TARYN
TARYN has just released her new single “Brand New” and WHAT A RECORD. It is seriously amazing and it deserves so much love and attention (and I’m sure it will !!). The melodies, the vocal production, the harmonies, the production are just perfect. The guitar and the bass on this record are huge. I really cannot wait to hear/see a live performance of this song.
“Brand New” is a big record, and TARYN is one hell of a talent. I’m super happy I got to feature this artist and this song because it is one of my favorite newest discoveries :)
Let’s stream “Brand New” on repeat, and please, tell your family/friends !!
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hi, I’m TARYN, I’m 23 and I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia! I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, found my footing in Nashville, Tennessee about 6 years ago, and developed a stream of consciousness sound that blends pop, ambience, R&B, soul and indie influences. I crave connection through music and introspection in melodies and instrumental work. I’d like to think that the art I’m creating makes others feel as free as it makes me feel. Life is a rollercoaster, this is how I strap in.
How would you define TARYN, the artist?
I would define myself as a lost soul waiting to be found, and that my music is the journey I take to find myself. TARYN wants to express her emotions freely, without judgement from the world around her and herself. It’s difficult for me to separate myself from the art but in some ways I fall in love with it even more for that reason. In simple terms, TARYN is an expression of the pain, joy, confusion and elation that life brings at every turn. Even if the songs are only heard by my friends and family, I’ll never stop creating them for the wandering soul inside myself.
"Brand New" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
I remember driving to my producer’s house and thinking of the lyrics on the freeway. Something about having the windows down and listening to the heavy wind in silence brought them to me. Lyrically, it’s a very simple song, over and over you hear “wash my mouth of all the little things, clean it out and begin again brand new.” I wanted to express how important it was for me as an individual and for everybody to leave the past where it is. So many times I would bring experiences from my past into present moments, judgements, criticisms, making assumptions about people and things without realizing that I had changed, that people change and situations change. So, the song was a moment for me to wipe the slate clean. To continue growing out of old thought processes and face life with a fresh perspective every day.
When did you start working on “Brand New”? Who helped you create it?
I started working on the song back in the spring of 2018. A 3-year process and many scheduling difficulties later, we finally have our finished product. I worked on the track with my good friend and producer Joey Burcham who I met in Nashville in 2017. We broke out the track together and then about a year later I shot the music video with one of my favorite videographer/photographer friends Joesph Wasilewski. I always knew I wanted a music video attached to the song because of how simple the instrumental was, but Joseph took that dream to an entirely new level — I’m in love with the color editing and processing of the video and truly think it’s a great expression of the message we're trying to convey.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I felt freedom. I felt a release, specifically when the chorus opens into those layered harmonies, something about the layering and swimming feeling of the “ah’s" reminded me of the wind on the freeway. Of stretching after a restful sleep, of finally saying the thing that’s been stuck in your throat for months. I was nervous (as always) to put something out that didn’t really provide much meaning but in a way I think it means more because people can interpret the words and emotion however they’d like. I’m not asking people to hear me, I’m asking them to listen to themselves and I love that aspect of the song.
What’s your favorite thing about this song?
That it caters to a lot of different feelings. I’ve turned to this song and to the video for comfort in some of my darker moments in the last couple years. I’ve turned to it when I’m excited about the future, moving to new places and meeting new people. It’s my heart poured into 3 minutes and though most people may think it’s too easy or simple, sometimes that’s all I need to move forward. A simple “this is your clean slate, see, hear, feel, become the perspective you embody in this moment now”.
What made you want to release “Brand New” as a single?
Originally the song was a part of a bigger EP project. The pandemic threw a bit of a wrench in our plans to get the whole project together before the summer so we decided to hone in on “Brand New” and release the video along with it to truly give it the space to grow on its own, separate from any other songs. That being said, the decision to release it as a single felt much more comfortable for me and my team. We have so many assets to utilize and wanted to highlight the video (out on August 5th) as much as we could before releasing a larger project. The larger project is set to release in the Fall of 2021.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
This is my FAVORITE question because wow I could speak about Annie Noelker forever. I met Annie in the Spring of 2020 right before we shot the music video for “Brand New.” My manager Emory connected us and after our first day of shooting we decided to move in together. I consider Annie to be more than a friend, she’s a sister, a confidant, a person I feel I can turn to whenever is necessary and, on top of all of that, she’s hands down the best photographer I’ve ever worked with. The cover was shot on the day we filmed the music video right before the last scene. Annie was helping out with BTS for the majority of the day and originally I had picked a previous shoot we did for the cover, but after seeing this photo I knew it was the one. I’d like to emphasize how incredible it is to work with Annie and what an amazing creative mind she has — I would not be where I am today without her.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
The hardest part is being comfortable releasing what I make. Usually during the process of mixing I keep a pretty level head. I enjoy the art as it’s being created but when it comes to release day, I tend to clam up and worry about whether or not it will be received well, whether people will hate it, think it’s stupid, etc. There’s a lot of self-doubt that comes with this career and I’m consistently working on leaving that thought process behind with each release as we move forward. I find that at some point you must give up on the notion that everything has to be perfect — the growth will show itself in each new art piece and I am grateful that the development appears over the years.
