Profile 002: Shareen Taylor, A&R at RCA Records

Shareen Taylor is a talented A&R whose background as a singer and songwriter has elevated her business sense and allowed her to connect to the artists she signs in a unique way. From working at Interscope and Def Jam to taking time away to work on her own music, Shareen landed at RCA Records working directly with Peter Edge. We talked to her about her faith, trusting the process, and leaning into her self acceptance and confidence.

And what do you do professionally now? What's the fullest description of all of your roles?

Hmmm… what do I want to say? How do I see myself… I'm a woman of many things. But if I had to simplify or put a label on what I do day-to-day, I am in A&R.

What exactly does that entail and represent? I feel like you're also doing much more than just A&R.

I'm in A&R but obviously we know a lot comes with that type of title.  I'm not quite the traditional sense of an A&R, being that I'm someone that started as an artist first; so I'm someone who’s really big into artist development and really taking an artist and building them from the ground up. From creating the records to your look and your artist proposition -- what’s your narrative in the game -- I like being a part of literally every facet. Not just making the records.  

I want to dive in a bit to you being an artist before.  Did you have someone who helped you define those things or did you have to do it for yourself?  

Well I think the two people that come to mind the most… well, maybe three people: you, James [Carroll, stylist], and Al Green, a friend of mine.  I think you from an overall branding and marketing strategy way-of-things. I just remember conversations with you about making it clear to people what we were doing and attempting to do in the market.  James helped from an overall imaging perspective. Helping me transform my look... [laughs] we did countless shoots in the house.  We had zero dollars and made a way.  And then my friend Al was just helping with my show and really showing me how to use my voice and bring out its different sides.  

That’s the thing, it’s not just making songs.  It’s a whole collective of things. And the artists that I respected the most [understood this].

You've gone from songwriting to A&R, and so many other roles in between -- from the video department to assisting the heads of labels -- how did you arrive here? How did you evolve into this role throughout the course of your career?  When did you make the decision that this is what you wanted to be doing with all of your experience?

I always knew I wanted to be in music. So I ended up working at just about every label under the sun.  After my pitt stop of taking time away to be a [musician] artist full time,I was at a place where I was really burnt out and didn't know what I wanted to do anymore. [sighs]  Not that my passion had altered in regards to wanting to be an artist, I was just burnt out from the process of pursuing it.  Nothing was happening. I took a break and decided to temp and find odd jobs here and there and within temping I ended up meeting the CEO/Chairman of RCA [Peter Edge] and he had offered me a job.  I remember when I sat down with him. He asked me, “Do you know what you want to do, eventually?” And I said, “I really want to develop artists.” I explained to him that a pet peeve of mine was witnessing artists that made amazing music but didn't have the rest of the tools to translate it. The part that offended me the most is having an artist who couldn't put on a good show. To me, in this business, your show is so important. If you consistently have an amazing show and good music you're essentially able to tour forever. So when he asked me that, I thought, yea -- I get in here and I work my ass off and A&R is something that I want to do in the future. By a year-and-a-half, two years into working with him I was already signing acts. And it's not the most traditional thing for an Executive Assistant to the CEO/Chairman to sign acts; you have to balance 75 roles. But when you love something you do it. 

It’s interesting... I never thought that I would love this. I always said to myself I would never, I will never work at a label full time! I will never, I will never work with the CEO! I will never give up my life! ...But I must say that the last few years of my life I've done things that have been beyond my expectations of what I imagined I would or could do. This role has opened up so many doors for me: I've been able to travel the world, I've been able to work with and be around people that I admired my entire life growing up. So it was a major lesson for me, in the sense of trusting the process. Once you're in agreement with God and the Universe and submitting to the plan that has been laid out for your life...things that, again, I never imagined would be coming through the channels of working with this particular person. I just never connected the two; I thought my artistry would do it.  But it actually wasn't my artistry that created those platforms.

