Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tay Banks. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

Definitely— I’m a Christian musician so a lot of people think that I’m going to really lean heavily into the hymns and traditional Gospel music, but that’s not what the Lord has called me to. My style right now is very grungy and sad and really reaching into the depths of heartbreak. So not traditional Gospel music at all, but also not secular music. I would label the project that I’m working on, Royal, as “Sad Girl Music”, unlike secular “sad girl” (think Billie Eilish and Adele), my intention is really to shine Light in the broken places.

A time where I really experienced this was actually a couple of months ago. I was going through a pretty hard heartbreak and my form of spiraling was doing open mic nights with nothing prepared. So I signed up, there was only one spot left at the end of the night and I really felt like Jesus was telling me to go for it. Five minutes before I went on I asked a lady to play guitar for me. We spent a little bit of time getting to know each other so she knew that I was a Jesus freak and I knew that she wasn’t.

So we’re on the stage and I’m just singing my little heart out – free styling about Jesus haha. Knowing that she wasn’t a Christian, I wanted to bring her more into the set, so I turned to this sweet girl and asked her to give me a topic to sing about, and she asked me what I was passionate about, which, of course, was Jesus. But it really allowed me to dive into my passion of meeting the lost and hurting people of the world and showing them the love of Jesus Christ; showing them how valuable they are no matter what has happened to them or what they have done or what they are ashamed of. I got to share my testimony, a story about suicide, losing my friends to death and drugs – almost losing myself to drugs, and my story of being a former sex worker. And how I am still loved and wanted by God.

When I got off the stage, I had a girl come up to me, and she was incredibly moved by what I shared. So I guess the lesson really is to be true to who you are, be vulnerable and be bold. You never know who needs to hear your life lessons. You never know how your story can shape someone else’s for better or for worse.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

So I am totally an oversharer haha. I already mentioned most of this in the first question, but I can share a little bit more about the business itself, and the idea that surrounds it. I grew up in a lot of darkness and music was the thing that kept me connected to God. Whenever I was processing heartbreak or trauma, singing and songwriting was the tool that I used to find peace. When I walked away from the Lord, I also walked away from music. When I came back to Jesus in 2020, he put this passion for music on my heart again, but it wasn’t a passion for pretty songs. It was a hunger to let people know how deeply they are loved no matter how far they have strayed.

That’s really what my project, Royal, is about. I reach into the depths of my soul and share some of my darkest moments so people know that they are not alone and the Lord desires them and desires to bring them out of the pain.

What would I want my audience to know? I would just want them to know how incredibly loved they are; that they don’t have to run from the Light. That God doesn’t hate them. That’s what I hope to offer them— a space where they can truly be themselves, where they feel authentic and accepted, while being called to a higher. Known. Loved. Child of God.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I spent so many years feeling unloved, unseen, and unaccepted. It wasn’t until I came to Jesus Christ, that I truly found my identity. Until I was with the Lord, I felt so alone. But now I have a community around me who champions me, I’m following my dreams— and most importantly, I’m reconnected to the lover of my soul, Hashem.

My mission is really to remind people who God is and who they are in God. This world tries to tell us that we are not enough, that we are failures, that nobody will love us. That is the furthest thing from the truth!! At the core of who you are, you are more loved than you will ever know. That is who you are, that’s who you were created to be. That’s my mission, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I feel like much of my story is a tale about resilience. As a child I spent years in foster care (some through the state, but mostly through the church), and the years with my bio family were often difficult (though I love my family deeply and wouldn’t trade them).

As an adult, I was living life through a wounded heart. When I was 21 I tried to take my life in a really serious way; I should not be here. By the grace of God I am. Every single day that I wake up is a gift not to be forsaken. Like I said, my music isn’t about pretty songs. Royal is a war anthem about overcoming in the Lord. It’s a story about the power of Light to conquer darkness. It is quite literally a project of resilience upheld on the shoulders of Jesus Christ.

My final words for this interview? If the world feels like it’s closing in on you, if you wake up, and you only see gray, if you can’t remember the last time that the birds chirped— turn this EP on, know you’re not alone, and let Jesus heal your wounded heart, beloved, resilient, child of God.

Royal.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: taybanks.xo
• Youtube: taybanksxo
• Other: TikTok: @taybanksxo

  On streaming platforms (Apple, Spotify, etc.), September 10th: tay banks

Image Credits

Joseph Sharketti