Q & A with Taylor Payne
The name Taylor Payne has been popping up on The Point radar over the last 18 months, with appearances at Raw Sounds, open mic nights and smaller singer/songwriter venues. Last year, we saw her first release, ‘Coins on Daisies’, and now Taylor, signed to A & R Dept, has released ‘Outsider’ – showcasing her darker pop stylings, complemented by a stunning film clip.
We caught up with Taylor to dig a little deeper…
Hi Taylor. Congratulations on the launch of your first single with A & R Department, ‘Outsider’. It definitely has that darker pop vibe to it, along with (producer) Elliot Heinrich’s stamp to it (Elliot has worked with Ayla). What is the concept behind the track?
I write a lot about alienation. The song is about persuasion and following your mind into dark places.
You’ve tied the release of the new track with a pretty impressive clip. How much were you involved in the creation and coordination of the filmclip?
I wrote the music video, I was 100% involved in creation and coordination. We got in a director as well so he could tell me what would actually be possible to do and how we would go about doing it and making it the best it could be. He would tell people what to do on the day and when to shut up. (I’m not very good at getting peoples’ attention.) We had a lot of people on set so it was pretty overwhelming.
Your first proper taste of your music was with ‘Coins on Daisies’, which you recorded yourself, and released in April last year. While that track has your vocal trademark all over it, it’s a fairly contrasting song compared to ‘Outsider’. There seems to be a pretty rapid musical evolution there for you. What influenced that the most, or was it mostly working in the Heliport Studios that spurred that on?
The difference between Outsider and Coins on Daisies is that I wrote Outsider 5 years ago, it was a very different time for me. I wrote Coins on Daisies 2 years ago. I lost excitement for Coins on Daisies very quickly, whereas with Outsider is was more like a resurrection of old art, so it was better to work with.
You’re a Sunshine Coast-based artist, but I get the feeling you’ll be outgrowing our area very quickly. Am I right in sensing that you’ll be reaching out elsewhere to further your creativity?
I haven’t been on the Sunshine Coast for long, I’m still discovering things and haven’t quite established myself here yet. I don’t think I ever will. I will definitely be reaching out to other places, as many as I can nationally and internationally.
And what is next in store for you, release-wise? Can we expect a follow-up single later in the year, or perhaps an EP?
I’d love to do the album soon but I think the plan is to do one more single and then an EP.. Just have to wait and see.
Thanks, Taylor. Once again, well done on ‘Outsider’ – loving how playfully dark this track is.