Transcription
I wouldn't even say that any of those people were my friends at all. I was just I hate being like that guy, but I just I had a lot that they wanted at that moment, and we were doing really well, and they wanted some of that. So, it was also peak cancel culture era when that happened to you. Like it was the worst timing.
Oh yeah, dude. I feel like cancel culture is just so it's kind of gone now in my opinion. Well, I feel like from its peak at least.
Yeah. All right, guys. is in Nashville. Taylor Holder here coming off big tour, right?
Oh, yes, sir. Man, we're fresh out of we just got back from London, man. We were a little all over out there in the UK. So, how was that, dude?
It was actually honestly made so many great memories. But, man, if I could if I could do it again, I'd say give us a little bit more space between shows. We played 14 shows in 14 days, and we're was in a different city every single day. So, it was it was rough, man. We were running off like 2 hours of sleep each night.
So, that's insane.
Yeah. I didn't know country was popping over there in Europe, dude. They, you know what's cool about it over there is uh they I don't know. I mean, it's getting bigger over there, and they know like the the mega stars in country, but like it's so new that like they show up and they just like listen like they're all about the culture. They're like in the skirts and boots and and jeans and all that stuff, and they love the idea of it, man. But they I just think that they're still so new. But that's what's awesome.
It was weird at first was cuz they're so quiet like in between sets. Yeah. So you don't know if they like they're like like you know what I mean? But they they just like they they're listening to everything you're saying, man, and they're paying attention and and that's what was really cool about it.
So that's cool. What was your f favorite city out of those 14?
The f my favorite city definitely had to be London. Those uh we did the Chase Matthew run with him there, and then they knew like all the songs as well. So they were screaming my songs back so that was really cool. And then when we did C to uh C to see London, dude, we had awesome turnouts to the stages. We played four shows uh there uh for C to see, and dude every single one of them were was rowdy.
Yeah, it was it was awesome.
How many people were at the show?
Um we it was different. Some of the shows were like a small rooftop area, and then some of the bigger ones we we probably had like over we probably had two three thousand people at one of the stages and stuff like that. So yeah, it was it was crazy, man.
That's no joke, man. Cuz you're kind of new to country, right?
Oh, super new, man. We've been out here we've been out here for about a year and a half, and um started really dropping music about 6 months into it and stuff like that. So we're we're like a year and a half into like like really doing it.
So I feel like that's quick growth. Do you think part of that is cuz you already had a following beforehand?
Dude, a lot of people ask me that, and I think that uh I I mean I definitely think it it it helps, right? You have a little bit of extra eyes um right off the rip, but one thing that we have found out that like it doesn't always convert the best, you know? Um I'm coming from a world where I blew up from everything but music, let alone country music, you know, and everyone thinks I'm like this city boy from LA, um all this stuff, and no one no one knows anything about my backstory. And um and so whenever I came over here and I started doing country music, I just feel like everyone didn't think it was authentic Taylor, you know, so it was a little bit hard to get them, excuse me, to like really fall into that narrative and really believe that, hey, this is this is what I love more than anything, man, and I want to do it for the rest of my life, you know?
Yeah. It's almost like you had a rebrand, right?
100%, dude. It was it was like I started from ground zero, you know, and we were pulling numbers and and just the streams weren't there yet. And and to be fair, you know, when we were starting, the music wasn't phenomenal, you know, and and we're getting better each time and the songs are getting better, and I'm really excited for what we have coming out. But, um, it's been a challenge. That's been one of the hardest things is figuring out how cuz I got good at promoting just what goes viral on the internet as far as trends or whatever. But, uh, the music and promoting a song of yours that you need them to go listen to and everything. It was, uh, it was hard, man. We're still figuring it out.
Did the first song flop?
It was, um, it did. Uh, it did, actually. All right. I think the first song I dropped when I was out here, it was I think It's You, and it actually did a couple million streams, so it was cool, but I had like at the time I had like all my buddies like doing like a lot of videos to it. Like we were really trying to push it and stuff like that. And so, um, it did it did pretty decent, but like it's definitely not my favorite song that I put out. So, but um, but uh, yeah, we we tried we've been trying something a little different with these last couple releases, and it's really starting to turn some heads, man. Like the dying flames and the nothing but neons and and stuff like that.
So, well, I think an edge you have is part probably the marketing on Tik Tok, right? Cuz a lot of songs blow up on Tik Tok.
Yeah. And you have that network on there, right?
Yeah, absolutely, man. And that's where we got we got really lucky. It was funny cuz my recent single Dying Flame that I have out, I think it's at like 8 million streams in a couple months. And um we like my team didn't even want me to drop it. It was like different from what I was doing. It was like that trappy country kind of thing. Um and then uh it was like going into like Christmas like I but I hadn't dropped anything in like 4 months, and they're like just wait till the top of the year. I was like, "Guys, if I wait till the top of the year, like it's going to be like 7 months before I even release anything, 6 months." And I was like, "You know what? If I post on TikTok and it blows up, then I'm going to drop it. How's that sound?" They're like, "All right, fine. We'll make you that deal." I post on TikTok, and within like the first week, it had like over 10,000 videos made to it on the the audio, and just people just started using it, and I was like, "Wow." And that was the first time I've had like an actual sound be like trending and people using the audio a lot. It's it's usually just them going to listen to the song cuz I posted it kind of thing, you know? So that was really really cool to see.