I remember us talking about that when the offer first came through.  You had worked with everyone at that point and you really knew the culture of all of these labels and what the executive landscape was like.  But you never let these roles define you; you knew the power of the role but you knew your own innate power was greater. 

It’s funny because I have a friend who, when I got the gig, was like, “You got the keys.”  And I was like, “I got the keys? What? What does that mean, I got the keys.”  And it kind of went over my head a bit but in thinking about it now… when you're in that type of role and connected to a person in charge within music, you can make your role whatever you want it to be, whatever you want to do. So tapping into what you said, it's this undefined thing. Your role is whatever you want it to be. You're not just one thing. 

If you get the center of the gig, the main part of it down and mastered, from that point that person you’re supporting is like, ”Well what can I do for you? What do you want to do?” Even while doing this role, I always remain true to myself as someone that is and has always been a fan of music first. From there, people will always come to you for your opinion and perspective on things. Which will, then, lead to other things because it essentially establishes trust in your taste, in your honesty, and in your perspective.  So it made the transition to A&R that much easier and more fluid.

So what are your favorite things about this role and the role that you created for yourself? 

It’s still a journey and I'm still discovering everything about it, but I just love being around artists in their raw forms. They’re dope and you can see and identify something but there’s still a rawness to them. My favorite thing is providing guidance and support to them. I love that they're untainted by things around them; it's a very fulfilling thing, a strange nurturing energy that comes out of me. But I just love it. I love helping literally every step of the way and solving problems for people.

And how are you finding people -- are you combing the Internet? Are they finding you?

Yeah I mean I have 3 acts. The first is Flo Milli who is a 20-year-old rapper from Mobile, Alabama. When we found her she kindof had a song that was working; it is basically like a viral TickTock. She had a song that was raising its hand as a hit in this whole digital world. She was a brand new artist. There was still a whole lot of artist development that needed to be done with her: making records, helping her transform her look so that her music and her look complement one another, and helping her build a story for herself.  It was about translating her; taking her from just being an artist with a record to being a career artist, which is something that we're still on track to do. But her story is becoming a lot clearer. We've just been building and putting a strategy behind it -- myself, my partner Skane [Dolla, RCA Records] who’s another A&R in the company, alongside the label’s marketing and digital team -- to really expand her artistry and now we're starting to see real results with her. There’s lots of pick up in the culture. It’s something, when you have these moments like a Kardashian bumping a record or fashion designers using her track to close the runway shows, and the support of other artists -- when you have Cardi B following you and you have other artists reaching out for features.  It’s just...it's a different thing.

It's the next level. 

It is. 

And it shows you the potential and confirms what you're doing. So it sounds like one of the biggest turning points in your career was the opportunity with RCA. But how has this work force you to grow as a soul? You mentioned a bit about submitting to the process and letting the universe take it's course but also how has you evolving and wisdom also allowed you and forced you to grow in your work?

I'd say I've been stretched beyond. 

I hate being told no. And sometimes it's different; fighting for yourself and fighting for other people are two very different emotions. I was always so good at fighting for other people but over the last year-and-a-half to three years I've really had to learn how to fight for myself.  Not taking no for an answer, not allowing people to walk all over you and being okay with saying, “No, I'm not okay with that.” Essentially, just being yourself. Because I think for a lot of years, especially when I was an artist, I suffered with identifying who I am. And I think the most powerful thing that I learned about myself is that the best thing that you can really do for yourself is to really be yourself! Not having to change and alter yourself and the way you speak with the company that you're in front of… I think that that's something that working with Peter and [Flo Milli] has really taught me; it's when you can be yourself, that will put you in rooms with people that you never imagined that you would be with. 

I stopped trying to change who I was and once I accepted that, I think that was such a powerful lesson. And now when I go in I can just go in confidently and know that things happen for me because I am me. And nobody else can be me. And that's that.

That's profound. It sounds like there's a level of vulnerability and that would you agree? Is there room for vulnerability in that strength and in the work you do, and for yourself?

