Kat Harlton
Country artist Bree Taylor recently released her latest single Cry. The emotional ballad, marks Bree’s third single since her transition into country, and explores the human condition of vulnerability and accepting it as strength rather than weakness.
Recently nominated for Best New Artist by the Mississauga Music Awards, Bree Taylor has established herself as a must-watch artist on the rise and a force to be reckoned with. Bree continues to make her mark in the Canadian music scene with her transition from pop to country music. Her music video for Drive, filmed in California, gained over 70,000 views in only a few weeks of its release and received massive fan engagement.
Born to sing and entertain, she has been performing since the age of six participating in her school choir. Bree was also enrolled at the Toronto Faculty of Music and took vocal lessons at the Oakville Academy for the Arts. Trained by A-List Vocal Coach, Bob Garrett (Pavarotti, Audrey Hepburn, and Donna Summer), Bree hit the Canadian music scene with her first single and music video, Broken Dreams in September 2016 and has been impressing fans one single at a time since. Understanding the importance of philanthropy, Bree Taylor supports causes that are close to her heart including the Oakville, Milton and Toronto Humane Society, To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Outside of music, Bree has also made a name for herself in the podcast world with her hit show Unapologetically Bree about dating, relationships and positive living which has become increasingly popular and another way for her to interact and engage with her fans.
We had the opportunity to chat with Bree and talk about her new single, songwriting and career highlights.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “Cry”?
Bree: 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 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.
Kat: Can you talk about your songwriting process, does it differ from song to song?
Bree: My songwriting process always changes from song to song because some songs I write are started on my own and then brought to a co-writer or sometimes I start a song with co-writer(s). Occasionally inspiration just hits me and the song writes itself, other times it is a harder process which is why having co-writers involved is such a great help because they can bring a new perspective to a song or situation. I find it hard to write love songs ironically haha so recently I did a write and my co-writers really helped me get to a place to write the song in a way that was authentic to me but still had more of a positive love theme/message. When I’m writing alone I try to get into a mental state of what I was feeling at a particular point in time so I can write something authentic and real if I’m not in that place at the time I’m writing. Sometimes melodies or lyrics will just randomly come to me at odd times like when I’m driving or in the shower and I can later on build from that if I’m not able to write it in that moment as well. Inspiration doesn’t always come to us when we need or want it so as a songwriter we need to learn to tap into that but writer’s block IS a real thing and I have had times that writing is way more difficult.
Kat: Having recently been nominated for Best New Artist by the Mississauga Music Awards, and having your music video for Drive, gain over 70,000 views in only a few weeks, what have you learned during this process? Do you have any advice for other emerging artists?
Bree: I am ALWAYS learning something in this business. It is a very tough and ever-changing industry so there is always work to be done and something new to learn. I also run a lot of my own business for my career from web design, graphic design to social media management, marketing etc. It’s expensive to get places as an independent artist but I am so glad I went to University for Media Studies and Communications and learned these kinds of skills that have been extremely valuable and have saved me money.
It is also really important to have a great team around you that believes in you and your music and who supports you and gives you proper guidance/assistance in building your career.
My advice to emerging artists is to keep going no matter what life throws at you. This is a VERY difficult and cut throat industry and not every moment is going to be sunshine and rainbows. The life of an artist isn’t as glamorous as one might think so stay strong because you need a thick skin. Also be prepared to put a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears into your music and your career because there is SO much that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t know about or realize – you gotta hustle! Don’t be afraid to conquer your fears and be sure to battle your inner demons as well because we can be our own worst enemies a lot of the time – don’t let yourself get in your own way.
Kat: Is there an artist you’d like to perform with, that you haven’t had the chance to yet. Or a song you would love to do a cover of?
Bree: I would LOVE to perform with P!nk or Carrie Underwood or even Shania Twain. Those are my big inspirations and who I look up to and it would be a DREAM to be able to perform with any one of them. P!nk puts on SUCH a wicked show so it would be so cool to be a part of that. I love covering the Dixie Chicks song “Not Ready To Make Nice” and people LOVE when I perform that at a show so I would love to do a professional cover of it.
Kat: What’s next?
Bree: I am booking shows and festivals for this upcoming spring/summer season and I am finishing up recording for my upcoming EP due out early Spring. I am excited to perform my new music and reach audiences hopefully in and across Canada AND the USA.
For more on Bree Taylor visit: https://www.breetaylor.com