Taylor Parks

Taylor Monét Parks (born September 16, 1993), known professionally as Tayla Parx, is an American singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and actress. A two-time Grammy nominee in the Album of the Year category, songs she has written and co-written have exceeded 16 billion streams on Spotify and appeared on the pop, hip hop, R&B, K-pop, country, and Latin charts. She has released four albums, an EP, and a mixtape as a solo artist.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Parx took singing, dance, and classical piano lessons growing up, and wrote her first songs as a child. At 9, she was enrolled at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, where, at Allen's urging, she began to act. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 2005, and in 2006 she was cast in her first television show. In 2007, she appeared as Little Inez Stubbs in the film Hairspray.

Parx was signed to Warner Chappell Music when she was 19. Her first hit as a songwriter was on Fifth Harmony's single "Boss". In 2018, three songs she co-wrote all appeared simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100: Khalid and Normani's "Love Lies", Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next", and Panic! at the Disco's "High Hopes". In 2021, with Dan + Shay's "Glad You Exist", she became the fourth Black woman to write a #1 country song in the history of the genre's airplay charts.

In 2017, Parx debuted as a solo artist with the mixtape, TaylaMade, It was followed by the full-length albums We Need to Talk (2019), Coping Mechanisms (2020), and Many Moons, Many Suns (2024). She also released A Blue State, a three-song collection of covers, in 2020.

Parx is the founder of TaylaMade, Inc, a company that acts as an umbrella organization for Parx Publishing, a joint venture with Warner Chappell Music; 3020 Management, a management company for artists, writers, and producers; Trailer Parx, a lifestyle brand; Parx Studios, a creative collective; and TaylaMade Records, an independent record label.

Early life and education Parx was born Taylor Monét Parks in Texas, and grew up in Dallas before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 13. Her mother worked in IT and her father in mortgage underwriting. She sang before she could speak, and as a young child, her grandmother—a pianist—sang lullabies to teach her to harmonize.

Music was a central focus of Parx's upbringing. She sang in church, and took dance, voice, and classical piano lessons. She began writing songs in elementary school. She loved Missy Elliott, who later introduced Parx to songwriting as a profession through her work with Aaliyah.

Planning to concentrate on dance, Parx began attending Debbie Allen's Dance Academy in 2002.

Career

Early career: Lincoln Center, Hairspray, Nickelodeon With her parents' permission, Allen brought Parx to Washington, DC, and from the age of nine until she was eleven, she performed at Lincoln Center as the narrator in a stage adaptation of Allen's book, Dancing in the Wings.

At Allen's urging, the Parks family moved to Los Angeles in 2006. During her first year in LA, Parx was cast in Gilmore Girls and Everybody Hates Chris. Her breakthrough role was as Little Inez Stubbs in the 2007 musical remake of the film Hairspray. and at 19, Jon Platt signed her to a publishing deal at Warner Chappell. In a 2021 interview she said that her background as an actor helped her as a songwriter: "The art of songwriting is really being able to say, 'I'm here with you. I'm listening to you'. It was like this clash of two worlds that I loved."

In 2013, she earned her first album credit as a co-writer and co-producer on the title track of Sevyn Streeter's debut album, Call Me Crazy, But... She reconnected with Grande, and together with Tommy Brown and Victoria Monét, they wrote "My Everything", the title track of Grande's second album. She scored her first big hit as a co-writer and vocal producer on "Boss," the lead single from Fifth Harmony's debut album.

Parx voiced Sim in the video game The Sims 4 in 2014, and a year later voiced Victor Stone in the film Justice League: Gods and Monsters.

In 2015, her songs were recorded by The Internet, Pentatonix, Red Velvet, Jason Derulo, and Keyshia Cole, among others, and she was featured on "Anyway", a track co-written with Chris Brown. She also released her first single as a solo artist, "Don't Answer the Phone". In April 2016, she had her first #1 hit on the Latin Pop charts with the Sofía Reyes and Prince Royce track "Solo Yo."

