Though she’s been on a rapid ascent with her last several single releases, it felt like February 24th was the day Taylor Austin Dye arrived.
Just ten days after Valentine’s Day, the Kentucky native released her ninth single, “Rest in Peace,” which skyrocketed to number three on the iTunes country singles chart and landed her a placement in Billboard. Millions of streams and music video views have followed in the four months after “RIP,” and Dye says she is still riding the high that the song’s success has brought her.
“I have been blessed to have my ‘Ride or Dyes’ fully supporting me throughout my career as I have released single after single. ‘Rest In Peace’ brought in a whole new wave of fans that I didn’t even know could be possible,” says Dye. “Over the last few months, watching my growth on social media has been quite literally insane. It is being played on the radio all over the United States, and has even recently started to climb the Music Row Breakout Chart! The music video was picked up by CMT and the streaming has really spoken for itself! Seeing the success of this song has been so incredibly rewarding, and my favorite part is seeing people in the crowd singing along to it at my shows!”
With that success in tow, Dye is looking to continue her momentum with her newest single, “Bible Belt.” Released today, Dye says she knew “Bible Belt” had to be the song to follow “RIP,” which was later affirmed by its early success on TikTok.
“I had actually picked a different song to single after ‘RIP.’ It was a slower and sad cheating song (which y’all know I love). I even teased it a couple times on my socials, but the day we wrote ‘Bible Belt,’ I came out of that write knowing it absolutely had to be the follow up song,” says Dye. “It’s always hard going into a new release, especially after a successful song. I will always put out songs that I whole-heartedly believe in, but at the same time, I’m always hoping that it will be received positively by the listeners! When I posted the first teaser of ‘Bible Belt’ on TikTok, it quickly surpassed one million views, and that definitely eased my mind of any doubts that I made the right choice to put this one out.”
Once again teaming up with her “RIP” co-writers, Nicole Croteau and Chris Utley, Dye also enlisted the help of Rob Pennington to weave “Bible Belt” together.
“I cannot say enough good things about my co-writers on this song, Nicole and Chris. We lovingly call ourselves ‘Damage Inc.’ since we wrote ‘Damage Control’ the first day we met. We always have a special vibe in the room, and I always look forward to our time together,” says Dye. “I had actually brought the hook ‘put another notch in the Bible Belt’ to a couple of writes before, and even to a previous write with Nicole and Chris. It took some convincing to get someone to write this sensitive song with me, but I am so glad it was with those two! After the write, I showed the song to another co-writer of mine, Rob Pennington, and he gave me a couple of cool ideas, so he’s a writer on this song as well!”
Drawing inspiration from a hooker in her home town providing for her child, Dye says she’s felt comfortable being a storyteller and painting real-life stories, even if they don’t capture the most glamorous scenes, all the while, growing more comfortable with sharing her own experiences.
“It’s been hard for me in my songwriting career to be vulnerable with my experiences. It hasn’t been until recently, while writing for my album, that I have really delved into deep, personal subjects,” says Dye. “I grew up in one of the poorest counties in the United States, and while there are amazing people and beautiful places, there is also a ton of crime and corruption that is often overlooked in Appalachia. I used ‘Bible Belt’ as a way to tell the very real story of people who just ‘do what they have to do’ to get out of their situation. It’s not something pretty, but their stories deserve to be told.”
As the second half of 2023 approaches, Dye is set to enter it as a member of United Talent Agency’s roster, who recently signed Dye for booking representation.
“After ‘RIP,’ I was starting to get a lot of new and exciting opportunities coming my way! When I met with UTA, I immediately felt at home in the agency. My agents have went above and beyond already to make me feel welcome, and they’re killing it when it comes to getting me out on the road for upcoming shows, too!” says Dye. “To have their support and to know that my agents are championing me every day is an amazing feeling.”
Dye also enters the second half of her year with ever-growing social media numbers and a loyal fanbase who continue to show up for her on the road.
“As I mentioned earlier, seeing the social media growth has been insane! The best thing about it all is that it has truly translated to real fans who come to the shows, buy the merch and share my music with everyone they know,” says Dye. “I am always incredibly humbled to see the ‘Ride or Dyes’ growing in number with every show. Every meet and greet is a surreal experience for me. I can’t wait to start hitting more parts of the US this year to meet and make new fans. It’s always a party with us!”
Pro Country 
Leave a comment