Five Fun Facts with Taylor Tote
Taylor Tote
Not The Least Bit ‘Selfish’.
Artist interviews, or Q&A's, as we call them, are one of our favorite features simply because we get to ask the artist carefully crafted questions. And yes, of course, there is also what they choose to share without us having to ask anything—case in point, our Five Fun Facts feature. And when an artist does both website features with us, we get a well-informed idea of who they are as people outside of what they already communicate through their music. New Jersey native Taylor Tote is no stranger to this site and the perfect example of an artist who is always more than ready to let us into her world. She is, quite frankly, the type of outstanding talent that we love to bring you here at IndieWavves.
In anticipation of her EP '21 Min Drive' Tote has released "Selfish", written by Russell Hayden and inspired by the singer. Together they related to the feeling of a friendship drifting because of neglect. "I wanted to capture that in "Selfish". As much as you want to fix it, sometimes it's not worth the energy, and this song is the realization that you don't need to keep wasting your time on it. It's a really great feeling when a song sounds exactly what you thought it should sound like in your head", shares Hayden.
"This song sort of comes off like it's about a romantic relationship, but personally, it's 100% about a friendship going south. But it's vague enough for the listener to leave it up to their interpretation. Anyone could have this issue in any situation", Tote shares.
Amongst many of the things Taylor has shared with us, what is clear now more than ever is that she is not a selfish individual. She is constantly ready to reveal what inspires her songs and talk about uncomfortable situations, like people judging her for her age regarding how young she may seem to them. That to us reveals someone generous and with an open heart who is willing to let others know her. And you don't have to take our word for it. Read on to discover some pretty interesting facts about the rising talent.
I absolutely love crime and murder shows- fiction is cool, but I’m into non-fiction, real stories. It seems kind of basic, but I seriously considered this as a career choice at one point! For a while in high school, I thought that if singing wasn’t going to work out, then I would get into detective work. I took forensic science and anatomy in high school and then even took a criminal psychology class in college. I really find it so interesting how these people’s brains work and the science and logic behind solving a case.
I enjoy looking at houses/apartments etc. I will window shop places all day if I could. Often, I’ll just go for a drive looking at different houses and, on occasion, stumble into an open house if I could. Anytime I enter someone’s space, I HAVE to get a tour. I’m really into seeing different people’s aesthetics and seeing the layout/architecture. I feel like I’m always going into other places thinking about all the walls I could knock down, lol! My dad has his own construction company, and I grew up going to his different job sites and sometimes still do! So that’s probably why I really like that stuff.
Two days before my 11th birthday, I broke my arm rehearsing for my gymnastics show which was also in two days. It completely snapped in half in the opposite direction! It was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. I remember being on the tumble track, turning around to my best friend, saying, “Hey, watch this!” I ran off and did a bunch of flips, but my landing propelled me up at the end of my pass, and I landed on my right arm (I’m a righty!). From there, everything happened in slow motion, and I saw double of everything. I didn’t realize my arm was broken at first, and when I tried to get up, I fell right back down, realizing my arm was completely deformed. I remember screaming but not crying and being confused that I wasn’t. I watched the bruise begin to form right where my bone had snapped, and I had to get emergency surgery. I had to get three pins in my arm and had nerve damage in my index finger and thumb and couldn’t move them for months.
Before I moved to NYC and went back to school, I was leading my own band of up to six members from when I was 19 years old until about 23. We played at both Summer and Winter NAMM in Nashville and California, respectively. We also played at Penn State THON in front of approximately 16,000 students. I think that because we’ve been out of the performance-based music industry for so long due to the pandemic, it’s really easy to forget those accomplishments and believe we’re stagnant even though we aren’t. Those are really cool things about my career I’m proud of and don’t want to forget!
I’m a huge foodie! Whenever I’m traveling or on tour, I make it a point to try all the vegan restaurants on my list. I stopped eating meat when I was 17 and went fully vegan when I was about 19. When I first started eating more plant-based, it was a little harder to find places or replacements than it is today. Now I feel like there are so many options I can’t even choose! It’s entertaining for me to see how a restaurant can turn jackfruit into a pulled pork taco or cauliflower into the crispiest wings. I also found a new love for cooking through it all. It’s an effortless way to get creative, and when other people love it just as much as I do, it’s super fulfilling!
- Taylor Tote
MORE: Q&A with Taylor Tote
REVIEW: “Lowkey Stressed” by Taylor Tote
Written by Piera Lolandes