2017–2019: We Need to Talk, "Thank U, Next", Dirty Computer Atlantic Records released Parx's TaylaMade, a mixtape composed of 20 songs and interludes, in 2017. She said she had a feeling of freedom when she stepped into the studio to work on the mixtape, knowing all she had to do was be herself. Khalid, Chiiild, and Syd were featured on TaylaMade.

Parx co-wrote the BTS song Mic Drop", The following year, she co-wrote "Like I Do" with Christina Aguilera. The track won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung performance. Parx also co-wrote the title track of Chloe x Halle's The Kids Are Alright, (which was Grammy-nominated in the Best Contemporary Urban album category). She co-wrote four songs for Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer, taking a "deep creative storytelling dive" to help Monae tell her story. Parx received her first Grammy nomination in the album of the year category for her work on Dirty Computer.

In October 2018, Parx collaborated with Grande, Monet and Brown on the follow-up to Grande's album Sweetener. They wrote nine songs in a week, including the "internet -melting" title track, "Thank U, Next." Parx urged Grande to use the names of her exes in the song. "Love Lies" was a Top 10 hit in seven countries.

With her debut album, We Need to Talk, released in April 2019, Parx explored genre, gender, and feminism as well as her identity as a queer Black woman. In a review in Vice, Kristin Corry wrote that Parx's habit of "crafting 200 songs a year has made her a painfully concise songwriter, one who carefully crafts every moment of the record's 15 tracks". The review emphasized Parx's ability to both convey and elicit emotion in her songs: Corry wrote that she could "almost hear Parx's heart breaking" on one track, and that another induced anxiety "like the moment you send a risky text, and see that the other person is typing." Entertainment Weekly described the album as "equal parts swagger and vulnerability."

2020–present: Coping Mechanisms, Many Moons, Many Suns At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parx built out her home studio, and finished her second album, Coping Mechanisms. During the 2020 presidential election cycle, she recorded A Blue State, a 3-song EP of cover songs that "captured the truths" of the moment, and "reflected society, how society was feeling." She covered Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and Kirk Franklin's "I Smile" on A Blue State, which was released on Atlantic in October 2020.

Coping Mechanisms was released in November.

During the pandemic, Parx produced vocals and co-wrote six songs, including "34+35" and "POV", for Grande's fifth album, Positions, while observing strict social distancing protocols. She and Grande were rarely in the same room. She was nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Album category for her co-write, "I'm Ready", on John Legend's Bigger Love. She received her third Album of the Year Grammy Nomination as a co-writer of "FUBT" on Haim's Women in Music Pt. III.

In 2021, she become the fourth Black woman to write a #1 country hit with "Glad You Exist", a collaboration with Dan + Shay. She received her fourth Album of the Year Grammy nomination as a songwriter on Justin Beibers Justice the same year, and in 2022 earned Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary Jazz album for her work on Not Tight, the debut album by Domi and JD Beck, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Diana Ross's Thank You. In July 2024, she dropped the "raucous, catchy, empowering, high-energy track" "Era" (featuring Tkay Maidza). The album was released independently on TaylaMade. In Rolling Stone, Parx said: "I'm in my era of owning everything that I am, If you listen to my lyrics, I'm telling you everything that you need to know about me and what my values are as a as a human. I'm saying that when you go through those dark times, you will finally bounce back and realize that you're OK."

TaylaMade, Inc. Formally launched in 2021, Parx established TaylaMade, Inc. as an umbrella organization for her ventures. It includes Parx Studios, a creative collective that has worked with artists including Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish and Noah Cyrus; 3020 Management, and TaylaMade Records. Parx Publishing and 3020 Management have signed writers and producers including Grammy nominees Oliver Frid, Kameron Glasper, and Em Walcott. She is queer. In the mini-documentary, Who Is Tayla Parx?, she described herself as "a dog mom, a sister, a daughter, an executive, a writer and an artist." She was appointed to the leadership committee of the Recording Academy's Black Music Collective in September 2020.

