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If you check this site out regularly (well, why not?), you know I fell, and fell hard, for singer/songwriter, Tyler James, the talented subject of today's interview.
Click here for my review of his stunning self-titled debut EP. And then it's on to the interview! When did you first know you wanted to sing professionally?There has never been a defining moment. Just moments of revelation that I try to listen to. We're all called to do something grand. Why else is everyone so insanely unique? But everyone has a different ways of getting there. It's strange how we're all expected to have our lives figured out by a certain age, in a certain way. That's way too much pressure on somebody, even for the folks who need deadlines. I've just been going with the flow and I'm making music right now...it could change tomorrow. I try to keep my eyes and ears open. Do you consider yourself more of a singer or a songwriter?Definitely a songwriter. I'm not much of a singer. One of my greatest joys is the freedom of writing a song, making it go wherever you want it to go, saying whatever you wanna say. It's like a living thing. Everyone should try it at least once. People ask me how I can write songs, 'cause it seems so foreign to them.... But if you're someone who likes to write things down, or just likes to daydream... you're pretty much already there. I know you listened to Dylan in your early years; what if any component of his style/approach do you think has impacted your own music most? Oh man...a million people have tried to explain Dylan's influence. All I know is that the first time I heard his second record, "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", it blew my mind. It's my favorite record of all time cause no one has to explain it to you - you just feel it. What's crazy is that he put that out when he was younger than me. That alone inspires the heck out of me. You listen to his stuff and wonder how one guy took so many complex things that everyone wanted to say and said it so simply, so beautifully. And that's just it - his music was beyond him and he knew it. He was probably always in denial because the cause the stuff just came out of him. He was able to tap into the unknown, like he was anointed or something. I'm not even gonna go into his chord changes, his genius approach to producing a record, his capturing a moment on tape, him going electric. I strongly recommend reading the biography he wrote recently, "Chronicles". Check out Tyler's gorgeous music if you, like me, take issue with his assessment of his singing chops. Then click here for Part 2 of our conversation with Tyler james.
The copyright of the article Tyler James Interview Part 1 in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Tyler James Interview Part 1 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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