Singer-songwriter Maria Taylor is the talented musician behind the original song entitled "Everything I Wanted." It was specifically composed for the character of Colton Landry, the Port Haven native who loves music and playing guitar.
In this interview, Maria shares her approach to creating, the importance of the song's title and her personal connection to the storyline and the 90s.
You wrote the original song “Everything I Wanted” for Colton’s character. How did you approach creating the tone and theme of the song to represent his character?
As soon as I got off of the zoom call with writer-producer Heather Conkie, I could feel the song bubbling up inside of me. As she was telling me parts of the storyline and describing the characters, I got chills.
In the 90s, I learned so much about love, life and death...and writing songs was my catharsis. Being a mom, daughter and having experienced love and loss, I felt so connected to many aspects of the story. I felt that I could articulate his love for his wife through these words and melodies, and since I’ve experienced the death of a love, I often write my songs (and live my life) conscious that we could be gone tomorrow.
Why was it important to name it “Everything I Wanted"?
I felt like it really summed up how Colton felt for his wife and that’s pretty rare to find a love that is “everything."
What was your creative process like between you and the director and writer of the series?
The music supervisor, Jennifer Pyken, reached out to me about this opportunity. She had used my songs in a few shows in the past. From the minute she approached me, I had a feeling about this opportunity and once I had a zoom call with Heather Conkie, I felt in my bones that I could write the song for this character. It meant so much to me and I’m just so grateful to have had this experience.
Do you have a favorite song from the 90s?
From the early 90s I would say, “Galileo” by the Indigo Girls. Late 90s I would say, anything off of Elliott Smith’s “Either Or” or “ XO.”