Released today, Ralph Taylor’s latest single, ‘Sweet Innocence’, is packed with vibrant instrumentation and addictive vocal hooks, fusing hints of funk, groove and pop witch catchy melodies and zesty lyricism.
Discussing his influences behind the track, the singer states that Prince was his main inspiration – saying “I was listening to A LOT of Prince at the time and getting seriously into writing tracks with the drums and bass being the centre point to everything else.”
Taylor wrote the track in his bedroom, noting that “the basic idea for the tune came about pretty quickly and it wasn’t long until the demo was done. I took this version to Luke Buttery (Producer) and we spent some time playing around with the tune, refining the arrangement, re-recording parts and ultimately giving the track a new lease of life.”
“Usually I find this process quite difficult and often struggle to ‘recreate’ the natural feels you get from a demo,” he continues, “but with this song, the end result is something I think we’re both really proud of.”
Taylor discusses getting into music early on, saying “I’ve always enjoyed music and played drums pretty religiously when I was a kid.”
However, creating music started when he was around 11. “A friend and I formed our own rap duo. He made the beats, I wrote the lyrics. We’re still struggling to top some of the tunes we came out with back then. I also spent far too much time writing ‘spoof’ versions of all the current pop songs… I think that qualifies as creating. “
Talking about his current favourite artists, Taylor notes his love of Anderson .Paak, “I can’t get enough of the guy, and who could ever knock that smile. ‘Malibu’ is an all time favourite album of mine, but I’ve recently been dipping into his ‘Yes Lawd’ album with Nx Worries & Knxwledge too. I knew some of their singles before, but only just clocked they had a whole album together. Some hidden gems in there,” he says.
“I’ve also spent a lot of time listening to the likes of Parcels, Franc Moody and Jungle too. They supply such consistent, feel good funk/pop/groovy vibes that keep me going. Live sets are a vital part to my relationship with an artist, and all these guys know how to bring it. “
The singer also discussed the current lockdown, commenting that he’s now starting to struggle. “I know I’m not alone in saying that this time we’ve been given can weigh quite heavy on an active mind. The idea that it’s a ‘golden opportunity’ for us creatives can put a lot of pressure on it, especially when it has come from such a situation,” he states.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have music and art to go to in a time like this, but equally there’s a lot to process and it puts many things into perspective y’know. I have written a handful of tracks and I’ve done a fair share of drawing/painting too, but life is a day by day kinda thing at the moment and I just want to keep healthy,” he continues.
“I always try to stay positive, but sometimes music just isn’t everything I guess and I’m cool with that. FIFA time!”
‘Sweet Innocence’ is out now. Listen here:
LDOI 