Taylor Phelan‘s EP 1 of 2 will arrive tomorrow, Aug. 18, and HollywoodLife.com has your first listen one day early. Stream it below, and check out our exclusive interview with Taylor about the inspiration behind the music and more!
What’s the story behind the EP?
There isn’t a specific theme to this collection of music. It spanned a large part of my life — having my first kid, being on The Voice — and encompassed many social issues throughout the last 4 years. There was a lot of music that grew out of this period, so we decided to release it in 2 parts.
Will there be any more music videos?
I’d love to do a video for “Monsters.” It’s had such a long life as a single and is showing no signs of stopping. A video would be a great complement.
Who would you love to go on tour with one day? How about a collaboration?
The Killers, Young The Giant, MuteMath, and/or Kodaline. I love those bands for touring or collaboration.
Did you get any advice from Taylor Swift when you crossed paths on The Voice? How about from the other coaches?
Taylor encouraged me to not be afraid to shed the guitar as a security blanket as a singer. Adam [Levine] also came over to me when I was off the show and was really positive about my chances in the real music world. Overall I learned a lot from the experience and I had a great time.
If someone hasn’t heard you before, what song should they listen to first?
“Monsters” is the most representative of the EP as a whole. It has synth elements, guitar elements, pop-sensibility but maintains a certain level of indie-ness.
Anything else in the pipeline you’d like us to know about?
2 of 2 is coming soon. Maybe some holiday tunes as well!
Stream 1 of 2:
August 18 – Fayetteville, AR – Smoke and Barrell Tavern
September 5 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
September 6 – San Diego, CA – 710 Beach Club
September 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Café
September 13 – Reno, NV – Studio on 4th
September 14 – Las Vegas, NV – The Sand Dollar Lounge