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Taylor McIntosh talks about his new song ‘Clair in the Moonlight’

Singer-songwriter Taylor McIntosh chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about “Clair in the Moonlight.”

Taylor McIntosh
Photo Credit: Araya Doheny Photography
Photo Credit: Araya Doheny Photography

Singer-songwriter Taylor McIntosh chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his new song “Clair in the Moonlight.”

On the song “Clair in the Moonlight,” he said, “I had this chord progression that I played repeatedly, but I didn’t have any real idea or melody that made sense or worked. Then one night close to Christmas, I had one of those spur-of-the-moment epiphanies.”

“I thought it would be interesting to incorporate Clair de Lune in a song. I then remembered that Clair de Lune means moonlight in English. Then it clicked. I should write a love song using Clair de Lune as the setting of the song. It’s about that initial euphoric feeling you get when you first fall in love. I wanted to paint a picture of ‘Clair,’ the girl in the song, representing the joy and infatuation one can have with a person,” he elaborated.

On his music and songwriting inspirations, he said, “It can be anything, Music, lyrics, or just an idea. Often it can just be a chord progression that starts to kick up some inspiration. Love, friends, and those small moments we all cherish can be used for songwriting.  I have noticed that I usually think of the Idea for the song first before anything else. However,  that’s not always the case.”

“Movies have even inspired me in the past. As a writer, you have to let anything inspire you. I try to observe my surroundings as much as possible. You never know what idea you might get from something as simple as a cupboard or a specific painting in your old house,” he said.

On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “I think there are a lot of positives and negatives. With social media, we can now get more music and more content out to a more extensive range of people than ever before. This allows artists to push and promote their music in a more efficient way.”

“The downside is we are starting to dilute the quality of music and content in the industry. In my experience, labels and people in the industry mainly focus on whether you have a solid social media presence rather than the actual music. Even with all of that, I’ve never let my vision and goals change. The music is the most important and is what I choose to focus on,” he said.

Regarding his future plans, he said, “Well, currently, I’m getting ready to release a new song on July 27. It’s called Tattooed On My Brain, and it’s different from anything I’ve ever released. Let’s just say you should get ready to rock out. Other than that, I’m just trying to build and connect with my fanbase more and more, but of course, I’m still writing and working on new music every day.”

On his biggest musical influences growing up, he said, “I grew up listening to The Beatles, Elton John, Billy Joel, AC/DC, ELO, Journey, Hall and Oates, Eminem, J.Cole, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Jim Croce, and the list just keeps going on and on. I’d have to say, even with all these fantastic artists, my Dad has been my most significant influence when I was younger, instead of asking my dad to sing me a lullaby, as most kids do. I would ask him to sing me one of his originals. It was one of his songs that made me realize the power of music. I had never cried because of a song before, but when my dad performed his right before I went to bed, I started bawling. This story is one of my favorites to tell.”

He listed John Mayer and Justin Bieber as his dream collaboration choices in music. “John Mayer would be an excellent artist to collaborate with because he is a brilliant songwriter. I think he is one of the best guitarists of all time. Justin Bieber would also be a fantastic artist to collaborate with because he has one of the most recognizable voices in music history. My 55-year-old uncle is a Justin Bieber superfan. You heard that right,” he said.

Regarding his definition of success, he said, “I think there are levels to success. For me, it’s becoming one of the best to write and make music. That’s something that I want to push myself to do. I also know that just being able to provide for myself and my family through music would be a massive success by itself. I’m content with who I am. I know that I’ll have to push myself to be at that level of these great artists to reach my goals ultimately.”

He concluded about “Clair in the Moonlight,” “I think it’s one of those songs that everybody can enjoy. It has a great vibe and exciting lyrics that keep you engaged. I put a lot of work into this song, and I’m just happy I get to show it to others after all this time.”

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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