Tyler Brooks is an up-and-coming artist and producer who was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His music fuses personal narrative and poetry over dark-toned instrumentals and speaks on issues such as race relations, the gun violence that is rampant in his hometown and the country at large, as well as mental health. He has released two singles thus far, and his debut album, “Blue Midnight”, is expected to be released later in 2019! Stay tuned.
Everything about Tyler Brooks’ newest single “In Time” is expertly mixed, sounds incredibly polished, and is well thought out. The track is littered with one irresistible melody after another and is over before you know it. However, what seems like a fairly simple, and carefree introspective song hides a much deeper meaning. What you take away from “In Time” is a powerful feeling that everything in life is on borrowed time. It’s awakening, the music and the lyrics work well together to present this. At the same time, there’s enough detail and story-telling, enough truth from all angles, to make “In Time” a genuine outpouring from an individual who ponders the world regardless of his audience. Everything from the performance to the production works beautifully. Stay on the lookout for more from Tyler Brooks!
Check out “In Time” here and read more below in our exclusive interview!
Hey Tyler! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in the music industry?
So music has always been a part of my life. I come from a huge family and almost everyone plays an instrument or sing. My dad especially. He and his siblings used to have a band that would record and travel and he still has all his recording equipment and I remember hearing my dad playing his own music way into the early morning and when I was a kid. I took piano and guitar lessons when I was younger and kept that with me my whole life, but it wasn’t until about two years ago that I got serious about writing and producing and recording my own stuff which is something that’s been extremely fulfilling and enjoyable and something I hope to keep doing forever.
Is your track “In Time” related to your real life experiences?
Definitely. I think it’s related to everyone’s real life experiences to some extent. For me in creating it, it was really centered around the idea that lessons can be learned and value extracted from experiences that seem bad at the time. It’s like the quote “the past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it.”
Can you dive into more details of the lyrics in “In Time”? What does this release represent for you?
Yeah, so one part I could definitely go into more detail on is the beginning of the song. “Mama was waiting/ for me to recite/ that poem, couldn’t say it/ looking in her eye/Doubted my vision/ I put down my pen/thought I wasn’t worth it/won’t do that again.”This is an actual memory that for some reason has stuck with me for years, even though it seems not to be anything huge. I wrote a poem for a school contest when I was maybe 11 or 12, and my mom asked me to recite it for her. Even though I thought it was good and I was confident in it while writing it, I remember totally freezing when she asked me to say it out loud and immediately questioning whether it was good enough, believing it wasn’t, and telling her i didn’t want to say it out loud. I remember doubting myself so much, and in the years since and in this song is me realizing that I am good enough, that my work is good enough and always will be if I believe it is. Which I do.
What would be your dream venue to perform at?
My dream venue? It’s be really far off but I’d say the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. I know a lot of people would say Madison Square Garden given its history in New York, but Barclays was the place where I saw my first concert of that size. I saw J. Cole, one of my favorite artists perform there and it inspired me so much to continue my own work, so getting the opportunity to perform there would be a real full-circle moment.
What's next for you?
What’s next for me is the release of my first album, Blue Midnight, which I’m hoping will be before the year is up. My singles In Time and Streetlight which are already out will be featured on it. The album will cover a lot of ideas similar to In Time, about leading lessons and self-realization.
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