Words By Taylor B-W.
Those who know me know that I hate dating apps.
I know dating apps have worked for some people but I personally find it all too dehumanising – both for the swiper and the swiped…
“Be Mine shows that any relationship can sometimes be flakey. So flakey that it can make one feel lonely, even if you’re surrounded by so many people. And that is okay”: Taylor B-W explores the themes behind her new single.
My latest single, Be Mine, was sparked when I realised, after I trialled a hetero dating app that tells women to make the first move, that HEY! I’m actually a traditionalist when it comes to being courted. I need to be approached first, and there needs to be romance and maybe a little mystery…
Yep, I still support #timesup and the new wave of empowered feminism, however, I’m not all about trying to act like somebody I’m not. I want to be me, ‘dorky-chic’ n’ all, and if that is not good enough for someone then it wasn’t meant to be. I’m not a witty first-liner with the prowess to straight-up express “I like you let’s hook up.” I actually like being mysterious and slowly reveal myself to someone. And, with Be Mine, I want you to know that it is okay to be like that.
Dating apps have taken the mystery out of connecting with someone. And this makes me sad. It even extends to social media. Millennials and Generation Z, like myself, have lost a lot of ‘self’ due to social media. Despite having many followers, and online profiles inter-connecting, one can still feel incredibly lonely and disconnected from life itself. Sure, I love seeing the latest memes, laughing at silly pet videos, or having the news burn into my eyeballs as it tears through my feeds, but I still feel like life is just too accessible now. Everything is blunt and obvious.
So, with all this mind, I went into the studio and wrote the lyrics of Be Mine.
Although it reads as very simple in its sentiment, I actually wrote this tune to show that people who feel alone are not the only ones. I’m not just talking about loneliness in a relationship either. I say it time and time again that loneliness is a silent killer, and despite surrounding yourself with as many people as you can, sometimes you still feel solitary and confined within your own world. So, it becomes harder and harder to connect with people.
This generation – we are incredibly busy peeps. I, for one, am not only an indie artist breaking out into the scene, but I earn money working three jobs, plus I fit in time to be social with mates, exercise, and care for my dog. I am also a qualified zoo keeper – a qualification I would love to finally put to use in the future… I know right!? So busy. Then put social media into the equation and I become busier…
So, although we all do a lot of ‘social’ things in our lives, it’s hard to find extra ‘courting’ time. So I get why people need accessible dating apps. Plus, if I’m truly honest, my dating life has consisted of ‘organically-made’ relationships which have, most of the time, been pretty crap – so who am I to say dating apps shouldn’t be a thing!
As you can see, I go around and around in circles with how I feel about connecting with others – should we use apps, or shouldn’t we use apps? For instance, Be Mine sees me singing ‘I wanna believe somebody can be mine’, one moment, the next line I then take a dig at love: ‘Mrs and Mr with a heart-shaped ring on their middle finger’. No matter, Be Mine shows that any relationship can sometimes be flakey. So flakey that it can make one feel lonely, even if you’re surrounded by so many people. And that is okay. Just be yourself and, eventually, love will find you.
Be Mine is available now. Watch the new lyric video above.