Discography Albums Title Details We Need to Talk Released: April 5, 2019 Label: Atlantic Format: Digital download Coping Mechanisms Released: November 20, 2020 Label: Atlantic Format: Digital download Many Moons, Many Suns Released: July 11, 2024 Label: TaylaMade Format: Digital download

Mixtapes Title Details Tayla Made Released: July 7, 2017 Label: Atlantic Format: Digital download, Cassette

Extended plays Title Details A Blue State Released: October 2, 2020 Label: Atlantic Format: Digital download

Singles As lead artist + List of singles with Tayla Parx as main artist Title Year Album "Do Not Answer" 2015 "I Love You" 2016 "Bump That" "Potential" "Runaway" 2018 Tayla Made "Me vs. Us" We Need to Talk "Slow Dancing" "I Want You" 2019 "Fight" "Dance Alone" 2020 Coping Mechanisms "Residue" "Fixerupper" "System" "Sad" 2021 "Rich" 2022 Many Suns, Many Moons "Flowers" "For What it's Worth" "Dream Hotel" 2023 "Something In My Eye" "Celebration Weight" "Era" 2024

As featured artist Title Year Peak chart positions AlbumUSBub. USR&B/HHDig. "Anyway"(Chris Brown featuring Tayla Parx) 2015 7 25 Royalty "Your Eyes"(The Knocks featuring Tayla Parx) 2017 — — Testify

Soundtrack appearances + Appearances by Tayla Parx on soundtrack albums Title Year Album "You Can't Stop the Beat" 2007 Hairspray "Run and Tell That" "Windows"2021Love, Victor: Season 2

