MaRynn Taylor Shares the Michigan Summers by the Lake That Inspired ‘Every Single Summer’

It hasn't taken long for rising country singer-songwriter MaRynn Taylor to cement herself as one to watch, and with millions of streams under her belt, it's clear she's already well on her way to being a star.

At the start of the year, the 21-year-old artist dropped her irresistible single, "Every Single Summer," and released its fun, nostalgic music video in June, alongside her stunning debut EP Something I Would Do (Black River). The playful video tells the story of a summer romance, with a sound that will pull you right back into the throes of the best season of the year. You can stream "Every Single Summer" on Spotify HERE, and keep reading for our interview with MaRynn herself to discover everything you ever wanted to know about her and the track!

Sweety High: What is the story behind "Every Single Summer"? What inspired you to write it?

MaRynn Taylor: So the story behind "Every Single Summer" comes from my growing up in Michigan. If you don't know, Michigan has these gorgeous lakes, and almost every year, I would go to this little town called Grand Haven on Lake Michigan. My friends and I would hop in the car, roll the windows down, and head straight to the beach. We laid out all of our towels on the sand, go get corn dogs from this little corn dog hut called Pronto Pups, and then we'd go get ice cream—well, it's more like a custard ice cream, which is like my favorite kind of ice cream! When I turned 17 and we moved to Tennessee, it was different because the lakes in Tennessee are not like the lakes in Michigan. I can't see my feet here in Tennessee, which made me not want to go in them! I'm like a lake snob now, haha!

So it was my second summer here, and I was reminiscing and missing those times I got to spend at Grand Haven on Lake Michigan. I wanted to write a song about that feeling—fun in the summertime, being with your friends, and maybe even having a summer fling, the warmness and fresh feelings that come with summer can be nostalgic—and I wanted to get that point across with "Every Single Summer." I loved getting to write it with my friends Jason Earley and Jonathan Gamble, telling them all about Michigan and how the lake there is like an ocean, but no sharks! I got to talk to my friends about my favorite place on Earth, and then it became my next single to country radio.

 

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SH: What does the song mean to you, and what do you hope it means to your listeners?

MT: With "Every Single Summer" being out for the whole world to hear, I hope people take the song and get in their cars and go to their lakes, beaches or little inflatable swimming pools in their backyard! I don't care—anywhere it's summertime, just go outside and enjoy it because it doesn't last long! I hope people feel that and also know that "Every Single Summer" is about being nostalgic. It's about looking back and remembering all of those fun times that they had in their childhood or their teenage years. It's about creating memories now it's an important moment of the year.

 

SH: What was the inspiration behind the music video? How does the playful, romantic feel of the video fit the track?

MT: Getting to be a part of the making of the music video for "Every Single Summer" and getting to share my thoughts and my vision with Kristin Barlow, who directed the music video, was an honor. I loved every minute of working with her. I thought the video needed to be outside, and there needed to be a boy, of course! We also wanted a group of friends—that was one of my favorite parts about summer, getting a good core friend group together and just having fun and enjoying summer. It was funny on set because we jokingly called ourselves the "Scooby gang" because we were instant friends and got to do all of those fun summery things like going fishing and exploring the outdoors. I think that is what summer is all about, and getting to share that through the music video as the song came to life as this colorful and vibrant video is what summer means to me. It was a really cool experience, and I hope when people watch it, they feel that, too.

 

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SH: What's your favorite lyric from the song? Why?

MT: I think my favorite lyric from the song is in the pre-chorus: "Most of the year I'm fine without you, but every single summer…" and it's like the whole rest of the year is great, but there's something about summer that takes you back and makes you feel different. It hits differently. Vibes are different in the summertime. It's happy, it's outdoorsy and fun, and it goes by too quickly. I think that line hits me every time, no matter what, and never fails to make me think of all of the things I don't normally think about in winter, spring or fall, but every single summer, I do.

 

SH: Is there anything else we should know about the track?

