Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Taylor Sparks ... Music Producer Featured in NBC's Songland




Taylor Sparks is an award winning producer of American popular music. He is the son of Kenny and Lisa Sparks of Tucson, Arizona, and the grandson of the late Butch and Linda Sparks of Tucson and Lucasville, Ohio. Taylor's song – “Better Luck Next Time,” a collaboration with Darius Coleman – recently won NBC's Songland competition and thus became the new single release of country music's Kelsea Ballerini. Kelsea, a Nashville star, has been recognized as the first female country artist to send her first three singles to the top of that chart since Wynonna Judd.

Speaking about “Better Luck Next Time,” Coleman, a once-aspiring dancer-turned-singer after a push from friend Jazmine Sullivan, says he overheard a love story gone wrong while hanging with Taylor Sparks, who played guitar. He says the lyrics to the song just flooded his head.

"I think a lot of us creatives in general, but specifically songwriters or singers, I think we're in tune to like energies," Coleman said of the creative process.

Taylor Sparks has been a producer/engineer/songwriter with the United Music Group since 2014 and a songwriter/producer for ten years. He currently has his own studio in Los Angeles, California. With a wide variety in musical background, he plays just about any instrument “he can get his hands on” and specializes in pop/urban music.

Taylor is a graduate of Sahuaro high school in Tucson. He says his musical education has mostly been “extensive trial and error from the school of hard knocks.” Being on the road and touring in a band at a young age, he found himself falling in love with the studio. After leaving the band, he then started producing records for local bands and artists in his hometown of Tucson.

In a September 2012 interview with Audio Media International, Sparks says ...

Lucky for me, I didn't go to audio school; I saw past it. You can't be taught to be creative. So instead of going the traditional route, I took out a large loan, and put it all into my recording studio. I then moved to Nashville and interned at Blackbird Recordings and got the hands on experience with professionals that I needed.”

Sparks describes his style as “big, aggressive yet polished” and often “dark and moody.”
He believes in starting with a basic track and “creating around the vocal/song” or creating a track and letting the track guide the vocal melody.” He describes his work ...

My every day is getting to know my client and start to create a track within the vibe of the conversation. That’s when I feel the energy never fails and it just becomes tunnel vision.”

That formula certainly has paid great dividends to date. Taylor has worked with and been in the studio with Blink 182, Ashley Tisdale, Keith Urban, Azelia Banks, Neon Hitch, Sirah, Maxine (Pharrell Williams), Journey, Joe Bonamassa, Casey Abrams (American Idol), Roxxy Montana (X-Factor), Bella Thorne, and many more.

Taylor Sparks is continuously working out of his studio creating, learning and developing his craft. Contact: https://www.taylorsparks.org/




No comments: