Meet Tik Tok Sensation Tayler Holder

He is a Tik Tok and social media sensation who began in the pop realm. Tayler Holder is now making country music. Working with more than 20 million followers on Tik Tok and 5.7 million followers on Instagram, he’s promoting his new song “Drive” written with Dan + Shay!  @DanAndShay  It’s a raucus interview showing off Tayler’s charm and wit!

Sue Bonzell 

He’s got 20 million followers on Tiktok and working on 6 million on Instagram and he’s doing country now. Taylor Holder is here going on guys. I’m so excited to have you here. We got to meet briefly at the CMA fest earlier this summer. And I was like, Okay, gotta get you back here at the studio. Okay, the TikTok thing. Everybody’s like, tick tock, tick, tock, tick tock tick. How in the world do you get 20 20 million 20 million subscribers.

 

Tayler Holder 

You want to be honest, you want me like you?

 

Sue Bonzell 

I like honesty, my best policy? Well,

 

Tayler Holder 

I took my shirt off a couple times on Tik Tok, and made a couple videos that I look back at. And I’m like, Who let me do that? And then they got some views. And here we are.

 

Sue Bonzell 

And here we are. And there you go. Yeah. And there you go. Well, that’s a good tactic. I keep trying to figure out how to do it myself. And I’m not quite prepared to use that tactic. Yeah. And

 

Tayler Holder 

we’ll have your husband and we’ll have him doing it. We got him.

 

Sue Bonzell 

I don’t have a husband. Oh, it’s your husband and my husband. It’s okay, though.

 

Tayler Holder 

Back back here. We’ll get him the tactic.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Okay, good. All right. Well, we have to talk about some country music. Let’s talk about now you So you started kind of more in the pop realm. And I had some great success with some some really nice songs. And now, and now you’re here and you’re doing country. So I want to know, kind of how did that transition happen? And how is that working for you?

 

Tayler Holder 

Yes, ma’am. The process of getting here is is crazy. I mean, where do I even start? I mean, obviously, it was wild enough being in LA and living out that dream for the last seven years of my life. And so but that music has definitely always been a passion of mine. I’ve been doing it for a while, but I did get this awesome success on Tik Tok and social media and all that stuff before. So everyone kind of knows me as like that tick tock guy, you know what I mean? Which is a blessing and a curse for sure. Because going into the music side, it’s a little hard to be taken seriously as an artist, let alone a country artist because they are very, they are very diehards and harsh on you and stuff like that. So everyone called me a fake country boy. And I’m like, that’s really hard to get out of whenever I was making shirtless videos, but we’ll work on it anyways. But um, yeah, so I was uh, I was doing pop like you said, and then and I mean, country, is how I grew up. That’s That’s what I was doing my whole life team roping. My dad I was doing everything. I grew up in a really, really small town outside of Dallas. So Country Music was always was always my thing since I was a kid. And I just didn’t ever know how to like because I was so indulged into this, like social media, pop world and all that stuff. I didn’t really know how to do it. I honestly just follow my gut. And all my friends were telling me they were like country is is where you need to go. That’s what you need to be doing. And, and it took me a second I was scared for walks. I didn’t know if people would take me seriously. I didn’t know if any of that stuff and I just decided to follow my gut. I did it. I started doing it. And I first kind of came out here I performed at the CMA fest. That’s where we met and I met some really awesome friends. I did a show with Parker McCollum and I wrote a song with Dan and Shay which I just released and, and all that stuff and I and stuff just sort of moving and it was never more clear to me where God was really like this is this is where you need to be. So I packed up my bags and fell in love with this place. And here we are.

 

Sue Bonzell 

And you did and you did what what you’re supposed to do you moved to Nashville, right? Yes, ma’am. That’s what you do is to do now, it’s interesting that you said team roping because

 

Tayler Holder 

I I watched my TED talk.

 

Sue Bonzell 

I was like, okay, like, I’m a fan like I you know, like kind of I follow these right? And I’m laughing because like you said people were like oh, yeah, oh, yeah, you’re really a country boy. Yeah, right. And you guys were practicing roping and you come waltzing out there with the rope and shebang. Like nothing, no big deal and I was like, he really does know what he’s doing like Yeah.

