I always knew I was meant to be a performer. From the moment I could pick up a pencil, I was writing songs. I would start dancing whenever I heard music, and would entertain people in restaurants by singing and dancing. I was heavily involved in choir and theatre for all of my life and always knew performing was what I was meant to do. Most people ask me, "why do you write such sad music?" and the truth is, I've never been able to write anything else. I remember even in elementary school, I would be writing songs about existence, abandonment, and sad situations. I had a tough childhood and family life, so growing up I found refuge in music. It was where I could get all of my emotions out, and retreat to my own universe for a while.
Nobody actually knew I could really sing until my senior year of high school when I sang Alice Cooper's "School's Out" in a school program. It was this same year I was introduced to my current music producer. I was working part time at Subway when my coworker mentioned a producer came in looking for singers. I met with him a couple days later, and I started professionally recording in October of 2014.
It worked out perfect as he was into the same music/sounds I was into. I started recording and came out with my first album, Lucid, the following year. (https://soundcloud.com/scarlett-taylor-4/sets/lucid) My first album was mostly about past (bad) relationships and my current relationship at the time. I then created "Churches," released March of 2016. (https://soundcloud.com/scarlett-taylor-4/sets/churches-2) In this album, I dug deeper into myself and created more of an emotional landscape with a big theme of abandonment. It was unlike my first album that was simply about relationships. I used the visual ideas of an abandoned, crumbling church in the middle of the woods to represent my mind.
My latest album, III (three) has to be my most personal work yet. (https://soundcloud.com/scarlett-taylor-4/sets/3theep) Released June of 2017, a lot had happened in the year already that inspired my writing. I had a dear friend pass in March (Concrete Angels), had a family member attempt to contact me that brought up deep emotions (Orphan), and visited the sometimes eerie and evil streets of Los Angeles (Children Of The Sun). I also came out with two music videos for this project, including "Children Of The Sun," released November 18th. Being a very visual artist, me and my producer created a story that we then brought to life in the video. Telling a story is very important to us and our work.
I am so very grateful for the opportunity I was given and AM given everyday to be a recording artist and express myself in ways I always envisioned. I can't imagine my life doing anything else. I have quite a few shows lined up in February, and have performed at various venues around Minnesota and California. I derive inspiration from artists including Chelsea Wolfe, The Weeknd, and Corbin to name a few. I would describe my sound as dark alternative pop with a rock edge. It seems as my albums continue, my sound gets darker.
Darkness, to me, is one of the most beautiful things and sadness being one of the most beautiful emotions. I think a lot of people don't completely tap into their negative feelings, and instead try to portray themselves as happy or that they have it all. I say, embrace the sadness - embrace that shit. You might just create something beautiful.
links
WEBSITE: http://www.scarletttaylor.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/scarlettsmuse/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/scarlettsmuse