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Taylor Monét Parks, known as Tayla Parx, is an American singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and actress. A two-time Grammy nominee in the Album of the Year category, songs she has written and co-written have exceeded 16 billion streams on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
and appeared on the pop,
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, R&B,
K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
, country, and
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
charts. She has released four albums, an EP, and a mixtape as a solo artist. Born in Dallas, Texas, Parx took singing, dance, and classical piano lessons growing up, and wrote her first songs as a child. At 9 she was enrolled at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, where, at Allen's urging, she began to act. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 2005, and in 2006 she was cast in her first television show. In 2007 she appeared as Little Inez Stubbs in the film ''Hairspray.'' Parx was signed to Warner Chappell Music when she was 19. Her first hit as a songwriter was
Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, is an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and formerly Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group signed a ...
's debut single, " BO$$", In 2018, three of her co-written songs appeared simultaneously on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100: " Love Lies" by Khalid and Normani, " Thank U, Next" by
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, and " High Hopes" by
Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...
. In 2021, with
Dan + Shay Dan + Shay is an American country pop duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released six albums, '' Where It All Began'', '' Obsessed'', '' Dan + Shay'', '' ...
's " Glad You Exist", she became the fourth Black woman to write a #1 country song in the history of the genre's airplay charts. In 2017, Parx debuted as a solo artist with the mixtape, ''TaylaMade,'' It was followed by the full-length albums ''We Need to Talk'' (2019), ''Coping Mechanisms'' (2020), and '' Many Moons, Many Suns'' (2024). She also released ''A Blue State,'' a three-song collection of covers, in 2020. Parx is the founder of TaylaMade, Inc, a company that acts as an umbrella organization for Parx Publishing, a joint venture with
Warner Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...
; 3020 Management, a management company for artists, writers, and producers; Trailer Parx, a lifestyle brand; Parx Studios, a creative collective; and TaylaMade Records, an independent record label.


Early life and education

Parx was born Taylor Monét Parks in
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and grew up in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
before moving to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
at the age of 13. Her mother worked in IT and her father in
mortgage underwriting Mortgage underwriting is the process a lender uses to determine if the risk (especially the risk that the borrower will default ) of offering a mortgage loan to a particular borrower is acceptable and is a part of the larger mortgage origination ...
. She sang before she could speak, and as a young child, her grandmother—a pianist—sang lullabies to teach her to harmonize. Music was a central focus of Parx's upbringing. She sang in church, and took dance, voice, and classical piano lessons. She began writing songs in elementary school. She loved
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
, who later introduced Parx to songwriting as a profession through her work with
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
. Planning to concentrate on dance, Parx began attending
Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award ...
's Dance Academy in 2002. Allen was enthusiastic about Parx's talent, and in addition to dancing, she encouraged her to act.


Career


Early career: Lincoln Center, ''Hairspray,'' Nickelodeon

With her parents' permission, Allen brought Parx to Washington, DC, and from the age of nine until she was eleven, she performed at
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
as the narrator in a stage adaptation of Allen's book, ''Dancing in the Wings.'' At Allen's urging, the Parks family moved to Los Angeles in 2006. During her first year in LA, Parx was cast in ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' and ''
Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' (stylized in all lowercase) is an American semi-autobiographical sitcom created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi that originally aired on UPN from 2005 to 2006, and then on The CW until 2009. The series is based loosely ...
.'' Her breakthrough role was as Little Inez Stubbs in the 2007 musical remake of the film ''Hairspray.'' She subsequently appeared on television shows including Nickelodeon's ''
True Jackson, VP ''True Jackson, VP'' is an American teen sitcom created by Andy Gordon that aired on Nickelodeon from November 8, 2008, to August 20, 2011. The series stars Keke Palmer, Ashley Argota, Matt Shively, Danielle Bisutti, Greg Proops, Robbie ...
'' and ''
Victorious ''Victorious'' (stylized as ''VICTORiOUS'') is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. The series revolves around aspi ...
''. She met Ariana Grande, who starred in ''Victorious'', at Nickelodeon.


2012-2016: Warner Chappell, "BO$$", "Solo Yo"

Feeling that she had become pigeonholed as an actor, in 2013 Parx decided to take a break from film and television. Refocused on music, she learned to engineer and began studying entertainment law. At 17, she met
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
, who became a mentor, and at 19, Jon Platt signed her to a publishing deal at
Warner Chappell Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...
. In a 2021 interview she said that her background as an actor helped her as a songwriter: "The art of songwriting is really being able to say, 'I'm here with you. I'm listening to you'. It was like this clash of two worlds that I loved." In 2013, she earned her first album credit as a co-writer and co-producer on the title track of Sevyn Streeter's debut album, '' Call Me Crazy, But...'' She reconnected with Grande, and together with Tommy Brown and
Victoria Monét Victoria Monét McCants (born May 1, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. First gaining recognition for her songwriting work, Monét pursued a recording career with the release of a series of extended plays (EPs); her fifth, ''Jaguar'' (2020) ...
, they wrote "My Everything", the title track of Grande's second album. She scored her first big hit as a co-writer and vocal producer on "Boss," the lead single from Fifth Harmony's debut album. Certified platinum in the US, it was on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 or 15 weeks. Parx voiced Sim in the video game ''
The Sims 4 ''The Sims 4'' is a social simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released on September 2, 2014 for Windows, and is the fourth main installment in ''The Sims'' series, following ''The Sims 3'' (2009 ...
'' in 2014, and a year later voiced
Victor Stone Cyborg (Victor "Vic" Stone) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appeared in an DC Comics insert previews, insert preview i ...
in the film '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters.'' In 2015, her songs were recorded by
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 ...
,
Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements wit ...
, Red Velvet,
Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Since the start of his solo recording career in 2009, he has sold over 250 m ...
, and
Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole (née Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Dubbed by critics as the " Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", she is known for her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Bor ...
, among others, and she was featured on "Anyway", a track co-written with
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
. She also released her first single as a solo artist, "Don't Answer the Phone". In April 2016, she had her first #1 hit on the Latin Pop charts with the
Sofía Reyes Úrsula Sofía Reyes Piñeyro (born September 25, 1995) is a Mexican singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2018 with her song "1, 2, 3 (Sofía Reyes song), 1,2,3", which featured Jason Derulo and De La Ghetto. In 2019, she released the son ...
and
Prince Royce Geoffrey Royce Rojas (born May 11, 1989), known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music, and in his teenage years began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen ...
track " Solo Yo."


2017-2019: ''We Need to Talk'', "Thank U, Next", ''Dirty Computer''

Atlantic Records released Parx's ''TaylaMade, a'' mixtape composed of 20 songs and interludes, in 2017. She said she had a feeling of freedom when she stepped into the studio to work on the mixtape, knowing all she had to do was be herself. Khalid,
Chiiild Chiiild (pronounced "child") is a Canadian experimental soul band, fronted by Yonatan "xSDTRK" Ayal signed to Avant Garden Records * and 4th & Broadway (Def Jam Recordings). The Montréal-based band formed in 2017 and released their debut EP, ...
, and Syd were featured on ''TaylaMade.'' Parx co-wrote the
BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...
song Mic Drop", released in 2017. It held the #1 spot on the Japanese K-pop charts for six weeks. The following year, she co-wrote "Like I Do" with Christina Aguilera. The track won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung performance. Parx also co-wrote the title track of
Chloe x Halle Chloe x Halle (pronounced "Chloe and Halle") is an American alternative R&B duo consisting of sisters Chloe Bailey, Chloe and Halle Bailey. At a young age, the sisters performed in minor acting roles before traveling from their hometown of Mable ...
's ''The Kids Are Alright'', (which was Grammy-nominated in the Best Contemporary Urban album category). She co-wrote four songs for Janelle Monae's ''Dirty Computer,'' taking a "deep creative storytelling dive" to help Monae tell her story. Parx received her first Grammy nomination in the album of the year category for her work on ''Dirty Computer''. In October 2018, Parx collaborated with Grande, Monet and Brown on the follow-up to Grande's album ''Sweetener''. They wrote nine songs in a week, including the "internet -melting" title track, "Thank U, Next." Parx urged Grande to use the names of her exes in the song. Released in November 2018, the song hit #1 n 23 countries, becoming a "worldwide cultural moment." Parx also co-wrote "
7 Rings "7 Rings" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande. It was released on January 18, 2019, by Republic Records as the second single from her fifth studio album '' Thank U, Next'' (2019). The song was written by Grande, Victoria Mon� ...
", which hit #1 in 28 countries and became one of the best-selling songs in digital music history. Like "Thank U, Next", "7 Rings" debuted at #1 on the Hot 100. In 2018, in addition to voicing AJ for ''The Walking Dead'' video game series, Parx had three songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100: "Thank U, Next", " High Hopes" by
Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...
, and the Khaled featuring Normani track, " Love Lies." "High Hopes," which Parx began working on at a BMI writing camp in 2016, was Panic! at the Disco's biggest hit to date, peaking at #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Love Lies" was a Top 10 hit in seven countries; ''Vanity Fair'' included it as one of a group of "genre-averse" songs that defined music in the 2010s. With her debut album, ''We Need to Talk'', released in April 2019, Parx explored genre, gender, and feminism as well as her identity as a queer Black woman. In a review in
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
, Kristin Corry wrote that Parx's habit of "crafting 200 songs a year has made her a painfully concise songwriter, one who carefully crafts every moment of the record's 15 tracks". The review emphasized Parx's ability to both convey and elicit emotion in her songs: Corry wrote that she could "almost hear Parx's heart breaking" on one track, and that another induced anxiety "like the moment you send a risky text, and see that the other person is typing." ''Entertainment Weekly'' described the album as "equal parts swagger and vulnerability."


