A Chat with Tom Taylor-Biggs (10.07.2020)
Tom Taylor-Biggs is an alternative rock singer-songwriter who moved to Sheffield to hibernate with his music. He has now come out of hibernation to release his debut album Sevens. We sat down with Tom Taylor-Biggs (TTB) to talk about the album, his music and much more!
OSR: What drew you to the music industry?
TTB: Live performances drew me to the industry. That special feeling of seeing someone live and getting a completely fresh take on an artist. I saw White Denim’s Workout Holiday Tour when I was 15/16 and that was a game-changer for me. Seeing Young Father’s last year had the same effect, so live performances for me was always what drew me to the industry.
OSR: Why did you decide to isolate yourself for a year while writing Sevens?
TTB: I isolated due to the death of a close friend. I wanted to hide away and write my heartbreak into a song which didn’t stop with one song and became 7 songs. I never set out to do it, it just happened through my grief. He was a very inspiring person so making my grief productive was a tribute to his memory.
OSR: What was the creative process like? Did you start with melodies or lyrics?
TTB: This particular record it all came at once. Usually, music is always number one and lyrics come after. However, for this album I had the lyrical content as I was living through it so it fell together easier and the instrumentation was influenced by hospital machines and the constant flow of repetition, so it all came together as one.
OSR: Do you have a favourite and least favourite song from Sevens?
TTB: ‘Elevene’ was my favourite track on the album as it was the most personal and fitting to its nature from the sense of emptiness in the vocals to the strings and guitars keeping the suspense. It, therefore, came together perfectly. ‘Zest’ as my least favourite because it was previously written but lyrically changed for the album, so my only issue was that I have heard it far too much!
OSR: The first single from the album is ‘Hiding’, why this song?
TTB: I felt ‘Hiding’ was most relatable given the times we are in. The world was hiding away and having hidden away prior, I felt like sharing my personal take on the subject. However, the song has a sense of rejuvenation or light at the end of the tunnel which was a mindset I wanted to portray given myself and the world’s situation.
OSR: What is the biggest hurdle you’ve overcome?
TTB: I did hurdles when I used to run but struggled after 36 inches so 34 inches.
OSR: If you were a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would you be and why?
TTB: Crayon colour would be Tartan.
OSR: If we took a peek at your personal playlist, who would be find on it?
TTB: For playlists, you would find all sorts depending on the day but Young Fathers, QOTSA, Alt J, Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, The Clash, Pixies and The Kills would be in there.
OSR: What is the best advice you have been given?
TTB: I think the best advice to anyone and all is to just keep going and be yourself. I think if you’re original and do what you set out to do then no one can ever take that away from you.
OSR: What are your plans for the future?
TTB: I’m currently working on new material and changing from Sevens‘. I want to make a bit more noise, so I have plans for a machine a friend is building to help set the scene for the next record. Making more music is my plan for the future. I work with some incredible people so excited for what’s to come.
Thanks to Tom Taylor-Biggs for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
