Life & Work with Michael Taylor of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Taylor

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My first identity crisis ended with me transforming from a “sports guy” into an “arts guy” in 11th grade. It was a downgrade in “the currency of cool,” but for me, the proscenium lights possessed some kind of magic the gridiron’s never did. (This is the first requirement of being an artist- imposter syndrome plus an inordinate sensitivity to the aesthetic that makes creation an obligation. A mirror must reflect).

Captivated, I walked through some kind of portal into another world, and that whole year was a liminal whirlwind that felt like destiny materializing, like a script being written in real time. I was singing, acting, writing a ton and reading a ton. As the deadening drudgery of advanced coursework in other subjects closed in on all sides, any and all art felt like escape to me. I’d found my place and my people. (This fulfilled the another requirement of becoming an artist: a penchant – no, a need – for escapism).

In college, I taught myself guitar after seeing the movie “Once’ (about an Irish singer songwriter)- I had no idea one guitar and one voice had such conjuring power. That year, I was writing songs and singing for friends in the dorm stairwells way too late at night. Yeah, I was that guy. A lot of talent shows, battle of the bands, and songwriter showcases later, I somehow graduated with a degree in business. But it was a charade. I was a singer/songwriter the whole time.

After college, I used my business degree to get a “real job” and pay down the student debt I’d accrued to get said job. Once that cycle was complete, I got into a wicked motorcycle wreck that declared “The Time Is Now” like a divine edict, and after recovering, I moved to Nashville to chase my lifelong dream in earnest.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The only really smooth road was the one I wrecked my motorcycle on (it was perfect…).

Music is tough because you’re bearing your soul and if it doesn’t resonate or isn’t received well, it feels like a decisive defeat- like a dismissal of the things or events you hold sacred, or at least your rendering of it all. It can be soul-destroying. Also, it takes a lot of time, money, resources, and life to put a song out into the world as your best work, and it can fall flat. It absolutely can. But as artists we elect this path, this risk.

Also, for me, finding a daily rhythm, or even weekly rhythm is challenging, when the path is so non-linear, so seldom rewarded, and all the cost is up front. The music industry isn’t what it once was, and Nashville can be a very “sell shovels in a gold rush” type of town. There is an an entire industry here that lives on the money that can be made off of artists coming here to try to make it.

The paradigm shift toward streaming and away from music making money in and of itself is a challenge. Music definitely isn’t “zero cost to make.” Getting gigs is a challenge. There are a lot of us. This is all to say I’m not sure it’s such a smooth path, or that any part of it is. I’m not sure you’d find any artist who said it is…

One of my favorite singers, Bear Rinehart, was asked if he had any advice for someone about to go into music.. He replied in a word: “Don’t.” That’s real.

There’s a lot of talent here, but we’re all pulling lottery tickets. We carry on because for some reason, we have to- maybe because (whether for temperament or ability) we can’t do anything else.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write pretty confessional pop/folk rock with a cinematic feel and an emphasis on lyricism. To me, it’s critical in capturing the depth of feeling that made me write music in the first place. I like metaphorically-driven emotional intensity, clarity, and accuracy. I’m not interested in being enigmatic, cryptic or indecipherable. I’ve never liked breezy, laid back, or style-first approach- that’s just not how I am.

Online, I’m most known for my song “Burning Underwater,” but in the Nashville scene (especially writers’ rounds) my signature piece is a sad boy version of my first single “Fairytales” (I’ll probably release an acoustic version soon).

My song “Without You” was selected for Spotify’s “Fresh Finds Country” editorial playlist, but I honestly think it’s folk rock.

South America really dug my rock song “Round in the Chamber” (the blues rock scene is alive and well there).

I’m most proud of “Burning Underwater,” because it’s the closest I’ve ever come to capturing the feeling of a connection that’s all-enduring, all-conquering, transcendent.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being a follower of Christ matters most, then my loved ones’ wellbeing, then, as an artist…

To allow someone to feel heard, validated, understood, and not alone.

In life, there’s rarely a full accounting, rarely a “final say,” an accurate framing of all the things as they really are- there’s a lot of depth that gets skimmed over and forgotten. There’s loneliness in that. The impact goes unrecognized, the feelings go unspoken, and so many of the radiant things that comprise the biggest pieces of our inner selves just fade out in the turbulence of life. They deserve more than passing moment.

My job is to do all this justice, to put the emotionally sacred and significant things on the celestial scales and and weigh them out, to show- even if only for three minutes- how important they really are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaeltaylorofficialmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeltaylorofficialmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeltaylorofficialmusic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7tRLUY4808h6hhKMRKmttm?si=yhol8qmKSbSTMHZ6i8iHKQ