10 Questions With MaRynn Taylor

MaRynn Taylor is a rising female country artist in the industry. She made the move from Michigan to Nashville in 2019, and she’s found herself in the midst of a progressing full-time music career.

Taylor has been named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country (2023) and she has collected over four million cumulative streams. She will release her new song titled “01” on June 23 and on the same day, she will also make her Grand Ole Opry debut.

Country Now recently caught up with MaRynn Taylor to chat about her music career, her upcoming plans and more. Check out our exclusive Q&A below.

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You will be making your Grand Ole Opry debut on June 23, which is the same day that you will release a new song called “01”. Can you talk about what this experience will be like for you and if you are planning to perform “01?”

For me, getting to play the Grand Ole Opry has been one of my goals for a very long time, and it’s going to be a very special day for me because I get to release “01.” The reason it is called “01” is because 2001 was the year that I was born in. It’s an apology letter to my younger self. It’s saying growing up we can be really mean to ourselves and we need to remember that when we are mean to ourselves we’re kind of also being mean to our younger selves. In a way, it’s still us. It’ll be cool because it’s not only my Opry debut, I get to make it hers, my little self. She gets to wear a pretty dress. She gets to sing her heart out to a group of people that love country music just as much as she does. It’s just going to be really really special.

What sparked your interest in country music and made you want to create your own?

I was really young when I first heard country music. I really gravitated toward the women for some reason. I think it was like, I saw them on the CD covers, and I thought they were so pretty and their voices were really pretty. I really loved Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Trisha Yearwood. I just had their CD’s and I loved their voices, especially Carrie’s. Her voice is so huge and powerful and beautiful. I always strive to have that kind of voice because I looked up to them so much. I think they were the ones that really inspired me to be doing this.

You caught your big break at the CMA Fest back in 2019, when you performed at the ” 60-second spotlight.” How did it feel to return to the 50th CMA Fest and perform on the spotlight stage this year?

It’s always really full circle when I get to go back to CMA Fest because that’s where it all started for me and where I got discovered. I love getting to perform on the stages there. It always brings back memories of watching the artists on those stages, and now getting to be the artist on the stage. It’s just full circle and it’s fun. I never thought I would get to be there. I always dreamed of it, but I never expected it. I feel really blessed that I get to have that full circle moment there.

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This last winter, you performed the National Anthem before the Bills and the Bengals AFC Divisional Playoff game. How did you get this gig and was it the biggest stage crowd you’ve ever performed for?

I feel like it definitely was the biggest crowd I have performed in front of. How I got it was, Black River, my label, the people that own Black River, the Pegula’s, also own the Buffalo Bills. I really wasn’t a football fan growing up or anything. I didn’t really have a team, except for the Detroit Lions because I’m from Michigan, but there’s not a lot of hope there. When I moved here and I met Black River, I started watching the Bills as support. I knew the owners, so I figured I might as well watch them. My competitive side came out and I was like Okay, the Bills are actually really good. I sing, so how can we mash these things together? I went and sang the National Anthem at the Bengals and the Bills game. It was their last game of their season, which was really sad, but it was fun to sing the National Anthem. It was snowing like crazy and freezing, but it was so worth it. I got buffalo wings afterwards, of course, because..buffalo. It was a really cool experience that I got to do. I’m definitely part of the Bills mafia. I root for them each time they play and I’m so excited for this next season. I’m hoping to go back to Buffalo this year and sing again.

If you could play any venue in the world, where would you want to play and who would you want to play with you?

My answer for that is always the Opry and now I actually get to cross it off this Friday (June 23). After Opry, I guess I would say the Van Andel Arena, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I’m from. It’s the arena that everyone went to when we’d go to concerts, so I’d love to be able to open for somebody that I could learn from. I’d love to open for Dan + Shay. My first concert was Hannah Montana at the Van Andel Arena, so I think it would be fun to get to play there.

Which song of yours has been your all-time favorite to release to fans?

Probably “Make You Mine.” It’s the single and I wrote it with some friends of mine, Dan Wilson and Josh Kerr. It’s a fun song and it’s a bop. It’s kind of a summer song in a way, but I like to think of it as my confident girl anthem because the hook is “make me wanna make you mine.” It puts the power back in the girl’s perspective and I just love that. I love that it’s flirty too. I like that I got to release that for people who listen to me, because I care about the people that listen to me so much and I love that I got to give them a confident song.

How do you think having a presence on Instagram and TikTok has impacted your music career?

I love Tik Tok and Instagram. I love it for the positive reasons, but it can get hard sometimes. I love getting to post silly stuff too. It’s there for posting music and stuff, but I like following along with the trends. I’m a typical Gen Z, I guess. I love Tik Tok and I think it’s fun. I’ll be posting a lot this week for sure, but I definitely keep up with it more than I probably should.

Thinking back on your career as a female country artist, what has been your biggest highlight so far?

Friday will be a big highlight for sure, but I would say another big highlight is getting to be a part of CMT’s Next Women of Country. It was a huge goal of mine because it’s so iconic in the industry to be in a class that represents women and sisterhood. I think we’re all in the same age range, so it was really fun to hang out with them and share our love of country music. CMT Next Women of Country was like the start of it this year for me. That’s always going to be a highlight that I keep in my heart for sure.

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What advice would you give to other aspiring artists?

I would always say, I know it’s tough, but move to Nashville. Everything’s here and I think that was the right choice that I made growing up. Everyone loves music, but when you get around the same type of people who love what you do, it’s a whole different ball game. Move to Nashville, know what you love to write about, and write with your friends.

What are your plans for the rest of this year?

I’m going to release more music. I just got a whole bunch of mixes of new music. It’ll be a little different than last year. We’re going to be pushing them out to get more momentum. I’m excited for people to hear the new ones. I’ve been playing them out, kind of testing them to see if people like them or not. I feel like I’ve gotten good responses, so I’m excited to put them out into the world this year. Obviously this week, I will make my Grand Ole Opry debut and there’s more to come, but that’s all that’s on the top of my head.

Fans can keep up with MaRynn Taylor on Instagram.