Rising star Logan Taylor has captivated audiences with her signature sound that fuses Americana, indie rock, folk, and pop into a deeply lyrical, alt-Americana landscape, amassing over a million streams on her early singles independently and earning acclaim from outlets like CLASH, EARMILK, and Notion. Her long-awaited debut album Light Me Up distills more than a decade of songwriting into 12 tracks of raw vulnerability, resilience, and unflinching honesty, weaving themes of heartbreak, self-discovery, and the tension between holding on and letting go, with standout lead single ‘Electric Heart’ channeling the bold edge of The Pretenders and the emotional pull of Angel Olsen, while songs like ‘White Wolf’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’, and ‘Dreams’ showcase her sweeping textures and captivating storytelling honed through years of intimate studio and stage performances.
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Logan to explore the heart of her music and the journey behind her breakthrough release.
Can you walk me through how your background in songwriting over the past decade shaped the overall vibe of Light Me Up?
My breakthrough as a songwriter really set this project in motion. I’d been writing constantly for years and had lyrics for hundreds of songs, but I was still finding my voice. The title track was the turning point — after that, I started experimenting more freely. Since Light Me Up was my first project after that breakthrough, it naturally became shaped by my drive to push myself and capture the full range of my feelings, experiences, and abilities as a storyteller.
What drew you to blending Americana, indie rock, folk, and pop in this album, and how did that fusion come about naturally?
I never sit down thinking, “I’m going to blend genres.” It happens naturally. I’ve always listened to a wide mix of music, and when I write, each song feels like a chapter in a bigger story. Some chapters call for a stripped-back folk sound, others for Americana grit or pop energy. The mix just comes from following whatever sound best tells that part of the story.
How did achieving over a million streams independently influence your approach to releasing Light Me Up?
Hitting a million streams independently gave me confidence. It showed me there’s an audience out there connecting with what I do, even without a big push behind it. But it also made me see how much more could be possible with the right support. So I approached this release both wanting to honor the people who’ve already found my music and to build a stronger foundation for the future.
In tracks like “White Wolf” and “Tequila Sunrise,” how did you incorporate darker Americana grit and cinematic intensity into the production?
“White Wolf” was always meant to feel darker and almost mythic, so we leaned into thick layers and atmosphere to give it grit.
“Tequila Sunrise” is naturally cinematic just from the lyrics and drive it has acoustically. When I first made the demo in 2018 — which we stayed close to in the studio — the intensity came together by fully building out the band and adding just a few extra textures. It was about leaning into what was already there rather than overthinking it.
For the lead single “Electric Heart,” what inspired its pop-infused sound, and how does it channel influences like The Pretenders and Angel Olsen?
When I first wrote “Electric Heart” — with different lyrics in the verses — I thought it might stay a slower acoustic track. But once I found the right strumming pattern, I realized it carried real energy. I sped it up, leaned into the catchiness, and started to hear it as a full pop-rock production. In the studio, we followed that instinct. The song’s driving rhythm and bright momentum echo the fearless spirit of The Pretenders, while the expansive emotion in the vocals nods to artists like Angel Olsen.
Technically speaking, what production techniques did you use to create the sweeping textures and emotional breadth across the album’s 12 tracks?
One unique part of this record is the mix of old and new vocal takes. Some were recorded a few years ago, others much more recently, and blending them gave the album a layered, time-spanning feel. Beyond that, I focused on dynamics — letting some songs breathe in an intimate, stripped-down way and then letting others open up with bigger arrangements, without ever sitting in the same space for too long.
How do themes of vulnerability and resilience play out in songs like “Dreams,” and what personal experiences fueled those lyrics?
“Dreams” is probably the purest song I’ve ever written. I was trying to move on from someone, but every time I felt like I was making progress, I’d dream we were together again and wake up back at square one. One morning after it happened yet again, I grabbed my notebook and wrote the whole song in just a few minutes. It captures that exact tension — wanting to let go, but still being pulled back by love and memory.
Can you dive into the tension of holding on versus letting go that’s woven throughout the album, and how it reflects your own journey of self-discovery?
Almost every song was written in that tension — still believing there was a future in the connection while also trying to let go. Over time, writing the album became my way of working through that. Once you capture it in your art, it becomes its own form of release.
Looking back, what was the most unflinchingly honest moment in writing Light Me Up that pushed you to confront raw emotions like heartbreak?
It’s hard to choose, but Lithium Flower stands out. Like many of my songs, it isn’t pulled directly from one experience, but it distilled the rawest parts of betrayal and how I saw myself inside that heartbreak. Writing it was the moment I stopped holding anything back.
If you could pair one track from the album with a perfect setting or activity, what would it be and why?
I’d pair Tequila Sunrise with a long drive at sunset. The drive in the rhythm, the urgency in the lyrics — it’s a song that feels like motion, like you’re chasing something just out of reach.
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