That's impressive.
Yeah. It's it's almost like a good way to test songs, right? See if it pops off on Tik Tok first.
Yeah. Cuz if you have a lot of them stacked up, man, you can just kind of like that's what like I feel like Jesse Murf did like really really well. Like at first she she used to just she would post like five to 10 songs at a time, and like whichever ones I mean all her stuff she's she's so good, man. Like um but every single one that she would post she would run with the one that was doing the best, and she would just she would promote it for months before she even dropped it though, you know? And um it starts getting like old to people, but it's like those are the people that will constantly go back and listen to it again because it's so like installed into their head, you know? She's such a genius with that stuff, man.
Yeah, 100%. Um so country is merging with other genres now, right? Like rap, hip-hop.
Yeah, it's interesting. It's uh and that's where I think it's been kind of cool for us to step out and do the whole like we call it we call it country plus, you know, because um like I said, everyone it's a little hard for everyone to think that I'm like just this like country ass dude, right? And I'm I'm from a super small town just south of Fort Worth, Texas, but you know, I come from like the the professional motocross background, the fighting background, the music, the the extreme sports, the everything. So, it's like we kind of do like a little bit of everything. There's like an edge to me for sure. And so, that's why we're kind of trying to like dive into that. um a little bit different sound than just, you know, the um the authentic like, you know, old school country music and stuff like that. Even that's where I was raised, and I love um but um I don't know. We're trying we're just trying different things.
Yeah. It seems like there's two camps. There's a camp that likes the old country music and won't adapt and this new era, right?
Yeah. And I I honestly love it, man. I feel like it's like the whole um this is like a weird analogy, but like I think it's like that whole like everyone like hates Jake Paul, right? Jake Paul is is like kind of like rebranded boxing, and he's like made boxing cool again. He's bringing so many eyes, and with all this influencer boxing, it's like the same thing with country being so big, and it's like now it's like pop country, rock country, hip-hop country. It's like it's only making the market for country music even bigger. And I think awesome. And I know that there are those like um you know authentic like old school country guys that are going to be like a little probably upset about it, but I I think it's I think it's awesome. It's going to keep country music around for a long
Absolutely. Are you still boxing right now?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm I'm in the gym every week, man. I'm still there. We're uh we've been I've been fighting for what god damn it like 10 years now or whatever. Uh got a couple fights, but we're looking to fight again this year. It's just with all the shows and the music man. It's really hard dude. Like these camps are like you're in three days man. You're like train in the morning strength and conditioning like another at night. It's it's just it's rough man, and it's a long day. So to do that do a whole camp for at least like eight weeks. Um it's uh it takes a lot of time dude. I have like travel with my coaches, and it's it's kind of like not realistic.
So I feel that. Did you watch Aiden Ross' boxing event the other day?
Uh my my buddy fights on on Aiden Ross' card. Uh they've asked me to fight on it uh a couple times, and we we tried to get we tried to fight this one kid there, and he won't fight. Um um but it's like it's he uh he always he always spins the nar he's you know he's very good at what he does with spinning narratives and like getting people to think that it's a certain way. But I mean we've offered him everything. We've offered a fight for free. We've offered him bare knuckle. We've offered him boxing. We've offered him literally everything. And um he consider he was like I saw some video the other day where he was like we we literally tried to dog walk him to the to the contract, and he won't do it, and that I was like I have all the messages of everything. Even him I was I was I was texting with him not too long ago and was him with him and his manager like they just don't want to fight.
Wow. Yeah. And like that's what I'm saying. He spins that narrative so well, dude. But I'll just drop I'll just drop the messages if he keeps going. I mean we might have to throw them off. There's there's a there's a lot of fake there's a lot of fake stuff that no one knows.
I mean you got 10 years in training. I can see why he doesn't want to.
Well, I mean, I I brought him to Canelas with me, man. He was a wrestler. You know, he never boxed. He never did any of that stuff. And I mean, um I'm not I'm not even trying to sit here. I'm I'm I'm kind of over that moment in my life where I'm just like trying to act like I'm like the hardest guy out there. But, uh you know, Bryce definitely he knows he'll lose, you know, and so um I I think that that's the narrative, you know. He doesn't he's talked a lot of a lot of [ __ ] about me. And I think that uh it's more of an ego thing. I don't think it's a a scared to lose. I think it's just he doesn't want to lose to Taylor, you know, and that's why it won't happen. And uh but whatever. If I mean, I don't really care. I'm still going to fight again regardless. And eventually people will see that I'm not the one ducking here.
I feel uh What's your record on fights?
We uh so we did I I fought I fought Gibb long time ago. That was like an exhibition fight. It wasn't even like a cuz there was like a massive weight difference um stuff like that, but my my um my actual record with like Misfits is 1 and 0. Um, so hopefully we'll we'll get another one this year and make it 2 and 0 and just keep rocking with it.
So, let's get it. Yeah. Did you take a break off social media? Cuz I was on your Twitter. Uh, you took like 8 months off.
I just like don't go on Twitter. I like I don't know why. I just like don't like the app. I feel like it's like all just talking [ __ ] That's like all and that's like what the internet's become. And that's what's like so sad to me, man. Is like I started back in Vine, bro, with like all those Vine kids, man. And like back then it was just like friends making content with it. It was just like, dude, it was like legit just a group of guys and buddies or girls or whatever it is, just making videos together and just having like great times. And now all it's about, dude, is like, "Oh, who's fighting this guy or who are like talking [ __ ] about this guy or canceling these people or this?" It's like everyone's just in everyone's business, and I'm like, "God, like that." Like it it genuinely makes me feel like a loser. You know what I mean? That's why I don't understand how people do that, man.
A lot of drama.
Yeah. I just don't got time for it, dude. I'd rather have I mean I have a fraction of what I ever had out in LA out here. And dude, I'm the happiest I've ever been, man. I have an awesome girlfriend. I have an awesome family around me. Um just bought a house. Yeah, I just bought a house, dude. And it's been uh it's been beautiful, dude. I mean, my parents lost their house burned down last year. And so they've been living with me right now out here. And it's been awesome, dude. I've been away from my family for so long that I'm I'm finally just spending real time with real people, dude. I never got that out there. And so I'd rather stay that for however long that is than ever go back.
Feels, man. So, do you feel like when you were in LA, you were kind of putting on a persona?
It wasn't out. You 100%. That's why like I think it's so funny, man, because I mean, obviously, I look back at my videos and and I'm like, "God, dude, I wish I could go back punch myself in the face, dude." But like, that's where it's like it's funny because everyone that makes fun of us for what we did, hey, I get it. But we would film these videos, and I feel like people were like thinking we filmed these videos, and they're like, "Oh, this is this is hard, bro. Like, this is dope." And we were like, "No, like we were like, we're definitely going to get [ __ ] flamed for this one, dude." Like, we knew it, you know? But we just It's like acting in a movie, you know? It's definitely like I'm not a dancer. I'm not a I'm not a Tik Tok dancing kid. I'm not a whatever. I just did it cuz I mean, dude, the the money that was being thrown at us, I mean, whenever Tik Tok started blowing up, it was like ungodly amounts of money. And and if anybody that like was talking crap about us or anything like that would have had the money that was being thrown at us or had the whatever, I 100% think that they would have done it as well. Um it was just um it was it was unrealist. I mean d I don't do that I don't do that much money anymore so I just go ahead and save. Like dude we were doing there there would be months where we're doing three 400,000 a month.
Holy crap.
Yeah bro. It was it was like ridiculous amounts of money. Plus you had the mansions all paid for, but the mansions were like they were paid for by brands. We didn't pay that. I mean at the hype house when we were in the hype house that's why I went and did my own content house cuz like I just didn't really I didn't really like the structure of the hype house. you know, there was there was 21 people in the house that were they were all popular on the internet, but like besides like the main main guys um that were very like, you know, um financially stable, like pretty businessly smart on their own, like the Alex Horns, like Alex is a genius with what he's done, man. And uh and like the little hoodies and stuff like that, but like everyone else in the house was dead broke. And like the owner of the house and or like the owner of Hype House, um didn't want to make any changes. He was too busy being an influencer himself. He wasn't making these kids money. He wasn't getting anything taken care of. And so I was like, you know, I'm going to go do my own thing. And I brought in a sponsor. We had the sponsor paying the the $50,000 a month, but at the hype house, we were all splitting $50,000 a month. So it was like we were just trying to I was trying to work a little smarter than than that. So I I I got everybody in. I had a sponsor come in and pay for it. Uh we were all living rentree. We all I signed them all under the same agency that we were with. Um and we were rolling, dude. I mean, between the between the I think we had seven people in my house, we were we were doing probably about close to a million dollars a month between all of us, dude. It was insane.
Yeah. And you know, you you look at that and they're like, "Dude, how could you ever be like sad or anything with that? Whenever you're making that much money, I mean, dude, it was actually like the worst version of myself I've ever seen, dude. I was down so bad, man. And it doesn't matter."
Oh, man. Yeah. I was down. I was the saddest I've ever been in my life, man. It was It was rough out there. I just felt like, dude, I was just felt like I was like um a robot, man. I was waking up doing the same thing every day, bro. I had no real friends out there, dude. Everyone, like I said, I only saw these people if it was to film. I never, dude, in the seven years I was in LA, I never went outside and even threw a football with somebody or like just threw a baseball or went got lunch with someone because we wanted to hang out. It was always like, "Yo, are you home? All right, man. I'm coming over. I got to film this video or this bit or this or that YouTube this like and then they would film it and then just leave." Like you would never have any moments with anybody. And that's where I was like, "Dude, this is actually like I lived in a even like the hype house, right? Like I lived in a house with 21 people, bro, and
Still felt so alone, bro. It was like the weirdest thing ever, man. Damn. It was all transactional.
