Welcome to my digital homestead. This is an overview of who I am and what I like to do.… AKA: who the hell I am.
My name is Taylor Bini. If you haven’t picked up on it so far, I am female. And I do sing in a band. Two bands, in fact. Hence the name “She Sings, Sometimes.” The first is a Queen Tribute band, and the second is a jazz band. Both are based in South Texas. I also write and produce my own music. If you haven’t picked up on it so far: I have a huge passion for all things arts and performance.
But hold up, let’s back up a bit: How did I get here?
Great question, reader. However the answer isn’t all black and white, so buckle up. Before I started singing in a band, I sang in my high-school choir. I took voice lessons. I played leads in my schools musicals and plays. My senior year of high school, I applied for different music and performing arts programs across the United States. I landed a coveted spot in one of the country’s top performing arts Conservatories. Things were looking up and I was on track! Then I dropped out.
You heard me. I dropped out.
I spent one whole year at the Conservatory. (One! Whole! Year!) Then I decided that I should leave. There’s a bunch of reasons why I decided to dip, but mostly higher education is expensive. And the return investment rate on a performing arts degree (no matter how prestigious the school) is not….ideal.
So, the summer after my freshman year I came home to Texas and started working and re-applying for college. I took the following year off to work and save money. If you were wondering, yes I was upset for awhile. Upset like I was having a midlife crisis at just 19 years old. I was a weepy little sad girl for a couple of months, then out of the blue an opportunity dropped straight into my lap.
Thanks to an old high school voice teacher, I was hired to sing at a charity event in November of 2018 . After several rehearsals for said event, the accompanying guitar player, a random, middle aged man approached me and asked if I knew the band Queen. I replied with, “duh?” Okay maybe I wasn’t that frank. Anyhow, I responded yes and he then proceeded to ask me if I would come out to audition for a project he and his current band-mates were putting together: A Queen Tribute band.
Two things crossed my mind immediately:
- Is this guy trying to kidnap me?
- A QUEEN TRIBUTE BAND?!?!? YES I WANT TO COME AUDITION!?!?!
But alas, I, being the sensible young lady that I am, opened a civil dialog with him. Besides, I had to investigate whether he actually wanted to kidnap me or not.
After talking with him for a while, I started to realize that he and his band were legitimate. He was heavily connected in the local music scene and had been playing with different bands all over town for the last 20 years. Turns out we had several mutual connections, including some of my old teachers and voice coaches. It seemed as if we had too many overlapping connections for him to kidnap me so I agreed to exchange contact information.
I started to do some digging on this guy almost immediately. An accompanist friend confirmed that this man was indeed who he said he was, and was in fact a stand-up person and musician. She even played gigs with him on occasion. She offered to go with me to my audition. Relieved, I agreed, thankful for her guidance.
FAST FORWARD EIGHT MONTHS.
I’m sure by now you’ve concluded that the audition went well. That picture above is our band, Q-The Music of Queen, playing to a sold out audience at Live Nation’s biggest venue in San Antonio, Texas: The Aztec Theatre.
I returned to college after my year hiatus with a new perspective and an opportunity for a fresh start. In the Fall semester of 2019, I was enrolled in a major that I knew had a solid return on my fiscal investment and allowed me free time for multiple different creative projects. This freedom from financial worry produced greater artistic fulfillment and a firm sense of security in my future.
In the last semester I have partnered with For The Students, an organization devoted to connecting young, up and coming artists to music industry professionals. As a campus ambassador it is my job to create a network of artists at Texas State University who are interested in pursuing a career in music. In addition to singing the band, I like to act, write plays and compose music. Producing and marketing music is it’s own challenge completely, and I’ll be blogging about that as well.
IN SHORT:
This blog is devoted to everything I’ve learned and will continue to learn about the music business and being an artist in the entertainment industry. After almost a year and a half, I have learned a lot. I am still learning. I am still growing. That’s why I started this blog: to voice a feminine perspective on the entertainment industry and document my journey along the way.
So far my experiences have taught me many things. Above all else, I have learned that I’ve got an important voice. I have loud opinions. I have stories worthy of being shared. This blog is for those out there like me, artists and creators or whoever wants to listen as we navigate this industry together.
This is who the hell I am.
SHE SINGS, SOMETIMES. 