Madison Taylor

I worked with Toby Moon Productions once again to film a music video for my original song, “Secretly Admire." Unlike my first music video, I decided not to include any clips of me lip syncing, so that the story unfolding between my four characters would have all of the focus. I wanted the video narrative to be set in a historical era, and Toby Moon Productions suggested the Victorian age. I have been an admirer (not secretly 😉) of all things Victorian ever since I started watching the BBC series Victoria, so I thought it'd be a fun idea to delve into that era.

My music video's fictional narrative of unrequited love overlaps 4 minutes of emotional vocals combined with lively string instruments and percussion. The filming process lasted 3 days, during a weekend in August of 2021. I chose to release the video on Halloween since it would be an easy release date for people to remember. My video also features a cast in full Victorian costume which goes along perfectly with the spirit of dressing up in costumes on Halloween!

It was a joy to have my sister join my cast. Ironically, she played my sister on-screen so it wasn’t hard for us to portray our sisterly bond. The other actors featured in my video regularly act in the plays and musicals at the Dover Little Theatre. Our first day of filming was at the theatre where we filmed the family portrait scene and had each cast member photographed in black and white portraits to mimic the wet plate photography of the Victorian Era. 

Our next two days of filming took place inside the Jefferson Township Museum. The interior of the museum is designed as an interpretation of life in the last quarter of the 1800s, reflecting how a family might have lived there during that period of time. It was the perfect set for my Victorian narrative. My two dresses featured in the video were designed by Dianna Filan who volunteers alongside me as a tour guide at the museum.

Produced by Toby Moon Productions
Director: Christopher Stokes
Writer: Elizabeth Smith
Editor: Dan Whitehead
Director of Photography: Angel Fajardo
Assistant Camera: Ben Carolan
Key Grip: Kyle J. Whitehead
Production Assistant: Nick Parada
Costume Designers: Dianna Filan and Tara Howanice
Actors: Madison Taylor, McKenna Brown, Eric Najimian, Kevin Seaver
Filmed at Dover Little Theatre and the Jefferson Township Museum
© 2021 Madison Taylor

Official “Secretly Admire” Lyrics
Written by Madison Taylor

I wrote a letter and sent it out to the wind
Hoping that it'd find you
Somehow, I knew it reached your hands
But it never found your heart

Oh taker of my soul
You will never know, you will never know
Oh stealer of my soul
You will never know that I secretly admire you

I called your name out in a crowd
But the sound lost hope and faded out
I grew long tired of the night
Cause you were all I could think about

Oh taker of my soul
You will never know, you will never know
Oh stealer of my soul
You will never know that I secretly admire you
You will never know that I secretly admire you

And when I smile at you, I am filled with fear
That you might somehow never reappear
And when I smile at you, I shed many tears
Cause I know that I've wasted all these years

And when I smile at you, I am filled with fear
That you might somehow never reappear
And when I smile at you, I shed many tears
Cause I know that I've wasted all these years
Pining over you

You will never know, you will never know
You will never know that I secretly admire you

I wrote a letter and sent it out to the wind
Hoping that it'd find you
Somehow, I knew it reached your hands
But it never found your heart

© 2021 Madison Taylor Music (BMI). All Rights Reserved.

My family and I love to watch British drama and Victorian-based movies, so getting to film my own Victorianesque music video was a dream come true! You can watch my video by clicking here. I’d appreciate if you leave a like and comment on my YouTube channel. Thanks!

To step into a lasting relationship and feel the peace that comes along with it - that is what I envisioned when I wrote my original song “Destined” back in high school. 💗 It was fun to dream up the song, but even more rewarding to bring it to life through a professional music video.

After graduating from Liberty University and returning home in the summer, one of my goals was to film and release a music video for a song off my Evergreen EP. On my social media, I saw an account for a video production company called Toby Moon Productions based in Oak Ridge. The company was founded by the older brother of an acquaintance I knew back in high school, so I mustered up my courage and reached out to his team. They were more than willing to take my project on, so we discussed and cemented our vision for my “Destined” music video over Zoom meetings before meeting to film it in September of last year. It was a fun process overall, and I’d love to work with them again on another music video. The following are the video credits:

Directed by Elizabeth Smith 
Produced by Toby Moon Productions 
Edited by Greg St. Clair, Jr 
Director of Photography: Dan Whitehead 
Assistant Camera: Kyle J. Whitehead 
Costume Designer: Heather Stevenson 
Actors: Christopher Stokes and Madison Taylor 
© 2021 Madison Taylor 

