Photo: Christian Tjandrawinata
Following on from a string of bright and impressive releases over the last year, New Zealand-based singer and songwriter Taylor Roche is back at it once again on his next uplifting delight 'Sucker For A Lonely Heart'.
Bringing back more of that rich and euphoric pop sound he is known for, 'Sucker For A Lonely Heart' makes for a wonderfully shimmering return. Jam-packed with sweeping textures, vibrant hooks, and his own soaring voice throughout, this one will have you pumping your fists from start to finish.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and influences over the years.
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What was the first instrument you learned to play?
The first instrument I learnt was actually the drums. I remember being super mesmerized by drums and rhythm as a kid and I started getting lessons when I was about 9. I played in bands all the way through till I was 18 when I left school and haven’t really played since. But I played in rock bands, jazz bands and orchestras so that was a lot of fun.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Hmmmm I remember the first album I was super obsessed with as a kid was ‘Kick’ by INXS - that was the album my parents would play front to back every road trip we went on. But I remember the first album I ever bought personally was a High School Musical album back when I was like 8 hahaha I was a HUGE stan of that one.
Did you ever form a band when you were younger and if so, what did they sound like?
Yes I remember forming a band at school when I was 11 - I was the drummer and wrote our songs (I think we had like 2 songs haha). We actually entered a New Zealand bands competition called ‘Rockquest’ and made it to the regional finals or something like that. I remember we made it on the front page of the newspaper in my town for being the youngest band to make it in and the 5 of us felt like absolute gangster celebrities….it’s so hilariously cringe looking back at it now but it’s such a cute lil core memory. I think we sounded exactly what you would expect a band of 11 year old school kids to sound like haha.
What is a song you wish you had written yourself?
Purple Rain by Prince. Hands down one of my favourite songs of all time and an incredible piece of art. It’s a piece that has such a euphoric and beautiful journey every time it's played and I think that is a huge contribution to the timeless relevance the song has in today's music culture - to write something like that is just mind-blowing to me.
What has been the most thrilling moment about creating your own music?
There’s so much thrill to bringing your music to life. As an artist, it’s a hugely vulnerable place to voice these lyrics and ideas from your head into a song to then be put out into the world. This is a world full of judgement and saturation in every industry that I think anyone who releases their own music would agree that a huge part of the thrill is just giving into the craft and letting people into their minds through our music. The most rewarding part of this process are the people that actually feel your lyrics and relate that to experiences in their own lives…that to me is incredibly thrilling but also very special and is a big reason why I love creating music.
And what about the most frustrating part?
The self doubt, the constant need to validate that what you’re putting out there is good enough as the rest of the music around you. This industry can crush you if you’re in it for the wrong reasons. I think 99% of artists all go through that ride of feeling like “damn, maybe this song isn’t that great?” or “am I as good as the others?” and that’s the biggest frustration of this journey. But it’s so important to get out of those mindsets because really we’re all small fish in a huge ocean of music so we’re way better off putting that energy into consistency, patience and creating the best music we can.
Which artist would you most love to share a stage with?
I would LOVE to jam a song on stage with The 1975. That’d be mad cool. Their music is so authentic and special and they’re great live - plus it’d be wicked sharing that energy on stage with Mathew Healy. What a dream.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I want to be working with the greats - producing and writing in huge studios and small apartments, opening for artists and playing festivals, just everything. My goals are almost kind of greedy if I was to list them but damn this journey moves so fast so why not ask the universe for it all hey. I just never want to lose that joy and passion that I find in music.
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Taylor Roche's new single 'Sucker For A Lonely Heart' is available to stream now. Have a listen to it below.
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