Emma Taylor is bringing back the emotive and vulnerable lyricism of the 70’s and 80’s with her own modern twist. Alumna of the prestigious New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, the LA native and singer-songwriter is not holding anything back with her melodic, reflective and poignant hymns. Coining her style as “sad girl music,” the comedic, light-hearted songstress is versatile, self-aware and continues to deliver music our heart quietly craves. Today, Taylor graces us with her new single, “Made Your Bed,” showcasing the often forgotten inner power to hold a partner accountable in a rather one-sided relationship. We had the opportunity to virtually converse about her new record, her creative inspirations and her time abroad.
Pass The Crown: You describe your music style as sad girl music. What does sad girl music mean to you?
Emma Taylor: Often women have to downplay their emotions to not seem as dramatic or emotional. I like to think of sad girl music as being vulnerable with your feelings and showing people that it’s okay to feel sad. I’m allowed to express myself. It’s beautiful to feel things and it’s okay and powerful to cry. I just want to create things that people could relate to and that can help them through whatever situations they are going through in their life.
I think vulnerability is so important, especially as a songwriter and a singer.
Totally. Especially nowadays, when music is everywhere. It’s so easy to get your music heard. Being authentic and vulnerable really allows people to connect with you and nowadays it's easy to read through the inauthenticity that goes on in music. I think that it's good to talk about real shit that people are going through in their lives.
I agree. Do you feel that artists are authentic today?
I think it depends obviously on the artist and genre. There is music that I like when I don’t really want to get too deep. I just want to jump around in my room and dance and there are artists that give me that, so that’s great. I think nowadays people can see through inauthenticity. Artists are becoming more vulnerable, which is nice. I think for a while it was kind of lacking.
Who are some of your favorite artists and is there one that stands out in particular?
Joni Mitchell. She’s from the 70’s. She’s a singer-songwriter and a huge inspiration to me. She’s in the realm of Carole King, James Taylor, and the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriters of the 70’s and 80’s, but she’s my queen. My everything. My whole life mission statement as an artist is to try to bring back her powerful storytelling and her authenticity, but also put my own little modern twist on it.
My favorite stuff of hers are the more acoustic songs that she did in the 70’s and 80’s, like her record Blue. The acoustic part of it is what I'm trying to show in my work. There is something so powerful about a guitar and vocals. It really sticks to your core.
As for more modern-day artists, Ed Sheeran would be my biggest pop inspiration because he does more of the singer-songwriter thing. I think his lyrics are really great and there’s an artist named Lucy Rose from the UK and she’s amazing as well. You can tell she’s heavily influenced by Joni Mitchell, so I think that’s why I like her so much. I just like singers-songwriters that tell their story.
Speaking of other songwriters, how did you go about writing your song “Made Your Bed” and what’s the meaning behind the title?
I usually write on acoustic guitar, but I have a piano in my house so I decided to mess around with it. I was going through a time in my life where I was trying to figure out if a relationship I was having was the one that was meant to last. I was also thinking of other friends who were in relationships where they would constantly get screwed over but then not do anything about it.
I had always heard the phrase, “You made your bed, so lie in it.” It’s a really popular phrase and I was googling it and there aren't that many songs with that phrase in it. A lot of my songs have a theme of getting hurt time and time again and not doing anything about it, so I finally wanted to write a song where it is about getting hurt and then holding someone accountable.
Where do you generally get inspiration? Do you have a particular workflow when writing songs?
Actually, with this whole quarantine lockdown thing, I’ve learned a lot. I've been in a committed relationship for six years, which surprises some people because they’re like, “you write such sad shit, how are you still in a relationship?” But a lot of it I make up in my head and I’m dramatic. I hear from my friends or from shows or whatever about relationships and if I'll have one little hint of sadness, I’ll just blow it up and create my own characters and mess around with it in my head. I actually get a lot of inspiration from my surroundings. I guess what I didn't really realize until sitting here after a month and not really having human interaction was that nature and just dealing with day to day real life situations inspires me subconsciously, even if I’m not actually writing about those situations.
When I write it comes really naturally. I usually come up with a progression on the guitar really quick. Once I like that I either go into my notes because I have a bunch of little stanzas and phrases that I'll come up with randomly and or I'll just start from the top and see what flows. If something is not flowing I'm really good about putting it away and coming back to it.
You went to college in New York, but now you live in LA . How did your time in NY as well as abroad in London impact your artistic perspective?
I knew that I wanted to move away for a little bit to go to school. The only place I wanted to go was New York, so I moved there and it was actually a much harder transition than I was expecting. I loved the fact that it was a city school but it was definitely hard to find my people and find my groove. It took a few years actually but while I was there I changed a lot in so many different aspects. I cut my hair. I got bangs. I changed my style. Aesthetically I changed but I also matured a lot because when you’re on your own in NYC completely independent you have to learn how to have a tough exterior. You have to be on time for things. You have to learn how to grow up.
I also wrote my first EP during that freshman year of college so all the songs on my first EP Hazy were about self-discovery or my relationships or distance from family, love, whatever.
And then I went abroad junior year to London and that was another crazy time for me. I had never been to London before, but it was amazing because the singer-songwriter scene is so cool. I did a bunch of open mics. I learned so much from other people. There are so many different kinds of people there and I found a community really quickly, which was really nice. I wrote a lot of cool songs like, My Dear, which is another single I put out last year. I just love being able to travel and see different things because it inspires me. Those were huge monumental periods for me because I learned so much. I would highly recommend everyone to live in New York at some point.
What is something that not many people would know about you?
Well, it’s funny because my songs are kind of depressing, so I really try to break the ice between myself and the audience to show people how weird I am. I love making people laugh. I think I was a comedian in my past life. I'm like the class clown, really, so people are always like “how do you write such sad stuff but then in between you’re just so happy?” I'm like, “it’s just the way it is.” I am also obsessed with edible cookie dough—like obsessed!
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
I would say that I always tell myself all “no’s” lead to a “yes” and I think that’s really important especially in the music scene. I’ve heard so many “no’s” and every time I get a “no” I know, I am one step closer to that “yes.” That’s so important because if you don't have a thick skin you can't do it. I'm still developing. I still get a little offended when people say “no” to me, but that's just my artistic ego getting in the way. It’s very simple but I think just remaining authentic is very important advice because when you are in the music scene, it's important to find people who believe in you and believe in your sound. Eventually, if you stick to what you are doing and stick to your guns, good things will happen. I've been very sure of what I want to do, my sound and I’m not changing for anyone.
So, what’s next? I know that we are in quarantine now so things are so crazy, but what’s next for you career wise, artistically, creatively?
Everything is up in the air with this whole quarantine. I was very much debating about putting a song out during this quarantine period, but I think that it is important to share what you’re creating. You never know how long this could last. I don't want to go a year without putting out any music. I’m going to put out another single in a month or two and kind of go from there but I definitely have a lot of singles and music videos ready. The only thing I can control is when I can put out music so that’s what I am focused on— making new music, putting out music and all that.
Listen to “Made Your Bed” on all streaming platforms!