Raw, Real, Relentlessly Honest: Inside TT17’s Most Transformative Year

Some artists make songs. TT17 makes confessions, the kind that come from lived experience, the kind that hit you in the chest because they’re the truth, not the polished version of it.

At only 22, the Los Angeles pop/rock artist has already built a reputation for turning pain into purpose, fusing hip-hop, emo, alternative rock, and pop into a sound that feels like a diary cracked open. With more than 2 million streams, multiple breakout albums, and features on major platforms, TT17 has positioned himself as a defining voice in the next wave of genre-fluid, emotionally raw music.

But 2025 wasn’t just another year for him; it was the year he confronted his past head-on. It was the year he survived, healed, and finally told the story he almost didn’t live to share.

That story became Suicidal Drive, the release chosen for BUZZMUSIC’s Best Independent Releases of 2025.

More than a song, it’s a document of a turning point. A track that recreates the events of November 8, 2024, when he nearly ended his life. Visually, sonically, emotionally, the project is a blueprint of what it looks like to come back from the edge. TT17 released it exactly one year after his attempt, not because it was easy, but because he needed to prove something to himself: that he survived, that he grew, and that telling the truth would not break him.

The fear was real. He worried about judgment, about losing fans, about disappointing the young people who look up to him. But the opposite happened. The story resonated. Listeners connected. One comment, “Don’t ever try to give up on me again,” became the kind of reminder that stays with an artist forever. It proved something he’d forgotten: vulnerability doesn’t weaken impact. It amplifies it.

Outside of music, 2025 was filled with major life decisions and personal wins. TT17 dropped out of college, started a full-time job, and committed to a health transformation, losing 20 pounds in 10 weeks. It was the first year he didn’t obsess over goals, and ironically, it became his most successful and peaceful year to date. He rediscovered clarity, purpose, and himself.

Going into 2026, he isn’t chasing charts, streams, or comparisons. His only goal is to keep telling the truth, to make another song that hits like “7 Years” or Suicidal Drive, something that makes listeners feel seen, understood, and less alone. And in a landscape full of artists trying to sound like someone else, TT17 leads with the one thing nobody can replicate: himself.

Suicidal Drive is the release you chose for our Best Independent Artists of 2025 list, a song rooted in one of the darkest and most life-changing days of your life. What was the turning point that made you decide to turn that trauma into a story you were ready to share with the world?

“Suicidal Drive” was by far the most emotional and inspiring song I have ever released. I wouldn’t say there was so much as a “turning point”; it was more of a personal healing journey. November 8, 2024, was the scariest day of my life, but it took until around August of 2025 for me to truly find myself and find my inner peace again. Once I did that, I started thinking about how my story can inspire others, and how no one knew the horrors I went through. Originally, I was going to call the song “November 8,” but I don’t think that would truly help my fans be able to relate to me and what really happened. While writing the song, I thought “Suicidal Drive” would be fitting, and once I was okay enough with myself to write and sing about that day, I decided I could be vulnerable and release it for the world to see.

You’ve always been known for emotionally honest, genre-blending music, hip-hop, pop-rock, emo, and alternative. How does “Suicidal Drive” differ from previous personal tracks like “7 Years,” and what did you discover about yourself while making it?

I feel like “Suicidal Drive” and “7 Years” are sibling tracks in a way. “Suicidal Drive” feels like “7 Years" older brother. When I dropped “7 Years,” I was able to get as deep and as vulnerable as I did because I had realistically no pressure. I didn’t have a fanbase whatsoever, and I didn’t have anyone who looked up to me. I felt like a nobody. “7 Years” was sort of a cry for help, without having anyone to cry to. I was a senior in high school, and this was during the COVID pandemic, so my school was fully online. I basically became the talk of my high school after dropping “7 Years,” and I went from nobody to a superstar. Fast forward 5 years, and the pressure switched. I have pressure on every song I release, because I have an audience really listening now. When I decided to create “Suicidal Drive” and get the music video in production, I knew I would have people watching. It had to be perfect. I think the main thing I discovered about myself is that I can do literally anything I set my mind to, and truly create anything I want to, while inspiring others.

You said you were terrified to release this story publicly. What internal conversations did you have with yourself in the weeks leading up to pressing “publish,” and what did that moment ultimately mean for your healing?

The biggest internal conversation I had to have with myself wasn’t so much being scared to release it, but more that I didn’t want people to treat me differently after the fact. I didn’t want people to get confused and think I was still feeling that way. The first person I told about the plan for the song was my Mom. I remember we were driving, and I brought it up to her about how I was feeling last year, and it was a lot for her to take in. I told her how nervous I was and how this release could literally make or break my whole image. How would I be viewed after the fact? I’ve tried so hard to become this person everyone looks up to, and now, will they stop looking up to me? My mom told me to remember where I started and remember who I make music for: myself. From that moment, I knew I wanted to release it. On November 8, 2025, at 8:15 pm, I was in a random parking lot, alone, almost having a panic attack when I hit “post.” However, everyone completely supported me, and I got the most love I’ve ever gotten on a release.

You’ve become an inspiration for a lot of middle and high school students over the past few years. When sharing something this personal, did you feel a pressure to “be strong,” or did releasing the truth shift your understanding of what strength actually looks like?

I definitely felt like I had to keep this image of being strong, especially now that I am 22 years old. However, I think I have always thought of being “strong” as holding in and hiding your emotions. It took a while, but I realized, being “strong” is having the courage to do what no one else will. Being “strong” is truly being confident enough in yourself to get out of your comfort zone. That is being strong, and that is exactly what I did with “Suicidal Drive.”

After dropping out of college, starting a full-time job, and focusing on your health, you said 2025 became the clearest year of your life. How did stepping back from music help you become a better artist once you returned to it?

Stepping back from putting 100% of my focus into music helped me grow tremendously as an individual. I have a new understanding of what it means to work hard and work towards something. Dropping out of college and going into the “adult world” really matured me more than I was ready for, and I truly think that is why I was able to put together such a great catalog of music for 2025. This year was truly the clearest year of my life, and I’m ready to make 2026’s vision even clearer.

You’ve talked about not wanting strict goals for 2026 because letting go brought your biggest year yet. What does creative freedom look like for you right now, and what kind of song do you feel yourself moving toward next?

My creative freedom is the same as it has always been, the only difference being, now I can actually use my creative freedom and create what I want with it. 2 years ago, I would never have been able to put out such a compelling and inspiring video as “Suicidal Drive” . I feel like I want my next “huge” drop to be a closure of that song. Closing my past depression out of my life for good, a final part to the trilogy of “7 Years” and “Suicidal Drive.”

You give powerful advice about not copying idols and being your own blueprint. What moment in your career taught you the importance of trusting your individuality, especially in a genre where comparisons are constant?

I think the biggest moment in my career that taught me to trust my own individuality was after I released “Heartbreak Hotel” in 2023. A lot of people compared me to Juice WRLD on that track, and as much as I love being compared to my idol, I want to make my own lane. I want to be TT17, not anyone else.