Today we’d like to introduce you to Tertulien Thomas.
Tertulien, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story goes back to the south side of Stamford, CT. My Parents are from Haiti which makes me 1 st generation in my family born in the States.
Music has always been a part of my life, my folks listened to a lot of different vibes of music from Haitian music artists like Leon Dimanche, Manno Charlemagne, Yole et Ansy Derose, LOTS of french music like Mireille Mathieu, Joe Dassin, the list goes on and on….and then my Mother was a huge fan of James Brown and Elvis Presley and the smooth moves of the Temptations…meanwhile my Father was so enamored by female singers like Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick and Donna Summer. Once my family decided to become devout pentecostals that is when the gospel music started to come in. I share that to say that I have been exposed to a broad range of music very early on in life that I think has influenced me so profoundly till this day. BUT, there was always something about these particular voices that would just give me the chills, from the ethereal to the guttural….you know those voices that just move you to the core of your soul, I am talking about Aretha, George Michael, Celine, Mariah and the number one QUEEN on my list the late GREAT Whitney Houston. I always wanted to emulate singers who made you FEEL something when they opened their mouth to sing that always stayed with me.
My parents were very “sing-songy” people they were always chanting or humming a song that would come to mind. The earliest memories I have of singing is when my Mom would have her private devotional hour and she would always bring out her hymnal which is called “Chants D’esperance” (Songs of Hope) it mainly consisted of most of the congregational songs and hymns you would normally hear in a protestant setting but in Haitian Creole…so I would sing with her and she would always record herself singing and then send the tapes to Haiti: this is how we communicated with family members back in Haiti, back in the day when family members did not have access to phones.
Fast forward to age 15. I attended Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, CT where I was auditioning for musical theatre and I sang “Yesterday” but the sheet music was from a Tom Jones sheet music book LOL….yes he was another favorite in our household. Anyways, I did the song and for some reason this BIG voice came through me that day, everyone was surprised including myself…I guess my “superpower” was activated that day and off I went. At this point in my life, the church I was attending had a band so I was playing Soprano Sax, Bari Sax and trying to play the piano, I tossed all of that aside once I discovered my voice.
At 16, I started to lead praise and worship, I sang at all the services and church gatherings, weddings, funerals…I guess I was what you would call “Church Famous” within my community. I’ve always had Hollywood Dreams but that was not in line with the church, they wanted to control me and keep me small, I wanted to evolve and progress. From the age of 16 to 27, I led for ten years in the music ministry at church, I was tired of living my life for my family and the church so I left….little did the church know that I was discreetly studying acting in New York at New York Academy of Dramatic Arts which was then called School for Film and Television…circa 2002/03.
In 2005 I left that “cult like” church environment and started to really do what I wanted to do which was acting…I think at this point I was just so turned off from singing that I just never pursued it professionally. I attended a pretty cool church back in Stamford at the time called Community Tabernacle of Deliverance now know as Community Temple and they were way more laid back compared to the strictness that I was accustomed to so I found myself singing at church again but not with the same passion as before…..it wasn’t until I was done with acting school that I decided that I would make one last attempt at singing again and this time I would give myself the proper education, so I looked into Julliard School of Music. I wasn’t able to afford their day program, but they had Julliard at night, which also had strict audition guidelines for the night program. I prepared two contrasting pieces which were Amazing Grace and Frantz Shubert “Ave Maria’ in latin. To my surprise, I made the audition and got in. I was at Julliard from 2008 to 2010 until I moved to LA in 2011 by this point life on the East Coast was not jiving for me nor was it really moving in the direction that I had hoped.
Moving to LA was the best decision for me not only because I was manifesting my dreams but it had very much to do with me finding myself.
I have met so many incredible people here and have been involved in a whole lot of awesome projects as well. I have to express my deep gratitude for the Agape Spiritual Center. Being a part of this community has been a very positive experience in my life. It was through the Agape International Choir that I was able to be part of an ensemble choir for EWF, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Sweet Honey In The Rock, to name a few, we’ve also appeared on TV shows like “BALLERS”.
