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Stewart Taylor @imstewarttaylor Bello Creative Minds October 2025 edition
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Stewart Taylor is a Los Angeles–based singer, songwriter, dancer, and MMG-signed model and actor. Originally from a small town outside New York City, he later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since then, he’s collaborated with Grammy-nominated songwriters and producers including Charlie Puth and Kara DioGuardi. His music, rooted in funk, pop, and R&B, includes his 2023 single “Nightmares,” which landed a spot on MTV’s Spankin’ New rotation. In addition to his own music, Taylor has written for artists such as Antonia, SB19’s Josh Cullen, and several performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
B: Creativity often strikes in unexpected ways, where do you find yourself most inspired, and how do you capture those ideas before they slip away?
ST: I’m very inspired by life in general. My best ideas usually come to me while I’m walking down the street in LA and in little pieces of conversations I have with people. I’m definitely that guy who hears a song title in the middle of a chat with a friend and has to immediately write it down or record a voice memo. My brain keeps writing songs in my sleep as well. Sometimes the melodies and the words get so loud that they literally wake me from my dreams. Then I have to grab my phone and record a sleepy rendition of the song before it slips away. By and all, being in love and getting my heart broken are the best inspirations. The people who have found their way in and out of my heart have always helped me tap into the musical gold where the truth lies.
B: Every artist has a “why.” What drives your creative process at its core?
ST: I sing, dance, write music, and direct music videos because I need to, have to. Creating is so ingrained in my being that I don’t think I could ever turn that part of myself off. It helps me make sense of the world around me. It’s given me strength and hope in the lowest moments of my life. It’s brought me to Heaven and Hell and back again.
B: Can you share a moment when a creative risk you took completely transformed your work or your perspective?
ST: The moment I decided to come out as Queer and showcase that in my music was my biggest creative risk. It was ultimately the most rewarding risk I could have taken. I had so much internalized homophobia from being bullied for so many years as a kid. I really struggled with coming out because of this, especially considering how the LGBTQ community was demonized in the media and still is to this day. Shifting from writing songs about women to predominantly writing songs about men helped me take my power back. I live in my truth, I write my truth, and I am going to be my true self whether someone agrees with it or not.
B: How do you balance the tension between staying true to your personal vision and creating work that resonates with an audience?
ST: I don’t really think much about what the audience wants. I focus on the message that I want to send out to the world and I make it as honest as it can be. If I’ve been compelled to create something based on a human experience I’ve had, then someone else has likely felt that same way and needs to hear that song.
B: If your creative journey were a canvas, what colors, textures, or emotions would define it right now?
ST: If my journey were a canvas, you’d probably see a lot of yellow, orange, and green across the board. These are colors I associate with happiness and excitement. There have been tremendous highs and lows on my path, but I’m in a really happy place right now creatively. After several years of writing songs for other artists, I’m finally finishing my debut album and releasing more music as a solo artist. I have a beautiful new music video for my new single EMILIO coming out soon too, so my canvas is looking very colorful and loud right now.
B: Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you hope your artistic output leaves?
ST: I hope my musical and artistic output inspires someone to be bold and to create art too. I’ve spent the better part of my time on Earth turning my life into a work of art that I’m proud of, but I wouldn’t be who I am without the incredible artists that have come before me. David Bowie, Prince, Madonna, GaGa, Freddie Mercury, The Jacksons, and countless other legends gave me the permission to be my true self. They helped me to embrace my gifts and to celebrate my weirdness. Whether a song of mine helps someone articulate what they’re feeling, or inspires them to put on a sickening outfit and strut their stuff down Sunset Boulevard, I hope my music can be some part of that inspiration for someone else.
Photographer / Videographer Yash Singh @yashxsinghofficial
Stylist AmbiKa B Sanjana @styledbyambika
Interview Isha Parekh @isha_parekhh
Production @bellomediagroup × @maisonprivee_
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