 

Tayler Holder 

And it was funny because I even captured I was like, someone’s still gonna find suits because they’re so they’re so cutthroat on text. And then everyone was like So I posted another one today I don’t even know if you saw me respond to a comment. Because everyone was like, You’re so close. You’re way too close. Like once you scoot back and I’m like, can I just when I get on the horse I was like this lets you guys know you don’t really have like a rope from like 30 or 40 feet back I know your horse is always like right over to that with your left hand or whatever it is but like you’re right to the side you just laid over the top of your teammate gets the heels but then so I was like whatever so I screwed it back you know 20 feet 30 feet and did it again and then so but there you go.

 

Sue Bonzell 

There you go. Well, so Okay, so you’re doing the country thing you’ve just mentioned your new song back road no not back road. That was the other guy was the

 

Tayler Holder 

other guy the guy

 

Sue Bonzell 

like me drive drive. See? We were driving on the back road you’re driving

 

Tayler Holder 

backwards dry I get the I get so

 

Sue Bonzell 

good. And so you wrote this with Dan and Shay.

 

Tayler Holder 

Yes, so I was I had the amazing opportunity to be in the room with those guys the freakin che is one of the most talented human beings I’ve ever met my freakin life. And then produced by was like CO produced by my producers chapters and then but it was it was a Bruce by Daniel Ross. And so but then we had Benji Davis in there which che brought in is that another awesome awesome right Veteran super talented and we were all in there and I was getting there was so nervous too because it was like, he was so nice. I met che and he was like, we were we were all getting lunch somewhere I forget where we were, but didn’t even know me at all. And I was talking about moving out here. I wasn’t even living here yet. And I was like, you know, I’m just you nervous. I hope I find good people. I want to keep writing music data. You know, I don’t really know anybody. I was like, Man, I would love to write something for you sometime. And I was like, okay, that’d be freaking awesome, man. And like, next day we got in session. Wow. And we wrote we wrote drives and it was it was like nine o’clock in the morning. And I was like, oh, gotta see at 9am home. I get there and Shay’s over there sound and insane. Vocally one of the most insane singers I’ve ever heard in my life. But it was a it was a crazy day and it was wild. Books for sure. Now I

 

Sue Bonzell 

saw you saw it. I saw a video that’s weird on Tik Tok. And you can do a little behind the scenes. I’m going to give you a bad time about this. Because at the end of that video right at the end, you take a phone call. Oh, I did not.

 

Tayler Holder 

It was it had to I don’t even remember what phone call it was I was answering but it had to be something important. Right? Might have been my mom or something like

 

Sue Bonzell 

that. We’re gonna play blame and I will blame this one on Mom. Mom. Sorry, I had to call you out on that. I was like He not just answered the phone. Yeah,

 

Tayler Holder 

we were. It was a long day. We were in there from like nine or 10 o’clock in the morning. So hey, I want to say like 8pm or something like that seven. We were there for a long time. It was it was a long day. So had to answer one phone call

 

Sue Bonzell 

one phone call and and you got caught. And I got videos, his poor wife. Bad. I think it’s hilarious. And so now you’ve also done a song with Ashley cook. Oh, I

 

Tayler Holder 

did her music video or music video. I

 

Sue Bonzell 

saw you in there. And so so what’s the connection with Ashley cook?

 

Tayler Holder 

Thank you. So, so the connection honestly, this question, Fair enough. Fair enough. I love it. It’s um, she’s one of my best friends out here. Honestly, she, her and her team hit up my team to tag me do her music video for back in the saddle. And it was actually on my birthday. So I came out on my birthday and did it and I met I met the whole team and everybody and they were so welcoming. So awesome. But she’s honestly just one of my best friends out here. And we there’s there’s nothing there romantically nothing there. Nothing. We got to ask the question. You know, literally the closest we’ve ever been was when our foreheads such in that music. She is literally like the sweetest individual I’ve ever met pure. It’s hard. Like it’s crazy to come out here. You see, you have like LA and all those people and all sudden you come out here like and everyone’s like a family and so kind and so nice and just like generous and welcoming. And it’s crazy. That’s

 

