EXCLUSIVE: Terrell Hines Interview

Terrell Hines is the sort of artist that has no limits; as a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist — the sky is truly the limit for Terrell.  With his debut EP, St. Mark Rd., under his belt, Terrell is ready to take over the music industry.

Congrats on your release! What made you decide to title the EP St. Mark Road?

St. Mark Rd. is the first home I can remember. It’s located in Dublin, GA two hours south of

Atlanta. It’s a very peaceful road, a place I hold close to my heart.

What was the music scene like growing up for you in Dublin, GA?

There isn’t a big music scene in Dublin compared to the major cities like Atlanta which has

always inspired music culture, predominantly hip hop. But, I’ve seen the music scene start to

pick up within the last few years. It’s always good to see people interested in music and taking

those steps to be an artist, especially in an environment where you only play sports play

sports, go to the military or work a 9-5 which works for some people I just wanted to make

things and leave them open for interpretation and just hope they last long enough to be

artifacts.

“Get Up” was featured at Apple’s Keynote, where were you and what was your reaction to

learning that your music would be played during the viral event?

When I got the call about the Apple feature I was walking down a cul-de-sac to my

apartment. It was a interesting day that day, but when I was told it was in the works for sure it

was good knowing I made something and it has a space it can live in.

You can definitely hear hints of different genres on each of the different tracks, do genres

matter to you or should they in general?

Genres are very important to me because there are so many and every genre gives you a

different mood, chord structure, and timbre. My musical vocabulary is something important to

me. I’d rather spend time learning genres of music because the genre can teach me a good

amount of information about the culture I’m listening to, but it can also help me understand

how people from different regions around the world perceive sound.

Was there a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to make music your fulltime

job and life?

Yes – I was sitting in my apartment on Montebello Street in Jamaica Plain, MA painting and

listening to “Southern Point” by Grizzly Bear when I realized music was the only medium I

hadn’t tried as far as recording. I’m a musician but rather than building an entire musical

landscape as a full composition with many instruments, that day I just told myself I needed to

combine all art mediums as much as possible to get my artistic visions out. It all became a

practice I fell in love with.

You’re a songwriter, artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer, how did each of those

talents come about?

I was in church a lot growing up and the culture I was around was very musical, even the

way people pronounced words and a musical feeling about it. My mother was a singer in a

gospel quartet group. When I was young and I would always be at every concert she had and I

just resonated with the drums first. When I was about 4 I got a drum set for Christmas and I

haven’t stopped playing since then. Growing up in rural Georgia, many people don’t want real

music careers and sometimes don’t support – that’s just the culture of where I’m from. As I was

debating playing college sports, I really had to make a real decision on what I wanted to do

and my goal was to learn as much as possible about music. So I auditioned for Berklee not

really knowing what it was, and I received a scholarship from there. At 17 I went to Boston and

started to learn as much as I could about music, technology, and how humans perceive sound.

Being in Boston definitely impacted me in major ways. Just being in the city for so long will

make you a multidisciplinary creative.

Next year you’ll be supporting X Ambassadors on the road, is there a city or venue you’re

most excited about?

There’s not really a specific place I’m excited about. I’m more excited about just being on

the road and seeing places I’ve never seen before. Along with studying the native music of that

place and understanding how they really listen.

Can fans expect any new music in the new year?

Fans can expect many things from next year. You never know what you’re gonna get.