Check out our interview with Los Angeles talented pop artist Taylor Watson who recently released her new single “Not My Type.”
Inspired by Watson’s own dating history, “Not My Type” is an unconventional love song that offers an honest critique of her past toxic relationships while genuinely appreciating the healthy aspects of her current relationship with a ‘nice guy.’
“The song is about finally choosing someone healthy to be with, after a long history of having an unhealthy ‘type.’ You hear people talk about their ‘type’ all the time, but if your type is toxic…you have to find someone who isn’t your type. I did, and this song is about him.” – Taylor Watson
Follow Taylor @taylorwatson
Hi Taylor, please tell us a little about you?
I’m a singer-songwriter from Colorado. I play guitar, piano, and sing. I’ve written songs for artists in country, pop, rock, and gospel and I’m about to put out my first full record!
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Powerful, authentic, entertaining.
We’re sure you have been asked this million times but how did you get in the industry?
I was “discovered” at 16 while busking in Boulder. After that, I tagged along on one of my dad’s business trips to Nashville. Sometimes, the people he was meeting with for work would ask me to play for them. One of them loved my songs and voice, so he introduced me to Paul Worley. Paul was a legendary industry producer who worked with some of the most iconic acts in country music, and after hearing me play, took me under his wing. The rest is history.
Describe your sound in 3 words?
Raw relatable pop
Who influenced you and why did you choose to make music?
I have so many influences, it’s really hard to narrow it down. I lean toward the likes of Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Katy Perry, but the likes of Avril Lavigne, P!nk, Alanis Morrissette, and other edgier rock girls (and guys) really shaped my musical leanings as I grew up. I’d have to say OneRepublic, The Script, and Daughtry were also hugely influential, even if that’s not as obvious when you listen to my records now. I chose to make music the same way you choose to love your soulmate. Part of it is inevitable, but you also have to choose it and put the work in. This industry is really hard, being a creative is a different life than other industries. But if you love it enough, it’s worth choosing. I do.
Do you play any instrument?
I play guitar and piano. I can’t actually read piano music though, so everything I know is by ear or something I made up.
Do you ever get nervous?
Not really about performing live, but sometimes about putting out new music. Part of music for me is about giving to others and facing rejection for bearing your soul can be scary. But if I sit down and evaluate what I’m putting out, and I’m like, regardless of how this is perceived, this is true to me…I get a lot less nervous about it. I think that’s why I love this record so much.
Tell us about your new single “Not My Type?”
“Not My Type” is an unconventional love song with a twist. I wrote it with The 87’s (Mike Mac and Jordan Baum) and it was a really healing experience for me.
What’s the story behind the song?
I know it sounds like an insult or a blowoff, telling someone they aren’t your type. What makes this song so romantic is the context of that statement. I have years of repeating toxic, unhealthy relationship patterns behind me. It took a lot of healing and self-reflection to realize that I was attracted to these walking red flags because of unhealed trauma, and that I’d never be in a healthy relationship until I was really intentional about what I wanted and what I deserved. When I finally got into a healthy relationship with someone secure and loving, the contrast between that and the relationship dynamics I’d experienced before were so wild. Finding a “nice guy” (or any gender) partner with a secure attachment style who would actually be conducive to a healthy relationship may seem boring or not in line with what you’ve experienced love to be in the past, but it is better even if you haven’t subscribed to that before. That’s why healing and falling for someone who is not your “type” (historically) is better than continuing to fall into toxic relationships just because that’s your MO. I had a lot of healing to do before I started being attracted to healthy, positive people instead of feeding into my attraction to drama, toxicity, and abuse. You can be addicted to positive or negative things…this song is about breaking the negative cycle of drowning in bad habits with bad people and finally coming up for fresh air with someone who’s actually good for you.
Which project is still on your bucket list?
I’m dying to collaborate with Julia Michaels. I think she’s a beautiful, innovative genius. Her lyrics bury me every time.
What is fun and rewarding about what you do? And what’s not?
I absolutely love everything about the creative process. From writing to playing with sounds and instruments in production, from hearing something in my head and then making it real so other people can hear it too… Collaborating with other people and getting to hear the non-verbal thoughts in their head as they produce and create and turn them into reality, all of that is magic to me. What does get hard is paying too much attention to the social media validation of it all, but that’s also why I can’t wait to get back to playing live and touring. Connecting with who’s right there in front of you, who’re impacted and engaged, is so affirming and awesome. Not that it can’t be online, it’s just a different experience.
What’s next for Taylor Watson in 2022?
We are shooting a very cool music video for “Not My Type” soon, then I’m releasing one of my favorite songs on the entire record. It might be my favorite…on any given day. It’s called “Last Night” and it just rips my heart right out every time I hear it. I’ve never written about loss like that before, and I wrote it with some of my best friends and favorite people to work with. So I’m very excited about that.
What is your favorite song? And why?
Oh god, this is such an impossible question to answer. My favorite songs change as I go through different things…and I don’t know that I’ve ever let one be the ultimate #1 song across the board. I know that “Vienna” by Billy Joel holds a special place in my heart and resonates so deeply with me, especially given how young I started in the industry and how I’ve always wanted to be further in the journey than I am. It’s such a beautiful expose of youth and the journey to dreams and success, it really grounds me. I also love the song “Happiness” by The Fray. I think it’s a beautiful, perfect capturing of something so elusive. It’s hard to explain, you just listen to it, and everything is okay. It’s okay to not be happy, it’s okay to be happy, it’s okay to let it come and pass and not try to manufacture it. You just try to create an inner peace, an environment for it to visit and stay…and let it in. I love it. It makes me cry every time I listen to it though, so it doesn’t have as many spins as “Vienna.”
