After spending years navigating the expectations of the music industry, Bree Taylor has emerged as a fearless new voice pairing sharp storytelling with an unapologetically feminine edge, creating her own rebellious blend of country soul and rock swagger. Her 2023 single “Dauntless” served as a major career milestone, earning the support of the Canadian country music community and rising to No. 1 on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country. Now, she’s turning heads again with “Wake Up!,” a sassy breakup anthem about knowing your worth and the people who only realize what they had after it’s too late.
In the middle of her summer tour, with more shows and a new album on the horizon, we caught up with Bree to talk about the inspiration behind “Wake Up!,” how she found her most authentic sound, and why she’s never let being a little different hold her back.
Your breakup anthem “Wake Up!” is cementing you as a country force to watch. Can you talk about how that song came to be and what its success has meant to you?
It was a co-write with my friends Alex Seier and Kelly McKay down in Nashville, and walking in I had this idea that I wanted to take a Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me” vibe but [put] a different spin on it. [It was] based upon so many men in my life that fumbled when they’ve been having the opportunity to date me, or they haven’t realized what they had in front of them when they had it. Like, a lot of guys in passing have been like, “Oh, you’re really great, but you’re like, marriage material, and I’m not ready for that just yet.” And I feel like there’s so many guys that just don’t realize what they have right in front of them, [and] they’re going to wake up when it’s too late.
Ironically, Alex had an idea for the title “Wake Up!” as he was drinking his morning coffee before I got there, and he had the first couple lines of the chorus already in his head and brought that idea. I was like, “This is meant to be.” It kind of built from that, and I pulled a lot of inspirations from my personal day to day experiences into the lines. It’s an overall message of how the swipe culture, with all the online dating especially, has made a lot of people feel like that instant gratification of, oh, I can find the next thing in two seconds whenever I want, and they don’t really appreciate a good thing.
When did you first fall in love with music and songwriting and decide to pursue being an artist full-time?
Well, I was born to music in the delivery room in the hospital as a little baby, so I feel like I was literally born to be a musician and an artist. James Taylor was prominently on the mixtape that my dad had made for my delivery, so that was one of the inspirations for my middle name being Taylor. Also, my doctor was Dr. Taylor, so I think my parents really loved that. In terms of music, I grew up always loving music. My parents aren’t musical people, but they’re huge fans of music, and my mom had a lot of country and pop inspirations. My dad was more of a metal and classic rock guy, and listening to the music that they played around the house growing up really inspired me to have a very diverse musical interest. And I, as a millennial, grew up where everybody hated on country music and it wasn’t cool to like country, so it was like my closeted love was country music.
I started as an artist in 2016 making pop music, which just didn’t feel right for me, and that’s why I think I finally tapped into what’s really the most authentic version of me and my music. I’ve always been a very emotional person and poured my stories and experiences into writing, so I think that came really naturally to me.
How amazing does it feel to have been surrounded by music for so long, and to have been building this since 2016, and finally find that right sound and share your truest self with the world?
Thank you — it definitely feels great. I think that “Dauntless” was the biggest turning point for me because that was the song where I was so fed up with everyone telling me who to be, what to do, and how to look, especially as a female. In the music industry, we’re pit against each other so often, and everyone’s trying to be this or that or chase what the coolest thing is at the time. I just got so exhausted trying to please everyone and I finally was like, screw this, I’m just going to be me. And that was me really embracing all my more punk-rock roots and that, like, rocker chic edge that I always had that’s always been in my day-to-day wear. Like, I’ve had my lip piercing since I was 17, and not a lot of people have facial piercings in country music. So, there’s a lot of things about my personality that just fit in what I’m doing now. I’m glad people are loving it.
What have been some of your biggest pinch-me moments in your country career, and what’s still at the top of your career bucket list?
Just recently having played CMA Fest down in Nashville was a huge pinch-me moment because I was so flattered that the CMA had reached out to me. It was a couple weeks before the festival, [so] I just didn’t even know if it was real. They had an open spot and they said I was at the top of their list to add to the festival, and to be on their radar was a huge honour. I got offered a celebratory pin that was for my first CMAs and being a part of my first CMA Fest, [and] just to be a part of a festival of that caliber … like, all the top, top country artists were there performing. There are so many stages. There were so many people helping out [and] volunteers organizing this entire festival … and they were so organized and everyone was so kind. So, it was just a really cool opportunity for me.
Where do you have your celebratory CMA Fest pin on display?
