Okay pop punk bees, have we got a treat for you!? We couldn’t be more obsessed with this artist and her brand new EP Certified Depressant, and we know you’re the same, so while we take a second to stop freaking out over this interview, let’s give a big THP welcome to the incredible, Taylor Acorn!
If you know anything about us, you know that a) We say “it wasn’t a phase Mom” at least 5 times a week, and b) We’re so here for music and artists that lift us up with relatable honesty. Taylor Acorn is giving us that by the bucket load and this earbud shaking EP is no exception! Full of authenticity, emotion, and pop-punk electricity, Certified Depressant landed on September 22nd, and we have loved every track with our full chests, ever since. So much so, we jumped at the chance to sit down with Taylor Acorn to talk all things EP, collaborations, tour, and mental health. So boot up your fave MSP and stream Certified Depressant, and check it out below.
You’ve been a fan of Cassadee Pope since the Hey Monday days, what was it like getting to write ‘Coma’ with her? (Bonus question: what’s your favorite Hey Monday song?)
It was honestly so surreal and 15 year old me was really trying so hard to keep it together. It’s weird because when you’re young and listening to your favorite artists or favorite bands, you always dream of meeting them but you know deep down the chances of that are slim. With that being said, I truly never thought I’d be writing in a room with someone who heavily influenced the music I make now. She is so wonderful and so talented and it truly was an amazing experience.
We got the chance to see you open for The Summer Set and you were fantastic! Now you’re heading out on your own East Coast headlining tour, what are you looking forward to most?
Thank you so much! There are so many things I’m looking forward to, but I think I’m most excited to see my fans. They are so wonderful and so supportive, they make performing so much fun and I’m super excited to sing all of the new songs with them!
Your sound started off leaning more country, with releases like ‘Put It In A Song,’ was there a defining moment that sparked your decision to shift into pop punk?
I think I always knew that one day I wanted to lean more into a pop rock/punk sound. That’s the music I grew up on, it’s the music that I have been the most influenced by and the music I genuinely love to listen to more than any other genre. Right before the pandemic I had made the decision to shift away from country, but I had built such a wonderful community of fans while making country music that I was terrified of losing that. I started experimenting a little bit more with different sounds production wise until I found TikTok and I think when I started making the covers is when I ultimately knew that that’s where my heart wanted and needed to be.
You’ve collabed with artists like Magnolia Park, Arrows in Action, and Cassadee Pope, who are some other artists you’d love the chance to work with?
Oh my gosh there are so many! I think one that stands out is Charlotte Sands, I think she’s so talented and to work with another independent female would be really cool. I’d also love to collab with a band like the Goo Goo Dolls or a legacy band like that. I’m so inspired by early 90’s music so I would die if I got that opportunity. I also would love to work with a band like The Band Camino!
We’re kind of super obsessed with your lyricism and relatability. ‘Certified Depressant,’ ‘Shapeshifting,’ and ‘I Think I’m In Love,’ have all been on repeat! What’s your favorite lyric off the new EP? Or a lyric you think fans will resonate with most?
This is a hard one! I think my favorite lyric is “my reflection’s my worst critic” [‘Good Enough’] mainly because I feel this so heavily and it’s something I’ve been really trying to work on. I am a people pleaser to my core. I think about every interaction I have with someone, how people perceive me and I always want to do right by everyone. At the end of the day I know deep down that that’s impossible. There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you or wants to put you down and with social media nowadays, it’s so easy to get consumed by hate. I’m never going to be good enough for everyone else because being good enough for others shouldn’t be what fuels you. You should want to love yourself, love your individuality, and most importantly love what you do for you and for no one else.
Speaking of lyrics, what is your writing process like? What’s your favorite part about songwriting and seeing a track come to life?
My writing process is a little all over the place. I am a very melodic writer, but I also love lyrics so it really just depends. I used to write every song alone with my guitar, so a lot of the time I’ll come up with an idea and try to write as much of it as I can then take it in to pick apart with my collaborators. Sometimes I like to have a title first and build off of that or I like to have a track already started so I can get an idea for what I feel the melody should sound like. I think my favorite part is hearing something from a worktape and then hearing it in a produced form. It’s so crazy how quickly something can come to life in that way too.
If you made a playlist of your pop punk influences, who are some artists/songs we’d definitely find on it? Your “it was never a phase” influences, if you will.
I feel like it would for sure have Mayday Parade, The Maine, maybe some old Avril from the Let Go Album like maybe ‘Losing Grip’/ ‘Mobile’ and some from the Under My Skin album. I think I’d have to have the Counting Crows but from the August and Everything After era, The Story So Far, The Starting Line, The Goo Goo Dolls are technically punk right? So pretty much every song from Dizzy Up The Girl, ‘Tourniquet’ or ‘Everybody’s Fool’ from Evanescence for sure, there are so many, this is so hard!
You’re very open about your experiences and struggles with mental health in your music, is it nerve-wracking sharing that in your music and being vulnerable like that?
It’s terrifying and a lot of the time I contemplate even sharing, but at the end of the day it’s a huge part of my story. I’ve always admired honesty in songwriting and to be completely honest myself, for a long time my struggles were the only thing I knew. I was doing everything, I was going to therapy and trying to get help, but I don’t think I felt any real healing until I started writing about it. I wasn’t hiding in it anymore and I could listen back to it from a different perspective. It really helped me to understand what I was feeling and so I hope if anything it can help someone who might be feeling the same things too.
Which songs off the EP are you looking forward to fans hearing the most? Which ones are you most excited to play live?
I am SO excited to play ‘Famous Last Words,’ I think it’s going to be really fun as well as ‘Good Enough.’ I think ‘Good Enough’ will be a really emotional one to play, but I love it so much.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you want to give to your younger self regarding your career?
I would tell myself that it’s going to be hard, but to not be afraid of that. I would tell myself that even if you feel like the weight of the world is against you, just keep going because in the end it’s going to turn out more than okay. I would say not to listen to the negativity but to always listen to your gut, stay passionate, and stay patient.
Last but not least, if you had to describe your sound in a few words or a sentence, what would it be?
I would say that it’s very honest, it’s fun but it’s also very emotional and very much influenced by early 2000’s pop rock/ punk with a modern twist to it.
It certainly is going to turn out okay! Certified Depressant is our certified anti-depressant, as we enjoy every cathartic beat of this triumphant EP, and every lyric of the pop-punk powerhouse that is Taylor Acorn. It was a privilege to chat about this EP with Taylor, it’s easily a contender for our album of the year! As we watch Taylor soar, we are counting down the days ’til we get to experience these songs live on Taylor’s first ever East Coast headline tour this fall! We’d hook you up with the ticket link, but obviously… it’s completely sold out! We’ll see you there!
What’s your fave track from Taylor Acorn’s Certified Depressant? Which of Taylor’s dream collabs do you need to see? Tell us it all over on our socials, we spend far too much time on Twitter @thehoneypop, Facebook and Instagram!
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