Writer, producer, and singer TX is someone you should DEFINITELY listen to. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Terry Richards is an insanely talented young artist at just 18 years old. He posts his music on his SoundCloud (link below) and I got the chance to sit down with him and ask him a few questions about him and his music.
- Has music always interested you?
“Yeah, music has always been an interest of mine for as long as I could remember. As a child I was always making up songs in my head and singing them around the house. Actually, before I knew the technical stuff like chords, notes and keys, I used to associate different pitches with different colors and that’s how I would remember how my songs go. I would write different colors underneath the lyrics and my brain knew what it meant.”
- How long have you been involved in music?
“I didn’t start actually writing real, personal and serious lyrics until I was 15 years old and I didn’t start actually producing music until I was 16 (not including a few songs on Garageband on my dad’s iPad when I was 12). Other than that, I played trumpet throughout middle school and my freshman year of high school. “
- Last year was your first year of releasing music. How did that go?
“Last year was amazing! I released 5 songs on SoundCloud and the response was overwhelmingly positive. My second song release, ‘I Wish I Never Met You’ reached over 1000 plays on SoundCloud and my other song ‘Jealous’ is making its way up there as well. I couldn’t be more proud or happier with what I published.”
- What comes first when you’re creating the music: the music or the lyrics?
“It depends; I’d say it’s about 50/50. Sometimes the music comes first and sometimes the lyrics, and sometimes it’s both! I start to hear the music and/or the lyrics in my head and then I grab a pen and try to pull out the song my heart is singing to me. Then I let sometime pass before I come back to refine it a little.”
- Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
“I’d say lyrically my biggest inspirations are Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Kelly Clarkson. In terms of sound and music, I’d say my biggest inspirations are Frank Ocean, Ariana Grande, and Blackbear. I listen to so many contrasting genres and I try to bring them all together with my own little touch which is what I think makes my sound so unique.”
- What are your plans for the future?
“As of right now, I plan to get my current music on Spotify and I also plan to release an album later this year (hopefully Summer 2018) that’s available on Spotify and Apple Music. I also plan to perform live more and expand my audience to outside New York City. I’m planning on publishing my website along with some dope merch!”
- Do you have any advice to anyone who’s interested in starting up in the music industry?
“The best advice I’ve ever received and would give to anyone else just starting out is something my friend Kellie told me once, which was to trust your talent. Be confident and believe in yourself! Trust in your abilities and skills and strive to perfect them. People will respect your work ethic and self-confidence.”
Here is TX’s information and I HIGHLY recommend that you check him out!
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/isthattx/sets/2017music
Instagram: @terr.yy
Twitter: @isthattx