Charlie Taylor is an artist wrapped up in wild blonde hair and fiery femininity.
I think one of the biggest tragedies of mankind is the idea that we go through life apologizing for being alive.
You had what some would call an unusual childhood, for example growing up in a nudist home, do you think this has influenced your attitudes to sexuality and music?
We are all so much a product of our environment, and it’s always been interesting to me to measure how our upbringing influences our parameters of “appropriateness” when it comes to self-expression and sexuality. I was once in an acting class and my teacher told me that she had never met anyone as comfortable in their sexuality as I am. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, and I thought a lot about her comment for the next couple of weeks. I figure I’m lucky to have been brought up in an artistic home that never put limits on how I could express myself, artistically, sexually, creatively.
You grew up in a small horse-town, how did you fall into ‘gangster-folk’ music? Who are your inspirations?
I really believe that we sometimes can identify with a place that isn’t home more than where we grew up. I always felt like I was from the south. My idols were the bold singer-songwriters of the 90’s. Jewel, Alanis Morrisette, Kurt Cobain. In the last two years I feel like I really came into myself as an artist, and also as a human being. I went through some heavy stuff, mostly self-inflicted, and I like to believe I came out of it a “gangster,” and so I write from that vantage point.
What is it like going from small towns to big stages? Does the move to a city affect your performing?
Well, my dad was an actor, and my mom was a dancer, so I grew up watching my dad on set and my mom on a stage. In that way, it’s not a foreign world to me, but it still feels pretty surreal to be on a stage with my amazing band, playing songs that mean the world to me.
Where did you get the name for your new EP ‘Sad Barbie’? Is this a commentary on you personally or on society?
Ah. Sad Barbie is very personal but I also think it’s everyone. Its crazy how much value we put on beauty, and in a lot of ways that very notion defies everything we are as humans. We are built to survive- we are such brilliant beings. And yet, we take ourselves down with self-hate and judgement and perpetuate aesthetic standards that don’t forward us at all. And I think that’s sad. But I also know that I am a part of that broken system.
You have stated before that when you began writing music, you would live vicariously through the characters your songs were about, who was your favourite person to live through? Will we see this adventure on your new EP?
Yes when I first started writing, I didn’t know how to tap into anything that was truly honest. I’m an avid reader of mystery novels. So I would sometimes channel something dark and exciting that way. Or I would go down a rabbit hole of hypotheticals, like, how would I feel if my boyfriend fell in love with my sister. All that twisted stuff. And I wrote some cool songs that way- but inevitably there’s not much that rivals a truly honest, personal song that touches a universal idea in a unique way.
In both the lyrics and the music video for track ‘Disappear’, you show quite personal parts of your life, for example running naked in the desert, how did it feel to share that part of you with the world?
For me, I always follow my gut and act on impulse. And the only time I really reflect on that decision is when the outside world forces me to. I thought running naked in the desert was a completely normal thing to do, and that it would only make the video that much more honest and fun.
I was surprised when some people suggested I edit it out. And so I edited it down. The clip was originally much longer. And that is a perfect example of the conflict- should I give a fuck what they think? Or just do what I want? Maybe it’s a balance.
Your first love taught you how to write songs, does he still live in your songwriting or has it aged over the years?
I’ll always have Seth to thank for not only teaching me to write music, but for challenging me. We used to live in a band house, and every single day was all about writing. We would start an idea together, then go in separate rooms and try to come up with a chorus. Whoever’s was best would win. There was an athletic element involved, and I treated writing songs like going to the gym. It was about repetition and exercise. Seth is still in my life as a good friend, and he will always be my sound-board for anything I do musically.
On Instagram, you showed just how much you care about performing and that the best art happens when you make it strictly for fun, do you think this is something artists struggle with nowadays? How do you keep the experience fun?
This happens so much in art. When art becomes your business, it changes so much. We ALWAYS have to remind ourselves why we got into this industry in the first place. It probably wasn’t to get rich. For me, it’s because music and creating are the only things that make my heartbeat. So, to keep the integrity and the fun in creating is the challenge once your art becomes your “job”.
I usually light a candle and offer thanks to the universe before I sit down to write or record. I really believe we are vessels waiting for creative inspiration.
Listen to Charlie Taylor on Spotify. Read the latest print volume of the mag HERE.
