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

Alright, Tru thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In 2019 I was presented with a very difficult dilemma. I had been at my day job for about five years and had worked my way up to a manager role. I was making pretty good money when the company I was working for did a restructure. My position was eliminated and I was offered a higher paying position. This was amazing news but at the same time, I was constantly using all of my vacation days and sick days for performances. I felt myself burning out and wondered if i should take the severance and leave my job to pursue music full time, or take the promotion and step back from my music career. I consulted artists friends of mine and prayed for a sign. As days went by, I was tortured by this unmade decision. I began to realize that faith requires action without promise of security. I decided to step out of my safety net and leave a great well paying job to pursue my passion. Though it was certainly challenging at times, it has brought me to this place in life and i couldn’t be happier for taking that leap! For the first time in my career, I’ve been able to make a living as an artist!

Shoutout to store 0120! If you know you know.

Tru, 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 go by the name, Tru Lyric. I am a recording artist born and raised in Santa Rosa, California. I began making music with friends while attending Analy High School. I found refuge in writing lyrics while battling depression and anxiety and I was able to grow as a musician helping others who battle with the same disease. My passion and love for music stems from what I grew up listening to during my childhood: The Temptations, Notorious B.I.G., and Frank Sinatra to name a few. As my view of Hip-Hop transformed, I began working with musicians from across the county to infuse Jazz, Gospel, Rock, Blues, and even Salsa into my music.

In 2020 I began working on a new sound for my most recent EP, “Black Kids Like Emo”, an alternative album with a Hip-Hop fusion. This project was largely inspired by my high school experiences. Written through the eyes of my high school self, the EP talks about bullies, lost love, struggling to fit in, and most importantly self love and acceptance. “Black Kids Like Emo” was released digitally in 2021. Since then, I have released a number of singles in preparation for my next album set to release early 2024. My band and I have recently performed at venues and festivals all over California and are excited to see where our music takes us next!

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

Artists such as myself are at a constant war with “The algorithm”. Every single form of social media or music listening service uses an algorithm to push what they think people will like most. These algorithms are HEAVILY influenced by large labels that can afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing. There are so many incredibly talented artists who never get the exposure they deserve due to these algorithms. The reason artists ask you to “like, comment, subscribe, share, save, etc.” is because those things actually help combat the algorithm. Those are all things anyone can do to support artists that will cost you nothing but mean the entire world to the artist!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to make the world a better place. There is so much pain and division in the world today and I am in a unique position to be able to offer pain relief and unity in the form of music. Everyone deserves to know they are loved and created with a purpose.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/trulyricofficial
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/trulyricmusic
• Youtube: www.YouTube.com/trulyricmusic

Image Credits
All photos (except for the one of me performing live) were taken by Micah Young.