Catching up with the Nashville rising star, Taylor Acorn
This year has seen American high-flyer Taylor Acorn reach new heights with the release of her highly-anticipated debut album, Survival in Motion on September 13th.
A 10-track project where Taylor sings with her heart on her sleeve, Survival in Motion is a credit to the chaos that comes with survival, bringing a punk-pop twist to tracks about heartbreak, mental health and learning to move on.
In her June 27th Instagram post, Taylor said: “To be so transparent, I have a really hard time when it comes to giving myself credit and letting myself be genuinely proud of how far I’ve come and the things that I’ve created, but this time it feels so different. I love these songs and the people I created them with, with everything in me and I just hope you will too.”
On November 9th at The Garage, we caught up with Taylor fresh off the stage from her first ever appearance in Glasgow in support of NOAHFINNCE, one of the most talked about names in the punk-pop scene right now.
Being the main support for such a huge tour tells you all that you need to know about Taylor’s ability to capture a crowd, and her show at The Garage definitely got the reception it deserved. Taking to the stage in an already packed room, Taylor made sure she produced exactly what she was booked for, with the perfect warm up of punk-pop hits.
Kicking off the set with her hit track, Final Nail - a song that made a nice collaboration with another sensation in Charlotte Sands - she had the crowd in the palm of her hands as she danced around the stage, giving photographers some incredible action shots as she went.
Photo by @dumivisuals
With a strong mix of old and newer material, the crowd sang along to every word, and you could tell from beyond the stage just what that meant to Taylor.
The rising star threw an acoustic number in the mix with the beautiful track People Watching, giving the crowd a breather before going out in style with the back-to-back bangers Certified Depressant and Greener - her single that’s just been re-released as a collaboration with country icon, Mitchell Tenpenny.
Taylor concluded her set with the heavier track, Psycho, which saw her take a trip down to the barrier to sing along with fans who had packed out the front row for her.
An incredible Scotland debut and a show that will be remembered by many in the crowd, this really is only the beginning of what’s to come for Taylor Acorn.
For those who missed it, here’s her full setlist from the night:
Final Nail
I Think I’m in Love
Sticking Around
High Horse
Coma
People Watching (Acoustic)
Certified Depressant
Greener
Shapeshifting
Psycho
Fresh off the stage, here’s what Taylor had to say about her latest album, musical inspirations and plans for 2025…
You’ve just released a collaboration for your song, Greener (with Mitchell Tenpenny). What’s the reaction been like?
“It's been incredible! It's always nerve-racking when you go to put out new music, especially following up on such a big project like Certified Depressant but the reaction to Greener has been amazing - it's one of, if not my favourite song I've ever written.
To put it out and have people connect with and enjoy it so much when we play it live is special, but to re-release it with Mitchell Tenpenny who is one of my favourite county artists ever is a big deal. Even when I wrote my own country music I always wanted to collaborate with him, so having him lend his voice is such a surreal feeling.”
How did the Mitchell Tenpenny collab happen?
“To be honest, I didn't think that Greener would become a collaboration but over time and after seeing how excited people were over this song, I really wanted it to have a new life.
I was listening to Mitchell’s music a few days before I messaged him and I thought this would be such a cool collab, and after seeing he done collabs with Underoath and State Champs, I had to reach out knowing he grew up in the scene as well. I thought it would be really cool to have a nod back to my country roots by having someone who has been in the scene mixed with my country past, and as soon as I heard him on the track I knew it was meant to be.”
How has growing up in Nashville influenced you as an artist?
“Massively, especially the song writing aspect of it. I started off writing country music for myself and other artists, so I feel like there always going to be that little bit of influence no matter how hard I try to get away from it. With the last record, I tried to lean into that. Whether people think I'm punk-pop or really hardcore rock, they still think I have that country vibe which is really neat to hear as it makes my music a little bit different to the standard punk-pop you hear. I feel like I'm leaning into it and embracing it, and if you ever hear a bit of country, that’s because it’s just there - it's a part of me and I don't think it's going away.”
2024 has been a big year for you. What have been the highlights?
“I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all. Slam Dunk was always a festival I would watch highlights of on YouTube and see my favourite artists, so the band and I playing it and the reception we got was so incredible! I feel like every time we come to the UK, the energy is just amazing in general and it's just so cool to come all the way across the world to a new place I've never played before and have people singing all the songs back.
Coming here is always such a highlight because in the US I feel like I'm in my own little bubble, but then we come here and people are singing and having a blast and telling me their stories of how they found my music or how it's helped them with different stages in their life, and that to me is the most rewarding of it all.
Touring with Noah is incredible because I've never toured the UK properly before so that's a big highlight. I also got to tour with Dashboard Confessional & Boys Like Girls in the States before I came here which is surreal having grown up listening to these bands. This year has just been incredible, I'm just trying to take it all in and enjoy the process and be present with it all.”
Photo by @dumivisuals
This is your first time in Scotland! What’s it been like?
“It's been incredible. I won't lie, I haven't been on Nashville time for a single day, I've been able to wake up early and I got to venture round Glasgow. The architecture here is beautiful. You don't really see much of that in the States, and it’s really cool to see how different everything is out here - it's just a little cold!”
Big question time: What are your favourite crisps?
“Honestly, I tried the prawn cocktail ones and I think they might be my favourite chips of all time! We don't have those in the states so whenever we have them out here I'm like please just give me them all. I wouldn't really say I'm a big prawn fan but I just think they're really good and I love them.”
Do you have any pre-show routines?
“I’m a Virgo through and through: I’m a little bit shy so it takes a bit for me to get myself in a crazy, ‘ah you got to get out there’ vibe. I like to just sit back and chill a little bit. I'll steam my vocals and just meditate a little bit then we get on stage and we have a bunch of energy so yeah we just rest and take it easy before we go on and give it everything.”
Photo by @dumivisuals
If you were to make a supergroup out of bands you've toured with, who would be included?
“Oh, goodness! I'm going to throw in The Home Team because they’re incredible, and let's throw in Dashboard Confessional and Boys Like Girls they are such cool guys. I need to add Arrows in Action, too because they were the first band I ever toured with and they're some of my best friends. Also Noah and Cassidy Pope - we haven't really toured with her but she's came along and sang Coma a few times so let's get her on board. I think that would be a pretty cool line-up of people to come together!”
What's your favourite song to play live?
“I would have to say Greener is my favourite right now. I feel like since we released it, it’s the one song people get most excited for. I really enjoy playing I Think I'm In Love, too - I get really hyped and like that one a lot.”
And finally, what does 2025 have in store for you?
“Well, we’re playing When We Were Young which is amazing! I'm very nervous about that, and I was looking over the line-up and just thinking ‘oh my gosh, there are so many bands on there that I'm a huge fan of’ so I've got to put on a good show for them. We have that as well as plans to release a bunch of new music and hopefully tour a lot more - we really want to come back to the UK again and take things to Europe as well.”
A massive thank you to Taylor for taking the time to chat with us straight off the stage, and we look forward to seeing what 2025 brings for her!
As always, you can follow Taylor Acorn on Instagram, and find the rest of her music on Spotify: