JAVA March 2018

end of a failing relationship that you’re trying to
save. I wanted it to be very empowering, taking
a more positive outlook on your typical break-up
song. At the end of the day, you should choose a
relationship where you are being treated like the
badass that you are, and if that’s not happening,
you need to call out your partner.”
That song was her first collaboration with Max
Frost, and mere days before leaving Phoenix she
released the even more powerful “Kiss Me Now,”
which was another collaboration with Frost and, this
time, Jamie Pitrelli in New York. “As a female in the
industry, I feel it is important that we set the tone for
feminism in the music scene, on all levels, because
that message carries over to our listeners and further
impacts society,” Upsahl said. “So when writing ‘Kiss
Me Now,’ I wanted to continue to empower women
and turn a typically awkward first-date situation into
a badass and funny first-date anthem that everyone
can relate to in one way or another.”
Upsahl’s drive and ambition are partly the inspiration
for the song. “As an individual, when I know what
I want, I don’t stop until I get it,” she remarked. “I
guess I looked at this first kiss in a similar way.”
While the song may reflect how she is filled with a
sharp, focused vision, the creation of the guitar line
reflects her talent as an artist.
“It’s funny, because the guitar line on this song was
actually a very spur-of-the-moment idea,” she explained.
“I was going on a writing trip to New York and was just
about to leave the house for my flight when I came up
with this chord progression. I immediately busted out my
guitar, went into my bathroom and recorded a voice
demo of the guitar line on my phone. I sent it over to
Max, knowing that we had a session the next day,
and got on my flight. We ended up keeping the exact
voice demo recording throughout the entire song,
which gives it a grungy, organic vibe that I love.”
With her new single in hand, Upsahl is thrilled
about the move, about life and about what the
future will bring. “Right now, I’m excited to be in
a new environment,” she said. “When I turned 19,
I got a tattoo that said ‘unfamiliar,’ representing
my last album, Unfamiliar Light, AND to remind me
to put myself in new situations and be an unfamiliar
voice. Los Angeles is definitely untried territory for
me. I’m doing so many new things and am so excited
for what’s to come.”
Stay tuned to all things UPSAHL in the coming months,
as you may want to follow this rising star, who is not
only excited about her future but genuinely grateful
for the talent and opportunity she’s found. “I have
a lot of very exciting things in the works out here.
Some of which I will be announcing very soon!” she
said. “Most of all, I love that I’m able to write and
collaborate in sessions as a fulltime musician. I’ve
always written whenever I could, so to be out here
and have sessions where I literally get to do what I love
on a daily basis is insane to me, and I’m really thankful.”
Back in 2013 in these pages I wrote, “Taylor Upsahl
is the most talented up-and-coming talent in the
Valley,” and I meant it. Now, I’ll simply say that
UPSAHL is one of the most talented and exciting
musicians I know, period. Be on the lookout for
whatever’s next from her, because it’s going to be out
of this world.
JAVA 11
MAGAZINE