2020-present: ''Coping Mechanisms,'' ''Many Moons, Many Suns''

At the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Parx built out her home studio, and finished her second album, ''Coping Mechanisms.'' During the
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
presidential election cycle, she recorded ''A Blue State'', a 3-song EP of cover songs that "captured the truths" of the moment, and "reflected society, how society was feeling." She covered Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On",
Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...
's "Everything Is Everything" and Kirk Franklin's "I Smile" on ''A Blue State,'' which was released on Atlantic in October 2020. ''Coping Mechanisms'' was released in November. In an article in ''Nylon'', Steffanee Wang wrote that with ''Coping Mechanisms'', Parx "turned the demons and emotional baggage that live in (Parx's) head into vibrant soundscapes of breezy disco, glitchy techno, and percussive pop." During the pandemic, Parx produced vocals and co-wrote six songs—including
34+35 "34+35" (pronounced "thirty-four thirty-five") is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, released on November 3, 2020, by Republic Records as the second official single from her sixth studio album ''Positions'' (2020). Written by Grande, Albe ...
and POV -- for Grande's fifth album, ''Positions'', while observing strict
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...
protocols. She and Grande were rarely in the same room. She was nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Album category for her co-write, "I'm Ready", on
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...
's ''
Bigger Love ''Bigger Love'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Legend. It was released on June 19, 2020, through Columbia Records. The album includes the singles " Conversations in the Dark", "Actions", "Bigger Love", a ...
''. She received her third Album of the Year Grammy Nomination as a co-writer of " FUBT" on Haim's ''
Women in Music Pt. III ''Women in Music Pt. III'' is the third studio album by American rock band Haim. It was released on June 26, 2020, in the United States by Columbia Records and internationally by Polydor Records. The album was originally set for release on April ...
.'' In 2021, she become the fourth Black woman to write a #1 country hit with " Glad You Exist", a collaboration with
Dan + Shay Dan + Shay is an American country pop duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released six albums, '' Where It All Began'', '' Obsessed'', '' Dan + Shay'', '' ...
. She received her fourth Album of the Year Grammy nomination as a songwriter on Justin Beiber''s ''Justice'' the same year, and in 2022 earned Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary Jazz album for her work on '' Not Tight,'' the debut album by Domi and JD Becks, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Diana Ross's ''Thank You.'' Writing when inspiration hit, Parx began working on her third album, ''Many Moons, Many Suns,'' just after the release of ''Coping Mechanisms.'' In July 2024, she dropped the "raucous, catchy, empowering, high-energy track" "Era" (featuring
Tkay Maidza Takudzwa Victoria Rosa "Tkay" Maidza ( ; (born 17 December 1995) is a Zimbabwean-born Australian singer-songwriter and hip hop artist from Adelaide, South Australia. She has been nominated for and won many awards, and released two albums: '' Tk ...
). The album was released independently on TaylaMade. In ''Rolling Stone,'' Parx said: "I'm in my era of owning everything that I am, If you listen to my lyrics, I'm telling you everything that you need to know about me and what my values are as a as a human. I'm saying that when you go through those dark times, you will finally bounce back and realize that you're OK."


TaylaMade, Inc.

Formally launched in 2021, Parx established TaylaMade, Inc. as an umbrella organization for her ventures. It includes Parx Studios, a creative collective that has worked with artists including
Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running nu ...
,
Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...
and
Noah Cyrus Noah Lindsey Cyrus (born January 8, 2000) is an American singer and actress. As a child actress, she voiced the titular character in the English dub of the film ''Ponyo'' (2008), and appeared in minor roles on shows including ''Hannah Montana'' ...
; and Trailer Parx, a lifestyle brand. TaylaMade Inc. also encompasses Parx Publishing, a joint venture with Warner Chappell; 3020 Management, and TaylaMade Records. Parx Publishing and 3020 Management have signed writers and producers including Grammy nominees Oliver Frid, Kameron Glasper, and Em Walcott.


Personal life and advocacy

Parx lives in Nashville. She is
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
. In the mini-documentary, ''Who Is Tayla Parx?'', she described herself as "a dog mom, a sister, a daughter, an executive, a writer and an artist." Parx is a member of the Mechanical Licensing Collective and a founding member of The Pact, a songwriter's lobby established to end the practice of performers receiving credit and publishing rights for songs they did not write. She was appointed to the leadership committee of the Recording Academy's Black Music Collective in September 2020.


Discography


Albums


Mixtapes


Extended plays


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Soundtrack appearances


Songwriting credits


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parx, Tayla 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Dallas African-American child actresses African-American LGBTQ people African-American women singer-songwriters American bisexual actresses American bisexual musicians American child actresses American contemporary R&B singers American film actresses American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women hip-hop singers American women pop singers Bisexual women musicians Bisexual singer-songwriters LGBTQ people from Texas LGBTQ women singers People from Mesquite, Texas Singer-songwriters from Texas Singers from Dallas