ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: TYRAND
Interview: Elena Charis
Tyrand, an R&B singer rising from the heart of North Carolina whose music journey began at the tender age of four. His early years were filled with the soulful melodies of the church, where his confident vocals quickly made him a solo favorite among the congregation. This foundation in the church paved the way for his involvement in his high school choir, where he began to explore his own creative voice through writing lyrics.
Tyrand’s passion for music deepened after the heartbreaking loss of his mother, leading him to channel his emotions into his recordings. His powerful and introspective music have gained over a million views on YouTube alone. Each track reflects raw emotion experienced during his times of tribulation, solidifying his place as a rising star in the R&B scene. Let’s take a brief look into the world of R&B singer, Tyrand.
TKK RADIO : Thank you for taking the time for this interview. It’s a real treat. It’s been over a year since your single “What’s POPPIN’ Tonight” was released which has a very fun, retro 70s meets 2000s feel to it. Your latest single, “Good Man”, has such a different vibe from your last; what was your inspiration behind the new single?
TYRAND : My inspiration for Good Man was Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross and many of those timeless artists. I just wanted to channel all of that ‘feel good’ soul into this song. My producers Dopeboyzmuzic sent me this track with all live instrumentation and my first listen all I could hear was Good Man so I laid just the words good man down and the rest was history.
It's truly commendable to hear that you're inspired by legends like Luther Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass. You've managed to preserve that timeless, classic essence while infusing it with your own unique style. Your journey in music began at a very young age as well and also in the church. How did those early experiences influence the way you approach your music today?
Starting in the church really helped me a lot, it was really my first stage and really helped me grow my gift as a singer.
Your talent is undeniable. As I delved deeper into your music, I discovered your impressive hands-on approach to the behind-the-scenes elements of your projects. Your singles “Show Me” co-directed by A Wolfe and “Turn Off the Lights” ft. Ebony Hazel was also directed by you. What sparked you to start directing videos?
Yes! Photography & videography is actually a hobby that I love to do so I found that no one can direct my vision better than me especially if I know how to do it!! hahaha! But I always have a co-director because us being artists we can get blinded by it being our work so it’s always good to have another judgment other than your own.
Agreed. They say “Two Eyes Are Better Than One”! Creative control is one of the best reasons to remain independent. That being said, your music videos often convey strong visual narratives. How do you approach the storytelling aspect of your visuals, and how important is it for you to align the visuals with the message of your songs?
It’s very important because most of my songs when I’m recording them I see the story line in my head & the visual has to line up with the song so the viewer can understand the story and feel like they are a part of it.
Each song delivers its own vibe. With songs like 'Good Man,' 'What's POPPIN Tonight,' 'Outro/Higher' and others gaining significant traction, your music has reached over a million streams on youtube alone. What message do you hope to convey through your music to your listeners?
I call my music ‘feel good music’. I just want people when they hear it to also feel it. If it’s heartbreak, I want them to feel heartbroken just by listening! If it’s love, I want them to have feelings of love. I just want to be a great representation of what R&b music is.
You are doing a fantastic job at capturing the essence of R&B.
You’ve been in the music business for a long time sharing the stage with artists like Monica, Ginuwine, and the iconic Chaka Khan. You’ve even received positive acknowledgment from the legendary producer, 9th Wonder. What was one surreal moment of your career and what made it the most memorable?
One moment I’ll never forget is when I opened for Chrisette Michele. She came over after I performed and told me I did great, so I asked her if she had any advice for me as far as forwarding my career. She says “get a Job” not just any job a real good job! I’m looking at her like she’s crazy (haha) cause at the time I’m like 19 or 20 and that was the last thing I wanted to hear (haha). But she then explained, get a good job so you can invest in yourself because if you won’t invest in yourself no one will and you don’t have to worry about no one cheating you. You’ll be your record company investor and manager and if you get yourself hot, believe me, people will definitely be knocking at your door. This to me is the best advice I've ever gotten on this music journey because I blueprinted my career on what she told me.
Get a job in order to invest in yourself. That is great advice for any independent artist and entrepreneur.
Getting to know you as an artist and getting a little more personal with who Tyrand is. Imagine you're creating a playlist that represents your musical DNA. Which artists or songs would be essential to listen to in order to understand your journey?
Teddy Pendergrass and the reason I say that is because he is the first soul r&b artist I ever listened to. My mom mostly listened to gospel music but my dad loves soul and r&b. He kept most of his cassettes in his truck but in the house we had an old record player and he kept one record in that which was Teddy Pendergrass TP album. I would sit Indian style on the floor in front of the record player for hours listening to this album over and over studying and learning.
I can definitely hear that in your music especially with your notes and the beautiful female background vocals at times. Now as someone who has seen both personal and professional growth through your music, what advice would you give to aspiring artists who are looking to turn their personal challenges into creative expression?
For all aspiring artists, this is art so paint your picture in song and learn to use how you feel to make the listeners feel that pain, hurt or happiness. Art is about feeling.
Be authentic; that is excellent advice. The listeners will catch that and be able to relate to it. Well Tyrand, thank you for taking the time for us to conduct this interview with you. At the Kuldesac Krew, we really enjoy finding these diamonds in the rough to share to our audience of music lovers. I appreciate your time to do this TKK Exclusive and dropping some gems for the independent artist along the way.
LISTEN / LEARN MORE :
YouTube www.youtube.com/@TyrandTV
SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/tyrandmusic
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tyrand
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