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

Tj, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I’ve always loved music. Growing up, music was always being played. From Michael Jackson, Usher, Keith Sweat, and Chris Brown, I’ve always loved singing their songs. During my younger years, I never thought music would be in my future. Sports were more on my mind. Even though I had no reason for it to be. Fast-forward to college. I attended SIU-C and started out as a kinesiology major. That did’t work out the best for me. After not knowing what I wanted to do, I decided that I wanted to go the music route. I switched to Mass Comm and enrolled in Audio Engineering program. At that time, I wasn’t focused on my personal music. I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t have the confidence to write and sing at that time. After I graduated, everything halted. I did nothing with my degree for years. After Covid, I decided that it was now or never to start recording and singing my own music. It’s been 4 years of making music and I’ve loved every second of it. I definitely wish that I started working on my own stuff way earlier than I did. Just makes me wonder how far I could be right now. What would my life look like if I started earlier?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is TJ Rice. I’m a singer and songwriter from Pana, IL. I make R&B and Country music. I got into music because I was surrounded by it. My family, friends and hometown have helped me become the creative that I am today. Being a mixed kid in an all white town gave me an interesting perspective on life and music. I was exposed to all kinds of different music. Combining those different genres and life experiences gave me the ability to craft my music in ways others can’t. A way that I intend on uniting people with. I am most proud of the progress I’ve made while making music. I have released 14 songs at this time. TJ from 10 years ago wouldn’t believe that I’ve came this far. I want people to know that I’m never going away and that they can count on hearing music from me for years to come.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to create something that can move people. Being able to create a song and say, I did that. I wrote these lyrics and sang them and people can relate to it. Music is so powerful. It has the ability to make people transcend their current reality. Whether that’s making someone dance, or making someone cry because they feel the very pain that I’m singing about. Making people feel something.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think its simple, just show up and support. Whether that’s buying your friends painting or streaming your local artists music. Local support is important. Sometimes I think that strangers support artists and creatives more than the people that actually know them. For me, I beg to differ. I have great support within my community but I want to be able to reach beyond my area. I am ready for the next stage. But back to the original question, just show up and give your support. Buy a song. Show up to a show. Share our content that you see online. We all are only a couple people away from our art falling into the right persons hand! You all matter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://untd.io/t-j-rice
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trice1989/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trice2
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLc99JNwGMixD2UPTLG_SiQ
• Other: threads: https://www.threads.com/@trice1989

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3zK7hV8Bf5xARTecDJRJmC?si=GF-WRosyThKs0h6QwiwxFA

  Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tj-rice/1795487466

Image Credits

Katlin E. Davis