Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Fugit.
Hi Taylor, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from Napa, California- born and raised. My Mom and Dad grew up during Beatlemania so there was a lot of classic rock and pop from the 60s and 70s being played around the house. My parents put me in guitar and piano lessons from an early age and I was NOT a good student. I hated practicing. I would get extremely frustrated when I couldn’t learn something quickly and by the end of middle school, I had burnt out on trying to become a virtuoso. In high school, I fell in love with choir and singing and started to become fascinated with composition- specifically with chords and chord progressions. They seemed like little musical windows to other universes and I was desperate to understand how those sounds were created. In college (I attended UCLA), I did a lot more singing and a little bit of tinkering with writing and music production, but I was afraid to take myself seriously. It wasn’t until working a few different music industry jobs that I realized that MAKING the music was the part that I cared about the most. These days I spend most of my time producing for other artists and teaching Ableton lessons.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After graduating from college, I fell into a deep depression. I was working through some family trauma and I had some pretty unhealthy coping strategies. I worked days at a Teavana in the mall and nights as an assistant engineer at a big recording studio. The treatment I (and many others) received at that studio was beyond the pale… we were yelled at, demeaned by our bosses in front of major artists, and taken advantage of in a way that completely changed my perception of the music industry. I quit that job and I swore to myself that I would never work somewhere like that ever again. I sobered up, hunkered down, and actually learned what it felt like to make music every day… I’m still very much grinding. I don’t feel settled. It’s a tricky mindset to overcome especially when you haven’t experienced the type of “success” that some of your friends have…
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a music producer/songwriter/master of none. I’m not the best at any particular instrument or aspect of sound design, but I love to LISTEN to music. I love to analyze why things are good and I love to talk to other creative people about the creative process.
I really enjoy producing for other artists, but I get the most creative satisfaction making music for my own project- Taylor from earth. It’s a mish-mash of pop, rnb, hip hop and prog rock that doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve ever heard before. I put the Taylor from earth project on the back burner for most of my twenties because I was afraid of failure. I still am afraid! I’m 32 years old and I’m still grinding. Most of my peers have either ascended or given up at this point.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’m grateful for SO much about Los Angeles- the food culture is second to none, we’re a pretty short drive from all kinds of nature, the 405 is oddly beautiful sometimes and you can see good live music every night of the week… but the city also has its downsides – the obsession with beauty and success here in palpable. The pressure to “be somebody.” And I know that pressure exists in cities all over the world, but there’s a unique brand of it here in LA. Oh yah, and trying to park in K-town sucks ass!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorfromearth/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetaylorfugit/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fugit_taylor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi4ZS0_BuqxwyUkju6rph4w
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/taylor-fugit-893974204
Image Credits
Photography/Editing – Chris Meissner