The best part is that it heals me. Each song I’ve written, whether it’s released or not, comes out because I have something unfinished in my mind that needs sorting. Sometimes I start a song with no direction, my brain untangles itself into words I didn’t know I felt. The songs show me sides of myself I tend to tuck away mindlessly forget, opening myself to myself is something I never knew I needed. I also love that music brings us together. There is no perfect formula, there are no rules, we’re all just existing together in this jumbled mess of a world and if I can sit for three minutes and connect with someone I’ve never met, I can live happily. I’ve never written for the adoration of it, for the money or the status, this is my meditation, it’s my morning coffee, it’s a routine habit that I can’t let go of because it’s a piece of my soul, my person.
What are your thoughts on today’s music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I love this industry, I think we’re moving rapidly toward independent artists having a voice and having more control over their art. However, this change makes it much harder to be picked out of the river of pennies we now exist in as an industry. There are so many incredible creators out there who are releasing every day, I try to listen to as much of it as I can but I still find more and more artists each week who I love and adore for their individuality and ability to self-release. If I could change one thing I think it’s the attitude the media has toward musicians. There are a lot of opportunities for major media outlets to attack and judge artists before really getting to know their purpose, and people jump on the judgement train as quickly as they get off. I think artistry should be about making your own creative decisions and being confident in who you are. No, I may not enjoy every genre or every song ever written, but I can respect the fact that someone took the time to sit down and pour their heart into a mix. Acceptance doesn’t mean investment, I like what I like as an individual and I expect everyone else to feel the same about their own musical taste. All this to say, I think we need to change the way we look at artists, they don’t belong on a pedestal, they aren’t god’s, they’re just people. Every human makes mistakes and goes through hardships, we have to respect the fact that they’re willing to share those hardships with us as the listener and not focus so much on who they are outside of their art. I think a great example of this is how wildly ridiculed Lil Nas X was for his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video and song — the man is simply expressing himself in the ways he needs to as an artist and human (and also it’s a great fucking song) but people took the visual out of context and decided that it shouldn’t get the exposure it deserves because of the message. In reality, the people passing judgement on the song are just uncomfortable with their own belief system - you’re allowed to separate yourself from categorically, subjectively “good” things, there’s no need to spread hate just because you don’t like the way something was done. Apologies for this rant, haha!
What biggest lessons have you learned since the beginning of your career?
1) Trying to be something you’re not will never work, find your flowing river of creativity and let the current take you.
2) Comparing yourself to others can quickly become a dangerous thought path. Yes there will always be people who are more talented, who have better voices, who write better songs - but so what if they do? What if you keep working and someday you’re the person that people say “they have a better voice than me/they write better than I do” about.
3) Even after you write the song, you still might feel like shit, or you might feel better, or you might feel nothing. Just. Keep. Writing. One of the days when you wake up and decide to write something, it will hit you differently. You’ll begin to realize that some of your creations are genuinely gorgeous - that’s when you realize what the flow state feels like. It doesn’t happen every day, but you begin to tell the difference between your own versions of “good” and “great”.
4) Life is just as up and down as music is, write about real things and let them bring you to your core.
5) Metaphors are your friend! But run them by maybe two other humans just to make sure the message is received :).
What advice would you give to young artists?
Firstly I’d like to say that for me, “young artists” would qualify anyone who’s just starting out on their writing journey. You do not need to be under 25 to be “young.” I would advise anyone who’s beginning their artist career to sit down with themselves for at least six months - honestly probably closer to a year or two - and figure out who they are. What they want to convey in their songs, what the music does for them individually and what they’d like to get out of being an artist. A lot of what pushed me forward were life experiences that forced me to face the question “what am I, who am I and what am I trying to say”. This is where you come across moments of “am I trying to be like __insert admired artist here__, or trying to copy ___?” It’s true that every individual has their own sound. People may compare you to others, may even send you songs that sound like you or sound like something you’d create - and it makes sense! We live in a modern society, a lot of things have already been done, but they haven’t been done by you. So my advice is to write as much as you feel inspired to, write about real experiences and stories that give you detailed feelings. The best songs come from diving into your body and mind, figuring out why the situation made you want to express yourself in the first place, and follow that feeling. There will be shitty songs in between but you have to get through the tar to find the diamonds.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
I have passion for a lot of things but I think the most important is to advocate for people, to love everyone around me. I value relationships, meeting new people, getting to know them and their life story, their values. I’m passionate about consciousness and mindfulness - about being on the planet with billions of other humans all existing together all experiencing humanity in different ways. I’m passionate about environmental sustainability, social justice, self-awareness and facing this existence for what it is - pure mystery.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
There are many things that would make this world better, and if I’m being brutally honest, I’m not sure I know exactly what they are. I do think we need more love, less judgement, greed, power and to find a better way of functioning if there’s to be any longevity in our existence. Balance inside the self encourages harmony in the world but I know that I am only one person. If I could change the world myself I would but I’m not a politician, I’m not a world leader or a member of congress, I’m not likely to change the world individually. But I believe that by making positive changes in my own life, the world may get just a pinch better. It feels selfish to say but I can’t make people do or become the change I wish to see, I have to let them come to the change on their own. I myself have changed simply from observing others and the way they become comfortable in their own skin. We have a long way to go as a society, but maybe someday I’ll wake up and truly, whole-heartedly think “wow I feel lucky to be alive, to see all this wonder on one planet”. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy living and music is a huge part of why I wake up in the morning, but I’m not ignorant to how broken we are. Life is about learning lessons - making the world a better place is being present for the lessons we as individuals are meant to learn. Maybe this is gibberish but I hope some of it makes sense.
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