MT: Something funny people probably don't know about when we were writing "Every Single Summer" with Jonathan and Jason is when we were in the writing room, it was so vibey. We had that four-on-the-floor kick drum. Even just sitting there in our seats, we could feel the music drivin' us to push bigger. I told them, "Guys, I'm feeling like I want to belt. Like, I just want a moment where it just, like, breaks free, and it's that moment when the windows are rolling down, and this gust of air takes over." That's the part in the song that I sing, "Where did it go, where did it go?" I love that part because it's such a dance-y part in the song, and when I did this riff, I had no idea what I was doing. I was having fun in the making of the song. It's so cool getting to be so creative and especially with some of my favorite writers that make me feel safe enough to shoot for this giant note—that I don't know if I'm going to hit—but I think it'd be cool if I did! When I did it, it was this really cool moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

 

SH: What are your top three summer day essentials?

MT: Sunscreen for sure. We need sunscreen! I need some form of cold beverage, or cold ice cream or a popsicle—some sort of something cold in my hand. Also, I have a thing for hats. I love bucket hats and ball caps.

 

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SH: Tell us about one of your favorite summer memories.

MT: One of my favorite summer memories that I haven't really told people about was at my friend's house, a whole group of us well into our teens. We were all just hanging out and having some pop—yes, I am from Michigan, so I say "pop"—and suddenly, we all heard this song coming from outside. We realized it was the ice cream truck, and we started scrambling for coins! I think I actually broke my friend's pig piggy bank because I was like, "We need coins!" We ran out with coins in our hands, and we flagged them down! When we got the ice cream truck guy to come down, he was smiling and laughing the whole time because we're not kids. I mean, we were kids, but not little preschoolers. We were excited 17-year-olds chasing down the ice cream truck! I remember one called the Big Dipper. It's a chocolate ice cream cone, and I get that every time. I'll always remember what that was like, to remember that the little kid is still inside of us. I hope people have memories like this every single summer, too.

 

SH: Can you describe "Every Single Summer" in three words?

MT: Sunny. Fun. Memories.

 

SH:  What is your favorite Dierks Bentley song to dance to?

MT: My favorite Dierks song to dance to is "What Was I Thinkin'." I love that song. It's such a good bumpin' dance-y song. I think it's a song about not being so perfect and just kind of doing whatever, so it's a song that you don't have to dance perfectly along with it. I definitely can't dance, so I love being able to crazy dance to that song. I also love "Woman, Amen." That song is so touching. It's on my driving playlist, and when I'm driving, I sometimes think, "Dang, might be nice if I had a guy talking about me like that!"

Then there's also "5-1-5-0″—there are so many choices! Any of them work too, every single summer. Ha! So, we just had to put a Dierks song mention there somewhere.

 

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SH: What was your experience shooting the music video for "Every Single Summer" like?

MT: It was really fun! We shot in the middle of nowhere at a house in the woods. It had little ponds, and it sat on acres and acres of land, so there was lots of exploring to do. I love getting my hair and makeup done for shoots. When I'm picking out my outfits for shoots with extras and other actors, I like to color coordinate with others in the music video. This is the biggest music video I've done so far, and I'd never seen so many cameras on one of my sets before! There were so many hands on deck. It was a big deal for me to have a pro like Kristin Barlowe direct this video. Gaining a new group of friends while creating this video was an all-around fun day, and it matches the song really well.

 

SH: Describe your perfect summer day.

MT: My perfect summer day would have to start by sleeping in and then having pancakes with strawberries and orange juice for breakfast. Then I would go outside with my sunscreen on, and I would tan for hours! When I need to cool down, I would go get ice cream, and soon after, it would be around dinner time, so I'd probably go back to my house for a barbecue. After dinner, maybe play some cornhole or card games, and by the end of the night, hopefully, fireworks are going off somewhere close. I'd watch the fireworks and then go back home for a bonfire with some s'mores and maybe go camping. Or not go camping because I'm not really a camping person. But who knows, it sounds like something I would do.

 

Obsessed with all things country music? Click HERE to read our interview with American Idol runner-up HunterGirl on her new single, "Hometown Out of Me."