Having a moment in the back of a taxi late at night when life just seems unreal is an experience many people will recognise. Whether it’s the ride from the airport into an unknown city or the drive back home from a perfect concert, revelling in the moment in the back of a taxi is a universal experience. Austrian singer-songwriter Julia Steen now captured that feeling in a song and released the track titled ‘Taximann’ on the 4th of July.
While this is a phenomenon familiar to many, Steen’s particular experience that she’s singing about in ‘Taximann’ might actually be original. According to her, the song is about hanging out with Chris Martin after a Coldplay concert, and the taxi driver not believing her when he drove her to the venue. It was this unique moment that inspired the equally unique track.
Julia Steen is known for coining her own genre, which is an unusual blend of German pop and country. One thing about country music is that it’s quite hard to make it sound authentic, especially if you’re not Dolly Parton herself or at least from Tennessee. However, Julia Steen incorporates those country elements effortlessly by adjusting them to her personal style.
So, when the song starts off in typical country fashion, only to be interrupted by Steen’s contemporary singing style, there’s immediately a natural flow to the track. Right from the first note, the song is extremely catchy, which is down to the rhythm as well as the changes of pace. The prominent backing vocals during the chorus are a particularly nice touch; apart from the backing vocals, strings are added too, giving the song more nuance. Overall, the instrumental arrangement could not be more fitting.
As for the lyrics, the story on which the song is based lends itself to metaphors so well. Mentioning New York and Paris in the pre-chorus, two cities that are known for being the subject of a lot of people’s dreams, makes the song even more universally relatable and truly brings the metaphor to life.
Steen’s greatest strength above all else is her voice. Apart from its massive range and versatility, she puts a lot of emotion into it, almost a certain theatricality, making it not just impressive but also incredibly expressive.
Julia Steen had already debuted ‘Taximann’ on stage and has played it live several times since. Seeing as it worked very well on the crowd, it’s great to now have it on record too.
Written by: Melanie Falkensteiner
Edited by: Marieke Weeda
