JT Hanna, a performer, singer, and artist, grew up in a small town in Mississippi and realized his passion for the arts and performing. He wanted to finish high school and move to a big city to pursue his passions and decided to move to Los Angeles and go for gold. There have been many shifts in JT's life, all to accommodate his first release, "By My Side."
"By My Side" is the perfect introduction to the authentic artist JT is. His passion and dedication to his craft show in the details of his work, keeping the listener enthralled and intrigued. JT expresses his gratitude towards his love, wishing he never misses the old times; he hopes they stay together forever. When they smile and kiss him, the tears fill his eyes, knowing they're by his side. He doesn't want to regret all the things they didn't do later in life; he wants to take hold of his moments with her and spend an endless night right next to her. Knowing that JT has them by his side gives him such peace of mind and clarity as to what he wants to experience while he still has the opportunity to with them. When they leaves, his heart cries and he can't deny that it makes him feel this way; he sings that he wishes he could stop time to enjoy the moments a bit longer. This heartfelt song by JT Hanna has us vibed and mellowed out for the perfect setting sonically. You can put records like these on loop and just let them play to set the mood or vibe in the atmosphere. "By My Side" is a definite hit.
Welcome to BuzzMusic JT Hanna! We love your new record, "By My Side." This is such a romantic and heartfelt concept to sing about; what moments inspired this record's lyrics? It was inspired by all the quiet moments shared with the person it was about. The little things that most people don’t think of when they imagine romance. Nothing fancy or grand, but the moments in between when you really get to know someone.
"By My Side" expresses a lot of raw emotion captured through your delivery and it's stunning! What's the message you're delivering in this release? I wrote the song to express all those little things I loved about the person. I’m not always the best at expressing things at the moment either, so that’s why I write. That’s why I make art. My art is the truest and deepest part of myself that I can share with anyone. I also wanted to display how I’ve grown to look at these matters of romance and love. I think the idea of ‘being in love” with someone is a feeling often conflated with infatuation and is far more fleeting and unsustainable than simply loving someone for who they are, for the little things that make them distinctly them.
As a singer, how do you stay in shape vocally, and what would you suggest to other singers do that's looking for vocal care advice? My biggest advice to singers is to spend as much time as possible getting to know their voice. Trying different things, different genres. This will help you learn what works best for your voice - what range, what style, etc. Then, don’t push your limits. Be proactive. Warm-up and don’t overdo it.
You've been releasing music consistently; how do you ensure you're always in a comfortable and inspiring space to create more records like these?
I gave myself the freedom to create whatever I want, whenever I want to. I used to feel a lot of pressure that if I were going to make something, it needed to be super professional or only one style to be consistent. I got to a point where that mentality was leading me to not create or at least release anything. Once I gave myself permission to do whatever I want whenever I want to, knowing that at the end of the day, I did it because I love it, that put me in a place where I was open to whatever creativity struck and had the motivation to follow through with it no matter what. Also, get out and put yourself in situations to experience and learn. Our stories have to come from somewhere.
What's next for you?
I’m not planning on any major music releases soon. I’m going to start sharing more of my demos and snippets of songs on SoundCloud while I work to find the resources to make the music I’ve been dreaming of making for a while. I’m also working on a lot of films and acting projects at the moment, having just finished my first short that I wrote and directed, as well as developing a feature-length script I wrote, along with a horror film club I just started and I’m putting on an actors showcase at the end of June. So I’m a little busy.