Official “Destined” Lyrics 
Written by Madison Taylor 

I thought that you died out 
Few vows are engraved in stone 
My heart had been blacked out 
But you felt like home 

So tell me what you want, tell me what you need 
Let me pay you back, don’t mind rolling up my sleeves 
I’m destined to be with you 
Show me all your scars, show me what you’ve seen 
We can start again, start until we feel washed clean 
I’m destined to be with you 

A vision with soft eyes, 
An angel with hands to touch 
I’ve used up my war cries 
Found peace in your love 

So tell me what you want, tell me what you need 
Let me pay you back, don’t mind rolling up my sleeves 
I’m destined to be with you 
Show me all your scars, show me what you’ve seen 
We can start again, start until we feel washed clean 
I’m destined to be with you 

I can feel the love, and I can see the ring 
It was more than I was envisioning  

So tell me what you want, tell me what you need 
Let me pay you back, don’t mind rolling up my sleeves 
I’m destined to be with you 
Show me all your scars, show me what you’ve seen 
We can start again, start until we feel washed clean 
I’m destined to be with you 

© 2021 Madison Taylor Music (BMI). All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our day of filming (photos taken by Christopher Stokes, the actor in my video):

To watch my new music video, click here. Thank you for your continued love and support!

Warmly, Madison Taylor

If there is anything that is truly evergreen, it is love. Love endures all things. It never fails.  

Of course, there are many kinds of love. Agape, the Greek word for love, representing Christ’s covenant love for humankind, surely exceeds all the others. It is the only kind that satisfies our need to be loved beyond who we are or what we do. 

That isn’t to say we don’t experience some of the other kinds in our lifetimes. Many of us resonate with the desire for “eros”, the Greek word for romantic love. At 21 years of age, I can say I’ve had my decent share of romance. 

Romantic tension, heartache and unrequited love have been the main themes of my songwriting inspiration. In the past, it was easier to dwell in my sadness than remember that singlehood was and is a blessing. But, I felt that it was only proper to spotlight these special songs that have carried me through the lows of my experiences in matters of the heart. I hope that my music is able to connect with and soothe others who are also dealing with broken hearts and need the reminder that they’re not alone in their struggles. 

Using my sad experiences to write most of the songs on my EP wasn’t too fun, but the whole recording process was a ton of fun! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with Pipe Dream Studios and release my first album. What better way to ring in the new year (and decade!) than by accomplishing one of my greatest musical dreams? 

“Evergreen” is live today, on all music stores and streaming services you can think of. I hope you’ll enjoy what my songs have to offer - honesty, passion, dreams of love... as well as the interwoven idea that love is evergreen. That the pleasant and not-so-pleasant memories associated with our experiences of falling in and out of love continue to shape and renew our hearts. We are never the same when we separate from those we once held close to our hearts. Instead, we are forever changed for the better by having known them. For having allowed them to sharpen our perspectives, teaching us what we could not have learned without experience. 

You can listen to my album here: 

Spotify

iTunes

Bandcamp

Tidal

Deezer

It was a treat to work with Brianna Joy, a local photographer in Lynchburg, for my Evergreen photoshoot. I’ll take just about any excuse to wander through the woods for fun and let my outdoorsy and curious nature roam free!  

May love that is evergreen follow you always,

Madison Taylor

Friends, I'm so excited to finally be typing up this announcement. I am currently in the process of recording my first EP at Pipe Dream Studios. Woohoo!

As a singer-songwriter, this has been a childhood dream of mine for as long as I can remember. And I'm so happy that all of you are here to support me as I officially step into the music industry world.

Out of all the names I could have chosen for the title of my EP, it did not take me long to decide on the song, "Evergreen." I will expound on the meaning behind choosing that particular name for my next blogpost. 

My EP will have a total of six original songs; four of them primarily folksy and the other two leaning more toward a pop feel. All of the songs are knit together by the theme of romance and longing. The release date is still to be determined, but it should be finished and released to all streaming services by January of next year.

In the meantime, follow my music instagram @madisontaylorartist to stay up to date with my latest covers and musical journey. Thank you for being a part of this exciting milestone in my music artist experience. I hope you'll stay tuned for what's to come!

With love, Madison Taylor