Exclusive Interview: Christina Taylor on Singing, Songwriting and 'Powerful Girl Songs'

Christina Taylor has music in her blood. Growing up listening to a wide variety of music, from rock to country to pop, the North Carolina native never planned on doing anything but music.

"I started singing at the tender age of three in my living room, with the audience of my parents and my sister and all my animals," Taylor recalls to PopCulture.com. "I listened to a lot of people like Joss Stone, Eric Church, Pink, Destiny's Child, Shania Twain -- the list goes on. I have a lot of musical influences, and I kind of grew up just dreaming of being a singer.

"When I was 15 years old, I went to my parents and said, 'That's what I wanted to do.' I wrote my first country song when I was 18 years old and recorded it. From then on, I decided to drive to Nashville once or twice a month for two years after that."

Finally making the move to Music City, Taylor became immersed in not only the performing world, but also the writing world, taking the stage and performing in writers rounds as much as possible. Just don't ask her which one she likes better.

"I like both," Taylor shares. "They're just different. I think writers rounds can get a little more personal, and you can really go in detail about how you wrote the song, what it means to you, that kind of thing. And when you've got a full band show, you can really rock the house and have a lot of fun."

Taylor is already making a name for herself, both in Nashville and beyond, with female-empowerment songs like "Don't Look Good in Your T-Shirt Anymore" and "That Girl," but the young singer makes it clear she is not at all anti-men, in her music or in real life.

"I love writing powerful girl songs, but I also always want to make sure I'm not being a man-hater either, cause I think some girls can come off like that," says Taylor. "That Girl,' I always use as an example. I'm talking about how, I was a little crazy in that relationship, and how a lot of people get a little crazy. I'm just not afraid to admit it, and how you don't have to be there always. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and you can be the independent girl you once were."

Taylor keeps a full performance schedule. A list of upcoming shows is available on her website. "Don't Look Good in Your T-Shirt Anymore" is from Taylor's recent That Girl EP, available for download on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Instagram/ChristinaTaylorMusic