Rising country artist Taylor Hogan chatted about her new single “Shot of Whiskey,” which features singer-songwriter Ryan Kinder.
‘Shot of Whiskey’ single
On her new single, she said, “It was co-written with Luke Sheets, Ryan Kinder and I and It was one of my favorite co-writes. Ryan left the room for a second and when he came back in he said “okay I have something, I might not be your cup of tea but I’m damn sure someone’s shot of whiskey’.”
“I absolutely loved that line, it was obvious that was the hook. We then wrote around that line and came out with a New York meets Tennessee country-rock song,” she said.
Working with Ryan Kinder
On working with Ryan Kinder, Hogan said, “He is such a genuine guy with a lot of talent. I’m truly inspired by his creativity, unique voice and his incredible guitar skills. Working with him on this song was so much fun! I am so happy he’s featured on this song. On top of lyrics, he brought so many amazing elements to it with his harmonies, vocals & his southern swampy rock guitar parts.”
Music and songwriting inspirations
Regarding her music and songwriting inspirations, she responded, “Honestly, life. A lot of things I write about are like diary entries put to music. Songwriting has always been like therapy to me and I find so much peace in it. I love country music because of the storytelling aspect of it. Typically I’ll get an idea randomly in the middle of a conversation, driving in my car or sometimes I just need to vent to my guitar.”
Performing in Amityville on Long Island
Most recently, she performed in Amityville on Long Island, which was a dream come true for her. “My hometown really shows up every time I have a show there and it just fills my heart with so much joy. It can be scary previewing new songs at shows but when I looked out into the crowd while singing Shot Of Whiskey all I could see were smiling faces,” she said.
“The support I have from my hometown, family and friends is so special to me. The crowd was the best one yet this time, Especially this group of young girls in the front screaming and singing along. I met them after the show and they were the cutest fan club,” she said.
A Long Island girl at heart
Hogan opened up about her Long Island roots help mold her into the person and the artist that she is today. “My school district in Massapequa had a great music program that really helped shape my passion for music and I had amazing teachers, I lucked out,” she said.
“I was also able to attend Long Island High School for the Arts half of the school day where I would focus strictly on music. One special thing about Long Island is they will always show up. Some of them even fly out to shows I have in Nashville, especially my family. They’re all so supportive of what I do and I’m so grateful to have a community of people rooting for me. I’m very thankful for growing up where I did,” she elaborated.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, now with streaming and technology being so prevalent, she said, “Launching a music career in a digital age is sort of a blessing in my opinion. You have the ability to post new music constantly and you can reach so many people now and grow your audience.”
“Social media is a great way to network as well, I’ve made a lot of connections with other artists and songwriters that way. You also have so much opportunity when it comes to trends. If your song sticks and people create a sound using it it can open up a lot of doors for you as an artist,” she said.
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine, she said, “As a musician I do use technology a lot. Whether it’s using my phone to record a voice memo of a new song idea or taking videos to post promoting new music, I’m definitely on my phone a lot. That’s just the era we’re in. Everything is online now and it’s so easy to post new music and connect with people using technology.”
Success
On her definition of success, she said, “The word success to me means being happy with yourself and being proud of what you’re doing. I used to look at it like ‘if I do this I’ll be successful, when this happens I’ll know I’ve made it’ now I have a different perspective.”
“Success is celebrating the small wins as much as the big ones. As silly as it sounds… I like to fail, overcome roadblocks and prove people who told me no wrong. All of those things have helped me grow as a person and as an artist. I also think success is different for everyone so it’s important to focus on your own individual path instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing,” she explained.
Closing thoughts on her new music
Hogan remarked about her new music, “I have gratefully and thankfully had the opportunity to work with some highly respected, talented people in the industry over the years and that has helped me tremendously on my journey to discovering who I am as an artist. We are all proud of these songs because we’re trying to create music you don’t hear as much these days.”
She continued, “We’re happy to blend production techniques, hints of different genre influences (with country/country-rock at the core) and different eras of music in order to best bring the songs we’re working on to life! We also want to bring it back to waiting for a cool guitar solo as much as a catchy lyric/hook.”
“My music is how you get to know me and that’s why ‘Shot Of Whiskey’ felt like the perfect lead off single. I love country music and storytelling but also I love to rock out. I hope that when people hear this music they can relate to it and they feel something,” she concluded.
“Shot of Whiskey” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Taylor Hogan and her new music, follow her on Instagram and check out her website.
