INTERVIEW: Taylor Moss on her new country pop single 'Dream Baby': "I wanted it to make you feel like you’re listening to a Katy Perry / Keith Urban cross over track with four to the floor drums"
Taylor Moss is one of Australia’s biggest country - with a delicious dose of pop included - artists, with a string of country radio top 50 hits to her name and she is currently the second most streamed Australian female country artists, with only the legendary Kasey Chambers above her. Most impressively, she has done this all as a proudly independent artist.
Moss recently released her first new music of 2024, the single ‘Dream Baby’. It is an addictive, joyous track which reflects every bit of Moss’s musical heritage - pop, country and rock. Lyrically it sees Moss celebrating a relationship that is fulfilling all her dreams: ‘We ain't a dream, baby / You ain't gotta wake me up
Because this is real, we made it / That's the greatest kinda love.’
“I really wanted to write a fun, upbeat country pop song that has nostalgic energy!” Moss says. “I wanted it to make you want to jump, fist pump and sing into your hairbrush at home. It’s a song about ‘fast love’ and how my heart is a Mustang and it’s ready to drive and fall deeply in love.”
Moss always creates music that makes you feel alive, whether it is an uplifting number you can dance your cares away to or a tender ballad. An electric live performer, she gave a commanding performing on the Main Stage at CMC Rocks QLD in March, and after a performance at Sooki Lounge in Belgrave on May 3, will be touring across the UK and the US. Her keenly anticipated debut album will also be released later this year. We recently sat down with Moss to chat all about ‘Dream Baby’ and her upcoming tour and album.
Hi Taylor! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat. How is life with you right now?
Life is great! Busy, but good. It’s always nice when you can wake up everyday and have something new to work on for your career! I am busy planning my EOY tour, designing new merch for the album and getting ready to head to the UK and USA for some shows. All very exciting but requires lots of time of time!
Congratulations on your latest single ‘Dream Baby’, you have everything in this one, some perky pop, classic country and a touch of rock as well, I love it. Tell me all about the story and inspiration behind this one.
Thank you for that feedback! It’s all the elements I was hoping to achieve in the production stages.
The story behind this one is well, I finally found love and it felt like a dream. I didn’t think my reality could feel this good. It was almost like a ‘Pinch myself moment’ The line from the bridge is my favourite ‘We ain’t living a fantasy, cause we’re loving reality’. Pretty much sums up the idea/metaphor behind the song.
I wanted to have a song that sounded super nostalgic with country and pop elements. I wanted it to make you feel like you’re listening to a Katy Perry / Keith Urban cross over track with four to the floor drums that make you wanna jump, sing and dance like you’re 15 again!
The music video is a whole lot of fun as well and again it’s got all these different elements to it, the neon pink disco lighting teamed with your country hat and the rock-out guitar. What was the video like to make?
The music video was so much fun to make! We actually hired an old milk factory in Taree and it spread on the local community board that something interesting was happening with lights, Mustangs and cameras. A lot of locals came down and watched it get filmed. There were lots of laughs!
The video is super high energy and we wanted it to match the song.
Your keenly awaited debut album is coming out later this year which I assume ‘Dream Baby’ will feature on. How are things going with the album, and what if anything can you tell us about it?
Album is going VERY well. It's basically done but seeing as it’s my debut album I really want to spend as much time marketing it! It’s full of super upbeat energetic songs and we are deciding on the singles at the moment.. Always a fun job! I can’t wait to release it… date TBC! It's definitely coming out in 2024 though.
You have some live shows coming up including dates in both the UK and the US, which is just incredible. How are you feeling about these shows?
I am so excited for the UK and US! It’s actually my first time in the UK and I’m going straight to a country festival!
I’m pretty lucky my music is taking me around the world to meet new people. We are only in the UK for 6 days. In town for the 3 days festival and straight to another big one in the USA for CMA fest which I am so lucky to be the only Australian female on the line-up. I’m playing on ‘The Spotlight’ stage which is a stage that has really kick started careers. Nervous but over the moon I was selected to be involved!
You have such a skill with lyrics, your songs always have these lines that are so beautifully crafted, witty and rhythmic. When you are creating your songs, do they always start with the lyrics, or does the melody come first?
Thank you so much! I cannot take all the credit, I actually do all my writing with my best friend Alys Ffion. We are so close so it’s super easy for us to be really connected and vulnerable. Therefore, we just get each other and it works to create music. All my songs are about my story and real life events. And because she is my best friend there’s no secrets, haha. She knows me inside out. So basically, the moral of the story, if you tell me something I’ll also tell my best friend and we MIGHT write a song about it, hehe. In terms of the writing process, it’s always so different. Not one song has started the same. It is usually a text thread about an idea or a song title and from there we send voice memos back and forth because she's in Queensland and I’m in Victoria.
You have been releasing music since 2019 and you have made incredible progress on the country scene over the past few years. How do you think you have changed, or developed, as an artist, and likewise have you seen changes in the country music industry?
The industry is always changing! And us as humans are of course always changing too. This industry is one where you need to constantly adapt and learn. Especially with social media being such a huge factor in growing a brand.
When I first started releasing music in 2019, I didn’t know as much as I do now. I’ve had to learn to edit videos, write bios, style, personal brand, tour manage, keep writing music and juggling life. I mean the list goes on! You have to wear many hats now as an artist.. Times are definitely changing and I think it is why we are seeing so many more independent artists now because people are keen to jump in and learn! It’s wonderful to see.
You are a fully independent artist which I’m sure comes with plenty of pros as well as plenty of cons. With a number of years’ experience under your belt now, what advice would you give to young artists that want to follow a similar purely independent path?
Yes! Definitely comes with pros and cons.
Pros= I have full creative control. My little ADHD brain is always coming up with my ideas to share my music!
I make choices on my singles, when I release and how I tour. It’s taught me a lot. Sometimes I make mistakes and sometimes you have big wins. I guess that's just life!
Cons= It’s SO EXPENSIVE! Haha. Fronting the cost for everything up front all the time means I need to be smart about how I spend it. Sometimes you don’t make much money off a song - therefore you don’t have much in the bank for the next one and because I pay for everything, therefore, I am the owner of my music! Which is a superpower and I’m proud of my art.
What artist is your current musical crush that you can’t stop playing?
Ooh, well I LOVE Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department. She is a poetry genius and she always inspires me to be a better writer. I am loving spinning the album and pulling it apart figuring out what she means. Her music makes me think and it’s really cool.
You’ve got ‘Dream Baby’ out now, we’ve got an international tour, plus a debut album coming. What else is on the cards for you in the next couple of months?
Next couple of months is going to be really focusing on all the above! It will basically tie me over for 2024.. but my main focus is to eat healthy, sleep enough and stay caffeinated for all the exciting things happening!
‘Dream Baby’ is out now. You can buy and stream here.
Follow Taylor Moss on Instagram and Facebook.
Taylor Moss live shows
May 3 - Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
May 22 – 27 - Buckle and Boots Festival, Manchester UK