Yeah, man. That's interesting. Yeah, because you were the richest you ever were, right? But you were the most upset, man.
Yeah, bro. And and you know, you always hear these stories of like celebrities, how like they're like so successful and so sad. And for a while, I mean, dude, I come from a place where we got 2,000 people, man. We don't even have a restaurant in our hometown. And I'm like coming from nothing. And I'm like, how could you ever be so sad when you got everything in front of you, you know? Um, but you know, and it was weird cuz like whenever TikTok really started popping off during the pandemic, that's whenever like which is so weird to me, but like the influencers became like the celebrities, right? And um and we we had like paparazzi following us around. I don't know why. Like we were dancing on TikTok.
Yeah. Like I don't know why they were following us around, but um and like we had like we had uh paparazzi; our addresses would get leaked. So we had like hundreds of people outside of our house at every moment. We had paparazzi like flying drones up in our windows, like looking in our windows, bro. We eventually started like shooting them down with paintball guns. It was like so wild. It's just like every move you do, man, um was watched. Everything you did, whether it was in person right there outside your house, whether it was online. Um and there's no room for maturing, man, dude. Like, you know, we're we all got thrown into this pretty young. I've been doing it since I was 15 years old. And so, um, you know, a lot of people stuff happens on the internet and they're so quick to judge instead of like understand these are like kids that get a lot of money and become millionaires so fast that like, you know, leave some room for maturing, you know?
Dude, I remember those days. They would wait for you guys outside of Boa Steakhouse or wherever you at, Saddle Ranch and all that.
Yeah, dude. That's nuts. And like people actually cared what you guys were doing on a day. They were like some some of them were cool, man. Some of the paparazzi people were cool. We got we got like good relationships built with them and stuff like that. And then there was some guys like dude I remember I had like I had like and then they tried to spin it like I almost tried to fight this paparazzi guy, but I just got out. It's it's on video, but I got out and I just went and talked to him and I was like, yo cuz I asked him to I was like, hey buddy, how are you doing? Da da da da. And I was like in my car and he was like, oh I don't even know who the [ __ ] you are. I'm just going to sell this for like $2,500. And I was like that's not cool. Like I was like all right well then can you just put your camera down then please like or whatever. And he just like kept like filming it. Was just being a douche. I'm like why? Like that's not cool. I get like get your money, film, whatever you got to do, but whenever you're like, "I don't know you. You're just like a zoo animal. I'm just going to sell this for $2,500." Like, I'm like, "That's [ __ ] up, man."
Yeah. And then you see the videos of Justin Bieber being a dick or Kanye.
Yeah. But I kind of get it.
Yeah. Me and Justin um we we uh we were going to the same church to uh Was that McManus's church? What was that? Was that Irwin McManus's church? No, it was a a church home uh with Judah Smith. And um and that was around the time that me and him kind of became tight. But like I remember going outside before I like became like buddies with him and he was like talking to paparazzi people and they were all cuz they would all wait outside the church for him. They would all like as soon as he came out, dude, there was like there was a lot of them though. There was like 15 to 20 of them outside like the security door of the church. And it was just sad because he was like, "Dude, this is where I come to like get away, you know?" And I come outside and it's like a zoo animal again, dude. Like I come out of church where I just learned everything and it's like I have to be an [ __ ] like right after and I'm like I like to a way smaller scale I like felt that because they would follow us ever fly drones into our house like it was like it was weird dude. So I could only imagine how people like him and they take a snippet of him lashing out and post it on TikTok.
Yeah, bro. They only capture the bad. It's never the good. You could you could do I mean dude you could do anything in the world, bro. And like the one bad thing that it gets blown away of proportion because that's what everybody fiends off of. All these TMZs, the the outlets, the newses, the everything, bro. That's all they look for, man. They just want to [ __ ] on everybody.
Yeah. That's why OF girls get so many views on social media.
You said what? OF girls, they get so many views on social media, bro. I heard of OF I saw something the other day like made made more money than like LeBron James or something like that.
Yeah, I saw that too. There were some some like where I always put like numbers right next to each other and like I don't know who I think was the average OF creator makes more than the average NBA player when you average it all out. That's so wild. The top girls are making so much. That's That's It's nuts, right? I don't get it, man. I really That's Yeah, I'm just gonna leave my comment on that one, man. 1.2 million females content creators on OF right now. 1.2 million has gone nuts. It's just like, you know, dude, in my opinion, like I'm not against it. Like, I don't I don't really care. I'm just like, that just blows my mind, though. Like the fact that they're making as much money as NBA players is is crazy for people to pay them to see their bodies and stuff. That's that's the only thing where like I get it, dude. I mean, I did whatever I needed to do to get my bag up as well, but it almost makes me sad, dude. Like I hate that like I don't know if they either like cuz there's some people some people that are on there, they do the straight like modeling stuff. It's not like no.
