Taylor

Taylor concert this week

By Leigh Anne Butler

Ten years ago, Laurel Taylor set out for Nashville to pursue a music career. Having just graduated from Tallassee High School, she made her way to Nashville to make her way into the music industry.

“This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I knew in high school that I was not going to college,” Taylor recently explained on a radio interview on Tallassee station, WTLS.  “I’m going to do this music thing but what I didn’t know was that is was going to become more than just music. It’s also ministry to me.”

Taylor has a new album and is heading out on the road to tour this year, but not before coming home to play for friends and family. Taylor, along with The Band Jaren and Mark Kirkland, will be in concert at Cain’s Chapel UMC in Slapout on Friday, Jan. 20. 

“I really wanted to come home. I never get to come home first before I go out, so I’m really glad this worked out,” Taylor continued.

The concert is free of charge. Mark Kirkland will open at 7:00, followed by The Band Jaren. Taylor will take the stage around 8:00 and will play for about an hour where she will showcase her new music. There will be concessions and Taylor’s new merchandise will also be available.

Taylor’s new single, Old House, is set to release on Jan. 27. Taylor says, “it’s more than a country song. It’s a life song, a journey song, that everyone can relate to in their own way.”

“This whole record this year coming out, as coupled singles, they’re all stories. All true. Just raw things about me. I’m really excited about it,” Taylor states. “I feel like I’m a writer first, a singer/songwriter. I have this diverse writing but as an artist, it’s always going to be this country story.”

Taylor started out with a country publishing deal, shortly after moving to Nashville after high school. “My message has changed over the past ten years,” Taylor explained. “At 18, I didn’t really know what I was writing about. I was being mentored by some wonderful, legendary writers.  From there, I began to learn how to write worship music and Christian radio music.”

“Now that I’ve been at it for ten years, you kind of find who you are as a writer and an artist. For me, I believe I’m not trying to chase anything. I’m just trying to write truths. I feel like when we try to chase it and see what’s the next, the next, the next-you’re always behind. That’s where this new record comes from. It’s the heart behind my story.”

You can follow Taylor on social media, Laurel Taylor Taunton on Facebook and @laureltaylorofficial on Instagram.