Interview with Travis Hunter-Brown by Sadaf Fayyaz was conducted on October 10th, 2010, Nashville, TN, USA
Travis Hunter Brown is a singer-songwriter from St. Petersburg, Florida. Music is his love and passion. Creating music and playing it acts as his rush. He has been involved in writing for years. He grew up on the likes of Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and Sly Stone, the Beatles’ and The Beach Boys’ knack. He loves harmonies and melodies. He is a sharp observer and an extrovert, who draws his inspiration from everywhere and anywhere. He is a serious person who knows well what time to get serious and make music is. Whatever he documents is highly inspired from his surroundings and environment. He lives for sound and music. It is something new that grows inside him. He loves creating music and holds a deep passion for it. His songs include “All that she wrote”, “I woke up”, “Tidal wave”, “Making it Right”, “23rd Entry”, “SkyLark”, “June Bobbet”, “Erased”, “I have become” and “The Frappuccino Song”. His song “Future Ex-Wife” is an intuition by his friend that he wrote and penned down. He gave a new look and dimension to his song “Mad World”, which was originally done by Tears for Fears in 1980s and later by Gary Jules. His song “Easy Mac” is a jingle one that he wrote after he got inspired from seeing a jingle on television for a tuna fish brand. The comic like jingle inspired him to write the song.
Sadaf Fayyaz: Did you get some formal music training? If so, tell about it.
Travis Hunter Brown: Well, I’ve been singing since I could talk. I listened to a lot to my Mother’s old records. Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Tina Turner, People like that, to name a few. I would say shaped my music knowledge in the first years of my life. In Middle school and high school I attended performing arts schools for voice. After high school I was in several bands. I think a culmination of what I learned in school, my mother’s record collection and the bands I was in, all shaped my musical odyssey.
SF: What inspires you the most? What is your biggest inspiration?
THB: Wow! That’s kind of hard to pin down in one answer. A lot of things inspire me every day. From blowing wind, conversing with a friend or watching someone’s performance can inspire me. Even when my spirits are in a negative place I draw inspiration from every experience life gives to me.
SF: Were you ever part of any band? Do you have plans to remain solo?
THB: You know what? I wish I had a band, but I don’t. I have a studio engineer with whom I do some songs. I’ll bring a song into the studio and perform it for him on acoustic guitar and we both sit and find the right sounds for every part of the song together. It’s very much so a collaborative effort. I play and sing and he records what I do.
SF: How and when did you get interested in music?
THB: I got interested in music at a very young age. It was one of the only things when I was young that seemed real and worth any time.
SF: What was the first instrument to play?
THB: I was nine years old when I started playing the alto saxophone and I stuck with for about 4 years. Then I gravitated back more towards singing and performing. I picked up the guitar two years ago and have been playing ever since.
SF: Tell something about your favorite bands and musicians.
THB: I like just about anything that you can call “music”. But lately I have been listening to Brandi Carlile and Simon & Garfunkel.
SF: Tell something about your lyrics and songs. What is so special about them?
THB: “You can say I’m still young, that I’ve got time to live my life“, “You could say be patient, take it in and see the light“- taken from my song ‘Rewind‘. Those lyrics came from everyone telling me that I have my whole life ahead of me. I shouldn’t rush getting older to satisfy something that I want right now. It’s my rebelling against those philosophies. I guess I expect fans to get a real idea of who I am through my music. I’m honest to the bone about everything I sing about. Every lyric is my perspective on life and vice versa. So, to answer that I just expect fans to get a better idea of what I am through my music.
SF: How would you define your music genre?
THB: It’s always fuzzy when it comes to me explaining what I do. I’ve heard people call it pop, soul, alternative, R&B. but I would call it soul. Because everything I sing is from my soul. I wear my songs on my sleeve, and I think that separates me from of my contemporaries.
SF: Share something about the cover songs that you have played so far.
THB: I have played cover songs. I had a gig last Sunday in Tampa and I did a cover of ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga and I also did a cover of ‘Whataya Want from Me‘ by Adam Lambert.
SF: What would you like to say about your learning?
THB: I would say Marvin Gaye’s legacy, Freddie Mercury’s legacy, and all the other people’s legacy past or present that I have the utmost respect for. I’ve learned from the great people and I’m still learning- which I love! It keeps things new and interesting.
SF: What is music according to you?
THB: Music is love. Music is peace. Music is life. I could not imagine my life without it. I would be lost without any direction if I didn’t have music in my life.
SF: What message would you like to give to readers?
THB: Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my fans out there it means so much to have the love I’ve gotten from you! I look forward to a long relationship between all of you and me, because I don’t plan on stopping ever 😉 lol! I would also say that if you have a passion for something do it. Do it no matter what people think of you. Live your dream!!
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