Taylor Belle Talks the Journey in Making 'Star Girl' EP & Personal Growth

Taylor Belle continues to emerge as one of R&B’s rising acts, and her EP Star Girl is the catalyst to her ascension. The now L.A. native is carrying moment forward from the 2022 release of Out of Body. The new 7-track project takes listeners on a musing ride mixing sounds from the past while drawing a futuristic twist.

Standout Tracks: “777,” Sunset," "Dreaming of U" (feat. Dominic Scott)

Read below our conversation with Belle as she describes the journey in making Star Girl.

When did your music journey begin?

I've always loved music. I've always loved singing. For me it really started as a love for singing, more so than creating the music. When I was little, I would just be running around my house singing at all times. And then when I was nine years old, I did my school talent show and that was my first time singing on stage. And I just loved the feeling of performing so much. So then I started recording when I was about ten or 11 years old. I was in sixth grade, and it's honestly just gone from there. I am super blessed to be one of those people that found their thing early on in life. That passion just never died down at all. I love creating music so much, especially now from writing all of my own songs and being able to be a part of other people's creative processes, helping them write their songs and everything. I love everything about it.

How are you feeling with the release of Star Girl?

I'm feeling good. I'm feeling so excited. And I think that releasing music truly is a release. It makes sense that it's called that because you put so much time and love and energy into it and then it's like, ‘Okay, I'm releasing this now. It's no longer just mine now. It belongs to everyone who gets to hear it and experience it.’ And it feels nice to have it out now. Now it's just a matter of seeing how people feel about it and how they connect with it.

How has life changed since dropping the project?

It's been dope like being on both sides of it, and not only making stuff for my artistry, but getting to see other people's processes. With this project it was dope because I feel like I really came into myself more as a woman also. And just as an artist, I think I understand myself more than I ever have. I spent probably almost a year after I had started rolling out Out of Body, just like, or at least six months. I spent some time experimenting with different sounds and then at the top of this year, I started making Star Girl and it all just came together super effortlessly, flawlessly. Once I figured out what I wanted and I had that 'aha' moment of, 'Okay, this is what I want the next product to sound,' it all came together really beautifully. Even on the visual. I feel like everything has just been the most evolved version of what I've done so far.

What songs did you enjoy creating in the process?

When we were making the project, "777" was definitely my favorite and it was so fun. Just with all of the vocal production, and just all the different vocal effects we had and all of the harmonies. That was super fun to make. I also loved "Ebb & Flow" because it is a little more introspective, and I got to talk about things that I feel like I just talk about in conversational more. It aligns a lot with my values and just what I stand for. I like talking about my spirituality and things like that.

What was the most challenging part of making Star Girl?

I'd say now that it's been rolling out, just managing my own expectations maybe, and letting things come as they come. I set super high expectations for myself. I always have. And I think just being present and being grateful for everything that's coming as it becomes and letting it unfold and letting people find it as they do. Honestly, I especially thank my friends that have been a part of this project and then my manager helping keep everything organized. This has been to me a very smooth, flawless process.

What would you want listeners to take away when they listen to Star Girl?

I want them to feel confident. I want them to feel empowered. I want them to connect with it in whatever way they can. Of course, everyone's going to relate to the songs in their own ways because they're going to be seeing it through the lens of their own experiences. I just want people to feel connected to it. For me, this project felt very affirming. Me owning who I am and feeling confident in myself. So I definitely want people to listen, feel confident, and feel like they can fully embrace who they are.

Are there any artists they have been catching your attention?

Recently I've been really into Rayvn Lenae. My best friend sent me her most recent album, and my first time listening through I thought that was amazing. My friend Dominic Scott, who's featured on track three of Star Girl. He's also been rolling out his project right now he has a song called Dear Summer that I love.

What can we expect next from Taylor Belle?

You can expect some collaborations. I have a song coming out sometime in the next few months with my friend AKINYEMI, who's a super dope artist out of New York. Definitely some more collaborations. There's a lot of just friends and artists that I want to get in with soon. More visuals, more shows. Definitely just going to keep creating and keep releasing more music of mine.

Where can people follow you to keep up with more updates?

I'm on streaming services. If you just search Taylor Belle and then I'm on Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc.