Tayla Parx's Phases of Heartbreak and Healing

In "Emotional Support," she writes about trying to move on before deciding, "nevermind." In "Standing Up To the Wind" she writes about taking her love back from anyone who didn't deserve it. "I Don't Talk About Texas" is like a memoir and sees Parx writing from the perspective of herself at different stages of her life, a testament to each of her ever-changing phases.

Below, Parx talks to PAPER about those shifting phases, focusing on sustainability in life and business, and how it feels to have such a vulnerable album out in the world.

Many Moons, Many Suns just dropped last week. How are you feeling about having it out in the world?

I'm feeling a sigh of relief. It's kind of like when you've been waiting to tell your best friend some tea and then you gotta wait. So when you see them, It's like, "Oh girl, let me tell you about this." You have to hold on to that, so finally, when you get to feel that, it just feels like a relief.

I know there's an emotional landscape to this album, but I heard there was a physical landscape involved in this era of your life. I read you were in the process of building a ranch, what has that been like?

I'm definitely in the phase of my life [where I want to focus on] sustainability and want to make sure I am spending my money in ways that reflect my values. So, shopping at smaller businesses or the farmers' market, whatever it is. It turned into me being like, Okay, what ways can I live my life sustainably, that also just feed me joy? I've always been a caretaker. I've always had dogs and all kinds of animals. This time around, I was like, Okay, we're gonna take it to the next level; maybe we get some chickens maybe we do eggs. Also I love gardening so it made sense to build this, again, in the same way that I've done with TaylorMade Inc, build ecosystems around myself that reflect my needs.

Speaking of TaylorMade Inc, I know you released this on your own label. What was that process like?

It was amazing and familiar because I released my Tayla Made mixtape independently. I've always been such a fan of building businesses, again, that reflect the kind of business that I want to see. I did some projects in partnership with Atlantic, which was amazing. But it was really nice to get back to things that make TaylorMade, TaylorMade. Being able to do it independently, you have the freedom to be a little bit left to center with the rollout or with the music that you choose to release and make sure that the contracts and the collaboration with other writers and producers who are part of it also reflect that new way of doing business.

You've written with and for some of the biggest pop stars in the world. How different is it to write for someone else in comparison to writing a song for yourself?

There's a certain focus that you have to have when writing for other artists and it's all about hitting that bull's eye and hitting that exact emotion that they feel while making sure that other people relate. I love that. I love the fact that it's a bit rigid, you have to be focused in on how this person would say it and what they're trying to say. But with my own artistry, there's a freedom. I have to let my subconscious tell me what needs to be said. [I can] let my heart tell me whatever needs to be said. It's less about hitting these markers that have been provided to you by somebody else.

I know with Many Moons, Many Suns, you're very vulnerable and openly talking about heartbreak and breakups. Were you nervous about going there?

Absolutely. You get a little bit nervous about it at first, but I think my last album, Coping Mechanisms really solidified the whole idea of being like, You know what, I'm gonna just bring you along with my story. I'm really making music with a fearlessness. I'm not afraid that people will judge me. I'm not afraid of any of those things, because it's just life. Everybody goes through it and whoever can relate to it, they'll relate to it and whoever hasn't lived that maybe this is an escape for them or a little bit of drama for them. Whatever it is, whatever you pull from it is what I'm hoping for. I really make music without being afraid at all. I think that's just where the most honest music comes from. That's why people feel it.

I know the album focuses on multiple lived experiences and realizations but which song of the album came to you first?

The first song that we did from this project will probably be "Dream Hotel" or "Rich." Those are the singles that came earlier. At that point I was able to look at the majority of this project with a bird's eye view. Like, I went through these particular emotions over the past few years and now I can really lay out that timeline. Each of my projects you can listen from top to bottom and I'm telling you the story from beginning to the end. Also in just the way that I did the tracklist for the project as well. Some of those earlier songs are me saying Wow, I acknowledge that I got hurt in this or I acknowledge that I've hurt other people. Later on, you start to hear records, like "Celebration Weight" and all those other things where you come into being like, Now I have rebuilt myself, now we've come back into the moment where we're happy again and more me than ever before.

How do you hope your fans feel when they've heard the album?

I hope they experience the rawness of it all. I hope it empowers them to go through whatever they're going through. We always talk about getting over it and going on to the next thing, but just going through it, I think, is really what helps anybody become who they're meant to be. I hope that they hear the vulnerability in this project and are empowered to say, "Hey, everybody is going through something and everybody's having to figure it out." It's all for the better to be quite honest.

Now that the album is out in the world, what are you most excited to share next?

I'm most excited to get back on the stage. We have some tour dates that are about to be announced and will be happening in the fall. I'm very excited to get back and connect with The Taylor Tots and experience the record live with them.

Photography: Justin Ayers