The UK-based singer/songwriter is forging her own path in the music industry—and leaving a blueprint for others in her wake
Look, every music scene throughout history has boasted a different-than-thou attitude that, once adopted by its citizens, makes it a scene—something for the people to join or contribute to in whatever way they can. This brings me to a point: in any movement, there are those who lead and those who participate (plenty of folks claim to have been part of [INSERT NAME OF MAJOR MUSIC ERA] despite never laying down a tune). All are necessary for the progression of the thing, but the drivers are the ones who spill their guts and make what they want to, how they want to, and chop down the brush in front of them so the others can follow behind them. Lissy Taylor is a driver and a chopper, and she’s doing every damn bit of the work herself.
Taylor, a Stoke-on-Trent native, roots her songwriting and sound in experience. She’s lived abroad, worked her way up through local scenes, and networked her way into exposure better than any manager could. Just Google her name. Numerous interviews and articles are amplifying her talent, not only because it’s apparent when you hear her music but because she’s open to talking about her craft. Her self-honed acumen for the business side of the industry has led to a burgeoning fan base and workload, which both excites her and affirms her approach as an artist. “Independently,” Taylor says, “if someone told me when I started out that within four years I’d have reached BBC Radio 1, Isle of Wight Festival, Man City FC Joie Stadium, six Spotify editorials, UK tours, and would be set to open the main stage at Y Not Festival for headliner Noel Gallagher, I’d have thought I must have got signed and have a whole team. But no, this is entirely possible with just blood, sweat, and tears.”
Her effort isn’t going unnoticed. In April, Staffordshire University listed Taylor as an entrant for Young Business Person of the Year. She has also been intentional about leveraging local independent resources for photography, shared billings, and other creative ventures. “Throughout my work so far, collaboration with other creatives has been a constant theme,” Taylor says. She recognizes the importance of local scene support and views each personal opportunity as one to assist others in the community. “Bands now at an international level such as Sea Girls, the Lottery Winners, and the View have given me an opportunity to support them at shows, and I think it stems from their experience of knowing what it’s like to be an emerging band on the UK music scene.”
The UK’s independent music scene is a resilient beating fist behind a shuttered door, and it feels as if the locks are about to break. In various cities across the UK, noise abatements, resonating debts from the Covid shutdown, and soaring energy costs are threatening DIY music, but musicians are fighting back by making and performing their art. Taylor’s industriousness allows her to not only survive but thrive in a place where the odds are stacked against her. To follow her trajectory is to map out a blueprint for similar success; it’s not uncommon for artists to focus solely on their work and neglect the economics and networking that can help it flourish. Taylor acknowledges that, in many cases, this neglect is a byproduct of a resource gap. “I would say that the main issue [facing independent artists] is the combined lack of funding and network opportunities,” she explains. “This inspires me to work harder, but it can be emotionally exhausting to face such inequalities.” And so an age-old conflict persists: local politics and policies purport to appreciate the arts—who doesn’t have a favorite song!?—but appreciation doesn’t correlate to support, in either the form of education or funding. So the existence of a vibrant arts scene in Liverpool and Manchester, or in Stoke-on-Trent, where people are trying to survive and don’t know how depends on the fortitude and ingenuity of artists such as Lissy Taylor.
In many of Taylor’s performances or videos, she can be seen whipping her guitar from side to side as she howls her lyrics into the mic, her hair often falling over her eyes as she gets lost in whatever song she’s playing with her band. A self-described introvert, she exudes the confidence of someone who has something to say and knows exactly how she wants to say it, and her message is often one of affirmation. Lyrics like “you got the power to change your life/you could reach paradise” (“Life Changing”) and “every time I get knocked down it fuels my fire, and I rise higher/because I’m fierce” (“Fierce”) are examples of how her music reflects her life’s philosophy. Her audiences are lucky to witness and receive her music. Her peers are inspired as they work with her, participating in an ecosystem of grit where collaboration begets collaboration and everyone grows.
Lissy Taylor is willing to do what most artists can’t or won’t. Couple that with her ability to write what she knows—and what she knows is how to fight—and you have an artist quickly propelling forward on the back of her own hard work. The beautiful thing? She’s knocking down barriers in front of her and shedding light on a path for others to follow.
In a more subdued performance at the Met in Bury, England, this past May, Taylor plays her single “Fierce” alone on stage. She’s engrossed in the song as always, and in the brief pause before the hook—which begins with the elongated proclamation “because I’m Fierce”—she closes her eyes as if to let the crowd know she means it. I’m here to confirm she does, and if you don’t know it yet, you will soon enough.
Follow Lissy Taylor on Instagram@lissytayloruk and visit her website at www.lissytaylor.com for more information on her music and social networks. Find her music on any of your preferred music streaming platforms.
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