Sue Bonzell 

I know, that’s good. Well, that’s I was gonna I was gonna ask because then in one of your other videos, you were talking with one of your songs, and you were like I fell in love. And I was like, Oh, well hold on now. Yeah, I mean, I need to know this. You know, I’m a little bit older, you know you a little bit. So you know, I need to live vicariously through you young beautiful people,

 

Tayler Holder 

of course. Well, you know, I, I’m a person where like, I love love so much that like, I beef. I fall in love too fast. Ah, no. Okay, so like, I’ll meet someone, and I’ll meet them and I’ll go home and I’d be like, Guys, I think I fell in love. Like that. And they’re like, hey, they’re dumb on talk. I’m like, No, you don’t understand. She’s amazing. And then like, and then like, next week, I’m like, she broke my heart and never gonna talk to her again. And I was like, Oh, great. But I came I got a good song for me. There you go. I need to write a song about like, fall in love too fast. Because I need to be like, chill out.

 

Sue Bonzell 

There you go. I love like, I

 

Tayler Holder 

love the idea of like having like a person you know? Nothing. There’s nothing. I’m getting older and I’m through my stage of like, party hang out with everybody. I just call Are you sure? You know? I? I’ve never really been much of a party to be honest. You I uh, I’ve never drink in my life. Actually, I’ve never even had a sip of alcohol. And I whenever I go out it’s like, I don’t know I’m always so sober. I’m just gonna all my friends are drunk and talk to me like breathing all over me drunk. And I’m like this is I don’t like it. Can I please go home?

 

Sue Bonzell 

So now speaking of Home Is it is it your house that has the basketball hoop in the living room? That is our house? Yeah, it’s your own house. Yeah, it was another hole in the wall.

 

Tayler Holder 

Yeah, Tyler thanks, Tyler. Tyler freaking went over there. Did Dunkin kick the wall with his heel. I should have thought about that. To be honest. You might have to put up a little plate or something. Yeah, to get some mats on the wall now because Tyler like dunked it and then he like kick the wall as well and put up put a hole in now it got 10 times bigger. Of course. I gotta show you now this other video because it started out. I was like, it was like this big and it was just like a little slice of the wall. Like it wasn’t like, now it’s about this big. And it’s like in the wall. It’s yeah,

 

Sue Bonzell 

you guys are pretty good. I’m impressed.

 

Tayler Holder 

Oh, wait, do you see the video? I haven’t posted yet. Ma’am. My boy Jaden. We we did these like crazy dunks on it? It’s cool. Because everyone’s like, Where’d you get that goal? It’s crazy. It’s because it’s a mini hoop. It’s like it’s not like a real life size hoop and you can hang on it and everything like I’m 185 pounds like it’s like and I can hit Hang on it and everything is kind of crazy.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Okay, yeah, that house is like is nuts. So it’s like I think cadence kind of like your he’s kind of like a sidekick right? Okay. I mean I don’t want this on Katie septum some days

 

Tayler Holder 

so we you guys are funny together he’s we try to be you know we all bounce off of each other really really well

 

Sue Bonzell 

so now I have to ask there was an interesting animal crawling on your on your guitar recently it’s just a lemur

 

Tayler Holder 

it is what it is it’s it’s a rough tail lemur okay his name’s Draco Jane wants to be Kevin so it’s always like Draco and I like Kevin a it was funny I like it because I was like imagine it’s like Kevin or like Paul or like Jake you know what I mean? Just like a cool like just play name and then and then we got him and he’s like this like brown and black color and I was like Draco he looks like a Draco you know, I mean swear. But it is a rough tell lemur he’s like basically a monkey. Honestly, he’s we actually wanted to get a monkey. And we went to the to the store. Yeah, the monkey store and, and we met a couple monkeys and they they took them out and they about Rip every wall off the place. And so I was like, You know what? I don’t think I’m ready for that. Well, yeah, so we met we met we met our little guy that we got in he was so sweet. He was just crawling everybody so common. He was just like a monkey just like a different head pretty much and then he’s like he’s so chill. so relaxed. So sweet. Doesn’t monkeys kind of like have a tendency of like attacking people. I got attacked by monkey one time actually a friend as a monkey in LA. He’s a boxer. I wanted them to like me so bad. Check us out. I’m going on a rant. I’m sorry. You guys are in for one for me. Whenever I’m on interviews, it’s just little fucker. He I go to I wanted a monkey so bad. I was like, I need them like me. He’s got it. Like, he’s like attached to the basketball hoop. They have a mic. They haven’t like gotten a little leash. And I’m like, what are you gonna do? They’re like, they sense fear. So just don’t have any fear. Okay, so I was like, Alright, whatever I got. I went over there, like, squatted down, right? I’m chilling. I’m like when somebody takes off running pushes me like literally, like straight pushes me and I kind of went back I was like, Are you strong little fucker. Like, whatever. I’ll come back to you. I train and I’m getting done. I come back after I’m like, I need this guy to like me. I’m like, what do you do? They’re like, you just this guy. Obviously, he’s cool with the monkey. And he goes over there like it’s nothing because you got to walk up to him and go like this impacts his head. I was like, hard, but I start walking up to him. takes off again. lashes on my leg just bites me. It’s like I’m over here. Like there’s actually a video of it.

