taylor berrett

Newcomer Taylor Berrett has taken the music scene by storm with his dreamy voice and killer songwriting skills -- and now his new EP, Anchor Chasing, is available exclusively on iTunes. You might recognize Taylor from his YouTube covers, such as his take on Drake's hit song "Take Care" with singer Vita Chambers, which currently has over 20 000 views! Recently, the 19-year-old hottie stopped by the office to chat with J-14 about everything from his worst date ever to how he got his start in music.

J-14: How did you become interested in music?
Taylor Berrett: My dad was always playing music so music was always around. When I heard a Jack Johnson album for the first time, I realized the chords were easy to play on the guitar and that got me into songwriting and really made me want to learn guitar more.

J-14: Why did you and Vita decide to cover Drake's "Take Care"?
Taylor: We were looking for good covers to do -- and it's just such a good song! The recording Drake did was so haunting and we really wanted to translate that into an acoustic performance but still keep that mood. Vita is such a great singer so she was perfect for singing that part!

Singer-songwriter Taylor Berrett is getting ready to take the world by storm. With anticipated tour dates and his first EP slated for a January or February release, 2012 is sure to be a big year for this young performer. J-14 recently chat with this rising star all about his music, favorite tracks, and hopes for the new year.

Q: How would you best describe your sound to new listeners?
Taylor Berrett: This is always the hardest question for me to answer, it's like describing to someone how you look. I guess at the core it's pop music, performed with mainly acoustic instruments, but heavily influenced by soul and blues artists of the past and R&B artists of the present. It's in the same universe of acts like John Mayer and Coldplay. 

Q: You're currently in the studio working on your first album. Where do you find inspiration from when you sit down to write a song?

Taylor: Inspiration can come from all over. Sometimes it starts internally, from emotions I'm feeling as a result of events going on in my life, other times it's a phrase I hear that sets my mind off, and other times it just comes from the desire to tell a story, which is really what songwriting is I think. I try to mix up my approach often so that I don't get into ruts where I'm just saying the same thing in different ways, or different things in the same way.