The latest single Where You Belong by
Presley & Taylor has the sister duo right where they belong – on Spotify’s New Music Nashville play list for the 6th week in a row (38K+ spins) and climbing the Music Row Country Breakout Chart. Where You Belong is the second single (following Everybody Wanna Be Us) from their upcoming EP, which is slated for release in 2020. The Nashville sister act, known for their impeccable harmonies, has been working in the studio with producer James Stroud and their manager/co-producer Keith Burns (founding member of the band Trick Pony).
The girls explain how they came to record Where You Belong, which was written by D. Vincent Williams, David Borne, and Rhett Anthony Glindmeyer. They were in a pre-production meeting listening to demos, and Burns pulled out his iPhone that had a stripped down recording from a songwriting camp in Arizona that he recently attended. Taylor says, “Keith played the song for all of us and the whole room got chills. The lyrics were so deep and so true to where we are right now on our musical journey. It shot to the top of the list for the songs we wanted to record.”
The chorus lyric of Where You Belong really resonated with the sisters: Wait on it / Pray on it / Set that course and stay on it. “The song gives advice that is so true. That’s what we’re doing to reach our dreams, and it’s really relatable to anyone chasing a dream – whether you’re opening a small business, trying to make it in the music industry, or trying to graduate college.” Presley adds, “When we don’t write the song, we like to take liberty with it musically and arrangement-wise, so the song really became our own. We moved some of the verses around. We’re grateful that such a beautiful song was written and it found us.”
Watch the live performance video below.
One day earlier this year when they were in the studio, Burns proposed a side project that turned out to be a great experience for everyone involved. He had co-written the military-themed love song Everybody Loves A Comeback with Inside Edition’s Lisa Guerrero (read the full story HERE), and asked Presley & Taylor if they wanted to sing background vocals (to which they replied, “Hell Yeah!”). The song, along with a behind-the-scenes look at the recording process, was featured on a news segment of the TV show Inside Edition. “Being on Inside Edition is a huge deal; it has millions of viewers. So many people called our parents and texted us that they saw us on the show. Taylor and I are so patriotic anyway. We love our country, and anything to support that we would stand behind 110 percent.” Part of the proceeds from Everybody Loves A Comeback went to the military charity Folds of Honor. Its mission is to serve the families of fallen and disabled service-members.
Everybody Loves A Comeback made its live debut at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville in July. Watch the video below (with Keith Burns, Lisa Guerrero, Presley & Taylor).
It’s not unusual for Presley & Taylor to do 65+ shows a year -- mostly fairs and festivals. When they go on tour, the sisters are accompanied by their 4-piece band, their parents, and manager Keith Burns and his wife Bonnie. The highlight of the past summer was headlining the 100th annual Durham Fair, which is the second biggest fair in New England. “We were able to come back to our hometown (in Connecticut) and show everyone what we’ve been doing.” They also got to spend some time with the country duo Big & Rich.
“Big & Rich had their show Saturday night, and Keith is friends with them, so we got to hang out on the bus and hang out back stage during the show,” says Taylor. Presley adds, “John Rich is a super smart businessman. Taylor and I both went to college and we’re very involved in our career on all levels --the music, the brand, and the business side of things. When you get someone like John Rich who is willing to give you advice, it’s something you are grateful for and take seriously.”
Pam Tillis is another country star that has taken Presley and Taylor under her wings. They met the legendary (and fashionable) singer years ago when they first moved to Nashville, and Tillis introduced them to some of her favorite designers and showed them the coolest spots around Nashville to shop. “She really formulated that look for us and helped shape our style. Over the years we’ve built up a really nice collection of pieces that we can use at different shows to keep our look fresh and different.” Nowadays, the sisters (who wear the same size) do most of their shopping online.
When playing live shows, Presley & Taylor do a mix of covers and original songs. Since they are independent artists and many people aren’t familiar with their music, Presley says they draw in the crowd with cover songs to “get them jamming and excited, and then they’re more open to hearing our original stuff.” Their set list includes country classics such as When You Say Nothing At All by Keith Whitley and Jolene by Dolly Parton. “We have a whole medley of artists that we love -- Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris. We switch them around so our show isn’t always the same.” Taylor says they are always working on their live show to improve it. “Our dad records every single show from top to bottom. We watch it back and analyze it.”
The sisters, who are in their early 20”s, have been singing for as long as they can remember -- going back to when they were still in car seats! “When we were little kids, we used to do talent shows and musicals and sing at church.” Taylor recalls the first time they learned to sing harmonies. “One day when I was 12 and Presley was 14, our dad was playing guitar. We were singing The House That Built Me, and we added harmonies. That has basically been the premise of going forward and putting harmonies on songs.” They continued to hone that skill for several years, and now it’s second nature for the talented duo.
Presley and Taylor were still in high school when country radio stations started playing their music. The enthusiastic response they got from fans as well as people in the music industry convinced them that performing was a viable career path. Presley observed, “One special thing that we always noticed even when we were just starting out was we never felt stuck. Some door would always open up to lead us to the next thing or next level. We’re really strong in our faith, and I think that has a lot to do with showing us where we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to be doing.”
For more info, go to www.PresleyandTaylor.com
Listen on Spotify
FUN FACTS AND TRIVIA
Pam Tillis helped design the artwork for Presley & Taylor’s debut EP
Dream Collaboration: Miranda Lambert, Joe Nichols, Kelly Clarkson
First Concert: Their parents took them and 8 classmates to see Jesse McCartney for Presley’s 10th birthday. The relatively unknown Jonas Brothers were the opening act!
FAVORITES
Nashville Restaurant: Juice Bar
Concerts: Disney’s Aly & AJ in Boston; Kacey Musgraves at the Ryman; Miranda Lambert, Kelly Clarkson