 

Sue Bonzell 

To be video.

 

Tayler Holder 

I gotta get it to you. It’s it’s pretty funny.

 

Sue Bonzell 

And Taylor’s next song monkey bite.

 

Tayler Holder 

Yeah. So that’s my story. Yeah, but we do we have a rough toe lemur and he’s the best. He wears little diapers. I saw that. He’s like, he’s like a baby. We have to change it like seven times a day. And like, feed him like, you know, every every hour alive.

 

Sue Bonzell 

You know, like kind of thing. Yeah. And he likes the guitar.

 

Tayler Holder 

He loves the guitar. He loves his little hands. It’s so cute. Like, he loves anything he can hold on to if you have strings like on your pants or anything like that. Or even your hair like you dangle it over. He has like these hands. He’s like reach up and I try to grab it and he’s so cute. To show you guys some videos of him man. The

 

Sue Bonzell 

antics going on in that house. And you know, we can we can see them all on TikTok.

 

Tayler Holder 

We have a very show many stations in the house, I would say like basketball music, monkeys, dogs, studios, a little bit of everything. All the thing bikes, everything. Yeah.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Okay, so let’s talk a little bit more about some music here. So, so we’ve got Dr. And what’s next is this. So you have single now you’re working on an album, what do you what do you got going on

 

Tayler Holder 

question. So I worked on a bunch of singles right now obviously, I’m moving over to country and I’m doing a little bit of pop country, but I am you know, just so everyone knows what I am going more country with it as well away from the pop country. And so we have a lot of awesome new songs coming and stuff like that, where we’re probably gonna take a break for the rest of the year as it’s the holidays and the whole music world kind of shuts down. I’m gonna let Dr kind of keep going out and keep pushing that stuff like that. Come the New Year. I teased it but I don’t know if that’s necessarily gonna be the next drop. But I wrote a wedding song. It’s called marry you and it’s kind of a nice little first dance song. It’s pretty good. It’s pretty cool. But uh, but I’m just releasing singles right now I’m trying to get like a good good amount of songs out. So you know, have like a set to go perform or whatever we are working on a project though eventually like over over time, like whether it’s like a EP and then an album or whatever it is.

 

Sue Bonzell 

And so okay, if you were to collaborate with anybody in the country music industry who would be at the top of your list

 

Tayler Holder 

there’s there’s so many amazing ones obviously. I mean, I would say the top of my list he’s he’s a big inspiration of mine and and I like but as Luke combs he’s he’s he’s definitely my all time favorite right now. I love his music. He’s a he’s a sweet guy. Everything about him is just really, really awesome. So I would actually inspire like a lot Got a minute music that you guys haven’t heard yet coming out stuff like that off of his music. He’s a he’s a big inspiration to me. So

 

Sue Bonzell 

Okay, excellent. Okay, so Luke combs if you’re watching, obviously you’re watching my show. We’re right, obviously. So we’re sitting down a little a little ping there and we’ll get you get you with Taylor holder right here. There you go, ping. Send it out right there. Oh, well, before you go, we have to play a little game. My game truth or truth. So

 

Tayler Holder 

I love games. I’m not that great at it, but I love them. It’s okay. You’re gonna

 

