Empowerment in Spoken Word: Interview with Taylor Contarino
By Kelly Carciente
Up-and-coming R&B singer-songwriter Taylor Contarino is igniting her comeback to music with new EP the bare minimum, including a two-part single of the same name released today, April 26th! I had the chance to sit with Taylor to discuss her artistry and the drive behind her music.
Hailing from West Dover, nearing the border of South New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Contarino left her small-town suburbs to study in Syracuse, New York, before pursuing a journalism degree at USC and a simultaneous music industry career in Los Angeles, California. Although she has settled on the West Coast, Contarino still reflects on her roots of her influences rising from similar regions, such as Ms. Lauryn Hill and SZA, and the influences her upbringing had on her: “Incredible women artists make me feel like I can say what I want to say.” She recalls sitting by the Delaware river with her friends to entertain themselves in the otherwise uneventful town, or looking up at the Philadelphia skyline across the river and writing poetry, where she happened to write her single, “Patience.” Despite the limited resources, Contarino’s drive to perform shined through: She recalls performing in talent shows, a dance team and cheerleading team at her high school, all of which reflected a courage that her peers could not fathom. Eventually, her creative drive outgrew the confines of her small town. With a lack in artistic pursuit in the area, Contarino eventually migrated to LA, providing her with a myriad of resources, opportunities and avenues she could take: “I’m in a whole different world … Being In a safe space like LA where creativity can flourish… maybe I should be bold enough to take the risk.”
The 22-year-old ingenue is establishing herself as an R&B artist at the forefront, channelling Summer Walker and Jhené Aiko, but isn’t afraid to explore different genres herself. Her 2023 single, “Time Machine,” was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London where she incorporated a cocktail of genres from ska, R&B, funk, and rock. Through a music industry connect and international USC program, to which Contarino’s ambition led her to apply, brought her to the UK as a manager and creative director: “Being in a different country… it feels like I can do anything. Experiencing a multitude of things, you have the feeling like you’re capable of everything…” While her discography veers mostly toward R&B influences, with “Time Machine,” being a one-off, the singer is not afraid to blur the lines between genres, and points to Beyoncé’s recent Cowboy Carter: “…genres make you feel confined, but at first you’re scared to take risks and try new genres, … as I’m learning how to produce, the more comfortable I feel to create art. There’s a lot of room to try new genres and see what fits and move out of comfort zones.” However, this new EP manifested out of strategic storytelling, as opposed to the spur-of-the-moment creation of her first single “Tough Love.”
When describing her creative process, she recalls the complete shift between her first single and this new project. With “Tough Love,” Contarino recounts her sophomore-year spring break where she grieved a situationship, which stimulated her creativity. Through overwhelming anger, despair and frustration, she found herself writing and free-styling. Eventually, she recorded what she had to say, added some beats, and sent it over to her friend: "I can’t really convey how I feel in words, so this is how I’m feeling right now.” To her disbelief, she created her first ever song, and days later it was uploaded to SoundCloud. Even with a lack of knowledge on the production, distribution or marketing of her song, Contarino took this as an opportunity to learn.
the bare minimum was written about 3 months ago following a breakup. The album is told through a thread of pain to rebirth with a powerful and empowering spoken-word interlude woven in-between either song, finally ending in an outdo of resolution. Part 1 follows the anguish that develops from feeling used, taken advantage of, and overall heartbreak. Contarino was upset for receiving bare-minimum treatment, so one day, she took the initiative to no longer cry, but instead put pen to paper.
While she did not expect anything to come from it, releasing a snippet of her singing the lyrics on her TikTok garnered positive feedback and reciprocated feelings. Although she was feeling as though she would never recover from her heartache, she could not leave her listeners on a sad note. With Part 2, Contarino says, “I started healing from what was in Part 1 and I wanted people to know there is hope on the other side of heartbreak and hope … [it] gave me space to process emotions and heal, and realize there is something better on the other side of this hurt.”
With her re-emergence into the music sphere, Contarino is not letting the pressures of vulnerability get the best of her:
“One thing I appreciate so much about music is that… I am a shier person than people realize. When it comes to sharing my emotions, especially with romantic partners, I am really bad at it. I will explode into tears before telling you how I feel, but for some reason music makes me feel safe. So, things I can’t say in words I say through song. I released my first poetry book a few months ago, and it meant so much to me. All the things said in that book I could never dare say out loud. … Honestly, I had given up on music for like 2 years since ‘Tough Love,’ because I gave up and didn’t think I was good enough. I focused more on the business career side of it. But a couple months ago, my friends and God and the universe really brought me back to my musical career because I never meant to make music again and I thought that after ‘Tough Love,’ I was one and done. I was overwhelmed about a music career. Putting how you feel into the world is very scary and I didn’t want people to know how I felt, but getting out of this relationship, I needed an outlet to heal and it was good to have people in my corner.”
Healing is a consistent theme within Contarino’s work and her overall character. While she may project this bubbly, outgoing and endearing persona, persevering through her adversity throughout her life, a severe, persistent case of mononucleosis, her workaholic motivation, and her anxiety have transformed her strength and resilience. Aside from being a certified yoga instructor and track runner, Contarino has found tranquility in physical activity and staying still: “In your stillest, quietest moments, you really learn who you are, and I think it can be applied to artistry. For a while, I didn’t wanna feel my feelings, and processing emotions is really hard. But, when you learn how to do it, you become a much wiser person on the other side.” She also touches on vulnerability as a means of spirituality and healing as an art form: “For me, art is healing and spiritual: Writing songs and poems gets me through everything. It’s my coping mechanism —when I am depressed and sad, the only thing is… let me write a song or a poem. I just don’t know how to do anything else.”
While music aided her in processing and communicating emotions, it is the motivation to continue to show that working hard and believing in yourself can result in achieving your dreams that continues to drive her:
“I have 3 little siblings. If I don’t pursue my dreams, if I give up, if I get jaded by the pressures of this industry and the anxiety, what does that say about me? What does that say to the people that support me? What does that say to my little siblings? What does that say to my 5-year-old sister who dreams of being a ballerina? If I dont follow my dreams, what if she thinks, ‘oh I’ll give up on mine too.’ And I can’t let that happen.”
The songwriter is thrilled to get back into her music: “I believe in myself again, I can’t believe I’m back. It’s a lot of pressure and overwhelming in a beautiful way. I missed self care and lost sleep, but never lost sight of my goal. I’m just happy people are listening.” Ultimately, Contarino “can’t wait for people to hear the interlude and outro. They were written so quickly in the heat of the moment, but [she] found them really inspiring and motivating and motivational, and [she[ hope[s] others find the same.” Finally, when asked about how she envisions people listening to her EP, she says, “I want listeners to listen to the EP in order … as long as they get the memo of self-love, you don’t need people hurting you, and healing is important.”
Taylor Contarino is putting her hometown on the map with her new EP the bare minimum and is settiling for nothing less than her worth, and she encourages listeners to follow suit. Contarino is one to watch as this is just the beginning.
Where to find Taylor Contarino: Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Spotify | Soundcloud
