TJ Courtney could be the next heartthrob in rock music. He has the whole package: the voice, the image, and the talent. Growing up in Massachusetts, this rocker found his passion for music in his dedication to screening MTV videos after school. He saw his vision. He was going to be on the TV one day. Now he is. With his debut single One Day, which is getting praise on college radio, TJ is on the right path to success. Sounding like a blend of famous bands such as The Foo Fighters and Oasis, TJ gives listeners that 90’s grunge with a modern day pop in his music and lyrics. TJ is very dedicated to his craft, working extremely hard on his two upcoming EPs and promoting a tour.
I got the pleasure to speak with TJ Courtney about his dream collaboration and the tragic disaster that destroyed his childhood home, which inspired the video for One Day, his debut single.
On his influences:
Growing up in Massachusetts, some of my influences were grunge, Nirvana, and the Foo Fighters. My music is mixed with some grunge and some pop elements.
On his inspirations:
When I was like 12, I used to sit in front of my T.V. and watch MTV after school. I would watch music videos all day. I would sing along or jump around when my favorite song was played. I remember thinking back then that I wanted to be a singer; I wanted to have my own music video. I actually started out as a drummer and when I was 16, I got an offer to work with a managing company. I was getting looked at by label companies. That was the point where I became more serious with music.
On his writing process:
I know there are some writers who try to pump out a song a day or try to write a lot of songs. I am sort of the opposite of that. I wait until I really feel like I have a melody that I like to finish or its pulling at me to finish it. I kind of write with the radio in mind. One Day is already doing well on college radio, but I’d like to write something getting a little more commerical radio play in the future.
On his single One Day:
It’s kind of an older song, but I kept the song and when we [manager and producers] were trying to figure out what songs were going on the EP, One Day was chosen. Everyone is really into that song. I thought it was cool to put on there because it is different from my other songs. Other songs are typically about relationships or something like that. One Day is about improving our impact on the world. It was an interesting single to put out there. Typically, you don’t have something out there with that heavy of a subject matter for a single.
On the video for One Day:
The weird thing about [the One Day song] is that it was relating to what we do in the environment with all of these disasters and storms happening. Then, a tornado hit my parents’ house last year after we finished recording. So after a few days of helping them with aid, we decided to shoot the video there. It was a really good fit for the video.
Watch the video here: http://bit.ly/zw484n
On his two upcoming EPs:
Yeah, one will be released on March 27th. And that EP has One Day and four other songs on it. Now I am kind of in and out of the studio working on my fall EP. Probably in September for the release.
On his dream collaboration:
Daniel John, he is the singer and songwriter for the band Silverchair. He is one of my biggest influences. That would be really cool.
On his upcoming shows and events:
We are booking a tour for late spring. We are trying to hit a bunch of colleges and do some college shows. We are going to hit the northeast. That’s what we are doing now. My biggest goal is to get a touring route where I have shows and a bunch of markets for promoting. Just to be out on the road, that’s my main goal.
On his last comments:
I’m happy to be interviewed by Limerence Magazine. I also like people knowing that I am a solo artist. The biggest question I get is something like “your CD sounds like a full band.” It sounds like a rock band. But I just want people to know that I am multi-instrumental. The whole thing started with me playing everything before I had a band.