Yeah. It's not like all like the the bad stuff, but um it just almost makes me feel bad. I'm like, dude, I feel like do they feel like they have to do that in order to make a living? And I'm like, dude, there's like so many ways to like and I just don't know how that takes a toll on their mental health and stuff, too. Like, I don't know.
Yeah. Well, I think a lot of females are really judged on their looks these days cuz of social media, man. They're comparing themselves to the hottest girl in their town or whatever, bro. But then, and that's and that's what the bro the the internet is like the worst drug in the world to be addicted to, man. It was um and that's where I think I got so caught up in all that stuff, bro. I was trying to do anything to to be the the biggest guy in the world on there. I was trying to get as many views as possible and I dude at that moment I would have done anything to get those views, bro. And uh I just didn't know like the toll that it was taking on my mental health. Like I I straight up like whenever I first moved to LA um I I moved out and I told my parents I was like I'm going to go be famous on the internet. That's that's what my goal was. It wasn't hey I want to go make a difference with the world. I it wasn't oh I want to I want to you know spread I want to spread my faith and and and get people to follow God. I was it was just I want to go be famous and I want to become rich and I want to do this and I had the entire wrong attitude about all of it, dude. And um I learned real quick, man. I mean, I got everything so fast. I mean, the the whole Vine stuff it started kind of slow. I was like all right on Vine, but when TikTok came around, I mean I think like I got like 20 million followers in like 2 years.
Holy.
Yeah. Um just dancing videos.
Yeah, just like dancing videos, funny videos, like whatever. Just all like the the the kids together. We were all just collabing and cross-promoting and we were with all the the guys that were also popular as well and the all that stuff. But yeah, that's nuts.
What do you think led to the downfall of the content houses? Cuz I don't see those anymore.
Yeah, they're kind of gone, man. Um, honestly, dude, I don't know. I don't even really keep up with it anymore. I know that whenever I was running my content house, I know like once I stopped mine, dude, like pretty much all of them went downhill from from what I know. Um, but I think the downfall with it was just none of them, none of them were uh, like I said, I think they were just lacking authenticity. They would just grab it. It was like literally like you're like you're playing that claw game. You're just like trying to pick like the most popular people or the most attractive people or the people that are getting the most hype. It's not, hey, like I really like this guy and what he's doing and he's a cool guy. He's a great guy. I want him to come and be a part of what we're building here. It was just like, "Hey, if you're not famous enough and you're not doing this, then nah, we don't want you, but hey, if you want the like, it was all like materialistic [ __ ] that doesn't matter at the end of the day." And so, like, whenever you get a bunch of guys in there that are all like egotistic and hotheaded and all this stuff, it just never works. And same thing with females, too. Like, if you get a female house together, I mean, girls and I mean, everyone already clashes heads already as it is, but you throw a bunch of random people in a house, it's a it's a [ __ ] show, man.
Yeah. You judge off your views. It's so interesting, right?
Yeah. your views and your fault. There's like little cults in the house, dude. There's like uh it's like high school again, bro. Like there's there's like uh and they just all talk [ __ ] about each other. There's like uh it's just non-stop drama. And then you got like cuz we had a reality show as well and some of these other places had reality shows. And that was honestly if I could take that back, I probably wouldn't have even done it really because like they those little [ __ ] on there, dude. Like the producers say like I say something to you about Cam or something like that, right? No. They'll go like, you know how you have those confession booths or whatever where it's like you and the camera sitting there and they're like they'll be telling like say like Cam was in the confession booth. They were like, "Yo, Taylor said this about you earlier. What do you think about that?" I'm like, "You motherfucker." They just like snitch and then they try to stir it up and then there's like real drama that happens because they like I don't know. It's just all a mess, man. Internet world sucks.
What was your relationship with God when you were living out there?
It was uh honestly, bro, like non-existent, man.
Wow.
Um, and that's where like I think like my testimony and my story is so awesome with even when I came here was I think out there I mean I was raised um you know I was raised religious but I wasn't raised in church. Um I was always when I was out in LA man I I always said I was Christian. I believe in God because everyone around me said it and I thought that's what I was supposed to say right. Um but I had never taken a moment to understand what it looked like to walk right with God you know and um I I without a doubt went through the the two hardest years of my entire life. Man, I had a really unfortunate uh run for for some stuff and uh had some stuff made up about me and um you know, it it [ __ ] my life up for a long time and uh in those moments I was like, dude, like why would you do this, man? I got so angry at God and and instead of taking a step back and wondering why he did do it and understanding that, you know, like I've shared with you, man, I was so sad out there, dude. I didn't even recognize myself. I was um I was like damn near like I was 160 lbs at 6'2. I was like so little, dude. And uh I just uh I think that it was um you know, he gave me a second chance to to really do this, man. When I got out here, I uh I really fell into God hard. I I started going to you know, I bought a Bible. That was like the first place I started at. I started going to church, man. I started looking at uh doing research of what it really looked like to to walk right with God, man. And I and I I've fallen into it hard.
Wow.
