interview BY: Alex bell
“I grew up singing worship music in church, so my entire frame of reference is about connection, it’s about relationship, it’s about uncovering something beneath the surface that you may not have known was there” says Taylor Parker, pausing before revealing with a chuckle, “That, and my mom would always play The Prince of egypt soundtrack in the car when I was young.”
And while notable that the Austin, TX performer’s penchant for song is partly groomed by a 90s Disney musical drama, it’s his ability to convey visceral emotion that sings volumes of his purpose. Take for instance his first connection with now manager, Claire Bogle. After Parker’s 2017 SoFar Sounds performance, it was Bogle who approached the vocalist with tears streaming down her face.
“The honesty in his writing is what really drew me in. It touched a very tender place in my heart,” Bogle says. “He is an amazing musician and performer and it really really hit home for me.”
Parker’s family began planting a church in Austin eleven years ago, and he has since groomed his talents in a variety of environments – talent shows, battle of the bands duels, and for hours in coffee shops where no one bothered to look up from their dates or devices. Having only ever recorded via iPhone voice memos, his grandparents steered him to record a series of covers that would eventually be uploaded to YouTube.
Inventive versions of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone”, “I Feel it Coming” from The Weeknd, and Post Malone’s hit “Congratulations” provided a stream of content that showcased Parker’s musicality and vocal register. His engineer for the day, Caleb, asked Parker if he would be willing to write his own songs over a few of Caleb’s compositions. A divine appointment, Taylor says, with all the right cards falling at the right time.
Parker would emerge from his 5 AM coffee shop shifts mid-afternoon and head straight to Caleb’s for recording sessions, and their connection evolved. It became a fruitful exploratory for the pair that culminated in the form of a nine track EP. But while Parker’s musical aspirations began to flourish, a personal relationship of his own was faltering.
“All nine songs come together to encompass the dynamic between two people that had intense extremes on both ends of the spectrum,” he says. Dutifully titled “..I Don’t Think This is Working Out…”, Parker fed off of dysfunction while fueling the creative journey.
“Young Taylor Parker was absolutely consumed by love, or the imitation of it, and just became engulfed in the unseen dysfunction that came with the relationship. As I entered each different stage with this person, another song was born.”
Over grand canvases of ethereal synths, pop grooves, and trappy drums, Parker asserts that he began to discover his inclination for strong melodies. “I don’t wanna wait/Your changes come in waves/If you wanna stay/I need you on the same page” he calls out on the standout “Waves,” a track figuratively exploring the rise and fall of a volatile relationship. Other cuts, like “ATM”, explore the euphoria of new-found intimacy and attachment. While listeners will surely find a commonality in Parker’s narrative, the experience doesn’t feel any less painful through his lens.
Seemingly more experienced, and his debut EP in the pipeline set to arrive this spring, Parker is exploring more live instrumentation and musicianship. “Things with a lot more bounce, he boasts, while concluding “I’ve been a sad boy long enough.”
Meanwhile, Bogle acknowledges that Parker has evolved in other aspects. “[His] writing keeps getting better and better. He is such an honest writer – so the more life experience he gains, the better and more confidently he is able to do so.”
As Parker strengthens his own connection to his craft, audiences will surely connect with the relatability of his latest offering “..I Don’t Think This is Working Out…”.
