‘Crazy’ as it feels to her, the Rockford native hits the big stage on Tuesday, joining country star Kelsea Ballerini for a Van Andel Arena tour stop. The Local Spins Q&A with MaRynn Taylor.

‘Really Inspiring’: MaRynn Taylor is excited to learn from Kelsea Ballerini’s while joining her on tour. (Courtesy Photo)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Talk about a whirlwind season.
After Rockford native and emerging country singer MaRynn Taylor released two EPs and a few singles in 2024, she wrapped up the year with a jam-packed hometown show in Grand Rapids at The Intersection’s Stache in December, opening for Dylan Schneider.
Now, the Nashville-based artist has a much bigger stage on tap: Taylor will open for country star Kelsea Ballerini on Ballerini’s 2025 U.S. tour with a stop at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 21) at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena. (Tickets — $35-$191 — available online here. Sasha Alex Sloan is also on the bill.)
Local Spins writer Holly Holtzclaw recently caught up with Taylor to chat with her about the tour, her recent releases and upcoming new music.
Holtzclaw: Last time we talked I asked you what one of your biggest career goals was, and you said playing Van Andel Arena and here you are, less than a year later opening for Kelsea Ballerini. How does that feel?
Taylor: It feels insane. I think it’s so funny that I said that. I kind of manifested that for myself. It feels crazy because Van Andel Arena is where I saw Hannah Montana when I was six, I saw Carrie Underwood there, I saw Miranda Lambert there, Garth Brooks, James Taylor, like I saw a bunch of people there growing up. I just always, always dreamed of getting to play on that same stage. And now I get to. Crazy. It’s nuts.
Holtzclaw: So since we kind of spoke that into existence last time, I thought I’d ask what is another big goal of yours?
Taylor: I mean, I should just say all my goals right now, really. I’m really excited to kind of look at Kelsea and the way she approaches her shows. Even just the back-stage part of it, the things she does in preparation. I think that’s really inspiring. So I’m excited to learn from her and hopefully headline something. I would love to headline arenas someday, but just to headline a tour I think would be really cool.

Playing to a Packed House: Taylor at The Stache in December. (Photo/Benjamin Howell)
Holtzclaw: You’ve been super busy putting out a ton of music this past year, from your “Get To Know Me” EP, to the singles you released, to your Christmas album. Are there any fan reactions you’ve gotten to particular tracks that have really connected with your listeners?
Taylor: The “Get To Know Me” EP is kind of about where I’m at dating in my 20s so every song kind of has that point of view. But the song “Get To Know Me” has been one that was super vulnerable for me to put out. It’s a very real story for me, even to this day. I was on tour with Kimberly Perry, and a girl came up to me and she was just crying, and she’s like, “Your song ‘Get To Know Me’ really inspired me. I’m going through a similar situation and I needed a song like that,” and I feel like that’s why I do it. I mean, I write songs for my own selfish reasons of “I need to get this out,” but to be able to go out on the road and to see someone in a meet and greet actually be so impacted by something that I’ve gone through as well is comforting. That was a really touching moment for me.
Holtzclaw: You’ve done some touring this past year, so what’s your favorite thing about being on the road?
Taylor:: There are lots of favorite things. I mean, it’s fun to see people come to the shows that I’ve met, like on TikTok or Instagram. It’s fun to see them in person and be like, “Oh my gosh, you’re at my show!” you know what I mean? And just to be able to say thank you for supporting me and to see that they actually bought a ticket, paid for parking, bought a T-shirt, like they spent their well-earned money and their time to just come and hear me sing and do what I love which is really cool. My other favorite thing is the tour bus. Sleeping in the bunks is super interesting. I always tell people it feels like you’re in a coffin a little bit, but also kind of a cocoon is probably a better way to say that. But I really do love sleeping in the bunks. My band’s all there and our end of the night Quiplash games and just hanging out on the tour bus is really fun.
Holtzclaw: So when you were opening for Dylan Schneider just about a month ago, you got to play a Grand Rapids show. How was that?
Taylor:: Oh my gosh. It was so fun. So when you’re opening, it’s like most of the fans are Dylan Schneider fans. But when I got up on stage, I could see a lot of people that I knew, and it was a new experience of people making signs for me. The meet-and-greet line that night was the longest meet and greet line of the whole tour. Just the amount of support that Grand Rapids and my hometown Rockford has for me was just incredibly pleasantly overwhelming. And it was fun to be on stage and be like, “OK, guys, we got this show and you ought to come to this next one over here at Van Andel!” A lot of those people in that crowd saw me when I was just starting to pick up a guitar, or just starting to do local talent shows, or singing in bars. I think both of us, the crowd and me on stage in that moment, just saw the growth. It was such a special night.
Holtzclaw: I wanted to also ask if there was anything new that you’ve been inspired by as far as songwriting and ideas for songs as of late.
Taylor:: So I have new music coming out in the new year, and I wrote this song in like, September, after I had gone through somewhat of a breakup. And so this is kind of a wild story, but the person I broke up with came to my Nashville show with his new girlfriend right after we broke up. So this song is kind of about that. I’ve been teasing it on my Instagram and people seem to like it, which I’m so stoked about.
Holtzclaw: Do you have any other plans or things that Local Spins readers should look out for in 2025 that you’re able to talk about right now?
Taylor: I think just the Van Andel show right now. I’m really gearing up for that first show of the tour. Right now I’m in fittings for the clothes and stuff, and then I’m in rehearsals until like 10 p.m. It’ll be a lot of really long days, but it’ll all be worth it when I get to step on the stage Hannah Montana stepped on.
VIDEO: MaRynn Taylor, “Season 2 of Friends”
VIDEO: Kelsea Ballerini, “First Rodeo”
VIDEO: Sasha Alex Sloan, “Highlights”
Copyright 2025, Spins on Music LLC