started listening to Kelsea Ballerini’s new album that dropped on March 20th and love it so much! That has been on repeat along with the latest Dixie Chicks single “Gaslighter,” which is my JAM! It is such an incredible song and was a PERFECT comeback song for them in my opinion – I love it!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans? 

 

A) Social media has been something that I have grown up with and that has gradually over the years shown to be a vital part of the industry in connecting with fans and promoting our music. It is almost the norm for me to utilize social media in that way and I, of course, see it’s benefits and LOVE engaging with my fans! It is wicked to be able to give that kind of access to fans because I know when I was a kid and we didn’t have social media and I would have loved to be able to interact with my idols the way we can now. I think it’s important because your fans are the ones that fuel the music and make what we do actually mean something. Without them we’re just spending thousands of dollars making music for ourselves and that is too expensive to keep doing. [laughs] The fans give us real purpose and them being able to interact with us through social media helps them to connect with us and our music in ways that we were never able to do many years ago.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I want to say a big and sincere THANK YOU! I appreciate and am so grateful for each and every person who listens to my music or comes to a show or offers support in any way they can. It means the world to me and keeps me going and it gives me reassurance that I can do this and that I am doing what I am meant to do. I also want them to know that I love hearing from them and interacting with them online so not to be shy. [smiles]