Country Outlaw Taylor Jo Debuts ‘4394JO’ EP For The Underestimated And Heartbroken
Taylor Jo, the genre-bending country artist from Neffs, Ohio, officially announces the release of her debut EP, 4394JO, out now. A raw fusion of Americana, outlaw, folk, and bluegrass, the project is anchored by the lead single “What Do You Want From Me,” a defiant confrontation of deceit and romantic games. Blending her identity as a frontline nurse by day and a neurodivergent voice in country by night, Taylor Jo crafts a sound that is as relatable as it is gritty, capturing the true spirit of small-town Ohio.
The title 4394JO is a deeply personal nod to her roots, combining the zip code of her hometown, Neffs (43940), with her middle name. The album serves as a sonic map of her life, with artwork featuring the street she grew up on, the bar where she played her first gig, and even the location of a past DUI. “Nothing on this album was invented,” Taylor Jo shares. “It is all real life, even the parts I didn’t think I wanted anyone to know”. From the opening track “Livin’ Out Of A Change Jar”—designed to introduce listeners to her personal history—to songs written on her bedroom floor, the record is an unfiltered look at poverty, grief, and healing.
For Taylor Jo, music has always been a survival mechanism.
“I make music for the version of me who didn’t think she’d survive,” she says, noting that these songs were her therapy long before she spoke her truths out loud.
The project also serves as a powerful platform for mental health and neurodivergent advocacy, reflecting her lived experience with Autism and ADHD. This authenticity has fostered a thriving online community of over 40,000 TikTok followers who tune in to witness her use “music as medicine”. Whether she is writing about the frustration of a job she hated in “Sick of This Shift” or paying tribute to her late best friend in “Ally’s Song,” her goal remains to help others feel less alone.
The recording process at Tony’s Treasures studio in Cadiz, Ohio, saw this intimate voice memos transformed into high-quality productions under the guidance of producers Mark Puskarich and Cody Romshak. Taylor Jo is backed Roger Hoard on guitar, Jan Roll on drums, bassist John “Buck” Allemond, and Jonathan H. Warren on fiddle and Anna Blanton on fiddle and mandolin, who together bring over 150 years of collective performing experience to her live shows. Having already shared stages with country stalwarts like Joe Nichols and Whey Jennings, Taylor Jo is ready to bring her “messy truth” to audiences across the region.
Fans can experience the raw energy of Taylor Jo and The Copper Creek Band live during their upcoming 2026 tour dates:
- February 14, 2026: Elm Grove Eagles Steak Fry – Elm Grove, WV (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
- June 13, 2026: Elm Grove Eagles – Elm Grove, WV (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
4394JO and the single “What Do You Want From Me” will be available on all major streaming platforms on April 26, 2025. For Taylor Jo, the release is the culmination of a lifetime of overcoming obstacles.
“I did it poor, I did it grieving, I did it heartbroken, I did it tired,” she reflects. “Now I want to encourage others to keep going”.
“4394JO” reads like a map of your life, not just a title. When did you realize this EP needed to carry your real locations, memories, and scars so openly?
It wasn’t a single moment; it was the way every song kept circling back to the same places, memories, and emotions. 43940 isn’t just a zip code; it includes chapters of my life marked by love, heartbreak, growth, and loss. I realized I couldn’t sanitize the stories or soften the edges without losing their truth. Life isn’t neat, and neither are the songs I write. This EP became my map. Every scar, every memory, every heartbreak has a place, and I wanted listeners to feel that sense of realness and go on that “ride” with me. One thing I love to do is go for long drives whether alone or with friends and just listen to music and sing, cry, maybe even scream a little if I need to. Sometimes it’s better to just get it out and music is great medicine. I kept my songs to myself for a long time in fear of people not liking them. In reality, it was more the fear of negative feedback. I wasn’t afraid to share my story. I was afraid of what other people would think, which was my first mistake. Eventually I realized I couldn’t let my anxiety and fears hold me back from things I wanted to do in life. I’m still working on my confidence which has been a long process but I am getting there.
You balance life as a frontline nurse with being a touring, recording artist. How does that reality shape the way you write about exhaustion, care, and survival?
