Exclusive Interview with Parker Layton

Up-and-coming singer-songwriter Parker Layton is looking to make a name for himself in the music industry. He just released his debut single, “Keep In Touch,” which is already making waves amongst old and new listeners. I got the chance to talk with him about the single, how he got his start, how he balances music and school and so much more. Keep reading to see what he had to say!

How old were you when you first took the step into making and performing music?

Throughout my life, I had been going in and out of playing music growing up, but when I was 19 I decided that I wanted to perform and start writing songs about my experiences.

Was there a specific moment or person who made you realize music is something you want to pursue professionally? 

There have been so many friends/family of mine that have supported me throughout the years, so it’s been built upon that. I would say my parents and my brother have been the biggest influences in pushing me to go after this career and to create a voice that people can relate to.

If I read things right, you’re a full-time student studying agricultural business. What made you want to pursue that rather than something related to entertainment or music? 

I wanted to pursue that degree because my family farms in southern New Mexico; we grow green chili and onions. I believe that I can learn music from other people rather than taking courses at a university.

Have you found it challenging trying to balance your up-and-coming music career and school? 

It can be challenging due to scheduling classes and traveling back-and-forth to Nashville. Most of it has to do with communicating with my professors regarding some of the classes I had to miss and making up assignments.

I’m always genuinely curious about what artists want to convey with their music. So how would you describe your sound without genre names? What kind of music do you produce? 

I would describe my music as a heartfelt, soothing message.

Let’s talk about your new single, “Keep in Touch.” What’s the story behind the song?

“Keep in Touch” is the story of how a lot of my past relationships lacked communication and seeing how two people can drift away from each other.

What was your songwriting process like for this song in particular? Did you write it by yourself or did you collaborate with other writers? 

I worked with two producers called the Sharkes; we’ve been collaborating for the past 8 months. We wrote “Keep in Touch” within a couple of days of writing. We are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other, whether they are good or a little off from what we want to give with our message.

Since we just talked about being inspired to write songs, who are some of your musical influences when it comes to songwriting in general? 

Some of my influences for songwriting are Ryan Tedder, Chris Martin, and John Mayer.

You also released a music video for “Keep in Touch.” How did the concept for the video come about? What was the process of shooting it? 

The concept of the music video came from within my team; we just wanted to find an awesome site to shoot the house scene and the white backdrop to get in front of the camera to get out of my comfort zone. The process of shooting it was much more work than I thought it would be. Everyone thinks these videos take an hour or two to make when really you’re there for two days, getting different lighting angles and giving different attitudes when approaching your body movement and facial expressions. I’ve learned so much from those experiences for future shoots.

Musically, what can people expect from you for the rest of 2018? 

I’ve been in the studio all summer working on projects and will hopefully drop music within the next few months!

Last question — our website is called Talk Nerdy With Us because we all have an inner-nerd. What is something, besides music, that you nerd out about? 

Besides music I nerd out about health and nutrition. I’m constantly browsing the web on new studies on diets and ways to approach how I should take care of myself.

For more information, you can check out Parker’s website or follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.