Bree Taylor
I’m so happy I got to catch up with Canadian artist Bree Taylor ! Our last conversation was in 2019 so it’s so good to talk to her again.
She recently released her latest single “Sha La La” and it’s a smash !! Country music is one of my favorite genres and I’m proud to feature more and more country artists. Bree Taylor is absolutely brilliant. She definitely delivered the perfect Summer/party record. Listening to “Sha La La” instantly makes you feel good and it’s a song you would want to play on repeat. It’s infectious.
Thank you so much Bree for this conversation and congrats on everything you do.
Stream “Sha La La” now !!
Photo credit: Andrea Hunter
Hi Bree ! How are you? What have you been up to since our first conversation?
I've been good thanks! :) In all honesty, the last couple years have been really tough in many ways but being a resilient person I have kept going and am in a more positive place. I am releasing new music and back to doing live shows again and am really excited to see where things go from here.
"Sha La La" is your latest single - what's the inspiration/story behind this song?
The inspiration behind this song was really the summer vibes of drinking around a campfire and singing along with friends to classic songs like Brown Eyed Girl. I wanted to write a positive song that people could feel was an escape from the stressful realities of the world and remember those carefree moments of having a good time with friends in the summer. We took Brown Eyed Girl and the "sha la la's" in the song as inspiration for this song and created a new sing-along song for people to get on board with and have fun singing and dancing to.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? Who helped you create it?
My co-writers were my producer Murray Daigle and his friend Bobby John. The process was just a lot of fun and as carefree as the song is but the production was the most fun I would have to say. We really had a fun time bringing this one to life and the song is so catchy that it got stuck in everyone in the recording studio's head's from the process. Knowing how much of an earworm the song is made me feel like we were really on to something so I hope that people really give this song a chance to win them over like it did the rest of us throughout the process.
What do you like the most about this song?
I love that the song is so catchy and fun and is something a bit more carefree than I normally write and release. It is much harder for me to write these types of songs because I am usually more inspired to write emotionally charged material that read like pages off my diary but the world needs these fun carefree songs too so I am excited to have one of these out there for the world to hear and sing-along to.
What made you want to release "Sha La La" as a single?
It was written with the intention of it being a radio single. We haven't been back to a full radio release in just over two years and we wanted to write something that we could go back with that was strong, catchy and fun for summer and would hopefully get some spins at Canadian radio. I also really wanted it to reach as many people as possible being a song written for ALL people from ALL walks of life. It doesn't matter what age you are either; we all remember or miss those fun times around the campfire in summer or drinking with friends and having a good time letting our daily troubles fade away.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
I really wanted to do a neon party vibe for this song because of how fun it is. I wanted visuals for this single that were bright and fun and eye grabbing and would be just as memorable as the song. Ideally, the cover would have been great on a beach too but this was a great alternative due to weather in Ontario when we were prepping for it all. I have been a huge fan of Andrea Hunter, the photographer I worked with on this shoot, for a long time and she does those neon photoshoots SO WELL. This was truly a dream come true to shoot with her and create this fun neon party shoot on set!
What do you want people to feel when listening to this song?
I want people to feel happy, nostalgic and the carefree vibes that those summer moments bring us. I want people listening to be able to disconnect from their reality and have a good time and hopefully want to listen on repeat and sing-along. I hope this can become people's summer carefree anthem.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
The best part is creating something that I am excited about and that I feel the magic behind during the entire process like being in the studio, the photoshoot and the behind the scenes planning. Also getting to finally perform my songs live is one of the best parts too because it brings the song to life in a new way and gets the fans and crowds engaged and I really feed off that energy.
The hardest part, to be entirely transparent, is the releasing and promoting the song once it's out in the world. It's been a very HARD industry to be in these last couple years especially and with so many artists releasing music now that things are back to normal life. Not only that, but the live show opportunities are more competitive than ever as well because there is so much talent and so many artists wanting the same opportunities. Radio is also extremely tough so it's been scary to spend thousands of hard earned dollars to go to radio already feeling like it's a losing battle with how political and competitive radio is. Getting people to listen, reaching new audiences and getting the song promoted and out there and doing the song the justice it deserves is definitely the hardest part about being an artist - especially with financial limitations coming out of a pandemic and through massive inflation.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What message do you want to give to women out there?
It is definitely tough to be a woman in the music industry, even harder to be a woman in country music. Things still really aren't a fair game unfortunately, which makes this even harder and a bigger risk as a female artist to continually release and promote music. I see things getting a bit better and more opportunities opening up but it is still a man's game unfortunately, which can be really discouraging.
I want women to not give up. Keep going. Don't let the gatekeeper's of the world keep you from chasing your dreams regardless of these crazy factors and statistics. Be unapologetically yourself and stay true to you and who you are regardless of what life or others may tell you. There is only one you in this world and your story is yours so focus on that and stay authentic. AND SUPPORT OTHER WOMEN! The only way we are going to get somewhere as women is to support each other instead of tearing each other down or feeling competitive with each other.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I would change a few things. I would definitely give fair and equal opportunity to men and women but also to let more women succeed, which I think could help women feel less "competitive" with each other. Looking for female artists who are different and who have a story to tell, and letting them have the chance to be heard and share their story. 50/50 spots on festivals and shows for men AND women because men still dominate the live music scene and the ratio of male to female acts on line ups is still not equal.
What biggest lessons have you learned since the beginning of your career?
Well, being a singer with a hearing disability who wears hearing aids and who was told I may never be able to sing or have the chance to be a recording artist or performer, I have learned to never let "no" stop me or hold me back. I have learned that the cards we are dealt do NOT determine our future. That we can rise above the cards life has dealt us and do anything that we put our minds to. I have learned to prove the people who tell me "no" or think that I am not "good enough" wrong. They only fuel my fire. I won't let anyone stop me from having the career I want for myself or achieving my dreams. I have had people my entire life telling me "no" or saying that I can't or won't be able to do it and I haven't let that stop me and I am where I am today because of my resilience and strength for not giving up or letting those people affect me or the outcomes.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
I want the world to know that whatever circumstances life throws at you - don't let it hold you back from going after your dreams. Keep going no matter what is thrown at you. If you want something bad enough, do not give up. Don't take no for an answer. You CAN do whatever you put your mind to. Hard work, dedication and perseverance does pay off.
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