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

Travis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Songwriting has been something that I have been doing since I was a child. I believe I obtained my writing skills from my mother who is a romance novel author. Over time I have been able to learn how to write strong verses, choruses, and bridges. I learned sometimes your best work is something you rewrite over and over again until both the lyrics and melodies really come together as one. Other times your best work might flow out of you instantly out of inspiration and there is no need to rewrite anything. It’s about learning a balance of repetition and a building a structure to tell story. It is also about understanding the timing and the emphasis on certain syllables. Small details can makes such a difference especially when you are recording in the studio. I love to challenge myself and try to not use typical lyrics that you would hear in other songs. I am sometimes guilty of this, but the amount of times I hear a song where they rhyme girl with world, baby with crazy, do with you, love with above, etc, it starts getting really dry. I love when songwriters, especially rappers, get creative and think outside of the box with rhyming words and coming up with metaphors. I do understand some listeners are only listening for the melody, but I believe it is important to put just as much energy and effort into the lyrics and other aspects of the song.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I came to Los Angeles when I was 18 years old. As a young gay man who was not accepted by his family and was disowned I traveled across the country to start a new life. The first two years was a challenge. I became homeless on the streets of Hollywood. After 3 weeks I was able to get into a shelter and later into a transitional living program which led me to being independently housed. Once I found stability I was able to focus on my music. I dropped my first single “Games” in 2018. Later in 2020 I released my first self-titled album. As of now I have had the joy to write for other local artists in Los Angeles as well as working with my producer to record my second album. Most recently I was featured in a documentary called “Close to Home” which was directed by Patrisse Cullors who founded Black Lives Matter. In this documentary I was able to share my story along with my colleagues who shared their stories as well. This documentary not only highlights our personal lives, but breaks the stereotypes around people who are experiencing homelessness. We just had a screening at Creative Artists Agency and are planning to submit to film festivals.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being a creative, you have to create. It is something that pours out of you. It is a need just like you need air to breathe and water to survive. It is a gift that can’t be taken away from you. You could lose everything, but no one can take away the music that flows within you. Having the privilege to create is the biggest reward. It is not only something you need, but something the world needs. Art in all forms are ways to connect, inspire, and encourage one another. You might not have anything in common with someone, but somehow music and art can unify one another, putting aside all political or religious beliefs. It’s human, to hear music or to see art that causes a reaction of different emotions or feelings; being able to relate or resonate with the colors and sounds. Sometimes it is the only way to describe your joy or pain.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

This might be cliché, but one of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is caring what people think about me. If I’m being honest, I never had anything but doubt from others in my pursuit with music. I never had support and most of the time I was the only person believing in myself. If you are doing something that you love, you might not have any cheerleaders, but I must say it is satisfying proving people wrong. If you listen to what other people have to say about you then your whole life will be controlled by the winds of other people’s opinions. It is important to have a group of friends or trusted colleagues to give you constructive criticism, but never listen to the voices that tell you stop because that will be the only thing that stops you from achieving greatness.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traviscrown/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TravisCrown/photos/?_rdr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/traviscrown
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/25MdONwIzhIUSuKm5k69ET

  Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/travis-crown/1449853952

Image Credits

Spoon Images – Gabrielle Spooner

Bob of Scotland Studio – Robert Frashure