Sue Bonzell 

win at this one. Because everybody wins at this game. So when we come back, we’re gonna play truth or truth with Taylor holder. I’m scared. It’s truth or truth. And we’re back. We’re back. And we’re back. Because it is time for truth or truth. My world famous game. There we go. Because we are on the internet. And we are worldwide world wide. endless opportunities here to unities we’re gonna play this game. Are you ready? Taylor. I don’t warm up. I show up. Let’s go. All right, here we go. You get to pick your own questions. I’ve got a memo hat right here. Which by the way, you get to take the hat with you. Oh, we lost. We lose and we’ll get it. We’ll get it. That will be your next one. The hat pick for you.

 

Tayler Holder 

What? Truth? What’s a secret you kept from your parents? Are we here for a long time?

 

Sue Bonzell 

Are all those are there any secrets? Everything’s on video these days? I mean, there is a lot of us.

 

Tayler Holder 

I mean, when I was younger, ah. During the school week, during during the week, I had like a bedtime had to go to bed at a certain time. I had a girlfriend. Of course she I snuck her through the window. Because we weren’t allowed to have guests over because it was our bedtime. And I snuck her through the window.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Now. Did you ever tell your parents about that?

 

Tayler Holder 

Nope, nope. Nope. You just never know what’s actually funny. Funny, um, my dad and then I think they heard them might ramble or hurt us ramble. We’re supposed to be asleep. He came in my room. He knocked on the door about had my door locked, so we can come in thinking ahead of time. And, and he came in, I unlocked the door and I was like, I was like, y’all. I was like putting like, I’m asleep. I had her in the closet like waiting there. And I these come in. And I was like, Oh, he’s like, he’s like, What do you guys do? And they honestly, check on Trevor, my brother. They probably wait, I don’t know. And I said that. We were hanging out. I was like, Yeah, Taylor one, Dad. 00. Boy,

 

Sue Bonzell 

I haven’t. Okay. So now you know is the secret is out. He just outed yourself.

 

Tayler Holder 

All right, we’re going back at it again. What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done? Most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done. I’m very hard to get embarrassed. Honestly. I don’t I don’t really get embarrassed very easily. Octane. I mean, one of the probably the most like, one of the fun risky, I guess embarrassing things you would say? I always embarrassed the people around me right. So I was back in the day. Whenever I first started the internet. I was like really thirsty for views. And I would do anything. And you’re like back in the vine days where you would climb up to the top of the ball pits in Walmart and you would jump in the ball pit and all the balls go everywhere. Yeah, did that. So that was probably one of the most I guess embarrassing. Yeah, cuz then I got I definitely got escorted out by everybody in front of everybody by the police. So yeah, so All right. There’s a win win loss. All right, any more. All right, we’ll get one more. Here we go. Third time’s a charm. best one yet? I feel it already. tingling. I’m fingers. What’s uh, what’s the best advice someone has ever given you? That’s a good one. Or we’re getting deep now? Yes. Um, best advice I would say anyone has given me is probably to slow down. I would say slow down. You know, I had a bad habit of like, constantly going, going going, because I thought that if I take the slightest bit, then this would all be over tomorrow, you know? So I would say slowing down and just like being more present with life and understanding what the point of life is, I would say probably.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Okay, so what do you think? Do you think that you want the game?

 

Tayler Holder 

I think, where’s it? Where’s it better? When are you telling me me? That’s me? I think you did. I think I won.

 

Sue Bonzell 

I think I think we we all won with

 

Tayler Holder 

my dad’s respect from that first answer. He’s like, thank you. I thought we were cool.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Well, Taylor, I want to thank you so much for being here playing the game during the interview. Follow Taylor holder. You know, he needs a few more million followers on Tiktok and Instagram. So help him out. You can help me out too. It’s all good. Thanks for Thanks for joining us, you guys.

 

Tayler Holder 

Thank you guys so much.

 

Sue Bonzell 

Thanks for watching up in country be sure to like and subscribe And leave us a comment. We do new episodes every Tuesday and be sure to follow up and country on Instagram Tik Tok and Facebook and you can follow me to add Sue Bonzell on Instagram face Look and TikTok