MIDDLEBURG – Kiley Taylor’s love for singing has always come easy.

It's a gift passed down from generations, and Kiley said she was destined to have it. Since she first learned to talk, Kiley has used her voice to express herself.

A freshman at Middleburg High School, secretary for the school's FFA chapter and avid cow lover, Kiley has many hobbies. But singing undoubtedly tops them all.
Her mother, Brandy Taylor, said she can remember when her daughter was just about four years old, singing “I’ll Fly Away” with her grandfather. 

“Kiley would go, and they would visit nursing homes, and he would play the guitar, and she would sing with him,” Brandy said.

Kiley said her main inspiration is her father, John Taylor. He started his own band, The John Taylor Band, and Kiley said she grew up hearing the guitar strings and his voice melodies every day. With her mother, a singer, too, it was always common for her to be surrounded by musical talents.

Whenever the band practiced in their garage or performed at local gigs around the county, Kiley said she would be right there, watching in the wings, hoping to experience the same thing one day. 

“I just always wanted to be like him,” Kiley said.

In 2017, when Kiley was just around 9, John, a Clay County fire lieutenant, was involved in an accident that left him severely injured.

During such a rough and uncertain time in their family’s lives, Brandy said her daughter never failed to bring a smile to everyone’s face. While he was in the hospital, Kiley found solace in playing virtual karaoke with her father every day. 

“She would send those to him when he was in the rehabilitation center,” Brandy said. 

With what happened to her dad mixed in with the woes of becoming a teenager, Brandy said music has acted as a sort of therapy for Kiley — and for her and others. 

Kiley said the experience gave her the confidence and the courage she needed. She sees singing as a way to express how she feels, without actually having to say it.

“I love how you don’t really have to talk to anyone,” Kiley said. “You just sing.” 

Kiley said she Mainly favors country music influences and mirrors artists such as the Chicks, Miranda Lambert and Megan Moroney. The guitar strings that come with country music are the sound of Kiley’s life. Along with her father, Kiley said that for two years, she had used YouTube videos solely to teach herself how to play.

"Traveling Soldier" by the Chicks is one of her favorite songs on her guitar. And, it’s the one she said she opens up with at just about every gig. Performing at eateries such as G’s Barbecue and Fun Point, as well as the Clay County Agricultural Fair, Kiley’s voice has made a big impact. 

And, it doesn’t stop there. 

Just recently, Kiley decided to take a leap of faith and audition for one of the biggest stages a musician could ever be on "American Idol."

“When I was little, we always watched 'American Idol' in the living room,” Kiley said. “And, I was like, that looks like fun. And, I’ve always dreamed of being on there one day.” 

One day, Kiley said she wanted to be known, for her voice to be everywhere, and for the songs that she had written to be heard. 

She said she desires to be a singer, and having it as a career would be her biggest accomplishment.

“Other than cows, I really have no other passion,” she said. “ Singing [is] all I want to do.”