Setting the Stage

Photo by Ally Sigurdson

Between self-recording her debut EP to sharing the stage with one of her biggest idols, Taylor Janzen’s musical career was filled with amazing opportunities from the start. We sat down with the singer/songwriter to talk about her musical inspirations, her DIY approach and the incredible opportunity she got to sing with pop-rock’s royalty, Paramore.

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AS: How did you get into music?
TJ: I started singing with my church when I was really young. I grew up singing with the church and at school. Up until recently I had only covered other artists. But I’ve been writing privately for a long time. I recently started playing my own music in front of people this past June, so I’m new. I guess I did it because I knew I always wanted to, and I finally felt ready to start doing that.

AS: Where does your inspiration come from?
TJ: In general, I’m really inspired by artists that have the courage to be really transparent in their writing. The first artist I heard that was like that was Julien Baker. She’s one of my favourite songwriters. The first time I heard her music I thought ‘I didn’t know you could be that honest and get away with it.’ She’s a huge inspiration to me.

The same goes for Torres. She’s a great songwriter. Sometimes she has a band behind her and other times she’s alone with her guitar. She can rock out and suddenly be really vulnerable. Honestly, she’s probably

the artist that I’m the most inspired by right now. She’s so versatile, but always herself. There’s also, obviously Paramore. Hayley Williams was the first female I saw fronting a band. She’s the type of performer that makes you feel like you can do it too.

AS: What’s the biggest show you’ve played so far?
TJ: One show I really enjoyed was when I got to open for Walking On Ropes at The Park Theatre. The Park Theatre is a venue. It’s a real venue. I’ve played a lot of restaurants; people eat food and talk over you and stuff. I love playing those too, but The Park Theatre is what all Winnipeg artists hope for. The last time I was there before that, I was seeing Andy Shauf, and he’s one of my favourites. So, when I performed there, I was in the bathroom and I was like ‘Oh my god I just shared a toilet with Andy Shauf. Wild.’

I am very protective over my music because it’s so honest. It’s a piece of me. It’s an extension of who I am.

AS: I know you’ve had an interesting experience with Paramore, care to elaborate on your Parahoy! story?
TJ:  They have this competition on the Parahoy! [cruise] ship where you can audition to sing with Paramore. At the time, I was only 14 years old. You had to audition over the phone and I applied for all eight of the songs that were listed. I remember pacing around my room singing Paramore songs into the phone. I wanted it so bad.

I was really excited, but it was also terrifying. It hit me that if I won, I’d be performing a Paramore song in front of Paramore! Plus, the whole boat is there, and they’re all staring at you. I still think knowing Paramore was right behind me on stage was scarier than all those people watching.

I ended up winning, which was wild for me. It was the first time I sang in front of that large of a group. The whole experience was pretty surreal. Getting validation from the band I look up to the most, was incredible. I still keep in touch with people from the trip. Now that I’m older and releasing original work, they’re supporting it and listening to my stuff, which is amazing.

AS: You recorded all of your music on your own in your basement. Do you prefer to have more control over the recording process?
TJ: I do. I can be a little picky about my music. When I recorded my acoustic EP, I did it because all I had was one microphone. Most of my live performances aren’t acoustic, but I had to make it work. I actually put the microphone in-between my knees and I would strum into the mic. That was how I recorded my EP.

I am very protective over my music because it’s so honest. It’s a piece of me. It’s an extension of who I am. It freaks me out, but not enough to hide it. It’s a mix of pride and anxiety knowing people can put their opinion onto something that I had all the control over.

In all honesty, I am really excited to record outside my basement. I think getting help from others will help me expand my creative boundaries. I have a new project I’m planning for this year that I’m hoping people will like.

Grab a copy of Taylor Janzen’s EP Fear & Faith at TaylorJanzen.Bandcamp.com. Stay up-to-date and view new music clips through twitter and Instagram  @taylorjanzenn.