Yeah because I think when you tap into that people sense it. And it then draws them to you, and allows them to then be vulnerable with you.  When people see you and your rawest form your natural self, especially artists, they then feel that they can let their guard down and open up. And maybe because of my artist background, it brings out another sensitive side with me with artists. [laughs] There are sometimes when I’m in the label and I feel like I can be an advocate for an artist because I was an artist; there's just a language, an unspoken language. Being in the label I've been able to adopt that personality and fully understand what that means. But then now I'm like this bridge to this outside world of artists that have never been in the system.  We have this unspoken connection and love language if you will. So it's a very interesting thing but it's just amazing. [laughs]  It's amazing when things come full circle. 

Besides you being an artist, are there other moments when you look back over your life that were critical for shaping you into the person you are today but personally and professionally?

Yeah ! You know what, when I was a kid I always knew that I was very unique and different, and I didn't quite understand why I was picked on or people made fun of me or didn't want to be my friend. And I didn't understand it then, but I understand it now; I was literally being prepared to walk into a game where you can't care what people say or think about you. This extra layer of skin is applied to you whereas things that may affect the average person don't even make you flinch. You know when I was a kid I didn't understand it. Even up until college I didn't understand why people didn't like me, like “Why won't they like me?? Why don’t they want to be my friend?!” 

I remember there was a talent show and I was in this girl group and I remember in one of the rehearsals just before the show, they put me out of the group! And I didn't understand it . So I went home and I was in my feelings, and my mom helped me through. I ended up putting my own little performance show together and I ended up winning the talent show. And my mom said that the woman who was hosting the talent show, she was another parent, said, “This kid’s gonna be on MTV one day.” My mom ended up reminding me of that years ago. It just made sense to me, and that was probably one of the most critical things that I took from my childhood was just not caring what people say. 

Not everyone is going to see your vision, not everyone's gonna understand you. Sometimes people will see you and see your gifts and it bothers them. They’re jealous of that… but you have to keep it pushing.

Back then I wanted to be accepted. But looking back on it, I was on a greater path and my greater path didn't call for me to be under and in mediocre circumstances. I was called to do something different, and that was no offense to the people that I encountered then, because they were a major part of who I am today. But my path was just different from theirs . It called me to come to another level. And with coming to another level, I had to come to accept certain things.  I had to accept that not everyone was going to like me, not everyone was going to support me, not everyone was going accept my vision and plan that God had for my life.

So when was the first time that you saw yourself? 

The first time I saw myself…I gotta be honest with you, I probably didn't really see myself or really come into my power or recognize my power until the last couple of years.  I've been going through so many transitions and transformations in my personal life . 

There's something….when you know, what you know, what you know about yourself…no one can fuck with you. 

And I would say maybe a little bit more than that. I recognize my power it didn't come even through the traditional sense of being in the business or anything music related. I was going through something with my landlord and he was really trying me and refused to give me some money back that he owed because he wanted me to use it in a certain way. And I remember telling him so clearly, “You are not my source. God is my source.” And when I said that…when those words came out of my mouth...I was like damn. And from that moment forward that's just been my mentality. God is my source. You are not my source. So anytime any person or places or things think that they have the authority to move me or to try and persuade my way of thinking, I have to tap into that place. You are not my source.  You have no authority to tell me what I can do.  And that’s what I mean when I say I hate taking no for an answer -- but even sometimes when you’re rejected in a moment it's setting you up for something bigger -- but I'm specifically talking about people that tried to literally keep you back and they don't have the authority. 

So when did you first feel seen in your industry?

I think I had these moments or glimpses... I think there was always a mutual respect between people. I was always sought out for certain things.  But I think really coming to RCA and just the things that I've been able to do there in such a short amount of time has really changed the conversation for me and the game.  Especially when you're working so closely with the CEO and Chairman and you’re side by side with him so just the visibility... you're in rooms that many people don't get the opportunity to go into.  So then when you run into those people from those rooms again, the conversation changes.  They get to know you and then you get invited into other things and then you're signing artists that are competitive signings.  Then people find out that you're the one who did it and the conversation changes. It shifts. 