The past year and a half now, I have been practicing with my vocal coach Dr. Joel Ewing who is a truly a MASTER teacher when it comes to the VOICE…I refuse to see anyone else! Out of all the voice teachers I’ve studied with, this man understands my voice and has helped me heal and re-develop my voice in a new way…years of bad habits now gone, I feel like a new man with a new voice! LOL
In my time here, I have found my voice again, through the choir, through jam sessions with friends but there was still something deep inside of me, a burning desire to sing with a band.
I’ve had many band incarnations…. anyone who is trying to formulate a band in a LA will soon know that it is like trying to collect a bunch of cats and put them all in one room…there are SOOOOO many talented musicians in LA it is mind-blowing.
In my quest to start a band, one night at a gelato shop in Studio City called Fatomorgana, I was having a conversation with my fiancé about wanting to start a soul band and how cool it would be to have a horn section, while we were chatting the young lady that was working behind the counter overheard the conversation and asked me if I was looking for a trumpet player, I said yes, so she gives me his IG and tells me that we should connect…..so I reach out this trumpet player, Issce Gonzalez and shared my band aspirations. He was interested and told me that he can help me pull a band together. I was looking for someone to also help me arrange the music and kinda stand in as a music director…Little did I know that what Issce was delivering to me is a full package.
He introduces me to Jason Faust who is the creator and director of Astral Voyage the Big Electric Orchestra the minute Jason and I he told me what he was up to I knew that this was the right fit. I was going to hire Jason to assist me with arranging my music and pulling a band together….but the Universe had other plans. I am now one of the lead vocalist in the Astral Voyage Band which has been absolutely phenomenal!
Looks like I found the band I was looking for…or maybe they found me? Lol
But let’s backtrack though, prior to me even joining Astral Voyage this year, I started the year on a very good note with a collaboration with The Groove Junkies and ReelSoul of MoreHouse Records. Our collaboration was a cover of David Joseph’s 1983 Classic “You Can’t Hide” Our cover made it to #1 on Traxsource. I am currently working on another release with MoreHouse records, and I will also be featured on the Astral Voyage Album as well.
I currently have songs in two films. My song “Like A Dream” has been featured in Doug Spearman’s film “From Zero to I Love you”.
I also have another song called “I Choose” which is on a compilation album called “Beautiful Reflections” “I Choose” is featured in the film “Atypical Wednesday”.
I was also featured on BET’s ” Murder In The Thirst” which was a true crime re-enactment series playing lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anyone who says this road is easy is lying! It has been a challenging road but I am always up and running. Some of the struggles along the way for sure were financial struggles. Trying to hold down that survival job and focusing on entertainment career is no easy task. It was difficult trying to find someone to cover your shift when you have an important audition to go. Or having enough money to take care of your essential needs on top of paying for headshots, coaching, etc… you know that saying it takes money to make money…I was struggling with that for a while which is why I decided to be an entrepreneur. I just was burnt out by restaurants at this point. Trying to manage time and money when both are scarce was a problem for me….I’ve since changed my mentality around that though.
When I first moved here, I came out here with a very fast-paced New Yorker energy and ready to run down anyone or anything trying to stop me from where I was going. I realized very quickly that LA is not New York and that I had to slow my roll in a sense and start adapting to the rhythm of this city and its people.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a Singer/Actor and split my time between Entertainment and Real Estate. I am currently a Vocalist at Astral Voyage and Lit Frequency, I am a vocalist at MoreHouse Records, I am a soloist at The Agape Spiritual Center and I am also a tenor at the Agape International Choir under the direction of Marianne Lewis.
I am also a Realtor at PLG ESTATES in Los Feliz.
You ask me what I am known for? Everyone calls me Black Jesus…I think it’s the hair! LOL The vocals, the fashion, The personality, people tell me I’m a big presence.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I think I would have moved to LA much much sooner by escaping from that cult church! LOL!
But truth be told, I have no regrets I understand that I had to go through some things to wake up to who I really am today!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 323-308-5468
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Tulitime
- Facebook: Tertulien Thomas
- Twitter: BlessedThomas
Image Credit:
Doug Spearman, Richard Wright, Lizzie Viggiano
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