Michigan native MaRynn Taylor is a Black River Entertainment budding star. On Friday 2/19, MaRynn launched her single ‘I Know A Girl,’ and we had the pleasure of chatting with her on release day!
What’s her story? MaRynn moved to Nashville around two years ago to pursue her country music career. Nashville is a magical place to her and how she met her record label is just that. At the young age of 17, she was at CMA Fest where she received a flyer for 60 Second Spotlight. Showing up just minutes before people left for the day, she proudly asked if she could sing for them and they were more than happy to listen. ‘Travelin’ Soldier’ by the Dixie Chicks and ‘Burning House’ by Cam were the songs that won the judges over. They loved her sound, which mimics 90s country. “I’m a sucker for 90s music” she exclaimed. After that tryout, they invited her and her mom to go to Nissan Stadium with them in the suites.
That November, MaRynn was on a radio show Coffee, Country and Cody where Black River Entertainment surprised her with a record deal. “I started bawling my eyes out. I had no idea! And Cody was like ‘What would you say if I were to give you your record deal right here, right now?’ And I just started ugly crying!” Gordon Kerr, the CEO of Black River, told MaRynn that “there’s just this light in you that we’re all just drawn to.” All of this just so happened to occur on the day of the 53rd CMA Awards – talk about full circle! Black River Entertainment is the home of Kelsea Ballerini and recent NECM interviewees Pryor and Lee.
On the day her single reached the masses, MaRynn (and NECM) was excited to chat about the song. While MaRynn has dabbled in songwriting, she did not help co-write ‘I Know A Girl.’ She was pitched the song and immediately loved it. Nicole Dallion, Jimmy Robbins and Shelley Skidmore were the masters behind the pen – all of whom she admires. MaRynn told us that “the song is very me. I relate to it way too much” she laughed. “It’s about wanting to be in a relationship and having a crush on a guy but not really wanting to tell him right away but it’s kinda saying like ‘hey, how ya’ doing, I’m right here!’”
The relatability behind the song was what made MaRynn want to cut it. She shared some personal info with us saying “I’m really awkward when I talk to guys so this song is kind of like my confident, flirty way of showing that.”
The song was teased on Tik Tok and got some notable recognition. When asked what she thinks of the app and its effects on the music industry she said “I think it’s [Tik Tok] very useful, especially for new artists. Some things are so random and they just blow up, which is so amazing when it does that.” For her personally, the teaser clip she posted had comments flooding in about how much it was liked by viewers. “People are saying that they love the song and that they’re gonna pre-save it. Tik Tok has been amazing in getting that video out there… I’m glad it exists.” Her biggest takeaway from it was how loving and kind people were being to the ‘I Know A Girl’ teaser. Of course she disclosed that she finds herself getting lost on the app for far too long just like everyone else. We both laughed it off because of how true it is.
Growing up with 90s and early 2000s country, specifically Trisha Yearwood, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift, has her focused on bringing that sound back in her music. “That’s just my favorite kind of music and I’m a very ‘I am who I am and I like what I like’ person.”
There are plans happening for some new music from her. However, she was tight-lipped when asked if she had an EP or album coming in the future: “I won’t say much more, but ‘I Know A Girl’ is out and I’m excited for people to hear it and hear more from me!”
MaRynn is as sweet as she is talented. This girl is on her way to becoming an amazing artist with an amazing record label. Check out her new single, ‘I Know A Girl,’ available everywhere now! Follow her on social media to stay up to date on new music and more.