Check The Notes with Taylor Contarino

*Photo provided by Taylor Contarino/I do not own the rights to this photo*

Loved ones, welcome back! I’ve got another dope conversation lined up today. We’ve got a real hustler in the building! From South Jersey to the City of Angels, Taylor Contarino is redefining what it means to be multidimensional in the industry. With her left hand she helps her peers improve channels for the fan experience with their favorite musicians. With her right, she holds the mic as she rocks the crowd with the music she’s penned in her apartment over the last year. All while her senior year at USC. Today, we’re here to celebrate the release of Taylor’s new EP, The Bare Minimum and the unique position she’s created for herself in music. I’m excited to see this moment come to fruition. Without further ado—

Before we get into all that you do, I want to get into all that you are beyond the music. If you could choose one family member to write your bio, who would it be and what would they say?

I love this so much. Let’s start with this - I love my family SO much. More than anything. However, nobody in my family really knows what I do (I don't think most people actually know what I do to be honest - haha) so with that being said, I adore my family, and the person I would choose to write my bio is undoubtedly my five year old sister, my “lil best friend” who knows me not as an A&R or a music industry professional - but just as her slightly taller “twin sister” (we have different fathers but she will never know that) who buys her cake pops at Starbucks and takes her to the trampoline park and says yes when mommy says no.

This is how I would like to be remembered.

One thing I’ve admired since meeting you is your lack of fear in doing whatever your heart desires. Where do you find such an abundance of confidence?

Well, this means so much to me. I think it’s important that I tell you that I am not the same girl I was four years ago. I have never been so self-assured in my life as I am now. I don’t know how, but with the grace of God, and with a lot of growth and self-reflection, the past four years have truly molded me into a woman that is confident in her trajectory and is finally at peace with herself and where she is in the world.

The A&R position is one of the most pivotal positions in music. Where do you feel that you’ve found success as an A&R at Universal?

Thank you so much. The unique thing that I love about myself and my profession is that I truly have been able to intertwine my love for the music-making process, and for the “post-production” process. I feel like being an artist myself has given me such a unique identity and perspective that allows me to be more empathetic, warm, kind, open, and always willing to lend an ear because I know exactly what that is like!

You’ve also had several wins on the brand partnership front, including a recent one with Ice Spice. How did that opportunity come about and are there any brands you’d like to partner with for your future releases?

Working at Universal Music Group in the °1824 Department has been such a joy and has given me access to a number of incredible opportunities. I have loved working in Brand Partnerships here, and have been able to work with some of my personal favorite brands including WalkGoodLA, Hilltop Coffee, Boulon D’Amour Coffee, and so many more.

Creating a custom drink for Ice Spice’s release of “Pretty Girl” Ft. Rema was such an exciting, fun partnership to coordinate and facilitate. I was able to work with a coffee shop I adore, Boulon D’Amour led by Chantel, a lovely founder and CEO, and I’ve seriously found myself loving the brand partnership facilitation process. In the future, some brands that I dream of working with are HOORAE Media, women’s haircare companies, and more wellness and health companies.

In your experience as an industry insider, in terms of aiding their success, what are some tools you wish artists had more access to or understood better?

I love this - interestingly enough, I am actually writing my senior thesis at USC on the intersection of health (mental and physical and health care) and music, and I dream of an industry where mental health is prioritized more highly across the industry. More access to healthcare, mental health resources, and physical health resources.

I dream of an equitable industry where mental health comes before anything.

Does The Bare Minimum EP define this season of your life?

This EP absolutely defines the current season of my life. In all honesty, this EP represents my life over the past year or so. Much like the EP, I have been on a trajectory of self-love, learning, and labor - a lot of self-reflection, a lot of looking at the situations I’ve dealt with, and comparing the ways I have previously responded to situations, to how I might respond now.

Which song challenged you the most, creatively?

I absolutely love this question. Because of the nature of this EP, I will be honest that none of the songs were exactly easy to create. However, perhaps I would say Pt.1 1 was the toughest because I wasn’t feeling confident in it until eventually, over time, it really grew into something I am proud of. Once I finished Pt. 1, I became incredibly inspired and motivated to keep building. I think that the first step is always the hardest one.

Are there any memorable studio sessions that you can recall?

Absolutely. There was one session when I was finishing up the EP, where I couldn’t stop crying and was just extremely emotional. I was finishing up the EP and was simultaneously working on some tracks for the album, including one for a song called “Deadbeat,” which is about my biological father.

What are you hoping fans take away from the project?

I really hope that my project makes fans feel seen, heard, and represented. This project helped me heal through the end of a tough end to a relationship, and my biggest dream and biggest wish is that this project helps other people in the way that it has helped me.

Music has helped me get through the toughest times of my life thus far, and I can only hope that I am able to positively influence and affect others in that same way.

Let’s pivot to Philly for a second - a city that’s produced R&B royalty, from the likes of Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Jazmine Sullivan, Marsha Ambrosias (after London, obviously) and so on. What do you envision your legacy to be when we think about Philly natives in R&B?

I love these artists and where I’m from soooo much and am so beyond grateful to be an East Coast girl. These artists are so incredibly inspiring and I hope to be able to make them proud.

How are you finding joy in such a busy life?

I love this question. I am grateful that I am pursuing so many things that bring me so much joy in my life, and I genuinely love what I do every single day, in my career and outside of it.

I will say, over the past year, I have really started to prioritize self-care more than ever before. I’ve been trying to work towards achieving balance.

I have begun really taking time for myself and things that I love to do to take care of myself - from yoga, to working out, to hiking, to playing piano just for fun - I’ve really been prioritizing self-care and joy in my life because it motivates me to go even harder in my career. When I take care of myself and invest into myself, I am reminded of how much I deserve and that makes me want to go even harder for myself.

What ignites you to give your all to music?

I want to show my little siblings what it looks like to follow your dreams. All in all, I want to show everybody that believes in me what it looks like to follow your dreams in the hopes they will feel inspired to follow theirs, too.

From the editor: Thank you all for stopping by again. Every conversation begins with a love for music and ends in an authentic friendship. I look forward to the various ways this community will continue to grow. All that I ask of you in this moment is to simply pass that love along to Taylor’s doorstep. Buy the EP, buy tickets to shows, merch and so on. Keep her lifted in that familiar support. I’ve linked the EP below, keep that in rotation throughout the weekend. I hope you’ll join me again - different conversation, same home cooking!

Check The Notes with Taylor Contarino

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