Q&A: Taylor Felt Wants You To Move A Little With EP “ELECTRABLOOM”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY AUGUST NGUYEN ☆
TAYLOR FELT CREATES OUTSIDE THE LINES OF PREDICTABILITY—and intentionally so in her latest offering ELECTRABLOOM. The powerhouse vocalist, singer-songwriter and producer’s new EP is not your average dance record; it thrives on moments of introspection and juxtapositions. Evocative of skinny-dipping in winter, kissing wasted strangers and doing things just for the thrill of it all, ELECTRABLOOM will soundtrack not only your girls’ night out but the after-after parties, the hazy drunk calls and the weird sidequests in-between.
ELECTRABLOOM grows out of without dismissing the heartbreaks explored in Taylor’s debut EP Dead Flowers: “I knew I wanted the two EPs to each have seven tracks and wrap them up with an introspective title track. Everything about both projects was super intentional.”
While a TikTok ambassador who was the only music artist selected to represent the platform at the Grammys, Taylor Felt does not make music for the algorithms. Writing, producing and directing many of her projects, she delivers a kind of timeless dance pop that blends chaotic electronics with emotive vocals, sticky choruses with journalistic songwriting.
Read Taylor’s conversation with Luna on her creative process, her favorite pop vocalist and more below.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of your new EP ELECTRABLOOM! Such a great title that captures the project’s sonic themes and lyricism so well—how did you come up with it?
TAYLOR: Wow, that means so much to me! The title ELECTRABLOOM actually came to me before any of the music was made. The title was truly my north star and I had it in bold on my whiteboard while we were writing and creating every song on the EP. I loved diving into the duality of the “electra” and the “bloom” of life and I'm so happy that you noticed how it was reflected in the music!
LUNA:ELECTRABLOOM is the answer to the grief of letting go and heartbreaks documented on your previous EP Dead Flowers. Did you ever revisit Dead Flowers while writing ELECTRABLOOM, or was it just a natural artistic progression?
TAYLOR: I knew that I wanted to evolve out of the melancholy of Dead Flowers and create a dance pop sister EP which reflects the era I’m in, my blooming season! I did revisit Dead Flowers especially while coming up with the tracklisting for ELECTRABLOOM. I knew I wanted them both to have seven tracks and wrap up both EPs with an introspective title track. Everything about both EPs were super intentional and I love creating worlds where people can dive into and also grow with me through the music.
LUNA: ELECTRABLOOM strikes the perfect balance between fun dance tracks (“CLUB LUV” and “MOVE A LITTLE”) and more introspective songwriting (“KNIGHT IN DYING ARMOR” and “BLOOMING SZN”). Is this a goal you had for the project?
TAYLOR: I’m so happy that was conveyed—that’s exactly why I called it ELECTRABLOOM. I wanted this project to have a perfect balance of fun, electra, party songs that make you feel like the baddest, as well as songs where I dive into my own inner world and let you inside my journal entries.
LUNA: One of my favorite moments during the first listen was that laser-filled beat drop in “FALL 4 U”—it’s very unexpected yet builds up so smoothly from your vocals. What made you decide to experiment with this more electronic pop production?
TAYLOR: One of my earliest memories was singing Madonna on my karaoke machine and ever since then I’ve been in love with dance music. I also feel that dancing and moving is incredibly therapeutic. After spending late nights in New York and Los Angeles, I wanted to make music that would soundtrack my nights out with my best friends. Deion Gill [executive producer] and I love to create “jumpscare” moments in music, taking the listener to places where you wouldn’t expect or predict, and that drop in “FALL 4 U” does just that.
LUNA: Who is your favorite pop vocalist?
TAYLOR: This might be the hardest question ever. I can’t pick just one. Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston—the list can go on and on! They’re so many women vocal powerhouses who inspire me like crazy; I wouldn't be the artist I am without studying the greats.
LUNA: You sing, write and even produce a lot of your own songs. What does your creative process look like when taking on so many roles?
TAYLOR: I love wearing a bunch of hats. I also love to creative direct everything as well which is so fun! As for the music creation process, I like to dive into one role at a time. I love splitting my sessions up with writing one day and production another day so that I don’t have to neglect either. Truly, I couldn’t do this without my creative collective of crazy talented friends, Deion Gill, ALXi, André “Dré” Pinckney and Ben Suarez. When we come together it feels like the Avengers—we put all our superpower strengths together and create the most magical music.
LUNA: I find the visuals for this EP very striking, like when you DJ in a blazer on the beach in the “TANLINES” music video. Is there a reason for this kind of contrast and for why you don’t go full summer mode?
TAYLOR: I continue to push myself to create outside the lines of predictability. And I love juxtaposition! I felt that the viewer would already predict that I would wear beach attire at the beach, so I made sure to go full opposite, office siren DJ-ing in the ocean.
LUNA: What’s next for Taylor Felt? Will we see an ELECTRABLOOM tour or a full-length project coming from you anytime soon?
TAYLOR: Definitely more performances coming soon. Also, I’m not done with ELECTRABLOOM just yet—stay tuned for more surprises!