Um try to just flip my life around, man. There was a there was a I mean, I was never out there, dude. I was a I was not the the greatest guy I could have been the greatest boyfriend, the greatest friend. I was, you know, um I was on my high horse, you know, and uh I just uh I needed I needed a reality check and I definitely got it for sure. Um but it was everything I needed, man, cuz I feel like uh this is the most real and authentic Taylor that I've ever been. It's the most recognizable I've ever been to myself and I finally feel like I'm doing what Taylor loves to do more than anything.
Yeah. It seems like you're not holding anything back anymore.
Absolutely not, man. I'm This This is This is just like the realest version of me, man. It's what you see is what you get and if you don't like it, I [ __ ] I don't care.
Yeah. I think ego deaths are important actually.
Yeah, 100% man. It's so funny cuz everyone's like, you know, oh, like hit rock bottom or this or that. It's like so cliche, man. But I told you I fell straight on my face, man. And it was everything that I ever needed, man. I I had literally everything taken from me and then God provided for me in ways that I never could have even imagined. And that means something.
So, did you have someone to talk to during that rock bottom moment?
Um, I had I had John, my buddy John that runs my life to this day still now. Um, I had my little brother Tyler. I had my mom like man and my family, you know, and I had my buddy Bave uh that were basically like right they were right there with me when when all of it started. And uh and uh that I mean we had the smallest crew and we all moved over here together.
I love it.
And uh and it was it was the it was all I needed, man. You know, I I surrounded myself with so many people out. Dude, we had like probably 20 people a day at the house, bro. It was a lot of people. And like I now know that, bro, you give me like three of the baddest [ __ ] on the planet. We that's we'll take it over. That's all I need. You know what I mean? So I I will say in your rock bottom moments, you find out who your real ones are. That's one of the good things about
Bro, I'd say that and I'll say it again, dude. Um people like John. So John was my content guy at first, man. And whenever he wasn't my content guy when I kind of started going through this, I just knew him through like my little brother. He was shooting for my little brother, Tyler, and all that stuff. And um he ended up coming on to shoot for me. And dude, whenever I tell you like he worked for me for like $300 for two years, man. It was like nothing. $300 or $400, man. And like he didn't leave my side. He was like, "Bro, I don't care. I don't give a damn about money. I don't give a damn about nothing. Like, we're going to figure this out. We're going to rock whatever." When we came out here, we got the Dylan Scott tour. Um, and we had never done it before. We had never toured. We had never nothing. And um he was like, "Taylor, I know that sounds crazy, but I' I'd love to like tour manage this thing." And I was like, "I ain't got nobody else to do it anyway." So, and um and and luckily we had people like Cam and and Dylan and their crew. They were always so good to us, man. and and John went and did all the research that he needed, man. And he crushed it and uh he kind of just like stepped up for my content guy and now it runs my whole life and he's done everything he needed to do, right? And dude, like those are the types of people that I'll hold close with me for a long time cuz he absolutely thugged it out with me for no money at all. We were we were dead broke together, you know?
That's a real one.
Yeah. I went from literally like like you said like a couple hundred,000 a month to literally like I couldn't even afford a cheeseburger for my whole [ __ ] It was that bad, bro. It was It was that bad.
Yeah. And that was so quick, right? It was all like within like
Bro, within like 6 months.
Damn.
Yeah, that's a huge change.
Oh, yeah, man. It It was rough, dude. You probably lost a lot of friends you thought that were friends, right?
Yeah. I mean, I just lost a lot of people in general, but I think like I don't even know if it was like friends at that moment. I think it was just people that are too much of a coward and two like they care too much about like an image and like their teams are telling them it's because of this or whatever and the way it looks or d like no one actually gives a [ __ ] about being a real ass friend to anybody because all the Cuz like I understand like in the moment of all the of all that stuff, right? Like you know, distancing yourself from someone that's having something said like that about them for sure. But um but at the end of the day, off the record, they all had my number. They all knew where I lived. Not one [ __ ] like at the end of day knew where I was at the lowest point in my life ever reached out and asked if I was okay. Stopped by and said like, "Hey, you doing all right?" That not one of them. So I mean I I wouldn't even say that any of those people were my friends at all. I was just I hate being like that guy, but I just I had a lot that they wanted at that moment and we were doing really well and they wanted some of that. So it was also peak cancel culture era when that happened to you. Like it was the worst timing.
Oh yeah, dude. I feel like cancel culture is just so it's kind of gone now in my opinion.
Well, I feel like from its peak at least.
Yeah. I feel like there's like always just everyone trying to and then at the end of the day it's just like if you I don't know, man. That's where like all those kids though, that's why it's so easy to cancel those kids and and stuff at first or like have a bunch of stuff said about them is because like for a while we were I mean we were we were trying to seem like these like innocent perfect kids on the internet, but like I mean I I've never drank in my life, man. I've never done I smoke weed. That's like all I've never touched any drug besides weed or anything like that. Um and I only started smoking whenever I
Whenever I started going through those two years, man. I mean, I lost so much weight, dude. I wasn't eating. I wasn't sleeping. I was so depressed, man. I couldn't figure it out. And so I started smoking weed to just help with that anxiety, to numb it. Um, but I've never—I've never had a sip of alcohol in my life. Nothing.
