- Words Josephine Amstad
Following the release of “My Mother Wants Me Dead”, carolesdaughter catches up with Notion about her tour with Machine Gun Kelly, musical influences, and what's next.
Having grown up in a religious Mormon household the youngest of ten, carolesdaughter (real name Thea Taylor) was always destined to break the mould. Upon seeing a black flag tattoo and googling its meaning, a whole new world opened up for the young artist, engulfing her into a punk goth subculture and kickstarting the genesis of carolesdaughter as we know her today.
Frank about her struggles both inside and outside of her music, carolesdaughter battled with her mental health and fell into drug-taking as a means of escape. In and out of rehab, she vowed to start making music. She wrote and uploaded “violent” to soundcloud which became an instantaneous hit, racking up millions of listens. With a knack for transmuting turbulence into beauty with her haunting alternative pop anthems, carolesdaughter is the epitome of gutter goth elegance, striking a chord with millions of listeners around the globe.
Her latest single “My Mother Wants Me Dead” is compellingly nostalgic – and short enough to leave you wanting more. Notion caught up with the young trailblazer about her upcoming tour supporting Machine Gun Kelly, from where she mines inspiration, and what’s next for the star: namely, lots more music and lots more gigs.
Congratulations on your new single “My Mother Wants Me Dead”! That’s quite a name, what was the inspiration behind it?
My mom doesn’t like that I smoke cigarettes and I decided to make a fun little tune about it.
Is the name carolesdaughter an homage to your mother? How is your relationship with her today?
I wouldn’t be here today without her so paying tribute to her with my name is me saying thank you to her.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey? How was it growing up in a household with nine other siblings?
Growing up one of ten makes you want to stand out. My family was very religious growing up and that made me a little rebellious.
What music did you listen to growing up and who are your biggest influences?
I think my influences are all over the place, from the carpenters to SoundCloud rap. I like to take aspects from a lot of genres into my music.
Your track “Violent” went viral on TikTok and has over 20million streams – how does it feel that your music has reached so many ears?
It makes it feel like I didn’t even write it because it’s so big.
You’ve always been frank about your past struggles. Has being open about these issues through your music felt cathartic?
Honestly, it feels the same because I’ve always been open about this stuff. It’s therapeutic sure, but it’s not something I hide outside of my music. I talk about it on and off stage.
How did the pandemic affect your creative process?
If anything the pandemic gave me more time to research music and deep dive into new artists, Find new Inspiron and venue write more. The pandemic made me more productive.
How does it feel to be going on tour with Machine Gun Kelly? What will a carolesdaughter show look like?
Touring is a great experience and watching MGK or Jxdn makes me reflect on what I can do at my shows and how I can grow, not just as a performer but production wise. When you go to a carolesdaughter show, i want it to feel like you’re transported to a new world. Mgk has giant pill bottles but at a carolesdaughter show maybe there will be giant teddy bears.
If you could be reborn in any era, what era would it be?
I would stay where I am because weed is legal.
What are some of your goals for the next few years? What’s next for carolesdaughter?
More music soon and gigs.