Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kyle Taylor Parker

It’s been a year since Broadway went dark, and if you’re like us, you’re yearning for the day when we can all get together and enjoy live theater again. Thankfully, multifaceted talent Kyle Taylor Parker has created a timeless album that encapsulates the magic of the stage. We recently caught up with Kyle to chat about the release of Spotify. Listen to Broadway Soul, Vol.2.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Kyle: When I was a kid, I was really, really shy, and my parents were going through a divorce. In an attempt to get me out of my shell, my mom took me to an all-day acting program on Saturdays. That was the only place where I wasn’t shy; I would come to life. My mom kept me in that, and later I learned that it’s something you can do for a career, which was really lucky for me, because it’s something I need to do for my spirit.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career, either personally or professionally?
Kyle: I would have to say it’s all the great Black performers who came before me, especially the great Queer Black performers who came before me. I’m so inspired when I look at André De Shields, Billy Porter, Nell Carter, and Oprah Winfrey. Oprah isn’t a musical theater performer, but she’s an incredible human being who has such influence. Everything she does inspires me. I hope to be a force like that in my own small way.

PC: You had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Kyle: I’ve been very fortunate to do what I love. I came to New York City with one thing in mind: “I’m just going to be an actor.” I had a really small-minded way of thinking. I was going to be on Broadway, and that was the end of the story. That’s what I want to do, but I’ve also done so many other things that have surprised me. Recording isn’t something as a kid I thought I was going to do, and now it’s a big part of my life.

PC: Speaking of recording, you’ve got a new album out now. Tell us about Broadway Soul, Vol. 2 and the inspiration behind it.
Kyle: On Broadway Soul, Vol 2, I took Broadway songs and turned them into soul songs. It was created during the pandemic, and the inspiration to make this album was the Broadway shutdown. I was sitting in this pandemic, and I didn’t know what my life was going to be, but I knew that the world would want and need some way to connect—I know I needed that. So, I started working on this album with my collaborators. Everything was recorded remotely, so nothing was recorded in the same space or at the same time. My producers made it sound gorgeous, but I actually recorded it from my closet. The album is packaged to look like a cast recording of a Broadway show.

PC: How did you decide what you would re-imagine? How did the collaborations on the album come about?
Kyle: I’m a fan of every single person who’s singing or playing on the album. I’ve been trying to hunt them down to work with me for years, but our schedules have never worked out. That was the gift of the pandemic: we were all sitting down in one spot. I was lucky that I got Shoshana Bean, Jackie Cox, and Natalie Joy Johnson on the project. I chose the songs based on things I would want to hear them sing. I chose their characters and the story based on how they are in my life, how I think about them in my life. As far as the concept of the story, the story that is in the CD booklet is a Queer love story that takes place in a post-pandemic world.

I was inspired by the times. During the pandemic, we’ve had so many questions: what is it going to be like? What’s this new world going to look like? I don’t have the answer to that, but I do think that the thing that will remain is our desire to connect to one another—look at all the ways we’ve tried to connect with family without touch or being in person. That’s the overall message of the album: love is never gone.

PC: If you had to pick one of the songs that’s on Vol. 2 that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Kyle: That’s a good question, and also a hard one! I would say “What Would I Do If I Could Feel?”. Currently in my life, I’m exploring and assessing all the things that I am and all the possibilities that I could be. Like you said earlier, I had a lot of success in this business really young. Now I’m at a good point to say, “You’ve been that person. Now what would happen if you try to be this next version of yourself?”

PC: The album has been out for a couple of weeks now and has been incredibly well received. What has that response meant to you?
Kyle: The response has meant so much to me. As a creative person, you always hope that people will get it. You go through all these phases. You’re like, “This is a good idea. This is a bad idea. I’m a bad artist.” You go through all of that to come out victorious. Having the album mean so much to people and for it to be well received is so encouraging to me.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2021, what does the year hold for you?
Kyle: My only goal these days is to do good work and tell honest stories.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Kyle: RuPaul’s Drag Race. U.K.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Kyle: The First Wives Club.

PC: Favorite book?
Kyle: All Boys Aren’t Blue.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Kyle: Angels in America and Dreamgirls.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Kyle: The All-American Rejects.

PC: First album you bought?
Kyle: Jackson 5.

PC: First concert you attended?
Kyle: Maroon 5.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Kyle: That’s a hard one. The Wiz because I didn’t know that theater could sound like that.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Kyle: Someone fabulous, brave, and undiscovered.

To keep up with Kyle, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Listen to Broadway Soul, Vol.2 today.