In his latest single release, “Favorite Ex,” out artist Stewart Taylor sings about an old flame he regretfully had to extinguish. “We ended things when I left New York to pursue my career in Los Angeles,” he explains. “We both knew life would eventually take me out West and that our time together was limited, but I often wonder what would’ve been had I stayed.” The song merges eighties vibes with today’s pop and R&B and is the second ballad Stewart Taylor has written about his former lover. His debut single, “Mess Your Hair Up”, released in 2019, is about him too. Stewart says that years later, on a phone call, he thanked his ex for being so wonderful and told him that he was in fact, his favorite ex. “I look back and smile about what we had.” Produced by Romanian hitmaker MADS (David Guetta, Imagine Dragons), Stewart Taylor’s “Favorite Ex” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Its video is available on Youtube.
The video for “Favorite Ex” is a captivating reflection of the song. Its’ gorgeous ocean vistas (filmed in Malibu) and sweeping desert scenes (filmed in the Mojave Desert) whisk viewers through the tumultuousness of an unwelcome breakup. “Walking through the desert for hours on end had me in awe and also brought up some very heavy feelings.” Stewart recalls. “It really captured the sadness I felt when leaving the relationship.”
The video draws inspiration from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and its theme that every party eventually has to end. As they do in the novel, beautiful things fall apart. The chandelier on the desert floor represents the end of opulence in the relationship, while the white roses represent the end of the romance.
Benjamin Farren directed the video. Julie Vegliante, ho has worked with Lady Gaga, choreographed, and German designer Joseph Auren designed and styled Stewart’s looks in the video. “The beautiful outfits are among my favorite parts of the ‘Favorite Ex’ video,” Stewart says. “While filming, I imagined myself as a lonely prince, dressed to the nines and surrounded by all of this beauty with no one to share it with.”
He admits that, in real life, learning his former lover had found someone new was especially difficult for Stewart to come to terms with. “In the song, I fantasize about getting back with my ex and stealing him from his new man, but I would never actually do something like that,” he laughs. “I definitely took some poetic license for that one!”
Stewart Taylor is an LA-based singer, songwriter, dancer, and MMG actor/model. He grew up in a small town outside of New York City, where he began writing songs and performing in local talent shows and Lower East Side clubs. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, he's collaborated with Grammy-nominated songwriters and producers including Charlie Puth and Kara DioGuardi and has penned songs for Romanian pop star Antonia, American Idol's David Hernandez, and RuPaul’s Drag Race’s JuJu Bee, Mo Heart, and Manila Luzon.
He has also released several singles including his funk and R&B inspired debut single “Mess Your Hair Up” and 2022’s “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk”.
Stewart Taylor is an active voice in the LGBTQ+ community and his coming out story was featured in the New York Times bestselling book, It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living.
The Hector Fonseca and Thiago Dukky remix of “Favorite Ex” will drop on Friday, September 8th, followed by the DJ Mentol and Scott Storch remix later in the month.
Stewart Taylor’s “Favorite Ex” is being distributed independentlyand is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Its video is available on YouTube. Follow on IG @imstewarttaylor and stewarttaylorofficial.com
Stewart Taylor is out now with the visual for “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk”, his catchy true-to-life pop tune about breaking ties with an ex-lover. Directed by Benjamin Farren and filmed primarily at Vasquez Rocks National Park in California, the video depicts the unraveling of Taylor’s last serious relationship. “It can be extremely difficult to move on from someone you love,” he reflects, “even when you know it’s bad for you. Sometimes the only thing you can do to stop the unhealthy cycles of a toxic relationship is to stop talking altogether.” Stewart Taylor’s "Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk" is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms.
“My ex and I argued over anything and everything,” Taylor continues from his LA home. “If there was a boundary that I set, he would cross it every time. I’m not saying he was a bad person. I did things, too, that hurt the relationship. It’s just that we all have our demons. I didn’t respond well to his and he didn’t respond well to mine. Some people simply shouldn’t be together.”
The video for “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk” reflects on the song’s portrayal of the struggles of a venomous relationship. Taylor made sure to include a game of tug of war to depict the constant push and pull. There are also scenes with the two lovers chasing one another, battling it out and then passionately making up, all in front of a fantastical canyon backdrop. “It was fun to recreate my life through the lens of fantasy,” he says. He admits he took some creative license. “Did my ex and I ever fight and chase each other through a desert? No. But it’s more interesting to recreate our dynamic against that backdrop because it represents how it often felt for me emotionally.”
Jake Dean Taylor plays the role of the ex-boyfriend in “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk”. Australian Actor Stephen Multari and up and coming pop artist Kelechi also play troubled love interests in the video. Dancers are Kyle McCraw and former Glee cast member RILAN. Julie Vegliante, who has worked with Lady Gaga, choreographed the video. The role of the snake is played by Beau, a real-life sweet and well-behaved python that was provided by the same family of handlers who supplied Britney Spears with the seven-foot python she performed with in her “I’m A Slave 4 U” production at the 2001 VMA’s.