Any loves other than music?
I love creating content and storytelling in any medium. People will probably put it together eventually that I create and am in a lot of viral videos on the internet. It’s been my full-time job for a couple years now, and I’ve done over 4 billion views in that time. Love it or hate it, I’ve had a blast being able to call that a job and play with storytelling in such a casual and fun way with my friends and family. I’m also an avid snowboarder, horse-back rider, and I’m working on my first movie script right now. Oh…and food. I’m such a huge foodie. I eat my way through every city I’m in, I deep dive on Yelp! and Eater restaurant lists…I love finding new spots and knowing where the best steak or salad or paella in any place is. I’m the friend you hit up for recommendations.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
I’ve given multiple answers to this question over time. There’s so many people I’d love to meet. But honestly, the way she has so brilliantly crafted one of the most prolific and iconic careers of all time (and being my favorite artist), I’d have to say Taylor Swift. I think she’s so brilliant, driven, and powerful that her talent was able to take the world by storm. Talent alone doesn’t build what she’s built, and I have nothing but awe and respect for it. Being able to be around that and try to absorb some of that (the way you do with the people you surround yourself with) would just hit different. Her records have also earmarked most of the big pivotal points in my life…it would kind of be like meeting my emotional narrator, in a way. So yeah, I’d have to say Taylor.
Best advice ever given?
Keep your side of the street clean. No matter what anybody does with their side, don’t lower yourself to get even. Don’t use someone else’s bad behavior to justify your own. Don’t lower the bar for yourself just because you feel slighted. Someone else can behave in ways that trash their side of the street, but no one will care if your side is also littered. You aren’t responsible for others, what they do with their character, integrity, or reputation. But you are responsible for your own. And if you let someone push you so far that you betray your own character, integrity, or reputation – you’ll do far more damage to yourself than anyone else can do to you.
How’s a typical day in your life?
There’s no such thing.
Name one your strengths?
Arguing. It’s also a weakness, of course. But I was raised in a house of attorneys, I was always good at debate, and after enough unhealthy relationships, you learn (for better or worse) how to defend and fight for yourself. It serves me really well when I’m standing up for others, standing firm in my beliefs, or negotiating things for my own career or life. It doesn’t serve me so well in relationships, or when I’m triggered. I’m still learning how to turn this strength into a positive weapon for good that doesn’t also hurt me and/or those I care about.
Idea of a perfect Sunday?
Morning yoga, the beach, a hike, friends, good food, and a movie in a proper movie theater. Maybe some good wine to cap it off. Also, a holiday weekend where no one is working on Monday and minimal calls and texts are expected.
What is you favorite song to belt out in the car/for karaoke?
This changes all the time, but right now it’s the second half of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever”. It’s a timeless banger, honestly. I don’t even have to be angry at anyone, belting that song in the car is insanely therapeutic.
What is your own definition of happiness?
Happiness is its own animal. But it comes so much easier when you are at peace. Finding joy in little things because they aren’t inundated by worry or fear, trusting your environment and universe so there’s no anxiety to be found. Trust, peace, and gratitude create a space for happiness to live in, and while I don’t think you can “create” happiness, if you can hold that space for it, you can have it.
Do you support any charities?
Yes. I absolutely love O.U.R. Rescue and Free A Girl, USA. They are doing SO much to fight human trafficking, and are making a real impact in the lives of those being exploited RIGHT NOW. They’ll be the first group I advocate hard for with my platform.
What is your favorite healthy food?
Avocados. I can give you like, 20 different ways to quickly dress a simple avocado and make it ridiculously good.
And your favorite cheat food?
Steak. And don’t think “oh that’s not a cheat food”. You don’t understand – I will, by myself, but down a 24 oz ribeye with truffle butter and mac and all the sides, by myself. So yeah, for sure steak. If I’m really indulging, I’ll get an A5 wagyu and then just penny pinch for a week. I know red meat isn’t all that great for you, but when I get cheat meals…99% of the time, it revolves around a steak.
What would be a deal breaker on a first date?
Any sign of misogyny. I once had a guy tell me I’d be prettier if I smiled more. I was like ah, well you’d be hotter if you didn’t say things like that. That was the end of that date.
How do you see yourself in 5 years?
Making music, traveling the world, maybe doing some acting. Whatever the future has in store, as long as it’s fulfilling and epic and creative, that’s what I envision. Historically, life has come up with cooler shit than I could’ve projected. So, I try not to cling too tight to specifics.
How would you describe your fashion style?
Comfy. I mean, I enjoy dressing up and going out, but if you know me, you know that most of the time I’m in workout gear or a sweatsuit.
What do you think of Social Media?
I’ve made an incredible living off of Social Media as a viral content creator, so I’m very grateful for it. I think it’s allowed for an amazing expansion in our ability to connect, share, and communicate and widen social circles across time and space. But like any good thing, I do think in many ways we’ve taken it too far and grossly misused it. The comparison culture, the cyber bullying, the confusion of information… I think like anything, it’s a really incredible, awesome thing when used appropriately and moderately. But it can definitely be overwhelming. I also look at what it’s done for indie artists, like me, being able to get music and art out and reach fans… So much good has come from it, so much industry and independence, I think you have to take it with a grain of salt but also appreciate how far we’ve come as a result of it.
Where we can follow you?
IG: @taylorwatson
TikTok: @taylorwatsonofficial
Twitter: @iamtaylorwatson
Favs:
Quote: “Anger is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.”
Movie: Inglorious Bastards
Travel Destination: Paris
Sports Team: Broncos
