Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Terrell Leonard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Terrell, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I realized I wanted to pursue a music career professionally when I was in college. I was raised in church, so it wasn’t a good idea to tell my mom I wanted to make hip hop music. So, I snuck and recorded myself after high school everyday when she was at work on my laptop using the program Audacity. I realized I wanted to take this professionally after I went off to college where I didn’t have to hide my craft anymore. Letting my friends hear my music in high school and in college gave me more motivation to keep going. Once I realized I had people liking my music and willing to help me record more is when I didn’t look back. In 2014 at California University of Pennsylvania is where I recorded my first official independent mixtape. I also gave that mixtape to a very highly respected dj named DJ Drama when he came to Cal U for a hip hop music convention. I performed for the whole school and gave him my new tape right after the convention. I don’t know if he listened to it, but he took it (lol).
Terrell, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
To begin with, I grew up playing the drums at the age of 2. I never got any drum lessons or anything, it is just a God given gift. I played the drums in church as well. Music has always run in my family’s blood, from my father’s side to my mother’s side. So music was just something that was always around me. I don’t think I will ever have nothing to do with music in my life. Meaning if I stopped rapping/singing, I would still be someway involved in the music industry. For example, beat making, ghost writing, or anything else of that nature behind the scenes. I also have a clothing line I started that sells t-shirts, hats, and hoodies as of right now. My brand is #GUAPO which I made an acronym that stands for (G)rind (U)ntil (A)ll (P)roblems (O)vercome. I try to deliver and put out quality music that tells a story and paints a picture of exactly how I’m feeling or was feeling when I was creating that particular song. I also like to uplift and bring inspiration and hope to my listeners and fans. I want my supporters to really know the real me, so I try to create a connection with my music that bridges that gap.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When I was going to college, I had a friend introduce me to one of his friends who had a recording studio in his dorm room. We linked up, he listened to my music and loved what he heard and told me he wanted to record me for free. From that day on we became real tight and were basically together everyday doing all kinds of music stuff. From recording songs to making music videos to radio interviews. We eventually decided to be roommates in college and do it full time together. I recorded 2 mixtapes with him, and we went to numerous shows. where he would capture footage and make vlogs with. We got into an argument about rent one day and he deleted all of my music & work from Soundcloud & Youtube. I literally cried. All of my catalog was gone. No views, no likes, no music. I ended up moving out and re-uploading my music but it was one of the hardest things to get over because I never got those genuine views back. Us as artists cherish genuine love and support because it gives us a sort of motivational boost to keep going.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I started my social media accounts basically when they all first came out. One thing I do know is consistency is key! My only advice is to keep promoting YOU. Be creative and different. Show them what they’re missing out on. I am taking my own advice as well by posting more content more frequently. I have a lot of content and sometimes I second guess myself but I have started posting more daily and now my page is eligible for monetization! Thats another way to get paid for content.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trillguapo44/ https://www.instagram.com/trillguapomusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrillGuapoMusicPage
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TRillGUAPO/featured