ANGEL TAYLOR

Interview by Natalie K.
August 28, 2009
http://www.angeltayloronline.com

Estrella: Just for the record can you please state your name?
Angel: My name is Angel Taylor.

Estrella: What made you want to get into the music industry?
Angel: It happened as a hobby, I was going to be a teacher or that was the plan but my best friend played classical music on piano so I wanted to learn how to play piano. I taught myself with the resources I had and one thing led to another, I started playing and writing it all meshed together.

Estrella: How old were you when this started?
Angel: I was around fourteen or fifteen years old. I’m twenty-one now and it’s taken me awhile to get my feet wet but I think it’s coming along and song-writing was pretty easy, it came to me kind of fast.

Estrella: When did you get signed to Aware/Columbia records?
Angel: I was signed to Aware almost December of 2007.

Estrella: How did the signing come about?
Angel: I ended up meeting a producer through an email that I wrote and he met me at the studio and loved my voice. I was just looking to make a CD to give out to friends and he was like, “No, you have to be something, you have to do something.” and he flew me out to New York which was my first plane ride ever. After that, there was a venue that his friend was doing a showcase at and I wasn’t old enough to get in so I had to sing to get in. I sang and the next day my mom and I were going to go sight-seeing but he came to my room and said, “No, that’s not going to happen my phone has been ringing off the hook.” So, one thing led to another and the people that I was playing to in the room all happened to be all major A&R people. When they heard me they all called Michael asking, “Who is this girl, who is this girl?” and I took meetings the rest of my trip. When I got home I got a car, phone and all this crazy stuff and it was kind of like a bidding war after that.

Estrella: What was the recording process like for your album Love Travels?
Angel: Pretty fast, we did it in about 4 months, then mastering/mixing kind of took awhile but I wanted to get in and get out to make it happen as fast as possible. I am glad we have been patient as far as the record release and just making sure it’s set up right and letting people know who I am.

Estrella: Wasn’t it released on iTunes already?
Angel: Yeah, it was released early on iTunes just to let people have it if they really wanted it and then it comes out on September 22nd in stores.

Estrella: What has been a muse to keep going in the music industry?
Angel: It’s what I love honestly, I don’t really have something or someone who kind of keeps me going besides myself. I love playing for people and I love people being moved by my music, I think that is the most important thing about music. It is more important then gaining fans, selling merch, or getting people to buy your record is if someone can just even hear you and be moved is the most powerful thing to me.

Estrella: What are your tour plans for the rest of the year?
Angel: I’m going on tour with Brandi Carlisle for a week than opening for Five For Fighting for the fall.

Estrella: For their whole tour?
Angel: Yeah and then I have some time off for Christmas.

Estrella: Do you think maybe a headlining tour next year?
Angel: Yeah, I did a short little headlining about thirteen shows this past month which was fabulous. Good turn out, I was really surprised that many people came just because I haven’t really been promoted that much yet. I am thinking about a headlining tour at the beginning of next year.

Estrella: Any thoughts on who you would want to take out with you?
Angel: There is a band called Lady Danville and I love those guys so much and I wanted to take them out this past tour but they didn’t have any finances to get out and go but if by then they rally up some cash, I want to take them out for sure.

Estrella: What’s a song that you never get sick of hearing and it does not have to be one of your own?
Angel: Probably “In your Atmosphere” by John Mayer. I could listen to that song on repeat all day, all year. It is probably one of my favorite songs for sure and I don’t really have favorite songs but I love that one.

Estrella: Is there something you have always wanted to do but have not done yet?
Angel: I would want to say I would want to skydive but I think I would pee on myself and wuss out when we got up there but that always sounds very invigorating to me. I’ve always wanted to go to Europe but very soon I won’t be able to say I’ve never been because I am going to Switzerland next Tuesday.

Estrella: Oh wow for what?
Angel: My fans bought me a round trip ticket and I’ve never been on a real vacation so it will be my first vacation and my first trip to Europe.

Estrella: What’s one of your favorite lines in one of your songs?
Angel: That’s hard, it would probably be something out of “Not Even Human” that’s my favorite song on the record. ‘You must have been kidding with that romantic love spell, or maybe I just didn’t hear you right,’ that probably has to be one of my favorite lines on the record for sure.

Estrella: Was that the last song you just sang in concert, and why was it hard for you to sing?
Angel: Yeah, and it’s recent because the guy I wrote it about was the first guy I felt I gave my whole entire being, heart, soul, everything too and I wrote that song in the middle of him wussing out on our relationship. That crushes me to the worst so it is very recent and the whole thing falling apart makes it hard to sing and I think it will always be hard to sing.

Estrella: If you could see any band or artist perform any song live what would it be and why?
Angel: I would want to hear Bob Dylan perform maybe my own, maybe “Not Even Human”, that or something by Mayer like “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”. I love Bob Dylan and the soul in his voice and it’s so pure. When you hear Bob Dylan you feel every word he says so that would be amazing.

Estrella: Have you ever seen him live?
Angel: No, I haven’t.

Estrella: Do you have any final comments?
Angel: I do! Thank you so much for being here and I hope that you enjoyed the interview.