Lorelei Rose Taylor's "Versailles"

Lorelei Rose Taylor is a Brooklyn based singer songwriter that is undoubtedly charting her own path. Her honest lyrics and unique, yet familiar style will make you feel like you’re in a different time. A sound not unlike The Cranberries or Lana Del Ray, Lorelei’s music is definitely the kind you want to drive to—the kind that makes you feel simultaneously sad and supported. When asked what she hopes her music says about her, she says, “I hope to introduce myself as a writer, before anything else. As a resilient woman who, against all odds, still holds up her end of the bargain. Like, she might sound sad, but she's not to be fucked with.” Her debut EP “Versailles” is set to be released tomorrow, but on Uniquely Aligned only, you can preview the heartbreaking and calming EP today.

Listen to Lorelei Rose Taylor’s “Versailles” here.

I got the chance to talk to Lorelei about her unique sound, her songwriting process, her current quarantine rotation, and what’s next for her music.

How would you introduce yourself to new listeners?

Like, my tagline? “Hey, this is Lorelei Rose Taylor and you’re absolutely not watching Disney Channel.” Probably that.

Your music style is super unique. I love it because it’s not something you usually hear these days, but it also has a familiar feeling. Who are the artists that influence your sound?

That means a lot to me. I grew up on a lot of 90s alternative rock and R&B; Dave Matthews Band, The Cranberries, Jewel, Mariah Carey. I’ve always gravitated towards orchestral undertones and ethereal energy. Florence and The Machine will forever be a centerfold; I saw her live for the first time last summer and it was a transcendent moment for me. I love Adele’s timelessness — I remember I was in college and begged my grandmother to send me Adele Live At Albert Hall on DVD just to get me through the semester. I think I cried to it seventeen times. I’m really into the experimental places Lorde goes — likewise, Lykke Li, FKA twigs, Lana Del Rey. But I think I make things in a darker cave. Robbie Grabowski [I Can See Mountains, Super American] kinda knows now to preface any anomaly he sends my way — like, “don’t worry, we’ll make the tones depressing as fuck.” I don’t know, I find solace in being a weary ghost of times past. But I’m still so early into it, I’m still getting to know myself in that way. 

The lyrics to your songs are very vulnerable and honest. You can tell that they truly stem from real-life experiences. Do you have a specific songwriting process or do you just let the words come on their own time?

The only method to my madness is surviving it. I write what I’m feeling when I’m feeling it. And timing is really important. I’ve read some of my greatest inspirations wait to write until they’ve processed the moment, but I write when the water is boiling. I suppose that’s why I don’t write very many happy songs; why sometimes I write four songs in one day and nothing for four months. But I’ve been writing in notebooks and napkins for as long as I can remember. Robbie writes most of the music; he'll send me a track or start playing the keys and immediately my Rolodex starts spinning and stops on the one right away, like "Oh, this is Devil’s Breath.” And we play with the melodies and tones a little bit, but the lyrics never really change. That’s one of the many reasons I love working with him, he lets me do my thing. I write a lot of my melodies walking around the city, and 99.9% of my lyrics on the train or Greyhound (I don’t want to know how much of my life is spent on either). All I know is that if my iPhone notes or voice memos were ever lost, I’d finally see a therapist.

As a new artist, what’s the one thing you want to get across to your listeners? Every artist has a sort of mission for their work, so what’s yours?

Honesty. My integrity is the most important thing to me. I’m not selling an image, or someone else’s story. I’m not selling anything, really. I think my songs are .69 cents, because it was the lowest common denominator available to me. I just want to make art people can drive to, kinda like saying, “I get it, I've been there, too.” That’s what music has always been for me, a confidant to confide in; one that won’t tell my secrets. And I obviously want to use my platform for the greater good — it just sounds insincere in a sentence.

This is your debut EP—how are you hoping to introduce yourself to listeners through this project? What does it mean to you?

It’s still surreal to me. I think it’ll always be surreal to me. I hope to introduce myself as a writer, before anything else. As a resilient woman who, against all odds, still holds up her end of the bargain. Like, she might sound sad, but she's not to be fucked with. In that way, Versailles is my stake in the ground.

How did you start as a musician? What made you decide to finally create this EP?

It feels like it was always written. I know that probably sounds audacious, but it was a magnetism I couldn’t escape — I just didn’t know how or when I would hold it. Until two years ago, when a friend invited me to Robbie’s show at an underground bar in New York, and that changed everything. He was my gatekeeper. 

I’m sure it’s hard to pick just one song, but which song from the new EP do you think really represents you and your style?

I love them all in different ways; I think they each channel a different layer in my sound, like different rooms on different floors in an eight million square foot palace. But “If He Love Another” is the master suite. I think it was the fourth track we recorded, but it was the first time I felt like an artist. Like I’d found my own lane. And it was the first song I gave to the world, so it will always embody that nerve-racking moment of bliss. 

What songs have been in your current quarantine rotation? :-) How have you been keeping creative?

The rotation is a frenzied fool. I keep ricocheting between new albums and albums I never had time to indulge in — this morning I went from Summer Walker’s ‘Over It' to Citizen Cope’s 'The Clarence Greenwood Recordings.’ Again, no real method to my madness. But I’ve been banking on Spotify radio to show me the money. I love all the new “lil” rappers on the come up; I have a whole playlist just for them (called: “All These New Lil Rappers," obviously). And my friends and I shoot each other songs all day, that’s what I look forward to most. But for better and probably worse, I will play the same song 78 times in a row — uninterrupted. It slows my discovery process all the way down, but when I like it, I love it. Right now, it’s “Alcatraz" by Oliver Riot, "If You Want Love” by NF, "Next To You" by John Vincent III, and “Moon & Stars” by $not feat. Maggie Lindemann (big up to Tik Tok for that one).

My creative process ebbs and flows. I’ve been taking a lot of time to nurture my thoughts, but I’ve also been slowly building up a mini home studio. I just bought my first midi controller, so I’ve been trying my hand at producing my own tracks, which has actually brought forth a whole new world for me. I’m learning a lot.

What should we expect from you in the coming year?

More music. I’m sitting on a lot of songs right now — the EP was actually intended to be a full album, but the timing was difficult to navigate and there were a lot of other factors to consider. Versailles felt right as a prelude. The first music video will be out soon, and I hope to keep those visuals going. It’s hard to know — but I’d love to play a few gigs around New York, finish the record, and just enjoy the moment.

If there’s anything else you’d like to add for our readers, feel free. I love the EP—it’s so great! 

Thank you so much! This interview reminded me why I started, so thank you for giving me this opportunity XX

Stream Lorelei’s EP on our site today, and be sure to show her support tomorrow with the release!