interview with Alexis Taylor
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? My name is Alexis Taylor, I’m 23 years old and I play guitar, sing and write all of my own material.
How is it that you started playing music? I first started playing music in Nashville professionally 3 yeas ago.
Have you had other previous members? No.
Did you make music even when you were young? Yes, I wrote my first song when I was 12 years old.
Where are you from? I am from the small town of Huntsville, Ontario in Canada.
What year did the band form? There wasn’t an official year I decided to become a singer/songwriter. I just always knew that’s what I wanted to do.
What's your style of genre? I play mostly country music.
What inspires you? I find inspiration in my own life as well as others around me. I try to find the beauty in every moment and make it into something even more beautiful.
How often and where do you rehearse? I try to practice at least once a day, usually at home.
How have you developed since you started with the music? I believe that moving to Nashville has allowed me and pushed me to develop my talents further as there are so many amazing musicians who live here! Both writing and playing music with others has helped to do that.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? I enjoy traveling, cooking, and of course spending time with friends and my family.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? I am not currently looking for a booking agency but would not be against using one in the future!
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Ultimately, I would love to be signed to a label. But I also find there are a lot of benefits to being an independent artist as well.
What made you decide to make music? I never really decided to make music, I think it was something that has been in my heart that I did automatically.
What are your songs about? My songs are about a variety of things, but like many country musicians, they are mainly about love and loss.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? I do both the composing and writing for the music as well as the lyrics.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? It just depends, sometimes I’ll start with the music and sometimes I’ll start with lyrics. No song is ever the same.
Do you compose in a certain environment? I usually come up with a lot of my ideas while driving in my car.
Have you done any covers live? Yes, quite a few!
What language do you sing in? English.
What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? I have sang to empty bars, and I have sang to crowds of thousands of people recently from my European tour opening for Doug Seegers.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? Mainly, the age group of my fans are in their 20’s-30’s.
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? I try to play a variety of songs at my shows just in case the same people come out to see me.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? In my hometown in Canada, you can always find me playing at Deerhurst Resort!
What was your first gig like? My first official gig was here in Nashville. I just remember being so nervous! I got up to play a few songs to open for a friend of mine, and there were only a few people in the audience.
What was your latest gig? My latest gig was at a place here in Nashville called The Sliderhouse.
Have you had to cancel a gig? No, I have never had to cancel a gig luckily!
Where have you played live this year? This year, I have mainly stuck to playing around Tennessee, but will be doing a “Coming Home Tour” in Canada in the next few months!
Where do you plan to gig the comming year? I’ll definitely be playing more shows around the United States, and definitely Canada. As for any other countries… I guess we’ll see!
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? I started selling CD’s last year. I have those as well as signed photographs for sale.
Where can people buy your merchandise? I am currently working on making it accessible through my website www.alexistaylormusic.com
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? I feel as though since people download their music rather than buy a full record, it is making musicians produce more singles, or single worthy music these days rather than a full album.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? I think the music industry has become much more competitive because of these changes, especially in Nashville.
Do you have any role models or idols? My biggest role model is my Mom. She is the sweetest, most caring and loving person I’ve ever met. I don’t know what I would do without her!
What have been your biggest obstacles? My biggest obstacle would be that I am my own worst critic, which can be difficult when trying to create new music.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? I would say keep practicing, and continue to follow your dreams, no matter what.
How do you get psyched for a gig? I usually find a good playlist on Spotify and turn up the music really loud!
Do you have any new material? I am working on new material, in particular a new single which will hopefully be released soon!
What are your web sites? My website is www.alexistaylormusic.com
How can people reach you? People can contact me through any of my social media pages.
What are your plans for the future? Hopefully I’ll be releasing a single soon, then an EP album shortly after that!
Do you have something to add? Thanks so much for the interview!
