Taylor

Tallassee artist still making music

By Michael Butler

A lot has happened in the seven years since Laurel Taylor Taunton auditioned for "American Idol." One constant that has remained in her life has been music.

"Those competitions are not for me anymore," she said. "I made it to Hollywood. It's part of my story."

That was 2015. The musician, songwriter and producer from Tallaseee, who goes by the stage name Laurel Taylor, is now 28.

"When you get to Nashville you realize you're not the only one that can sing. You have to stay in your lanes. You have to understand who you are and your sound. I feel like I've tried every sound until up to now. It takes time. When you find it, you go for it."

Taylor defines her music now as Southern/Country/Rock.

"(It's) like a Gretchen Wilson. That's the kind of sound I'm going for," she added. "Christian is the genre. My goal is to reach outside of the church as an artist."

The newest release is a recording called "Sound of Freedom" which enabled Taylor to shoot portions of a video at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

"There's a foundation that helps veterans with PTSD. They needed a theme song and music video. I got to work with so many veterans. There was a guy who I had to interact with. I could see his hurt and pain just in his eyes."

As for her goals moving forward...

"I just want to help people. A song speaks volumes to your heart. My prayer is that people hear my song and it takes them back to their moment of hope. If my song hits the radio - awesome. If I go on a grand tour - awesome. I'm already doing what I love. If the Lord wants to expand it - He can."