By Clare BruceTuesday 11 Jul 2017Guests and ArtistsReading Time: 5 minutes
Above: Taya Smith leading worship at a Hillsong service. Source: Instagram @casslangton
Continue reading our 2017 story, About that Buzz Cut: Hillsong United’s Taya Smith Explains New Hairstyle
Latest story on Taya, her faith and music career
Source: Official TAYA Facebook
“The More I Sing, the More I Need God,” Hillsong United’s Taya
By LAURA BENNETT Friday 6 May 2022 | UNDISTRACTED podcast
Since Taya’s voice was first heard on the Hillsong United track Oceans in 2013 – a song that boasts a record-breaking 61 weeks at the #1 on the Billboard Top Christian Songs Chart – she has become a leading figure of worship within the church.
Alongside her bandmates, Taya has sung live to over 10 million people around the world and contributed to one billion career streams for United and Hillsong Worship releases.
On May 27, Taya will have a new career first, stepping out with her own solo worship album – a project she told Hope 103.2’s UNDISTRACTED podcast that will allow her to put her voice to her own lyrics and melodies and her own revelations of who Jesus is. Read full article
About that Buzz Cut: Hillsong United’s Taya Smith Explains New Hairstyle
How very quickly social media explodes with opinion, when someone in the public eye changes their appearance.
It’s not just pop celebrities who become the subject of mass debate over their style choices; high-profile Christian worship leaders are in the firing line too, it seems, judging by the response to Taya Smith’s recent short haircut.
After posting an image on Instagram of her new buzz-cut on April 6, followers of the Hillsong United singer unleashed a mixture of support and criticism. Many quoted Bible passages requiring women to have long hair; others responding to the critics with comments about culture and context.
Supporters pointed out Taya’s right to choose her own hairstyle without answering to others.
In a recent catchup with Taya and her band mates, Hope 103.2 heard from the singer herself about why she went for the cropped look: her hair was simply damaged from too much bleach. And as any woman knows when their long hair is dry and breaking off, a drastic cut is sometimes the only solution.
“It wasn’t spiritual,” Taya said. “I can’t lie: when you bleach your hair and you don’t necessarily take care of it in the best way it can damage. And I thought maybe I could just cut my hair. I joked with friends that I was just going to shave it… then I started thinking, ‘What if?’”
Above: Taya before and after her first short crop. Soon after, she went for the full buzz cut.
Her bandmates were the first people she checked in with before getting the shave.
“I put it to our bass player and she checked the shape of my head and she said ‘yep’, and then I asked the guys, ‘What do you reckon?’—because they’re the style gurus,” she joked. “They were like, ‘Once you do it, that’s it, it’s not going to grow back straight away’. But I did it.”
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Despite the pragmatic motivation for her haircut, Taya said it became a very liberating experience, despite the legalistic feedback from some Christians.
“It wasn’t meant to be spiritual but then it kind of was this freeing thing where, I was like, ‘Well hair grows back, people have opinions, but life’s too short to even care about that.’ It’s kind of given me a freedom to [think], ‘Well, I am who I am before God and that’s all that matters. So let’s do this.’ It’s actually been fun. [It wasn’t] spiritual but then it became that.”
Fellow singer Jonathan JD Douglass joked with Taya that she hadn’t learnt her lesson about caring for her locks: “You cut your hair because it was dying from bleaching it, and now you’ve done it again,” he said. “I’m glad you learnt from that!”
ARTICLES RELATED TO TAYA SMITH:
“The More I Sing, the More I Need God,” Hillsong United’s Taya
Hillsong United’s Taya & Jad – Talking Rest & Recovery, Marriage & Family, and the ‘People’ Album
Here’s Why Darlene Zschech, Taya Smith, JD Douglass and More Have a Cross on Their Wrist this Easter
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- Hillsong United’s Latest Album Was Worth the Wait Read / Listen
- True Crime Finds Faith in Hillsong’s ‘Evil Good’ Feature Film Debut Read / Watch
- Hillsong’s Phil Dooley on Easter: Jesus is With Us Even in Uncertain Times Read / Listen
- A “Matter of the Will” to Remain Aware of God’s Goodness in Our Lives – Hillsong’s Ben Fielding Read / Listen
- What Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston Has Been Charged With: “I Will Defend These Charges” Read
- New Release from Hillsong Sings of God’s Unfailing Love Read / Watch
- How Could This Happen Again? Reflection on Hillsong’s Carl Lentz ‘Fall From Grace’ Read
- Brooke Ligertwood: “It’s a Wonder-Filled Life When You Have to Rely on God” Read / Listen
- Hillsong Wins At 2018 Grammy Awards Read / Watch
- Behind the Songs: A Chat with Hillsong United About the New Album ‘Wonder’ Read / Listen
- A Moment to Acknowledge Indigenous Australians as Hillsong Conference Begins Read
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