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After nearly a decade of establishing herself as an independent artist, Taylor Acorn, the Nashville-based pop-punk powerhouse, is now boldly stepping into a new era. Her recent signing with Fearless Records marks a significant transition, and she returns with Poster Child, a record that beautifully encapsulates her unique blend of vulnerability and defiance. From the high-energy "People Pleaser" to the raw "Masquerade," the album is a testament to her growth and resilience, proving that Acorn is not just making a breakthrough; she's here to stay.

On the record, Acorn bares her vulnerable side for the world to see. The record's 12 tracks showcase her innate talent, with heartfelt lyrics, anthemic choruses, and searing bridges. Acorn's defiance and refusal to slow down - themes told through shimmering and undeniably catchy melodies - is proof she belongs in the music industry. Poster Child highlights Acorn's ability to learn from past mistakes and emerge stronger, with a newfound sense of resilience.

The Noise caught up with Taylor to talk about finding freedom in nostalgia, learning from the past, and what it means to start a new chapter on her own terms.

Congratulations on signing to Fearless Records! After being independent for almost a decade, what made now the right time to take that next step in your career?

I think I just got to a point where I recognized how many incredible things we had done independently, and I always wondered about the next step. Do I keep being independent? Do I take a leap of faith and try something new? And when I met with the Fearless team, I fell in love with them. It felt like a really good fit for me, especially being the first label experience I will have. I'm super excited to see what all we can do together!

How has joining Fearless shaped the creative process behind the album, and what was it like making your first record as part of a label team after so many years of mainly doing everything yourself?

I feel so fortunate because even though I am signed now, they have always been adamant about letting me create what I feel, which, in terms of this record, was really awesome. I feel like it alleviated a lot of pressure just to know that they trust me in my creative decisions, of course, they have had ideas and opinions as anyone does, but the whole process was so easy, and we all loved the same songs, which I feel was a win for me.

Looking back, what's one lesson from your independent years that you've carried into this new chapter?

I think the biggest thing is to trust your gut. I feel like we are way more intuitive than we give ourselves credit for. Once I stopped listening to what everyone else thought I should do and just listened to myself and followed my own path, that's when things started to click and make sense. Just gotta trust your gut!

Poster Child feels both like a new beginning and a statement piece. When you first began writing it, did you have an idea of what you wanted it to represent?

I really went into writing it from a very personal standpoint so I guess the statement would be that it's very me coded. I had been touring for so long I hadn't really had a second to collect myself and my thoughts so it began as my diary of the last two years really. From then on, I just kept writing from my own personal experiences, and it just became what it is now!

You've said you want listeners to feel like they're "back in a time period that makes them feel good." What kind of nostalgia or sound were you hoping to capture with this album?

I really love early and late 90's music. I feel like whenever I listen to bands like Matchbox 20, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Counting Crows, I'm just amazed at how I can put myself back in the place where I listened to them for the first time, and I think there's something so special to be said about that. That sound to me makes me feel so good, and when it comes to my music, I want others to feel the same way that I do when I listen to my favorite bands. So that's really the angle of inspiration I took when writing this album.

"People Pleaser" opens up the album with a burst of pop-punk confidence. Why did that song feel like the right one to open Poster Child?

Over the last few years, I've heard and seen a lot about myself. That I am a "poser," an "industry plant," a carbon copy of someone else which all is very untrue but I have let a lot of what people say affect my mood and my daily life. It's just a funny, fun way of saying sure whatever I'll do what you say, I'll be who you want, it's about taking back my own power and turning it into sarcasm.

On the other end, it's "Masquerade" that closes the record in such an intimate way. What made that the right song to end on?

Again I feel like I've been through so much the last almost decade of being in the industry. I've heard the word "no" countless of times, I've been told I wouldn't make it, I was told I should change how I present myself and my sound. That song is really just a reminder of how being myself has led me this far. I love realness but there are a lot of people in the industry who will take advantage and it's just the realization of how when you believe and you see through the smoke and mirrors, you find yourself and the people that actually matter.

There's a definite thread of resilience and self-discovery running through Poster Child. How did those themes come to the surface in the writing process?

Sitting with myself and truly processing all of my emotions and feelings about the last several years of my career was really the theme of this entire album. I feel like you can hear the growth not only vocally but lyrically, and production wise. It's just a culmination of everything I am and I think you can really feel that, or at least I can.

The title of the record is so bold, almost acting like a reclamation of identity. What does the term "poster child" mean to you in this context?

I feel like for so much of my life (and also being the middle child), I've kind of had this stigma around me. I have 2 other siblings and I feel like I constantly compared my journey to theirs. I was never the smartest or the most outgoing, always confused about my path, I was kind of quiet and moved to the beat of my own drum, they have steady jobs and families, so I've kind of always just felt like the black sheep. It's a weird thought feeling that way though because I recognize that I have a whole lot of really incredible people who look to my music to get them through, which I find so special. How can I have a voice yet have felt so lost for so long? It's a really interesting place to be in and I know my siblings are so proud of me and think what I do is so cool. I'm like the poster child of messing up, but just enough to end up with stories and life experiences that I now get to share and connect with fans. It's insane.

One of the reasons I, and so many others, love the pop-punk genre is how much it focuses on honesty and catharsis. How do you approach writing lyrics that balance emotional depth with catchy, anthemic energy?

I think what has helped a lot was starting off writing country music years ago. I feel like that genre has such an awesome way of storytelling and structurally the songs are always pretty catchy and hook focused so even when I'm writing about my own personal experiences in this genre I am still always trying to implement that structure. I feel like both genres can almost blend in a way as well which has been cool to experiment with the last few years.

Your fans have followed you from those early independent releases to this new era. How have they influenced your growth as an artist? Is there anything you'd like to say to them in this article?

Seeing them show up for me the way that they have even through this whole transition into a new genre over the years has been so motivating for me. It's made the growth of it all so much fun, and I owe a lot of my success to them because if it wasn't for them I don't think I would have continued on with music to be fully transparent so it's been cool to be able to be on this journey together. They keep lifting me up and I feel so lucky.

Is there one lyric or song on Poster Child that captures where you are right now, personally and musically?

There is a lyric in "Masquerade" that hits so deep and it's "now there's dirt under my heels, and I love the way that it feels" - it's such a simple lyric but I feel so grounded and happy in my life right now. I feel like myself and that's really hard to do in an industry that thrives off of individuality but also wants and expects you to be something you're not so often. It's so easy to lose yourself and to know that I am right where I'm supposed to be is a great feeling. I love where I am right now.

If Poster Child could speak, what do you think it would say to the version of you just starting out in Nashville?

I think it would say congratulations and that it was proud. It's taken a long time to get here, lots of losses, lots of hearing the word no, lots of wanting to quit, but at the end of the day I fought for where I am and I fought for this album and it feels like the fullest version of myself within a sound.

Ok last question, when fans press play on the album and listen through the whole record, what do you hope listeners feel when they reach those last notes on "Masquerade"?

This album is very emotional for me, but so much fun. I hope I was able to touch on whatever they were going through or needed and that they can interpret the songs in their own way and it helps get them through. I hope they feel my confidence and understand me and what I've been going through for the last couple of years as well and I just hope they had the best time listening. This album means so much to me and I'm so proud of it.