With her triumphant new single ‘Why Should I Worry’, Carly Ann Taylor delivers a message of resilience at a time when uncertainty feels universal. Blending soul-pop warmth with deeply personal storytelling, the rising artist opens up to Pete Samson about anxiety, healing, and the life experiences that shaped both her powerful voice and her vision.
Your new single ‘Why Should I Worry’ feels like the kind of uplifting anthem the world needs right now. What first inspired you to write it?
Thank you so much! I do believe the song delivers a timely message to people all around the world. Why Should I Worry was born from a place of heavy worry, anxiety, and fear of my future. I was really struggling to understand where God was leading me in a specific season of my life. The fear I had was so numbing that I cried out to God to show me a way out.
At that time, my mom encouraged me with scripture from Matthew 6. If God takes care of the lilies and the birds in the air, why wouldn’t He take even better care of me? He holds the whole world in His hands yet cares for me and holds my life and my future. So if this is the truth, then Why Should I Worry?
Was there a particular experience, emotion, or lyric that shaped the song and helped bring it together? What does your creative process usually look like?
I had just graduated college and found myself full of fear for what was ahead of me. I knew what God was calling me to, but the road seemed extremely uncertain. I graduated with a degree in Commercial Music Production and I knew I wanted to pursue a career in music.
I wrote the chorus of Why Should I Worry while sitting at my home piano with my little sister, thinking of how I would encourage her if she was the one struggling with such paralyzing fear and anxiety. I don’t remember struggling to rhyme, or even searching for words. It felt like a literal download from God.
For me, every song starts from an emotion. I will usually think about what emotion I want my song to convey, and then develop lyrics and melodies that embody that. The melody usually comes next because it carries the feeling, and then the lyrics bring what the melody is already saying into words. I want the production, the rhythm, and the words to all feel like they’re telling the same emotional story.
I also love writing with other people because it opens the horizon creatively. Other writers bring perspectives and melodies I might not have found on my own, and that collaboration often takes the emotion somewhere even deeper or more expansive than I imagined.
If your music could soundtrack any movie, what would it be?
It would probably be an inspirational/uplifting drama based on a true story!
You’ve mentioned that your music grew strongly out of finding faith – could you share more about that journey?
I have been singing since I was 3 years old and music was definitely an escape for me as I was experiencing some really tough things. My biological parents struggled with addiction, and I grew up in a very dysfunctional household. I was taken by Child Protective Services when I was 7 years old, and didn’t really know how to love or be loved.
When I was 15, my biological half-brother, whom I did not grow up with, invited me to visit him and his wife during the summer in California. During my visit, I started opening up about some of the things I was going through in Hawaii. As they started to learn about a lot of the things that were happening in my life at that time, they knew they couldn’t send me back.
I never returned to Hawaii. They ended up taking me in and finished raising me as their own daughter. They are now who I call my mom and my dad. They took me to church the very first Sunday I was visiting, and I accepted the Lord into my life immediately. That is when I was introduced to worship music, and everything made sense to me. Today music isn’t an escape for me, but it is something that brings healing and I can express my gratitude for how God rescued me and changed my story!
When I look back now, I can see that God was with me the whole time, even on the hardest days. He had His hand of protection on me and had a plan for my life even though I did not see it then. Growing up in a dysfunctional home shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand then, but I see it now.
I’ve chosen to look at my childhood, even the trauma, through a lens of gratitude. Not because it was easy, but because God has redeemed it. Those experiences definitely gave me a depth and sensitivity that show up in my voice and in my writing.
With Easter approaching, what does this time of year mean to you personally and artistically? How are you hoping to spend the holiday?
I didn’t grow up as a Christian, so for most of my childhood Easter was just about dressing up, family photos, and candy. It wasn’t until I gave my life to Jesus that I really understood the meaning of the cross. Easter is about sacrifice, redemption, and the most profound love story in history.
Easter for me is a time of reflection and gratitude. I think about the reality that Jesus chose to die in my place, and that I can find hope in Him. That truth shapes my faith and my music. So much of what I write is rooted in redemption and the belief that nothing is too broken to be restored.
Artistically, Easter reminds me why I do what I do. If the resurrection is real, then hope is real.
I’ll be spending the Easter holiday with my family, celebrating at our home church and just soaking in the meaning of it all together.
How did moving to Southern California end up changing the direction of your life?
Moving to California definitely completely changed the course of my life! I honestly cannot even fathom where I would be today had I not left Hawaii. Not only did I find salvation in Jesus, but now I have a new family that loves me and supports me in everything I do. I got to graduate not only high school (which is a big deal in Hawaii) but also college, and with honors. I have the privilege of pursuing my dreams and having a platform to share my music with the world so people know they are not alone in their pain and problems, and that there is hope for them.
In what ways do your beliefs influence your songwriting?
My story and belief is woven into every song I write. And if there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s that no matter what they’ve walked through or what they’ve done, there is nothing the Lord can’t redeem or restore. Your past doesn’t define you or disqualify you! Your story can be the very thing God uses to bring light and hope to someone else.
For anyone discovering you for the first time, how would you describe Carly Ann Taylor – and why should they listen?
This is so hard! I can’t say I love talking about myself haha. I guess I’m just a little girl with big dreams and something to sing about! I consider myself a Christian soul-pop artist, and I hope that my music resonates with hearts, and that people find true hope in Jesus in every lyric I sing!
What’s one thing you’re most looking forward to right now – whether it’s a song, a show, or another exciting moment on the horizon?
I am SO EXCITED for all of the new music I have been working on! I can’t wait for the world to hear what my team and I have been working on. This next chapter goes into different parts of my story… different seasons, different sounds, and it stretches across a few genres in a way that feels really authentic to me. I’ve also been working on some really special collaborations that I can’t wait to share!! Stay tuned!!!!