A Chat with Taylor Roche (29.06.21)
All the way from New Zealand, we have pop artist Taylor Roche. Enchanting and entertaining, it is difficult to not lose your mind when listening to his unique sound. We speak with the singer-songwriter about his new single ‘All I Need’, evolving sounds, future plans and discovering new music.
OSR: What drew you to music?
Roche: I think the biggest thing that drew me to music from a young age was that it’s like a form of escape from everything around us. It sounds super-corny but I think at the heart of it, music is a beautiful thing we experience down to a vibrational level and when I first came in contact with music as a child, I would lock myself in my room and just blast music all evening after school. I even remember my parents giving me a curfew to turn my stereo off by. ? The sense of euphoria I got from music is what I grew up with and I knew I always wanted to pursue it.
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
Roche: Music is something I’ve always been overwhelmingly inspired by. Growing up with it from a young age, it was always my passion to find my sound and one day write my own music. Some of us get lucky in the sense that we know deep down the one thing we feel that passionate urge to pursue in life and for me it has always been music. So, I guess as a broad answer, music as a whole has inspired me to make my own music and it has taken me over the world. I’m incredibly blessed for it.
OSR: What can you tell us about your single ‘All I Need’?
Roche: I co-wrote ‘All I Need’ with Auckland-based producer Will Henderson at the end of last year. It was a super fast session and so much fun working with someone with that kind of fast-paced workflow. We started the song as a bit of a dark, electric R&B track but then he played this really beautiful piano riff which I immediately knew had to be in the song – that’s what you hear in the intro and is the main motif throughout the track.
‘All I Need’ is a pop anthem that really dives into the insecurities we face with the complexities of falling in love with someone. It shifts from major to minor quite a bit which is a really intended stylistic choice – this kind of audibly plays on those complex feelings.
OSR: If you could change anything about ‘All I Need’, what would it be?
Roche: Will and I are both pretty wrapped with how it’s sounding so there isn’t really anything I’d like to change, although it’d be wicked to go back and re-track some more guitar underneath it. I sent one of my good friends, Graham Bell, the piano motif and told him “bro can you play this but make it super 80s rock and shreddy” and he came into the studio, laid it down and we were like “oh shit, that really makes this tune special”. So yeah, more guitar would be cool.
OSR: What do you hope listeners take from your music in general?
Roche: At the heart of it, I just want my listeners to have an experience with my music. There’s something crazy magical when you listen to a song for the first time, whether it comes up on shuffle in a playlist or it’s by a fave artist, you’ll hear it and it barely gets to the end and you’re already queuing it again to go back and experience what you ears just heard. If my music can create that kind of buzz for even just one person then that’s mad cool.
OSR: Do you believe this new single differs from your previous releases, perhaps an evolution in your sound?
Roche: Yeah definitely! I think it’s really cementing my sound in the sense that it carries a lot of that nostalgic sound that I’m obsessed with from the 80s/90s synth-pop era, but I think it also shows a step up melodically and vocally. It was a really tricky song to track with the pace and the jumping into those high choruses, but I think audiences are going to appreciate that and it makes me really excited to perform this one.
OSR: If you could perform with any artist, who would it be and why?
Roche: I’d love to perform with LANY. They’ve been a huge inspiration for my sound because they have achieved that synth-pop/modern-day pop crossover so well and so consistently. Their album Malibu Nights changed my life man. ? If I could collab with them in a song, on stage or in the studio, that’d be a next-level dream.
OSR: What advice do you have for new musicians?
Roche: Enjoy your journey. We all tend to focus on the end goal, me a little too much that I look back and think “shit, these last few years have been absolutely insane”. Looking back I was always too focused on what was next and where I want to be. Artists tend to feel unsuccessful if they’re not going viral or making the big charts or even their own shows, but I think success is a word that’s thrown around way too much nowadays. Focus on your journey and enjoy the little triumphs because you’ll find that as time goes on, each little triumph will become bigger and more meaningful and one day you’ll find your definition of success. Might as well enjoy the process along the way!
OSR: What do you believe is the best way to discover new music in today’s current climate?
Roche: I have no clue, to be honest. There are SO many avenues now for discovery that it can be really overwhelming to know what’s the best way to focus on reaching those chances of being discovered. I think playlists are always a big one – I’ve discovered a lot of new artists and music through random Spotify playlists left on shuffle. I’ve also been really into following blogs and seeing who they write about because often there are some huge hidden gems there. TikTok has obviously really changed the game too. Knowing what the best way is to discover new music is a tricky one because there are just so many ways now.
OSR: Do you have any future plans following ‘All I Need’?
Roche: Yep! Currently working towards another single (maybe two) and writing for my debut EP! Mad!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Roche: Please stream my music. ? ‘Taylor Roche’ on all streaming services and @_taylorroche on Instagram. Come say hi!
Thanks to Taylor Roche for speaking with us. For more from Taylor Roche check out his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
