TAYLOR COLSON Opens Up About Her Forthcoming EP, Her Favorite Covers and More!

South Florida native Taylor Colson is widely recognized for her impeccable vocal abilities and uncanny talent to re-craft current Top 40 hits into her own renditions. By mixing urban and mainstream pop, the singer/songwriter has created a genre-bending sound of her own.

Throughout her career, she has covered powerhouses such as Demi Lovato, BEBE Rexha, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor to name a few. Her unparalleled cover videos have become YouTube hits, garnering more than half a million views to date.

Taylor recently released her the video for her debut original single, “You Want It.” The track is a personal song for Taylor who explains “I wrote this song immediately after getting into a fight with my boyfriend.” The song is about wanting that special person to always love you and be there for you, a very simple yet powerful message. The song and video were produced by the South Florida based company, Afflux Studios [Song- Producer: Arcaeus, Engineer: Bryan James, Mix & Mastered: Bryan James, Written By: Bryan James, Erik Chokanis, Taylor Colson, Video- Director & Editor: Bobby Keegan]. The song is off of Taylor’s forthcoming EP, which chronicles the singer’s first time falling in love.

She explains further:

“I think getting into a relationship for anyone is a scary thing no matter how right it may feel. The EP is a representation of fully giving yourself to someone but letting them know very clearly not to hurt you or play games.”

It was at the tender age of 5 that Colson had her first live performance for 500 people. As a very shy young girl, this was a major deal, but she did it and she did it with ease. Breaking out of her shell enabled her the ability to pursue a career in music. Music was the connecting point for Colson and performing was her way of figuring out who she was, her safe haven. When Colson turned 15, she chose to pursue her career full time and decided that instead of going the traditional route, she would fully commit herself to her singing career and hasn’t looked back since.

Colson has created quite the buzz with her cover videos and original content landing her features in notable retail stores such as Steve Madden, Journeys, and Justice worldwide, along with MTV recognition. At just 20 years old, Colson is gearing up to release her debut original EP, which chronicles the singer’s first time falling in love. Colson continues: “It might be cliche, but it’s real and it’s something that I believe all listeners can connect with on some level.”

Learn more about Taylor in the following All Access interview:

How’s 2016 treating you so far? How’s your summer been going? What were some of the highlights of 2015 for you and your music?

2016 has been great so far! Last year, I spent the year working on my sound and new music. I really wanted to devote the time to being in the studio and perfecting my craft. I was also putting out covers on YouTube that i’ve started getting recognition for. That helped my build a fan base that I can now give my own music to!

Growing up, did you always want to be an artist? Can you recall your earliest musical memory?

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be an artist. I started dancing, singing, and acting at a very young age. I knew that I loved performing! I think my earliest musical memory would be my first performance. I was 5 years old and sang Cabaret in recital for 500 people. I absolutely loved being on the stage and remember the performance like it was yesterday!

What’s the music scene like in South Florida? How do you think being from there has influenced your sound and style as a musician?

I’m blessed to have lived here because I got to meet my team and everyone that i’ve worked with. Working with different people here has influenced my sound and music in many ways! I haven’t played many local shows here but I’m starting to open for different artists as support on their tours!

You have covered all kinds of Top 40 artists. Which covers stand out to you as some of your favorites?

I would say my favorite covers that I’ve done are Close – Nick Jonas & Pillow Talk – Zayn. When I first heard Close, I thought it was such a beautiful song. I wanted to strip it down and play piano in it. I’m really happy with how it came out as a whole.

For Pillow Talk, I had such a great time recording it and really loved trying to make it my own!

What was it like finally releasing your own original music, “You Want It”? How creatively involved were you with the making of the video of it? What was it like to make that video?

I’m so excited that I finally got to release this song and video! I’ve been so anxious to finally start sharing my music with the world. This single was really important to me because it’s my first single off the EP. I really wanted the single to set the tone for the rest of the EP. I was very involved with the making of the video. I knew that I wanted to do something different and something that didn’t have a story line. We had a really great time shooting this video and I’m very pleased with how it turned out! It’s a really cool thing to watch your vision come to life.

Can you talk about your love of fashion and how you incorporate it into your music?

I’ve loved fashion my whole life. I think its amazing that I get to incorporate fashion into my career! I love getting to come up with different looks for my videos, photo shoots, etc.  When I was making my merchandise, I wanted to make something more along the lines of a clothing line. I wanted to make things that people would love to wear, but pieces that also represented me as an artist!

When do you hope to release a full-length album?

I’m hoping to be able to release a full-length album in the next few years. Right now, I’m finishing up my debut EP which I’m extremely excited about!

What if anything has surprised you about the music industry?

When I was younger, I always thought it was quick and easy to make songs. I thought you could write a whole album in a week. As I got older and started writing songs and working with different producers, I saw how much time and energy goes into it. I actually enjoy the time it takes to create music. It’s really cool to work on something for a long time and then see the final product!

Who are some of your favorite artists? What artists continue to inspire you? Who would you love to work with in the future?  

Some of my favorite artists are Blackbear, Jessie J, Bebe Rexha, Nick Jonas, & Ed Sheeran. Whenever I see an emerging artist I get inspired. I love to see people’s hard work pay off.  I would love to work with G-Eazy in the future. I think he’s very talented and would love to collaborate with him! I think we could make something really dope!

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

At the end of the day, I hope my music is fun and relatable. I want to be able to make music that will help people in anyway. Whether they’re having a bad day and listen to my music to cheer them up, or something even deeper than that. I want listeners to be inspired by my music!