INTERVIEW: Taylor Janzen releases single 'Devotion': "I’m fascinated by human devotion and how all-encompassing and powerful it can be."
Canadian singer/songwriter Taylor Janzen released her new single ‘Devotion’ at the end of April. Like everything Janzen produces, it is warm, heartfelt collection of indie pop that exposes her inner most emotions and struggles and while it remains intensely personal, the songs also connect right into the heart of the listener and can be adopted as their own anthems. The intimate nature of her music is a direct result of Janzen not being encouraged to speak about her feelings growing up, so she turned to songwriting as an outlet. “The music that I write is very honest, so it speaks for itself,” she says.
The Winnipeg local first appeared on the music scene in 2018 with the release of her debut EP Interpersonal which attracted praise from The New York Times, with her second EP, last year’s Shouting Matches increasing her fan base and critical acclaim, resulting in 3 million streams of her music worldwide to date.
Following up Janzen’s previous 2020 singles ‘What I Do…’ and ‘I Feel A Darkness’, new single ‘Devotion’, with it’s insistent yet gentle beat, is an incredible song and the high pitched, ethereal vocals from Janzen in the chorus are a beautiful foil to the direct, uncompromising delivery in the verses: “I am only happy when I've forgotten all I am”.
To celebrate the release of ‘Devotion’, we recently spoke with Taylor to find out more about her music and career.
Hi Taylor! Thanks for chatting to us. How is everything going for you in this crazy new world of isolation?!
Thank you for having me! I’ve mainly been baking a lot. And crying. I baked an entire loaf the other day while crying. Very on brand for me.
What part did music play in your life as a kid growing up?
I don’t think my life has ever existed without music. It’s always been my way of expressing myself. I was a very emotional and dramatic child. I was what one might call a “handful”. The only thing that ever made me feel stable was music.
Was there a moment when you decided you wanted to pursue music as a career or did it just happen organically?
It happened pretty organically. It’s the only career that makes sense for me to follow.
Congratulations on the new single ‘Devotion’, it is brilliant! Can you talk me through the inspiration behind the song?
Thank you so much! I had been wanting to write about this topic for a really long time. I’m really fascinated by human devotion and how all-encompassing and powerful it can be. The song is pretty much just an observation on how to remain passionate and loyal without losing who you are.
What was the creative process for this song?
I had a lot of the lyrics already, I just needed a creative space to flesh them out. I was writing in LA with Luke Niccoli, and he and I were able to really give the lyrics a home that felt really exciting. I was really inspired by Tegan and Sara’s Sainthood album at the time. I wanted to capture a similar energy.
Your lyrics are painstakingly honest and you have said that songwriting is an outlet for you. Music is a great healer; are you finding now through feedback from your fans that your music is helping other people as well as yourself?
Every time I hear that my music has helped anyone in any way it’s always so surreal. There are so many bands whose music has carried me through some really intense and awful parts of my life and ultimately lead to me finding my own writing style. When I’m able to do that for other people it feels like a really beautiful full circle experience.
You performed as part of Homeschool Fest last week, how was it?
It was really stripped back. Just me and a guitar. It’s was a return to how I wrote the songs originally, which is always a cool thing to revisit.
It is such a crazy time we are living through now, what advice do you have for people on how to navigate this sometimes very scary new world?
Hold on tight to the small things that make you feel ok. Mine are my dog, sunlight, reading, baking, board games…that’s been my main way of coping. I’ve also been actively trying not to be uncomfortable with my emotions. I think there’s a way to feel everything without completely spiralling. I don’t know. It’s a very weird, unprecedented time. I cry about three times a day. I’m trying to not let that scare me. It’s a reminder that when the world stops I am still human. So I guess my main piece of advice is to cling to the things that make you feel ok, and to be at peace with all the things you’re feeling, because they’re normal.
There has been a lot of discussion over the last year or so on gender equality in the wake of #metoo. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
I have been really lucky so far. There haven’t been any massive traumatic sexist events in my career yet, besides the smaller things: male musicians ignoring me when playing a show together, male fans touching me inappropriately at merch tables, only being compared to other female artists, being constantly called a “songstress” instead of just a songwriter, endless backhanded compliments, always somehow directing the conversation to my appearance… And while it’s sad that those things are normal to most female musicians, I still do hold a lot of privilege in this industry - and in the world - being cis and white. I think it’s our job as people who have privilege to constantly be learning about how to be better allies. There’s always more to learn, and there’s always more terrible “normalcies” to challenge, whether they affect me directly or not.
Who knows how the rest of the year will pan out, but what else do you have planned for 2020?
I have a lot of songs that I’m ready for people to finally hear. Some of my favourite songs I’ve ever written. So hopefully I can finally get them out there.
‘Devotion’ is out now via Glassnote Records. You can download on iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
To keep up with all things Taylor Janzen, you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
