Taylor Walker (born November 27, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

. Taylor performed as a writer, keyboardist and vocalist on

The Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, publ ...

's debut album ''

Purple Naked Ladies ''Purple Naked Ladies'' is the debut studio album by American soul band The Internet, a duo consisting of Syd tha Kyd and Matt Martians of Odd Future at the time.Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known by the stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper. He began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop music, hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed ...

album ''

Watching Movies With The Sound Off Watching may refer to: Perception * Looking, the act of intentionally focusing visual perception on someone or something * Observation, active acquisition of information * Surveillance, monitoring of behavior, activities, or information * Birdw ...

''. In 2015 Walker released his debut solo album ''25 Hours A Day'', independently.

Early life

Tay Walker was born in Inglewood, California and eldest of three, having two younger brothers. His mother was a musician who used to sing to him, he began singing in the 3rd or 4th grade singing with his mother. Walker's mother introduced him to

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

and

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

. Walker self-taught piano player as well as a vocalist, in response, his mother put him in piano classes and the choir as a child.

Career

March 23, 2013 Tay Walker submitted an audition for a

Tiny Desk Concert ''Tiny Desk Concerts'' is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of former '' All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first ''Tiny Desk Concert'' came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music ed ...

performance. The video was filmed in a middle school music room. May 28, 2013 - Walker appeared in Mac Miller's, The Space Migration Sessions - " Objects in the Mirror" playing the keyboard as a member of

. Later that year Walker would perform on

Jimmy Kimmel Live ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywoo ...

with Miller. On August 26, 2017, Walker appeared on Signed, a

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

Television series where Rick Ross,

The Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Dream may also refer to: Art Paintings * ''The Dream'' (Detaille), an 1888 painting by Édouard D ...

and Lenny S, mentor aspiring artists and eventually offered him a place on their respective labels (MMG,

Radio Killa Records Radio Killa Records is an American record label created by singer-songwriter/producer The-Dream. The label operates as an imprint of, and is distributed through, Def Jam Recordings. The-Dream is the CEO of the label, responsible for choosing a ...

, and

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

). Tay Walker - one of the winners of the tv show - was offered a deal with MMG. December 14, 2020 - Tay Walker was photographed in the studio with Kes Kross,

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

and Walker's manager.

Influences

Tay Walker lists

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

and many

artists as influences as well as

Tyrese Gibson Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American R&B singer and actor from Los Angeles, California. He signed with RCA Records in 1998, and released his debut single " Nobody Else" in August of that year. It peaked within the top ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...

and

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...

. Walker also listens to a lot of R&B,

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, and

Neo Soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

artists.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Featured Singles

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Tay Living people 21st-century American musicians Musicians from Inglewood, California 21st-century African-American male singers African-American record producers Record producers from California American male pop singers American hip-hop singers Rappers from California American multi-instrumentalists 1992 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers