Dallas musician Tayla Parx is playing two small club shows in London next week, one of them supporting Londoner Hamzaa, which doesn’t automatically suggest a big deal — so casual attendees might be wondering why they recognise her.
As a teenager she stole the show from John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer playing Little Inez Stubbs in the 2007 movie version of Hairspray. You may also have seen her playing a cheerleader in the video for Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next — not surprising given that she’s one of the song’s writers.
Parx, 26, says she now writes 200 songs a year, an area in which she has proved so prolific and successful that in late 2018 she had three co-writes in the US top 10 at the same time: Thank U, Next, Khalid and Normani’s Love Lies and High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco.
She stepped out as a solo artist last year with her debut album, We Need to Talk, which hasn’t matched the commercial clout of her work for others, but is a great advert for her range — from sultry R&B to country pop. Catch her up close before she goes back to hanging with the giants.
See Tayla Parx live: March 4, Colours, N1 6NU, colourshoxton.com; March 7, Sebright Arms, E2 9AG, anniemacpresents.com/london
Watch on YouTube
Listen on Spotify:
Listen on Soundcloud:
