We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Thomas Paden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Thomas, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew from a very young age that this would be my path. I started playing drums at the age of 2. I recorded my first live recording at age 9 so things got off to an early start. I always knew that music was going to be my life.

Thomas, 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?

I grew up in the church. I started my journey of music at a very early age. My entire family is full of musicians, singers, and producers. My father (Demarius Hicks) is a world class drummer. My mother is also a musician as well. She is the best alto in this world. You could say I was sort of groomed for this!

At age 3, My Uncle (Levi “Too” King) gifted me my first drum set. My Uncle “Too” is an extremely vital and consistent presence in my life. I began playing drums at my home church (Gateway Area Bible Fellowship Apostolic Church) at age 9. That is where a lot of my foundation in music and my walk with Christ began. I learned so much from serving at my home church and it has helped guide me to where I am today. I recorded my first song at the age of 9 for our church’s live recording (GABFAC Restoration Choir). I went on to record on several records that my Uncle produced in the St. Louis area. I also grew up playing for my other home church called Faith United Assembly of God. My early beginnings there were also the foundation to my journey in music. One of my biggest influences was my uncle Daniel “Ladale” Fitzpatrick, who recently passed away last year. He taught me so many things about music on a spiritual level and I hold those values dear to my heart til this day.

At the age of 11, I began a special journey in music that would change my life. I was apart of a young group of artists and musicians in a band called “No Broccoli”. We showcased for major labels such as Def Jam Records (L.A. Reid), Interscope (Jimmy Iovine), and Universal Records. It was such an eye opening experience for me. I started to see the value of the talent that I was blessed with and I also began to understand the ways of the music industry and how things work. Well, as much as I could comprehend at the age of 11. Although things didn’t pan out how we wanted, the experience meant so much more and I knew there was something special that God wanted to do with my life.

Now the year is 2024 and I am 27 years of age and I’ve been blessed to work on over 100 projects. My journey is still continuing to evolve and I’m still learning a lot but I’ve truly been blessed. I’m a Music Director at my church called the Crossing. I’m one of the founders of my band named “We Are Root Mod”. We have a new album coming out soon! I’m the Music Director/Producer for Family Music. We are a community of songwriters, artists, engineers and producers spreading the Gospel of Christ through our music. We are currently signed with Tribl Records. We were considered for a Dove Award back in 2023. Tribl is also known for their artists such as Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine, Brandon Lake, and many more. I recently scored my first film (Truth in Advertising) for a director by the name of Terence Chen with my amazing friend Sonca Nguyen. I also recently had the opportunity to work with “Imos Pizza” on their new commercial ad that dropped last month. The list truly goes on and on…

Needless to say, I knew from an early age that my life would be about music and family. My journey in music has been such a blessing to my life and I will continue to grow and evolve and learn as much as I possibly can. God has truly covered me all of these years and he’s been my anchor and the one I put my trust in when it comes to anything. He has always provided new opportunities for me and for that I owe him everything. I’m eternally grateful for this opportunity to share a little bit of my story with the world and I pray that I can inspire others to chase after their dreams and to walk with God through it all and he will direct your path.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe that supporting artists is very simple but can also be viewed on a wide spectrum. I believe that artists and creatives bring so much value to life itself. Music, art, film and other forms or creativity are extremely essential to life and without them life would be so empty and full of void. I believe if we understand how valuable that is to life, we can see why artists want support and respect to what we contribute to our world. I believe fair compensation has always been a big topic, but outside of that just supporting, going out to see their shows, supporting their brand by sharing with others, and purchasing instead of just streaming their work.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to leave here empty and pour out every ounce of creativity that I have. My goal is to use my gift to help others achieve their goals. I want to inspire younger people to stay true to their calling and not get distracted by other things going on and by what social media is feeding them. I want to inspire them to believe in themselves, continue to help others. My goal is to leave a legacy of Love! My love for what I do is what drives me daily.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasopaden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tpaden7/