Rising Stars: Meet Tyler Christian

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Christian.

Hi Tyler, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I started singing around the 4th/5th grade, back home just outside of Atlanta, Georgia! I kind of discovered it by accident! I never even thought of trying to sing, even though one-half of my family are all singers! After a few years of playing alto saxophone in band, my friends made me join choir because I was too scared to, and the rest is kinda history! From there, I began getting into all kinds of music, participating in musicals, opera, choirs on all levels from school to district to state, show choir, and even competing in Capella competitions and shows! I kinda came to the realization that music was what I wanted to do, so I kinda full sent myself and auditioned for Berklee College of Music in Boston! There, I met so many insane musicians and some of my closest friends to this day! I started writing my own music freshman year and began to do shows around the college and Boston, trying to build a network of supporters but, most importantly, just to be able to perform as often as I could! I got to be able to perform with so many people and at so many cool places, like performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago both in 2022 and 2023! After graduating, I wasted no time and moved across the country to LA to pursue my goals and here I am now! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think, like most people, it’s been a fair amount of ups and downs! A lot of it is a blur, honestly, and I couldn’t tell you half of what’s happened! I’ve been very blessed and gifted to have a lot of people around me who also were hard workers, so it pushed me to also do the same! I went to a Fine Arts High School where most of us were black, and in the south, so there was a strong push from our peers, but also from faculty and the community for us to strive for excellence! We worked really really hard all the time! Most of my school days were 12-to-14-hour days, and I’d spend them back and forth between AP classes, rehearsals, shows, competitions, and schoolwork! This set me up for a lot of things that would come later after high school and helped me navigate Berklee and life outside of school! 

I tend to work myself really hard most times, so college was filled with so many rehearsals and shows and sessions and events that I’d often make myself sick or need to go to urgent care because I would spread myself so thin. I even once had to cancel a small Berklee Festival I was scheduled to perform in because I had worked myself so hard that I lost my voice and got tonsillitis! If college taught me anything, it taught me to really pace myself and learn to turn things down. I wouldn’t change it though, and I think I’d do it again if I had to! 

Lastly, since moving out to LA, I think I’ve experienced so many growing pains and ups and downs, but it’s all part of the process! I moved out here basically straight after college, and my lease ended, with no savings no job, and no car! I figured it out, and I thankfully always do, but LA can wear on you if you let it for sure! I’ve had my car stolen, gotten into my first accident, been scrapping pennies for rent, etc. But there’s also been great things to come out of it! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I do a lot of things, but mainly, I’m an artist and a singer/performer first! That’s my first love and where I feel best! 

I make Rock/RnB music, and if I had to give you sonic references, I honestly don’t know that I’d be able to! You’ll just have to listen and see! 

I’ve also gotten to a place where I can comfortably refer to myself as a songwriter as well, and a vocal producer and arranger! 

I’m known in my communities for my vocal agility and ear, I think! I love to stack and layer harmonies and backing vocals and create a lot of intricate and nuanced textures with the voice! 

I honestly rarely take moments to reflect on the things that I do, so when I think of what I’m most proud of, it’s kind of an open-ended answer! I don’t really know because I think, truthfully, I’m not always insanely proud of most things that I do, haha. I’m always kind of at the next six things I want to get better at, and that seems to take my focus most times. 

I do have somewhat of a sense of what sets me apart from others! I think that the way that I approach singing and harmonies and even songwriting has a unique Tyler Christian kind of approach! Now, what that approach is? I’d say it’s a genre bend with a lot of bass and electric guitar paired with a bunch of harmonies and vocal layering all wrapped up in an early 2000s aura. 

What does success mean to you?
For myself, success is whatever I determine it at any given time. I think I have a long-term idea of success and then a short-term goal-based one. Happiness, fulfillment, and stability in my art are all definitions of success, but so is my first TV performance, a tour, a record deal etc., etc. Success is the ability to see my goals and hopes become a reality, but at the same time, success for me is a community thing. So, if I’m doing super super well, but no one around me is, I don’t necessarily consider that to be successful. I want to be happy, fulfilled, and performing sold-out shows at arenas across the world, yes, but success to me is more than just that. I try not to think about success all the time because I don’t like the connotation that it can have in the music industry, and I often hear it paired with “Oh, I want a Grammy, or these awards, or these accolades,” and while that is all great and some of it I even strive for, I don’t want that to be the meaning of success for myself! 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylerchristian?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nE7gl3Ttzl9pr8aUEitlZ?si=9GbvUXakQSqjQKvsEiHqxQ

Image Credits
@williamrowan
@kyesams