And all those kids out there like going out to the clubs and like snorting coke off like strippers' asses and stuff like that, dude. Like doing like the craziest stuff, and then they go on the internet and talk about some bull and just like finesse everybody. So it's like whenever you piss somebody off, you piss the wrong people off that like have videos of you guys doing that stuff or have stories, and they know they start—that's when cancel culture becomes a thing, and like everyone's like scrambling to try to fix the video tapes. Yeah. [__] dude. I—I Dude, I Did you get invited to any weird parties like that?
Uh, dude. So, I got—I got invited to a party a long time ago. Never went though.
Did you party?
Yeah. Never went. Um, but uh, I—I did get invited to one a long time ago.
What was the invite? Like word of mouth or...?
Yeah. Yeah. Just—I mean, back then—I mean, I was hanging out with all the guys, like, you know, everybody that would have been there and all the celebrities and all that stuff. So they were—you know, we all just were in group chats that would be like, "Oh, party going on."
Yeah.
Yeah. It wasn't like Diddy, bro. D—It was just like, "Yo, party here going on. This is kind of who's running it, and this is who's going to be there," kind of thing.
You got a bad feeling?
It was always—um, actually, I think I was just—I think at the time I was in a relationship, and I think we—it was—it was so we had something together. I don't know. I don't remember if it was like our like two-year or something like that or birthday. I don't know what it was. It's been a long time ago, but I was with her that night, and I was like, "I'm just going to sit." I've also never been like a big partyer.
Anyways, whenever I first moved to LA, like when you first come to Nashville, you're like going down Broadway hard. But I went just 'cause I was like, I just wanted to meet everybody. I wanted to try to get plugged and stuff like that. So I'd go to the parties, and I started slowly figuring out that literally every party that I went to, you just see these same people at every single party, and it's—they're so hammered and so off of like all these drugs that like they don't even remember talking to you the next day anyway. So I just stopped going. I was like, "This is not for me at all. It's—it's pretty dumb."
Yeah.
I'm not a big partyer, too. People assume because I live in Vegas, I go out every night, but—
Oh, bro. I've—I've lost so much money in Vegas. God dang it.
You're a big gambler, huh? That's your vibe.
Um, I try to, man. I—I—I want to be a big gambler, but I—I—I don't know what it goes on, but I just—There's—There's some days where we do really, really good, but Vegas always robs me, man.
What's your game?
Blackjack.
Blackjack. I cook on—I'm actually really good at blackjack, but we had a good day in—where was it? A couple weeks ago. I'm on my headline tour right now. And we—my mom—I forgot where we were. Philadelphia? That's—yeah, Pittsburgh, and they got online like DraftKings, like online gambling, right? And the Z and them showed my mom DraftKings, and she was like, "I want to gamble on this thing, dude," and she starts playing—I think she was playing the slots on DraftKings or whatever—started with a hundred bucks, cashed out eight grand, dude. What? Swear to God.
Slots are the worst.
And she—Yes. That's what I'm saying. And cashes out eight grand. We found a casino that was like 15 minutes from the venue that we were playing. We were like, "Let's go, dude." And she gave everybody, she gave a thousand of her money to split between my whole band and everything. And so, we all had like 300 bucks or something like that. And I turned $300 into 6,500 at the blackjack table. And I'm telling you, cooked, bro. I had little Zwok and I with money. We had my—my guitar player, Sevy. Sevy started with 300. I think he left with like 2,200. Like, we went and robbed that casino. It was actually crazy. We—We all had a great night.
That's nuts.
Yeah. Good. If you want to gamble, I'd say gamble in Pittsburgh.
It's hard to win in Vegas, man.
Yeah. They just know too much. I feel like they're experts.
Yeah. They've been doing it so long. I mean, Dana White wins sometimes, but—
Yeah. I don't see many people winning like that.
Yeah, dude. I just—I can't—I see some of those guys that like go to like the high limits and they're betting like ungodly amounts of money, and it's like—I don't know, Steve Wynn will do—I don't know how much money you guys like really got, but I just couldn't do it. Even—even when I had money, the most I'd ever do is a couple—like a couple grand at a—at a casino, and I was like, "I can't." That's about all of it. You know what I mean? I—I don't like losing money like that. Especially when you work so hard to make it.
Yeah.
Yeah, dude. You got a new uh song coming out soon?
We do, man. We—we've been teasing this song called uh California Fit in Tennessee, and it's a—it's a really cool one, man. It's—um, it comes out on the 28th of this month. It's—uh, I was in a four-year long relationship uh when I was in LA and um with someone that at the moment in my life I thought I was going to marry them, and I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with them, and when I moved to Nashville, um the distance—the long distance—um didn't work out—that stuff gets in the way, and we had our own problems, and we just—we went our separate ways, and I wrote a song about it from the perspective of what it would have looked like if she could have came with me and what it would look like if California fit in Tennessee and—and um, it's honestly like lyrically wise, like probably one of my favorite songs I've ever written. It's just tough because we've been trying to promote it, and I'm in a new relationship now, and so like I can't—I can't be like, "Man, I—I miss her, and I wish I could tell her this," or something like that, you know, because then everyone's like, "But you have Zoe, like what about Zoe?" like that, and it kind of seems disrespectful. So I'm trying to figure out cool ways to promo it, but uh—what's the song?
