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Parker Layton has recently released the music video for the single “Keep in Touch”. An emerging artist and a guitar fanatic, Layton had been showcasing his vocal talent through covers on Instagram. But realising his potential as an artist, the singer has moved on to work on “original” songs.
He has got the kind of voice that works well in all genres of music. Moreover, Layton has got a loyal audience who support him throughout his endeavours.
CelebMix talked to Layton about his musical influences, his new single and future projects. Check out the complete interview below:
Please tell our readers a bit about yourself.
I was born in Tucson, AZ but lived there shortly due to my parents divorce at the age of 4. So my family which was my mom and older brother moved to Las Cruces, NM with my grandparents until I was around the age of 8. My mom had met my stepdad who is a farmer when I was 5. So we ended up moving to a house across town and I spent most of my life growing up there. When my high school graduation came up I wanted to move back to AZ and go to college. I had grown up playing sports so it was one of my dreams to play college baseball. I moved back to Tucson where my brother was living and playing football at the University Of Arizona. I had trained for a year to get in good shape and tryout for the JUCO’s in the state while working on music. I made a team and was invited to go play in Phoenix. I redshirted my first season at Phoenix College and ended up deciding I didn’t want to play anymore and pursue music. This past fall I started school at Arizona State and It’s been exciting to be in that environment of people! I also work on Mill Ave on the weekends at a bar. When the summer comes around I go back to my family’s onion and chile farm in Deming, NM and work until the fall.
How did your journey as a musician start?
My journey started when I was around the age of five. My mom and grandma put me in guitar lessons for a couple of years and I wasn’t really interested in it I was more interested in playing sports and being outside. Throughout elementary school I was in choir and had sang at a few events and tried out for a couple of competitions. I had completely dropped music when I was in middle school throughout my early high school years. I decided around my sophomore year that I wanted to pick guitar back up and sing.
How do you perceive music and your role as an artist?
Music to me is a force that can influence and help people everywhere express themselves. In what they may be facing in their day-to-day lives. My role as in artist is to be true to myself and others around me, with also making connections with feelings that anyone may be going through. Not only is it okay to be upfront about how you feel it’s necessary in order to promote growth within our own lives.
Do you have any artists you look up to?
I have so many but a few artists that I listened to growing up were Coldplay, OneRepublic, John Mayer, James Bay, Jack Johnson. A few that I find extremely talented are Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars. They all can put on a good show from a vocal/dance perspective.
Today, the industry is quite competitive and it takes a lot of effort to become a successful musician. What do you think are the major challenges artists face during their journey?
I think with artists nowadays it’s all about ones exposure through social media and streaming services. If an artist can have a strong social media following that can definitely open more doors for touring opportunities and branding. I also think that as an artist having your own sound is important. With streaming services and the opportunities for more people to make music it’s easy to get caught up on sounding similar to other artists or picking up on trends. It’s amazing that there are those opportunities to put out the music that can make an impact on the industry.
We got a chance to listen to your original single “Keep in Touch” and we really enjoyed it. Congratulations on your single! Please tell our readers a bit about the song.
Thank you! I appreciate that so much guys. It’s been a process these last several months working on the single. The song was a co-written song with myself and a couple of producers based out of Nashville called Sharke Productions. We are all within the same age so we all could connect on how the digital age is effecting how we communicate with each other. Whether it’s calling or texting and how easy it could be to lose someone through that process. There are so many facets behind the meaning of the song but the main point would just be that a relationship could end due to the fact that you or the other person aren’t displaying how you/they are feeling.
The music video has already been released. So, how has been the response so far?
The response has been amazing! I’ve had great feedback from my friends and family back home. I just wanted to say thank you guys! Las Cruces is a family oriented community. I enjoyed growing up there and graduating from LCHS. Along with the best Mexican food you’ll have in the Southwest. I always am excited to go visit when I can! The Nashville community has been amazing too! I’ve met so many people out there that are full of love and open arms. Of course Tempe and my amazing coworkers at Blasted Barley on Mill Ave have been supportive too!
We would like to know about the creative process that went behind creating the single.
What starts my creative process going into a song is co-writing sessions and coming up with a melody in writing. It’s all about putting in your perspective on what people say or what they’re thinking. It could also be an event that happened in your life. We play around with instruments such as piano, guitar, drums etc. Also we come up with a story or topic that may be weighing on our minds. This can take a few hours then we come up with a base of what we want to be in the song and work on the verses and choruses.
Is album in works?
I have an EP that will be released within the next few weeks!
A lot of your posts on Instagram are guitar covers.
– Do you like guitar?
– If yes then, which model has been your favourite?
– What’s your favourite song on guitar?
I love playing guitar it is such a great accompaniment and support that helps me express myself vocally. My favorite guitar is the AC3R by Yamaha. They sent me it in January in two different colors Tobacco Sunburst and Vintage Natural finishes. That’s a tough question I would have to say, it has to be No Such Thing by John Mayer.
Would you like to share with us your future projects or endeavours that fans should look forward to.
I’ve been touching up on a few songs in the studio for my EP that I’ll be releasing within the next few weeks! I’m also working on playing more live shows and furthering my career within the music industry!
You can follow the artist on Instagram using the handle @parkerlaytonmusic.Share your thoughts for the video via tweet @CelebMix.
