Artist with SW IA ties releases new single
Chart-topping artist Taydem Shoesmith s released her latest single “This, That” on Nov. 5.
The jazz single, written by Shoesmith herself, is a reflection on first impressions and not judging people based on superficial characteristics.
Shoesmith, who lives in Carroll, has Southwest Iowa ties, with two sets of grandparents who live in the Southwest Iowa area.
“On my mom’s side, my grandparents are Eugene and Nancy Turner of Griswold, and on my dad’s side, my grandparents are in Mount Ayr. My family is sort of all around Iowa,” said Shoesmith.
Growing up with a love for music, Shoesmith found comfort in writing music during her high school years.
“With singing, I feel I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember, honestly. My dad likes singing as well, and he used to sing to us when we were kids growing up. I sort of wanted to follow in his footsteps,” commented Shoesmith. “It was around my sophomore year of high school that I started writing lyrics. It kind of started off as a journal.”
After writing in the journal for a while, Shoesmith said she noticed the words she was writing were lyrical.
“I found that they would be good lyrics to a song, so I started writing songs, and making fun songs on the GarageBand app. Eventually that led me to Forte Studios in Boone, and actually making my first professional, studio-made song,” stated Shoesmith.
That song, “Are You Clapping?” was released on Dec. 31, 2022, and has received over 89,000 streams on Spotify and reached the UK iTunes Top 5. Shoesmith said her music ranges from singer-songwriter to pop to alternative, and has been influenced by artists such as Michael Jackson, Rascal Flatts, and Billie Holiday.
The inspiration for “This, That” came to Shoesmith while she was driving, and she was struck by the idea of not judging people based on first impressions. The song is written in third person, as Shoesmith acknowledges her own tendency to judge others and hopes to break the habit.
“I want to stop putting people in a box, and I want to stop putting myself in a box as well,” Shoesmith says. “I think that kind of restricted thinking will keep me from growing and learning new things.”
The opportunity to create a jazz song arose when Shoesmith’s friend, an actor and director, shared her idea for a silent film set in the 1920s with a “gender swap” concept. This sparked the idea to use the song “This, That” as the theme song for the film.
Shoesmith described the process for creating, “This, That,” saying it was quite different than the process she used on the first single, in a good way.
“I got to work with more people, which was great because we had real instruments and musicians. The song has drums, trumpets, saxophones, and it was crazy to see them play my music and watch them perform. It was very exciting to work with them. The song has been doing pretty decent, and I was happy to release it.”
Aside from her passion for music, Shoesmith also has a strong interest in acting. She made her acting debut in 2020 and has since landed lead roles in multiple films, including “It Came From Somewhere,” “Evelator,” “Trepidity,” and “In the Dark,” and television series appearances in “Blood Sisters” and “Morium.” She has also created music for films, including a theme song for a short series.
The single was produced by Caleb Ostermann at Forte Studios and marks Shoesmith’s first venture into the world of jazz music. With its catchy melody and thoughtful lyrics, “This, That” is set to captivate listeners and showcase Shoesmith’s versatility as an artist.
Released on MTS Records, the single is now available on all major streaming platforms.
Shoesmith added she’s working on a few new ideas, and a Christmas single has been released as of Dec. 3.
“It’s not a studio made song, it’s just something I made myself. I love the Christmas holiday, and I wanted to release something. For future projects, I’d like to do something that’s more pop-oriented, so we’ll see what I end up coming up with,” Shoesmith stated.
Being able to write and record her own music, Shoesmith said, has all sorts of positives for her.
“I enjoy everything about it. I love writing lyrics that I hope people can relate to, and making melodies that click with people. I love the whole music-making process from start to finish. There are times when things move slowly because they’re not flowing right, but it’s really great to see a song start and then bring it to a finish. It’s really satisfying to see.”
Follow Taydem Shoesmith on Instagram (@tshoe23) and subscribe to her YouTube channel (@taydemshoesmith) for updates on her music and upcoming projects. You can also visit Shoesmith’s IMDb page at imdb.com/name/nm12305577/.