The Hope State (Taylor Johnson) spent his for formative years in the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada where he cut his teeth writing songs and performing in various indie rock bands. Now Taylor has released his new single and video that he also direct titled Just Survive.
At the age of 18 he relocated to Los Angeles where he studied music business and began ghost writing songs professionally for the leading songwriters and artists in pop, country, hip hop and rock which have topped charts in counties all over the world.
Although always thankful to be continuously working in the music industry, Taylor felt a large part of his artistic freedom and general happiness were being compromised working as a ghost writer. A longing for writing more personal, meaningful songs and performing those songs was ever present. With that, Taylor began writing and performing as The Hope State.
Now living in Toronto, Canada, Taylor has begun recording with JUNO Award-winner Crispin Day (July Talk) and is set to release his debut album Skeletons, an introspective and intensely honest look at regret, depression, addiction, love and loss, set for release in October 2018. Check out Just Survive below!
We caught up with The Hope State as he talked about his latest single and more!
How has the release of Just Survive gone down with fans so far?
It’s gone over really well so far. I think people who have been following us are happy with the choice and it seems like people who are just hearing about us now are connecting with it, which is all you can really hope for. It’s a pretty hard song emotionally, but is presented in a pretty upbeat way, which I think makes it more approachable to newcomers.
Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows?
The song has been re-written about 5 times and re-recorded 3 times. Every time I sat with it I knew I had more in me and could do better.
How pumped are you for the release of Skeletons?
Extremely! It’s been such a long time coming. I’ve had the material for such a long time and even toured some of it around. The first version of it was started about 3 years ago… so I’m very excited to finally get it out there and even more excited to tour it around.
What track do you suggest fans to look out for on the album?
Skeletons. It’s going to be the next single and is probably my favorite I’ve ever recorded. It’s super moody and sounds so big and really get’s me excited!
If you could work with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
I’ve always wanted to work with Alex Ebert he has such a cool vibe and is just one of those musical geniuses that don’t come around too often. But writing with Bruce Springsteen would really be a dream come true.
What’s the alternative scene like in Toronto?
It’s interesting. Toronto is a tough town. There are a lot of bands. There are a lot of people. But there aren’t a lot of venues that support the bands. And there aren’t a lot of people who support the bands. Which is probably why the venues don’t. They play it pretty safe, which is understandable, but can sometimes be a little frustrating. It’s very competitive, even between bands. I’m from a scene where everyone was friends and supported each other. Some cities I play in, like Edmonton, or Kingston, have been so amazing because bands seem to support one another, void of ego. It’s really beautiful when that happens. But, with all that said, I still love Toronto and there are many beautiful things happening.
What’s it like working with Crispin Day?
Crispin is great. He started the journey with me 3 years ago when I first went to record an EP with him. I wasn’t able to finish it due to a hand injury. During that time I re-wrote and re-worked a bunch of the songs. It’s finally made it to this point. He’s been very patient and I couldn’t be happier we found each other. I’m excited to record the next one with him as soon as possible!
Will you be touring at all this year?
Yes! We’re going to try to play as many shows in as many places as possible. I encourage everyone to follow us to keep updated and aware with everything that’s going on!
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