According to the singer-songwriter, “It blends the fact that I’m a little bit New York mixed with a little bit Southern.” I am just who I am, says I.
Despite being a newcomer to the country music business, Taylor Hogan proves she has a lot to offer with her latest hit, “Shot of Whiskey.”
“It blends country, and it blends rock, and it blends the fact that I’m a little bit New York mixed with a little bit Southern,” says Hogan, 24, in an interview with PEOPLE. That is simply who I am.
Writing “Shot of Whiskey” with Luke Sheets and fellow country rocker Ryan Kinder undoubtedly gave Hogan the chance to display her unique edges, both sonically and lyrically.
In a strong New York accent, Hogan recounts that Ryan briefly left the room before returning with the thought, “I might not be your cup of tea, but I’m damn sure someone’s shot of whiskey.” “We built the remainder of the song around that, adding a rock edge and Ryan’s distinctive vocal harmonies. It’s referred to as a Southern swampy rock song by my producers.
It’s a fitting description of a song that does combine a variety of sounds, making it ideal for the musical era in which we currently find ourselves. Hogan declares, “It’s just the ideal leadoff single.” It aids in your getting to know me.
Hogan did, in fact, have a fascinating past and a journey that started when she was a young child sitting with her father during what they would refer to as their “Music Saturdays,” wearing “sparkly shoes, band T-shirts.”
As Hogan recalls, “We would hang out and listen to a bunch of different music,” he periodically breaks into a Judas Priest cover. “As I got older, I listened to a lot of [Maroon 5’s] Adam Levine, which is where I probably got my little sass rock edge,” the author recalls. “I’d be listening to AC/DC, Loretta Lynn, and Johnny Cash.”
But there was no question that Hogan’s storytelling heart would automatically warm up to the stories presented through country music when it came to the lyrics of the numerous songs she would listen to. Hogan believes that a door is currently opening for her as performers like HARDY and Brantley Gilbert continue to give the genre a rock edge.
The guitar enthusiast declares, “I love how country music is evolving and how it is changing. “It doesn’t fit into any particular category. Really, you’re free to add whatever you like. Become whoever you wish to be. For me, the genre that most closely resembles home is country rock.
It’s true that it required a ton of labor to make Music City home. According to Hogan, who was born and reared on Long Island, “I went to visit [Nashville] a few times with my parents and I tried to convince them to make the move when I was a kid.” So, when I was 19 years old, I made the decision to go.
Hogan afterward enrolled in the esteemed Lipscomb University songwriting program, where alumni include Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini. Hogan would like to reintroduce some of the best elements of the rock genre to the general public, even if she is careful to point out that not all of her future work will have that country-rock edge altogether.
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According to Hogan, who plans to release a new EP this year, “What we’re kind of trying to do is bring it back to the days where people would wait for a guitar solo as much as they would wait for a hook in the song.” Simply put, “I just feel like that’s super unique, and it added such great things to songs.” She waits. Simply put, “I just want people to see that I’m not just one thing.”
Heck, just consider the contrast between her current jobs. I work in a boutique on 12 South right now,” she chuckles, referring to the upscale area of Nashville. “I feel like a lot of my age group is engaging in it. Although it’s challenging, we’re all out here trying to support ourselves as singers while also paying Nashville’s exorbitant rent expenses, don’t you know?