“God changed my life and now I make music about it. I don’t really care what people want to call me. All I know is that I have a story to tell because God narrated it.” - Terence Penny
Every artist has their “Why” and the reason for wanting to pursue music. The way they develop their deeply rooted passion for this career differentiates. For Terence Penny, he had all the odds stacked against him. A child of immigrant parents from Ghana, he grew up surrounded by violence. Through his crime-infested neighborhood, to even the witnessing of domestic violence in his own comforting home, he struggled to deal with his surroundings as a child. Terence internalized his emotions and in just the second grade, was placed in a Section 23 classroom, an educational program designed to address students’ specific academic, social and emotional needs. Although he was frustrated and felt lost, God had a plan for him. When he began attending a local church as a teenager he was first introduced to hip-hop. Although he was always an avid listener of hip-hop, hearing the genre fuse together with Gospel was an entirely different experience.
Hip-hop quickly became an outlet for him to share and recover from his childhood experiences and soon after discovering it, he started honing his own flow and writing original lyrics, two things that came naturally. He had a lot to say and upon realizing that his experience was something so many people could relate to, Terence knew that music was what he’d been called to do.
Terence Penny is releasing his latest single titled “Details” today and we couldn’t be any more excited to hear this track. Details had classic R&B elements in the smooth-sailing, saturated vocals. The texture and quality of his voice was something so irresistible. The groovy beat gave us components of dancehall and light reggaeton. It fused together with the genres of PoP, R&B, and even smooth hip-hop. “Details” is a song that represents the charismatic nature of summer and the vibrancy the energy exudes is infectious. He leaves you coming back for more repeated listens due to how addictive you become to the record. Terence Penny's witty lyricism shows effortless skill as a songwriter. Just like the title, “Details” is a highly contextual record with detail in every execution. You can tell this song was carefully arranged, which is why you become so amazed by it. Think of artists like J.Cole and Drake. What would you envision a joint collaboration with these artists to sound like? Well, we can tell you “Details” is an easy outlet for your imaginative thinking.
Listen to "Details" here and get to know more about Terence below!
Thank you for sharing your music with us Terence Penny! Knowing you had a rough upbringing. What is the main lesson you took from your background that you implement with your musical journey?
Never lie about your story no matter how crazy it may had been and never forget where you came from.
Let’s discuss “Details”. This was a special song with a special vibe. What was the theme of the record?
The theme of Details is people will act like they aren’t paying attention to what your doing when they are full in tune with your story and career. These same people tend to be your biggest critics.Nothing is wrong with criticism when it comes from the right place but this isn’t true of these type of people. Details speaks about not paying any mind to these people because what they have to say will not define you, your story or career. The only people that matter is your team, your family and the community God has placed you in.
Were there any specific lyric arrangements you were going for in “Details”
Not specially I just know the record had to be a whole vibe. I believe we all deal with this issue universally so I wanted the record to be light on the ears.
In what ways does “Details” represents Terence Penny.?
Details represents the part of me that is a bit edgy but still likes to have a good time. I feel like it speaks about how we can take a serious issue and have it understood, digested and enjoyed all at the same time.
What’s the legacy you hope to leave behind you?
I want to be remembered as someone who was transparent but not perfect. I want to be remembered as a man who was a good steward of his audience. I want to be remembered as a light and not just a rapper.
Connect with Terrence Penny on social media
www.instagram.com/TerencePenny