Check Out Taylor Sharp’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Sharp

Hi Taylor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since a very young age all I wanted to do was make music. Listening to music always left me feeling inspired to write my own, even before I had learned the skills for it. During my middle and high school years, I participated in a lot of extracurriculars to build up my skills in playing piano, saxophone, guitar, and bass. Once I felt confident enough to sing, I decided it was time to start recording.

I’ve always had a do-it-yourself attitude towards my music, so rather than take the traditional route of assembling a group of musicians and going to a producer, I preferred to record the songs track by track in my home studio and mix them myself. It’s a lot of fun being able to come up with a part for every instrument on the songs, and it’s convenient to be able to work on these projects whenever I want at home. It wouldn’t have been possible to do it this way years ago so I’m glad technology has come so far.

After releasing my first few singles in 2022, it was about time to start playing shows. I recruited some musicians I had played with in previous bands (including my sister Maryssa on drums), and we played our debut show at Rock the Quay, a performance showcase for “teen bands”. Guitarist Ty Yobs (also of HapyValy) got us a spot as his mom, Stacey Yobs, was the one organizing it. There we connected with Larry Walls (Sound by Walls), and we began playing in restaurants and bars around Fuquay-Varina and Apex with him running our sound. We played small gigs at the same few venues for about a year, and that is where we became tighter and stronger as a band. As our shows got better and our local following bigger, we began playing at more venues around the Triangle including the Night Rider, Bond Brothers Eastside, Slim’s Tavern, Cat’s Cradle Backroom, and Neptunes Parlour. We have also played in Greenville, and have established a small following there too after winning ECU’s Battle of the Bands and performing at Alley Cat Records numerous times.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a great ride so far, and while there have been the struggles you’d expect from managing different schedules and personalities in a band, things have always worked out. The main challenge for me personally is making sure to manage my Type 1 Diabetes so that I don’t go too low or high during a performance, which can be hard to gauge due to the amount of energy a show entails, but I have usually been successful with that.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a solo indie artist and currently have 20 songs released on all streaming services. I am most proud of my album “All of These Things”, which came out November 22, 2024. The album has a cohesive concept, with the lyrics all telling stories based on my personal experiences growing up, and the music taking inspiration from 60s psychedelic pop such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Zombies, as well as 90s/2000s alternative music like Elliott Smith, Belle and Sebastian, and Radiohead.

What sets me apart from other artists is my DIY approach to recording and unique production style. On my recordings, I am always eager to try a new production technique and experiment with new sounds, incorporating a variety of styles and instruments. I love mixing together ideas that sound old and new. An example of this can be found on many of my songs including “No Help to Anyone” and “Memoria”, which both features solos on a Mellotron, which is a predecessor to modern synthesizers that uses samples of strings, flutes, and brass from tape. This gives the songs a very vintage, dreamy feel. I often juxtapose that with modern synthesizers and production techniques, creating a truly “timeless” sound. For mixing, I use plugins on my computer that emulate the tape machines that artists like the Beatles used in the 60’s, tying everything together in an overall warm, rich, analog-inspired sound.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The Covid-19 lockdowns predate my career in music, but I spent much of time at home during that period practicing guitar and bass. That is also when I started writing songs seriously, too, so with the extra free time at home I was able to record demos and I learned a lot from those early recording experiences.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorsharp_music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Taylor-Sharp/pfbid02xbW1P1qcDwE9VFtea8MjzmKf9ToNjcxjgn9SYdd3qqSCjcHnivw7T9z2TSam4Zb8l/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taylorsharp_music
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorsharp_music