I have it on my coffee table. It’s reminding me every single day [of] what I’ve accomplished because there’s always those days that you get really down. As an independent artist, we’re wearing so many hats. I’m doing so many things and hustling and working hard, and there’s those times that you just feel a little defeated or like things aren’t going your way or … working for you in the ways that you want [them] to. So, it’s just a reminder that, hey, look, the young little girl in me would be amazed at what I’ve already accomplished and the things that I’ve done. I do want to frame it somewhere at some point, so I think it’s a safe spot there for now until I can find the right place to put it. But yeah, [CMA Fest is] a great festival. Everyone should definitely go! You’ll have so much fun.
What can you tease about how your next album is coming along? How does it compare to what we’ve heard before?
It’s going to be a collection of all my songs that I’ve been releasing as singles with this new project — from “Dauntless” the single, moving into the current single “Wake Up!” — and there’ll be two more bonus tracks on the album. So, it will be an eight-song album, and one of them will be the title track. It’s going to be in a little more of an edgy, rock direction, but it’s really sassy and female, empowering, and very much about where I’m at in my life and the stage that I’m in when it comes to dating and relationships and just knowing my worth overall. I think it’s the most authentic music that I’ve made yet in my career and the most me. So, I’m really proud of that, and I think this is going to be one of my favourite projects that I’ve put out there.
We talk to a bunch of country artists at Love at First Listen, but each one has their own individual, unique sound. How would you describe yours to someone discovering you for the first time, and why shouldn’t they be sleeping on you?
I think that my sound is very much in that country rock, female, empowered edge, with a touch of punk in there. The rebel country [label] is definitely something that I’ve created based upon my history and experience of feeling like an outcast and a rebel and the fact that I’ve been a bit of a misfit. I’ve never really fit in [and] never fit the mold of a country artist typically, and now where I’m at is the most authentic sound I’ve had because it’s just me embracing me and being myself unapologetically — and that’s just really what I’ve kind of homed in on. But if I had to give references, I’d say like blink-182 meets Avril Lavigne but country project, so even like a Carrie Underwood meets Pink. I definitely think they shouldn’t be sleeping on it because I think country rock is definitely on the up, and I really feel like it’s something unique that they would really love.
I wanted to give you a chance to talk about performing with a hearing impairment. Is there something you’ve experienced or learned as a touring artist you wish more people knew about or understood?
It’s a long story, but I had a bunch of surgeries that didn’t go right when I was a child. My inner ear in my left ear didn’t develop properly in utero, so by the time I got to a certain point [with] my specialist, he was like, “I know you want a career in music. Any further surgeries are going to risk you losing your hearing entirely, and we don’t want that to happen obviously, so the best opportunity we can give you is to wear hearing aids.” So, at 15 years old, I got fit with my first hearing aid for my left ear, and then we developed into having a pair for both ears. But it’s definitely something that no one really notices about me, especially just talking.
I don’t really believe in things holding you back, [but] I was told by so many people, doctors included, that having a career in music would be next to impossible for me with a hearing disability because of all the hurdles that come with that. And as I say this, my one hearing aid, the battery is starting to die, which is exactly when it’s a conversation that pops up. In the studio, it’s all good because I can wear headphones over them, and they don’t really give me too much feedback if I adjust them. But when it comes to the live setting, I’ve had to really navigate that wearing in-ear monitors. As a vocal coach, I work with a lot of students of all ages, and especially when it comes to my young students, I make sure their parents know we have to protect their hearing. We have to do regular hearing tests. In Canada, it’s covered by OHIP. It’s not like an expense that you have to occur yourself, but it’s worth exploring and I want to keep bringing awareness around hearing loss in general.
Your Wake Up! Summer Tour continues throughout August and includes performances in Barrie, Oakville, and the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. Has there been a standout moment from the tour so far?
I loved being out in Saskatchewan because on my dad’s side of the family, my grandparents were born in Regina, and that’s where they met, and that’s where they started their family. I hadn’t been back since I was a little kid, and it was really cool to just go connect with my roots and where my family was from, and to connect with fans that were out there. There [were] a couple girls at the front of the stage singing my lyrics back to me and I was so amazed that people [in] the other half of Canada knew my music. [One of the girls] said she found me on TikTok, and we got a really cool photo of them on the stage that I sent to them [and] featured on my Instagram. It’s nice to connect with fans from all different walks of life and areas of the world that love your music. I’ve got such a growing fanbase right now in Brazil, which is the coolest thing.
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Thank you, Bree! Stream “Wake Up!” now and watch for more live shows near you.
See you back here soon with another artist and music release for you to love at first listen! Have a suggestion or pitch? You know where to find us!
Happy listening xx
