Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
Of all the YouTube stars, Tayler Buono isn’t the most popular. Her video for new single Technically Single has only had 20k views in 10 days. But what she has that most YouTubers lack is the potential to be more; to make waves outside of the YouTube fan community, and to be heard on the radio and in the charts. Case in point: the single has already passed a million plays on Spotify and topped the US viral chart. Its appeal reminds me of Daya’s song Hideaway, as both express a very relatable feeling in a simple, youthful way. Tayler’s track, about an undefined relationship, was inspired by text messages and a chat with a friend, and it shows in the song’s conversational feel. Although she has clear teen appeal, Tayler is 22, and this isn’t her first brush with fame. She was mentored by Joe Jonas on reality show The Next in 2012, and released a music video for single I Like. She’s since moved from Florida to Nashville, and developed a much cooler look and sound. After deleting her old videos, she started afresh with a new series of slick, stylish covers, and hit the jackpot with her ballad version of Justin Bieber’s Sorry, which has over four million views. Now the challenge is to achieve the same success with her original songs.