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Taylor Bickett: Existence in the Tangible

Writer's picture: Sean AlexanderSean Alexander

By Sean Alexander


Much of Bickett’s music tells a story; pick a song of hers at random, and it will share a visual and personal story of heartbreak, love, and the trials of being human.


She creates these stories by digging into her history to find moments worthy of sharing through music; such as songs like her track Her Again. The track is an almost chronological telling of the relationship it pulls inspiration from. This song was developed over a period of years of Bickett having to reflect on different isolated events and how they fit together to tell the overarching story she wanted to tell.


Sometimes though there have been moments for her where it's not years later it's in the moment that she realizes…, this right here, this will be a song.


“You're on a date, something happens and you think, file that away, hope you don't mind. I wanna write a song about this even if I never see you again,” Bickett said.


The writing of a song in this case doesn’t come from a place of malice but more as homage to the experience. A strong point of her music is its ability to share a relatable experience with the listener. Here stories, though uniquely hers, grasp the listener and give the listener a feeling of emotional sympathy.


In September, Bickett released her EP, This Isn’t Me Missing You. The five-song collection, when listened to in order, tells the story of a breakup and the emotions that come with it in the following months or years. The EP ends with the song Coffee and a Question Mark, a song that describes the warm hope of what possibilities could exist after heartbreak. This song marks a departure from the common melancholic themes of her music to a more hopeful perspective, reflecting on a turning point experience for Bickett. Inspiration stemmed from a fleeting romance in New York City that offered a fresh sense of optimism following difficult times.


"I had been in the trenches of a breakup and just couldn't stop writing about, ‘I'm so sad, everything's terrible,’” Bickett explained. “But then I had this lovely fleeting romance in New York, and it was beautiful and simple—nothing more than it needed to be. It gave me hope.”


For someone naturally inclined to plan and contextualize moments within a larger life narrative, the experience was uniquely grounding. Bickett describes herself as a type-a personality with a strong orientation towards the future. However, the story told in Coffee and a Question Mark shows her taking a step back from her normal mindset.  She wasn’t thinking about how the experience would affect the rest of her life but just how it existed in that moment. This realization has since influenced a broader approach to life, focusing on embracing moments as they are and allowing the good to simply be good.


“Sometimes I feel like I can't fully process an event until I write a song about it,” Bickett said. While not the first optimistic song she’s written, it’s one of the first shared publicly. The track is a refreshing contrast to traditional breakup songs, showcasing the complexity of moving forward and finding joy in simple experiences. Coffee and a Question Mark is about a specific situation for Bickett, but it's not a specific feeling that makes the song approachable and relatable.


“It's easier, just to write, a love song. ‘Oh my gosh. I love this person. I'm so happy right now.’” Said Bickett. “And there are a lot of those, and I've written a lot of those, this was one where it's healing, it’s hope and it's new beginnings, but there's still hurt there and it's working through that and it's it's learning about yourself and becoming more independent. It’s so many things for me and it also just felt like a good wrap-up to the project. I like to write about the complicated feelings that I feel.”


The EP as a whole starts in a dark place. Then gradually throughout the songs, it changes through the different stages of grief and healing. Each song may not have been written about the same relationship but they all highlight different parts of the overall process of grief.


Taylor Bickett’s EP, This Isn’t Me Missing You, explores the emotional journey of heartbreak and healing through its five tracks. Closing with Coffee and a Question Mark, the project shifts from sadness to hope, reflecting a turning point in Bickett’s perspective. Known for her deeply personal and relatable storytelling, Bickett continues to connect with listeners by drawing from her own experiences and presenting them with honesty and nuance.


The following are excerpts from our interview with Taylor Bickett.


What's your process for writing a song or putting together an EP?

I think with both of my EPs, I wrote all the songs at different times. And then looking back through everything I've written, I started to piece them together. And I think my first EP didn't have any sort of story. There were definitely common themes throughout it, but the second one felt a little bit more like there was a thread running through it.

Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo

I'm now working on creating a project that exists in its own world. I think part of my new challenge is how writing one stand-alone song is one thing, but creating a story or a world with a bunch of songs is something I haven't had a bunch of experience doing.


I'm still in the process of figuring it (The new project) out and exactly what it looks like. I’ve written a lot of songs that I feel exist in that world. It will probably be sometime next year.