Songwriting credits + Songs on which Tayla Parx received songwriting credit Title Year Artist Album "Call Me Crazy" 2013 Sevyn Streeter Call Me Crazy, But... "My Everything" 2014 Ariana Grande My Everything "All In A Day's Work" Danity Kane DK3 "Bye Baby" "Boss" Fifth Harmony Reflection "So Good" Jennifer Lopez A.K.A. "Glass House" Luke James Luke James "Rick James" Keyshia Cole Point of No Return "Infinity"2015 Mariah Carey Number 1 to Infinity "Diamond" f(x) 4 Walls "Dope" Fifth Harmony 7/27 "Birthday" Elle Varner featuring 50 Cent "Love Me Down" Jason Derulo Everything is 4 "Lie to Me" Prince Royce Double Vision "Paris On a Sunny Day" "Campfire" Red Velvet The Red "Don't U Wait No More" "Dumb Dumb" "Just Sayin/I Tried" The Internet Ego Death "Special Affair" "Anyway" Chris Brown featuring Tayla Parx Royalty "Ref" Pentatonix Pentatonix "Na Na Na" "Fuck Apologies" 2016 JoJo Mad Love "All the Time" Chris Lane Girl Problems "In Common" Alicia Keys Here "Set in Stone" Guy Sebastian Conscious "Your Eyes" The Knocks Testify "Better" Meghan Trainor Thank You "Woman Up" "Solo Yo" 2017 Sofia Reyes featuring Prince Royce Louder "Deliver" Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony "Cry Baby" Demi Lovato Tell Me You Love Me "Just Like You" Fergie Double Dutchess "Asleep" Majid Jordan The Space Between "The Space Between" "Island" Eric Bellinger Eric B For President: Term 2 "Make You Mine" Emma Jensen "Mic Drop" BTS featuring Desiigner Love Yourself: Her "Mic Jack" Big Boi featuring Adam Levine, Scar and Sleepy Brown Boomiverse "AllSheWannaDo" Travis Garland featuring Casey Veggies Travis Garland "Motel Pool" Travis Garland "You Made Your Bed (So Lay In It)" "Lolita" Christina Aguilera "Your Song" 2018 BoA featuring Junoflo One Shot, Two Shot "The Kids Are Alright" Chloe x Halle The Kids Are Alright "Love Lies" Khalid, Normani Love, Simon "Pynk" Janelle Monáe featuring Grimes Dirty Computer "I Like That" Janelle Monáe "I Got the Juice" Janelle Monáe featuring Pharrell Williams "Don't Judge Me" Janelle Monáe "Accelerate" Christina Aguilera featuring 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla Sign Liberation "Maria" Christina Aguilera "Right Moves" Christina Aguilera featuring Keida and Shenseea "Like I Do" Christina Aguilera featuring GoldLink "Out of Your Mind" The Presets featuring Alison Wonderland Hi Viz "High Hopes" Panic! at the Disco Pray for the Wicked "Invited" Marcus & Martinus Soon "Tints" Anderson .Paak featuring Kendrick Lamar Oxnard "Swing" Quavo featuring Davido and Normani Quavo Huncho "Thank U, Next" Ariana Grande Thank U, Next "7 Rings" 2019 "Needy" "NASA" "Make Up" "Ghostin" "Got Her Own" Ariana Grande and Victoria Monét Charlie's Angels: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "Pocket Dial" Marcus & Martinus Soon "Let Me Go" "Coffee" Tori Kelly Inspired by True Events "2 Places" "Honey" 2020 Kesha High Road "Summer" "Diamonds" Megan Thee Stallion and Normani Birds of Prey "Overshare" Kelsea Ballerini Kelsea "Easy To Love" Fleur East Fearless "I'm Ready" John Legend Bigger Love "Take Yourself Home" Troye Sivan In a Dream "Not a Pop Song" Little Mix Confetti "Sweet Melody" "Rendezvous" "Shut Up" Ariana Grande Positions "34+35" "My Hair" "Love Language" "POV" "Worst Behavior" "test drive" "If It Ain't Me" 2021 Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia: The Moonlight Edition "For Ya" Paloma Mami Sueños de Dalí "Step Back" 2022 Got the Beat "Take A Chance" Domi and JD Beck Not Tight "Stamp on It" 2023 Got the Beat Stamp on It "Deserve Me" Kali Uchis Red Moon in Venus "Wallflower" TWICE Ready to Be "Better Man" Ellie Goulding Higher Than Heaven "Water Slide" Janelle Monáe The Age of Pleasure "Got Me Started" Troye Sivan Something to Give Each Other "Bad Thing"Jesy NelsonTBA"In My Bag"2024Flo featuring GloRillaAccess All Areas"Nassau"ShakiraLas Mujeres Ya No Lloran"Anticipate"Leigh-Anne PinnockNo Hard Feelings"Like Jennie"2025JennieRuby "I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend"BANKS featuring Doechii Off with Her Head "Delulu"BANKS "Move"BANKS featuring Yseult "Candy"BANKS"Best For Me"Cynthia ErivoI Forgive You"This Is For"TWICEThis Is For"Meeeeee"TWICETen: The Story Goes On

Filmography Film + Film appearances by Tayla Parx Year Title Role Notes 2007 Hairspray Little Inez Stubbs Critic's Choice Movie Awards for Best Acting Ensemble 2007 Beyond the Pretty Door Angel Turner 2007 Love... & Other 4 Letter Words Young Stormy 2015 Justice League: Gods and Monsters Victor Stone (voice) Direct-to-video 2023 Spinning Gold Donna Summer 2025 Juliet & Romeo Rosaline

Television + Television appearances by Tayla Parx Year Title Role Notes 2006 Gilmore Girls Singing Kid #3 Episode: "The Real Paul Anka" 2006 Everybody Hates Chris Girl #2 Episode: "Everybody Hates Rejection" 2007 Carpoolers Aubrey's daughter Episode: "The Toaster" 2009–2010 True Jackson, VP Shelley 3 episodes 2010 Bones Jill MacIntosh Episode: "The Twisted Bones in the Melted Truck" 2012 Victorious Kara Episode: "Tori & Jade's Playdate" 2020 The Sims Spark'd Herself Judge; 4 episodes

Video games + Video game credits for Tayla Parx Year Title Role 2014–2025 The Sims 4 Sim (voice) 2018–2019 The Walking Dead: The Final Season Alvin "AJ" Jr. (voice)