Stewart Taylor is an LA-based singer, songwriter, dancer, and MMG model. He grew up in a small town outside of New York City, performing in local talent shows and Lower East Side clubs. He graduated from Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
He has collaborated with a number of Grammy-nominated songwriters and producers including Charlie Puth, Kara DioGuardi, (P!nk, Katy Perry) and David Pramik (Selena Gomez) and has released multiple singles, notably 2019’s “Mess Your Hair Up,” 2021’s “Cover Boy”, and 2022’s “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk,” a song Stewart Taylor premiered earlier this summer at California’s first-ever Venice Pride Festival.
“My look, sound, and artistry have changed dramatically since I first started releasing music in 2015,” Stewart Taylor acknowledges. “Back in college, I was heavily inspired by David Bowie and everyone I came across expected me to sing rock music. I love rock, but my heart is in soul and pop, more in the line of early George Michael and Prince. I’ve worked hard to get in touch with the R&B influences I grew up on and I’ve become a better dancer, singer, and songwriter in ways that I never could have imagined a decade ago.”
If there is one thing Stewart Taylor has learned these past few years, it’s the importance of great friends, creativity, and walking away from unhealthy relationships. “I learned the hard way that being half of a destructive duo will never make a person whole,” he says. “Walking away is so much easier said than done, but if I can leave the toxic relationship I was in, I believe anyone can.”
Stewart Taylor’s “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Visit stewarttaylorofficial.com. Follow on IG @imstewarttaylor
Stewart Taylor’s “Cover Boy” is a modern pop track with a seventies’ throwback vibe about falling in love, knowing your self-worth in a relationship, and not playing mind games along the way.Produced by DWhit and co-written by Taylor with his longtime collaborator Benjamin Samama, the song also draws inspiration from bold men who take chances with their style and aren't afraid to be both masculine and feminine, glamorous and rough around the edges. “James Dean, Marlon Brando, Harry Styles, and Timothée Chalamet are by far my favorite cover boys,” says Stewart Taylor. “I've always had a soft spot for the old school, brooding, classic Hollywood types.” Stewart Taylor’s “Cover Boy” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. Its video is available on YouTube.
“I was inspired to write ‘Cover Boy’ after landing my first magazine cover for my last single, ‘Mess Your Hair Up’,” Stewart Taylor continues from his Los Angeles home. “I had just started dating someone new and the idea came to me when I felt like he wasn’t making enough of an effort to take things to the next level. I wanted to be his cover boy. I wanted to be front and center; the starring role in his life. The relationship didn't end up working out but it was a great premise for a song!”
“Cover Boy” expands both sonically and vocally from Taylor’s previous release, “Mess Your Hair Up”. “I've evolved a lot as an artist over the years. I’ve tried on different sounds and outfits, stripped those things away, started over, and have rebuilt and rebranded myself into what I feel is the most authentic me in the moment. I've come into my own with my music, dance, and fashion and everything I do now is a lot more influenced by funk and R&B while still staying very pop.”
Stewart Taylor sings in a sexier, lower tone on “Cover Boy,” reminiscent of early Robin Thicke.
The music video reflects his evolution as an artist. Directed by Brad Hammer and styled by Kiki Xtravaganza and Kályd Odeh, the video is vintage, stylish, flirty and joyful. Taylor turns out many different looks from Guess, Versace, and Chanel; surrounding himself with old vintage magazines, Polaroids, and a stereo from 1982. He even dons a triangle jacket that pays homage to Madonna and the movie Desperately Seeking Susan.
“I love bringing little moments from the past and carrying them into the future like that in videos. Hopefully some of the hardcore Madonna fans will get the reference!”
Stewart Taylor is an LA-based singer, songwriter, dancer, and MMG model. He grew up in a small town outside of New York City, where he began writing songs and performing in local talent shows and Lower East Side clubs. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, he's collaborated with Grammy-nominated songwriters and producers Charlie Puth, (Wiz Khalifa) Kara DioGuardi, (P!nk, Katy Perry) Jayson DeZuzio, (Imagine Dragons) and David Pramik (Selena Gomez).
In addition to writing for himself, Stewart Taylor has penned songs for Romanian pop star Antonia and American Idol's David Hernandez. He is an active voice in the LGBTQ+ community and his coming out story was featured in the New York Times bestselling book, It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating A Life Worth Living.
“I struggled through this last year of pandemic,” he reveals, “but I'm coming out of it wiser and more driven to succeed than ever before. I’m not waiting in the wing for the industry to shine its stage light on me. Nor am I going to wait on the side while some guy decides whether or not he wants a real relationship. My time is valuable and I’m not wasting another second.”