How do you balance what you share versus what you don't? Since you describe yourself as a professional over-sharer. Do you have a process for, this should be out there and this shouldn't be out there?

I was just starting out writing and sharing music. It was, on TikTok in 2020. So I just wrote and posted songs and whatever. I had never even released a song yet. I didn't even know how to release a song.


That gave me my initial audience. Then, I started putting stuff out, and then I realized, oh my gosh. I can't post every single song. Or, people are gonna expect every single one to come out, and that's not realistic. So lately I think that the social media landscape has changed the way people interact with music on the Internet. In the last 4 years, 5 years. It's not necessarily realistic for artists to just post everything they're writing, and we shouldn’t.


People can get very attached to a certain way you sang something once because they've listened to the video a bunch of times. And then when you come back to record the song. You're like, actually, I want to use this instrument or I wanna do this. And then people are like, woah. That's not what I have been listening to. So you have to be careful not to share too much, but, I am an overshare. And I love to when I have a thought or an emotion, I want to put it into words, and I want to put it out.


So I have to find that balance. I try to share less unreleased stuff these days. Unless I'm sure I want to put it out. So then there's not all these half-songs hanging over my head.


In terms of the Internet's influence on your music, did you experience that when Quarter Life Crisis went viral, or was that something already released when it went viral?

It went viral the week of the release. So I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. Which in some ways, was really nice because it was, well, what you get is what you get.


It's hard when an unreleased song goes viral and then you're scrambling to release it, which I have also done. Nothing to the level of, Quarter Life Crisis or some artists that I know have had these, crazy moments with their unreleased songs. I can't imagine. The first song I released this year, I like Mondays. I needed to hurry to release it because people really liked it, and I'm glad I did. But there is a pressure to that. So it's nice when the songs are already out.


Going from releasing music a few years back to now. How do you see yourself as having changed during this journey of, TikTok to going on tours in Europe and America?

I've changed so much. In some ways it's good and in some ways it's bad. It used to be I write a song, I post it on the Internet. I put it on Spotify. I'm trying my best. I'm just throwing things at the universe and seeing, what works.

Now that I've been doing this a while, there's more strategy that goes into it. Sometimes that's good, but also sometimes I think maybe the randomness worked. Maybe I wasn't overthinking it so much because I was just starting. but I also feel as a writer, my voice has developed, and I've found my sound. Some of my stuff leans, more chill and acoustic, but then, my first release was, super poppy.  I'm figuring out what works for me and my music. Which has been interesting. If I go back and listen to my discography, sometimes I feel like songs don't feel like me anymore.


How was your first headlining show?

It was awesome. It was so cool, due to a lot of factors. I've been wanting to do a headline show for so long, I honestly can't believe I went this long without doing one. The people there really loved my music. I was so shocked at how loud they were singing every word. Not just the one, they weren’t just singing Quarter Life Crisis.


They knew the deep cuts. And thankfully, because it was a small venue. I got to talk to every single person who wanted to meet me after the show, and that was amazing. So many people were like, ‘I've been listening to you for four years.’ I've been releasing music for three years. And they're like, ‘I know I've been following you on TikTok.’


Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo

It felt so good to know that even though this was my very first show, they’ve been following me for years, they stuck around, and still came to the show. That felt so special.


There's one thing about getting a DM or a comment. But when you are staring face to face with someone, hearing how my music has impacted them or even just the fact that they've listened to it through different phases of life. It's cool to stare into someone's eyes and talk to them instead of staring at a screen. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction with someone.


At this juncture in your music career, where do you want it to go? What are the goals you have for yourself?

I feel like I spent the past three years that I've been putting music out, figuring out who I am as an artist. And along the way, I have picked up so many people who relate to me. I want to stay true to them. I know my sound now, and I want to create cool projects.


I want to create an album. I love albums. I love listening to albums, and all my favorite artists have albums. I've done singles. I've done EPs. Let's get serious, I'm very excited for that and I think it will help me show who I am as an artist.


Other than that, I'm trying to play more shows. Tour more, whether I'm opening or doing my own. One of my favorite parts of being an artist is playing live. I'm obsessed with it. So trying to do that more and make that an important part of my artistry because while I may have come up on the Internet, I hate the Internet. I want to get out of the Internet and into real life.


Listen to Coffee and a Question Mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGRRSJJSgLA

Check out Taylor Bickett’s website here: http://www.taylorbickett.com

Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo

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