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

Tricia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I had the blessed, good fortune of being born into a musical family. My dad was a professional drummer as well as the jazz and Marching Band director at my high school for seventeen years. Mom was a touring recording artist, musical theatre performer, professional dance band soloist, and opera singer. My family would often be flown and put up in hotels where Mom was performing the National Anthem at televised professional basketball games. We’d proudly watch her on the TV from the hotel room. She also taught piano and voice lessons to kids and adults in our living room.

I spent my childhood running around Dad’s band camps, marching band festivals, concerts, parades, drum corps competitions, my sister’s musicals, my brother’s band’s shows, choir practices, and my hip hop dance classes. My brother and I played snare in the drumline. My sister played saxophone and clarinet and was the drum major. Every Friday in the fall, we’d attend the football games with Dad’s marching band. My sister and I were obsessed with the radio and knew most songs by heart. Music was my first love.

With each passing year, my passion for music only intensified. I was constantly teaching kids songs and dances and daydreaming about my future. My singing was embraced and encouraged in school, which was amazing to experience. My teachers believed in me, my classmates often asked me to sing, and I was voted “Most Likely to be Famous,” “Most Likely to be a Singer,” and “Most Likely to be the Next Britney Spears.” I performed at school assemblies, parties, talent shows, and countless backyards. I have a diary entry at twelve saying, “I can’t wait to move to LA to be a singer.”

In middle school, I’d secretly listen to music in one ear during class to get through the day. I’d have my elbow propped up on my desk, with my head resting on my fist, which was holding my headphones to my ear, but covered up by a sweater. My yearning to sing had no chill. It was always on my mind. Plus, *NSYNC’s Disney special had just aired and completely changed my life. I was inspired beyond belief by their singing, dancing, and songs.

All I could think about was getting to LA to sing. I knew in my heart of hearts I was supposed to be using my voice. The reason I knew for sure, was because I felt such an unbelievable high whenever I’d sing. It would heal me, and I knew there was a reason.

High school became unbearable, so I worked diligently and found a way to graduate a year early. Six months later, I moved to LA.

Tricia, 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’m a Recording Artist, Songwriter, and Vocal Producer.

Record labels, film companies, independent and unsigned artists hire my producer (G’harah “PK” Degeddingseze) and me to create music for their albums, live shows, TV/films, commercials, and movie trailers. I’m an impersonator too, so I’m able to provide background vocals to match whomever we are working with, if needed. We create music in every genre and pride ourselves on taking a client’s vision to the next level.

I’ve always loved lifting people up, motivating and inspiring them to reach their full potential, so it makes sense that life would lead me here.

Getting to this point took many years of studying, practicing, auditioning, gigging, networking, singing demos, creating my own music, tough sessions, free interning, side jobs, rough living situations, tenacity, and little to no social life. Most of the people I’ve met in LA have left. It’s a very tough industry to not only get into, but to stay in and flourish.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

PK and I have several releases coming out this year – on Netflix, with major artists, and personal projects of mine. I’ll be honoring my amazing, late brother, Nick Battani, who unfortunately passed in July from a rare cancer.

How did you meet your business partner?

I was demo-ing songs for hit songwriter, Diane Warren, when her producer, AC Burrell, pulled me aside and expressed interest in producing my album and introducing me to his partner, PK – who produced Chris Brown’s “Fine China.” I couldn’t meet PK fast enough – I loved that song.

Fast forward a few months, I was in a nightclub and met artist, Jaq Moon. He’d heard one of my songs and told me his producer friend, PK, would love my voice. I couldn’t believe two different people were trying to introduce me to PK!

Shortly after, PK and I met up and clicked immediately. We ended up creating and releasing my original Christmas single “Dear Mr. Scrooge” – written with my beloved brother, Nick, and friend, Franki Pineapple.

PK and I have been working together for seven years, and it’s been the dopest, most fulfilling partnership. He’s a dream to work with. He’s a composer as well, and I’m an emotional singer in general, so we enjoy creating mood music for TV/film – it’s nothing but fun for us! The work can be challenging and tedious, but we each have carefully honed our crafts over the years, and we’re able to knock projects out quickly.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 7th grade, I joined the school choir late in the year. My first day happened to be the day everyone was auditioning for a big solo. I ended up getting the solo and immediately encountered upper classmen who weren’t happy. I felt the room change toward me. Rumors were spread, my house was egged and toilet-papered, and “Slut” was written across my driveway in shoe polish, which never came off. We never found out exactly who did this, but it was heartbreaking.

When I stood up to sing the solo in rehearsal, my voice shook, and I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t understand what was happening, but it was my first encounter with stage fright. I was shocked and confused why my singing would anger anyone. I was so embraced before – it was baffling to see it change. I had never been nervous before, and now I was scared to sing for anyone. I’d become a shy singer around people, yet I was fearless when I was alone.

This experience caused me to leave performing behind. I stuck to singing in the car, shower, or on my karaoke machine in my closet. I was happy and fulfilled singing to myself. I also discovered that if I put two tape players next to each other, pushed “Play” on one and “Record” on the other, sang, switched the tapes, and repeated the process, that I could stack and harmonize my vocals to my heart’s desire. This is where I developed my recording chops. I also spent every Sunday at the mall recording studio, using my allowance to record cover songs.

Fast forward to my second year in LA as a nineteen-year-old.

I’d finally landed my first batch of major back-up singing gigs. It was exciting, but almost every time we’d perform, I could never hear myself in the monitor, I didn’t enjoy the songs we were doing, I wasn’t allowed to dance outside of ‘step-touching and finger-snapping’ – and I simply wasn’t in my element. The more I performed those gigs, the less I enjoyed them. My friends and peers encouraged me to do my own live shows but performing wasn’t fulfilling.

I eventually realized what I already knew to be true – the studio is where I felt most at home. Recording was my heaven, haven, safe space, the activity I’d always rather be doing. It took years to figure out what to eliminate, but when I did – I could breathe easier. It was as if my soul was screaming, “YES girl! You finally listened.” I have a special niche, and it has nothing to do with being on a stage. I took my love for singing and turned it into a career doing only things that set my soul on fire. What I learned was, only you know how to live your best life.