Being a nurse shows you how fragile humans are, but also how resilient. I’ve worked in a lot of different nursing fields from corrections, acute care, addiction/adult psych, and now pediatric psych. I have witnessed people at their lowest moments. This includes kids, families, patients, even coworkers and that perspective changed the way I process my own struggles. Exhaustion isn’t just physical; it’s emotional and sometimes moral. Music gives me space to sit with those feelings. The EP is all personal stories. I am still learning to write about other people’s experiences which can be difficult for me with my neurodivergence due to difference in cognitive processing. I’m a very logical thinker so sometimes it’s hard to put myself in other people’s shoes to write their stories; However, I’m really good at putting myself in someone else’s shoes when it comes to empathy which helps. Nursing and songwriting come from the same place: showing care, processing pain, and ultimately trying to help people feel less alone. Survival is something I’ve always had to face and music is medicine.
“What Do You Want From Me” is confrontational in the best way. What did writing that song give you that conversation never could?
That song is incredibly personal and I think it is one of my best written songs. It’s about a “situationship” that was on and off for years. We never dated but it was more than just being friends there were real feelings involved it just was never the right time. The song shows the emotional tension that existed before things shifted. Writing it gave me a way to speak truths I couldn’t have fully voiced in real life without hurting someone or being misunderstood. I am a lot better at expressing my emotions through writing than I am talking in person. I actually wrote him a 7-page letter after writing the song to get closure. Writing the song allowed me to express frustration, confusion, and honesty all at once which is something a conversation could never do. It was liberating to channel that emotional complexity into a song and turn what felt like chaos in my life into clarity in art. A lot of people have been through that situation where they aren’t the only person someone is focused on which he had a lot going on in his life as well. “Gone” on the EP was actually written shortly after which was a song I wrote as a pep talk to just stay away from him and just go have fun and learn how to be happy alone. “Rockin’ The Moon To Sleep” also is about the same person. Him and I went through a LOT of emotions together I was anxiously attached and he was avoidant so it was like a cat and mouse games at times. We both did eventually change for the better for which I am proud of us for.
You’ve built a strong online community by treating music as medicine. What has that audience taught you about vulnerability and connection?
My fans have taught me that sharing is the truth is contagious. When I open up about heartbreak, grief, or personal struggles, people respond with their own stories, healing, and vulnerability. I’ve seen firsthand that music becomes a safe space, a mirror, and a conversation. Authenticity creates connection, and connection creates healing. I’ve also learned that don’t just want to hear songs; they want to feel them and be able to relate because it is nice to feel understood, and that’s an incredible responsibility and honor. I have TikTok followers like my friend Ghost and Johnathan who came in day 1 when I had maybe 3 people listening to me sing in a livestream, they stuck around until I had over 1,000 people in my lives and still support me to this day. I have created a lot of friendships and they taught me people don’t have to be in the same physical space as you to be supportive and a good friend. I appreciate all of my fans whether they come see us live or they watch my livestream. They have helped me in ways that they may never understand. They made me feel seen and heard even at my lowest points. Support is so important in life and I try to open myself up and be there for as many people as I can because at one point, I knew what it felt like to have no one and I never want anyone to ever feel that way.
As you take “4394JO” on the road with The Copper Creek Band, what do you hope people who feel underestimated or heartbroken hear themselves in?
I hope they hear that their story matters, that heartbreak and struggles do not define their future, and being underestimated isn’t the end of their story; it’s just part of it. I want listeners to feel seen in their grief, their struggle, or their quiet victories. Songs like “Ally’s Song” there were not always two versions. When I first wrote Ally’s Version, it was written for my childhood best friend who was diagnosed with leukemia right out of high school. I wrote it as a “keep going, we are here for you” type of song not only for her but anyone battling leukemia. Unfortunately, Ally passed away a few months later but she did get to hear it. One day on my way home from the studio, I decided it needed to be more broad range so more people could relate. After she passed, I felt like it was her singing to me while I went through a bad depression. It helped me process my grief after losing her and struggling. I reconfigured a couple words and created Taylor’s Version. Anyone fighting something heavy, anyone wrestling with loss, can hear themselves in Taylor’s Version and feel a little less alone no matter what they are battling. That is the heart of this EP; a reminder that no one has to navigate life’s hard moments by themselves no matter how you grew up or where you come from. I also hope if someone is feeling less than, unworthy of love, or has been through similar things that I have, they can listen to some other songs on the album and feel their emotions freely. The EP is truly an emotional rollercoaster for me but was such a weight off my shoulders.
Thank you so much for supporting this project and giving me a chance to share these stories. It means the world to me.