Betty Reed
After moving to Nashville, TN from Boston, MA, Betty Reed released four country-pop singles throughout 2020: Her, Drunk On You, I’ll Get By, and Good Days. In the winter of 2020/2021, Betty Reed released three electro-pop singles: Fall Apart, Never Enough, and My Way. On September 3, 2021, Betty Reed released her six-song EP, “Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned.”
Many of Betty Reed’s songs are about her experience dealing with depression — not so much the bleak side of it, but the ways in which she finds her way out of the dark and into the light. Other songs tackle issues around toxic relationships.
Betty Reed’s early influences (and favorite artists) span the music spectrum, and include Tom Petty, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Radiohead, David Bowie, Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson, and Bob Marley. Betty Reed is the performance persona of Taylor Dill, a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a BA in vocal performance.
Who is the "human" behind the artist Betty Reed and how did you get into music?
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Okay, it’s not really a secret, but my real name is not Betty Reed. It was my grandmother’s name and my career in music is an homage to her—which is why I took her name. She always encouraged me to find a creative outlet to express myself, and although she wasn’t around to ever hear me play (she died of cancer when I was a kid), I sense her presence whenever I perform and I have a feeling she hears me.
I think I’ve always felt an affinity toward music, even when I was a toddler. I remember being at a daycare center where a woman came in once a week and played guitar and sang. I can’t even express how wonderful that weekly guitar session made me feel. Eventually, my dad bought me a small “child’s” guitar when I was nine. My aunt Cathy taught me three chords: C G7 and Am. A year later I begged my mom for guitar lessons.
I started to feel lonely and depressed when I turned 12 and one day after camp I came home to an empty house and wrote my first song, “Invisible.” I probably didn’t realize it at the time, but it was like therapy—getting my private thoughts down on paper and singing them to myself. When I expressed the desire to perform, my mom signed me up for School of Rock where I learned to play electric guitar. Soon after that, I started working with a wonderful vocal coach. In my senior year, I joined my high school's gospel choir. And then got into Berklee College of Music where I majored in vocal performance and took a lot of songwriting classes.
Many of my songs draw upon my personal experiences of coping with depression—not so much the bleak side of it, but the ways in which I find my way out of the dark and into the light. Even though the subject matter of most of my songs is serious, I mask it with an upbeat vibe—it’s like this veneer of cheeriness that you feel you have to project in order to feel normal.
"Shallow End" sounds impressive and very personal, what was your inspiration, what's the story behind the song?
“Shallow End” is about the complex and conflicting emotions I experience when in the throes of depression. The thing about depression is that it feels like you can’t find a way out of your situation. But it’s not like you are in the deep end of a pool where your chances of drowning (dying) are exponentially higher. It’s this feeling that you are giving up when there is a chance to rescue yourself. You merely have to stand up. But it’s so hard to do even that when your brain is essentially malfunctioning. The chorus brings this sentiment to the surface:
I’m aware it makes no sense / I’m drowning in the shallow end /
Can barely breath I don’t know when / I’ll either die or stand again /
I’m drowning in the shallow end
The meaning behind “Shallow End” is thematically similar to two of my earlier releases “I’ll Get By” and “Happy” in that even though these songs are about being in a depressive state, you have to believe that there are better days ahead (or at least in-between the bad days) and lean in on those hopeful moments as your life preserver.
I was a bit reluctant to release this song because of how personal it is. But every time I play this song live, the response is incredible. People who cope with depression come up to me and tell me how beautifully I've captured exactly how they feel and it's comforting to know that they are not alone in the struggle.
What is your creative process like and was it this time different?
My writing process is different every time I sit down to compose something new. Sometimes I start messing around with the guitar and hit upon a melody, sometimes I start writing lyrics about something I feel strongly about, and sometimes a tune pops into my head and I think of lines that would match that melody. If I begin the process by writing lyrics, the rhythm—upbeat pop, bluesy, moody, ballad-like—comes to me rather quickly. Then I’ll pick up the guitar and start thinking about the chord progressions and melody. When I feel I’ve got something special, I start to refine it. Does the song need a bridge? Is the hook strong enough? Is the chorus memorable? I’ll get advice from friends and family. I’ll even test it out on social media.
For “Shallow End” I came up rather quickly with the first line of the chorus and its melody as I was thinking about how I feel when depressed. Then I remembered a poem I had written a few months earlier and I felt the first stanza would work as the opening verse. And from there, the song came together rather quickly.
What do you prefer, a live gig or a studio session?
I love both for different reasons. I thrive on performing live, especially when I connect with people who love my music and feel what I’m feeling. That said, I love recording sessions. The energy and creative collaboration between myself, the producer and the studio musicians — and I love hearing my vision fully executed after all the mixing and mastering is complete.
You are active on all "Socials", what do you think about social media in general?
I have mixed feelings about being active on social media. On one hand, I want to share what I’m creating with my fans, but on the other hand, it’s hard for me to put myself out there in this “hey, look at me” way. There is a lot of pressure to “create content” and “engage” in order to keep growing and to even potentially land a record deal. I want to be authentic and that’s hard to do on social media when the stuff that gets noticed is overly edited and filtered. At times it feels stressful and relentless—and so I do need to take breaks from it once in a while.
My favorite social media activity is practicing live on TikTok, where I test out new songs, play covers, and sing acoustic versions of my recorded music. I have a regular group of fans who show up to support me and cheer me on.
What's your favorite song right now?
“Something Worth Working On” by John K. I actually got into this song during one of my vocal lessons on how to use my emotions and phrasing to make a song sound personal. It’s such a sweet song. And I can totally relate to the lyrics about how relationships aren’t perfect and there will be times you don’t agree with each other or get angry with each other. But if you love someone and they love you, then the relationship is worth fighting for.
What’s next for you?
I have some exciting news that I can’t share yet. But let’s just say I’ve made some new connections with people in the music industry, people I trust and admire, and so I think 2023 is going to be an interesting year for me. I’ll be collaborating with some incredible songwriters and producers, and working on a couple of projects that will hopefully level up my music career.