What inspires you in the midst of all this? What keeps you inspired? 

Knowing that I'm serving people. Which is a very strange thing. In my young, early, early adulthood my cousin was like, “You have the heart of a servant and you can't even help it.  It's just who you are.” And when she said that I felt like a doormat! [laughs] Like, wow thanks for telling me that I let people walk all over me! [laughs] That's just what I wanna be! [laughs].

But there is something so powerful about meeting the needs of people and meeting people at their most vulnerable place.

I worked with every single CEO and Chairperson and President at Sony Music, and at some of the other labels but specifically at Sony. And when you are able to work with these people, to the point that where when their main person is away they're asking for you and booking you six months to a year in advance, it’s because you offer them something that is so comforting and so consistent for them.  That is a powerful thing, to be able to help a person of power. Because you...I don't know what it is. I'm still kind of identifying or trying to understand what it is that I do for people, but I know that it's kind of like an unexplainable, explainable thing. But it brings me such joy because something about whatever I do is comforting. And it allows them to be themselves and for them to be great. 

I was always taught that when you're good at helping certain people you can increase their productivity by at least 50%. And so just imagine what that does in that position.

How do you see the industry evolving for people of color for women of color?

What's interesting now is that the very same people who things were stolen from, or people that were kind of beat down before... it's so interesting to see the tables turning.  Almost like a prophecy being fulfilled. I don't want to use the term karma but it's so cool and so humbling. People of color, especially women of color in this country have been so abused and disrespected for centuries. And women, especially black women -- we are mystical creatures.  

And the fact that you have black women rising up into places of leadership in music and really in our country now, I mean they're everywhere.  In music there's so many female bosses but then you’ve got women like Thasunda Duckett running Chase Bank...there are so many others, but it's a powerful thing . And so it's so inspiring. It's the girl code. 

Even within A&R at RCA, when I first started there were maybe one or two females on the A&R team. And now there's more female presence.  I'm the only black female currently but it's really cool. I'm seeing it everywhere. I went to a Grammy brunch recently to honor the women in the game and I was just looking around, like wow.  There are so many badass chicks in this game and half of them, if not more, were women of color. Not just Black but also Latin, Asian, those of Middle Eastern descent...it's so awesome. We’re lit out here. Women, we are so lit. 

And I really don't like when men try us and that's why I respect women like Sylvia Rhone; who really is a pioneer, and think people respect her but I don't think that people really give her the full respect and honor that is due to her.   She's the first Chairwoman that I know of and for her to come into the music game in the 70s when it really was a boys club, and for her to rise up to be a Chairwoman in the 90s when she was at Elektra and then Universal Motown and then at Epic, it's remarkable. And in her speech she mentioned that she's been in this game for over 40 years.  That's unheard of. It's unheard of for any person to be a music that long but for a black woman to be in it that long and to remain at the top the whole time is exceptional. 

So what legacy are you trying to build and leave behind with your work at this point?

Wooo... I want to be known as someone who serves the people. I would love to be a massive inspiration to the world. And I would love to be known as someone that had the heart of a servant. Someone that gives people the opportunity to be great. A lot of times there are a lot of people that have greatness on the inside of them but it's untapped because they don't have someone close enough to reach them and pull them up, to encourage them, or to help them with certain resources and things that are needed to get them to reach their full potential. So it's another reason why I think that I'm so sensitive to certain things. I guess it's what you're talking about, this being intuitive and being in tune and seeing and sensing out what people need.  Because you say one simple thing to a person and it could -- or, maybe not -- change the course and trajectory of their future. 

So I honestly believe that part of my purpose is to be here to support people in that sense. And that can mean a lot of things.  And can be identified as several things. 

But that's the only way that I can sum it up for now.