New Girl?
She—she really likes it, man. She's awesome. She's so supportive of everything we're doing, man, and—and—and she's like—she's been absolutely amazing. I'm kind of like new to the whole relationship thing. I haven't really been in a relationship in a long time, and so it kind of freaks me out how like perfect everything is. But um, I mean, dude, it's—it's been amazing, and she—she understands all of it, dude. She—she's right there with me, and—and she loves the song. She wants it to come out. She can't—she listens to it all the time with me as well.
Yeah.
So she understands the snares. I also keep her in the loop with everything, man. And—and the girl that—obviously the song's about—everyone knows who it's about and stuff like that online 'cause we were obviously a very big relationship. But uh, she—like she's with somebody, I'm with somebody. We both very are—are respectful about that. We've been in contact recently, and we—we—we have nothing but respect for each other and—and you know, I even—I even let—let everyone know and let Zoe know and let—let her know that—um, like I—I sent the—I sent Char a text about like the—the song being like, "Hey, I'm putting the song out. Char knows about the song, etc." I was like, "If I step on any toes while I'm promoting it, please let me know." Like, we—it's all—it's all civil, and it's all good, man. So it's—it's really cool.
Communication's important, man.
Yeah, dude. And especially whenever you have someone awesome right there with you that like supports it and understands it as well. It's cool 'cause it's—it's really easy, I feel like, to—to not be that.
Oh, easily.
Yeah. Um, do you keep the current girlfriend private or is it a public relation?
Public.
Yeah. Public. Yeah. I heard mixed opinions on public versus private, but you know, I—uh, I've tried to do the whole private thing, and they always find out. They like—they're like—I'm telling you—like we literally have like CIA agents like—I swear—on our stuff—they—they'll see like through a—like I—what did I see? Everyone saw or found out that like I think it was me [__] and Riley Green were hanging out or something like that, and they found out because Riley was like taking a picture somewhere, and through his glasses they zoomed in and all reflection of Meg standing or something like that, and I was like, "Bro, you guys are actually like weird—that's weird." So, no, I'm just—I'm just—I'm open about everything on the internet, man. And whatever is new, if—if—if I'm winning a relationship, if I'm not, if I'm—whatever's new. Yeah. I'm just—I'm just like, "Hey, this is what's going on."
Yeah.
So, there's no confusion, bro.
Internet detectives, there's Reddit communities that solve murders.
Chaots.
It's actually insane, dude. Reddit, I've never—I've like—I still don't even know if I've ever like actually went on Reddit, but I've heard that it's gnarly.
Yeah. Don't sleep on Reddit, man. That's what I heard.
I feel for uh restaurant recommendations.
Oh, for real?
Yeah, 'cause everyone's anonymous, so they'll give the most honest feedback. You know, they're not scared of being cancelled or something.
Dude, it's so weird like these communities, bro. You know what I found out the other day?
What is that?
Uh, what's that? You guys might know, but what's that Facebook?
I don't even have Facebook. I use my mom's actually to go on marketplace, but—that—where it's like uh—"Are we dating the same guy?" thing or whatever.
Oh, I've heard of that.
Have you—Have you heard about that? It's like a group of like girls or whatever, you have to be accepted in or something like that. But it's like if they're talking to a guy, they like put it in there, and they're like, "Hey, what do you guys know about this guy?" And everyone is either just like [__] on their lives or they got good things to say about it. And I'm like, dude, like, is that what this world has came to now? I—That's so weird to me.
Yeah. Each city has one of those groups. So, there's one in Vegas, there's one in Nashville.
That's wild. I didn't know that. I literally just found out the other day about the one in Nashville, and I've been here for two years, dude. I was like, "Don't end up there, man."
Yeah. Nuts.
Nah, man. I got—I got an awesome one, and we're keeping her around for a long time, man. So—
Oh, yeah, man. Well, where are you touring next? Where can people keep up with you, man?
We uh—we're finishing off our—our headline tour right now. We have two more weekends left. We got Nashville this weekend actually. Um, and then uh—and then we go right into festival season. And so we're hoping—we're hoping to get another tour for uh into end of year, like fall, some—something like around there. But uh—um, right now, man, we're just focused on getting a lot of music out, man. We got some really cool stuff going on. Kind of got a feature that's hopefully happening that like I can't say right now, but if it does, it's going to be the coolest thing in the world. I'll tell you guys off camera, but uh—um, and just lots of music, man. We've been—we've been really working, dude.
So, love it, man. We'll—we'll link your website below. Thanks for coming on, dude.
Thank you guys so much for having me, man. Appreciate it. Check them out, guys. See you next time. Later, guys. Boom.