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

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

The answer to that question is quite a conundrum. My creative career began early in my life, but I did not recognize the extent of my talents until later on. So, for me, developing self-awareness through exploration and experience has been just as important as having the courage to start.

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.

Of course, I’m a proud Dallas native who grew up in a musically enthused family. As a child, I remember watching my parents’ band perform and was always amazed how audiences were captivated by the music. I followed in their footsteps, writing my own songs, singing, and dancing. The process started out as a cathartic outlet, but later evolved into a way of connecting with like minded creatives.

My first professional opportunity came while interning with Nashville’s super-producer/songwriter, Shannon Sanders. Occasionally, he’d ask me to record vocals for songs he created which he would pitch to artists for consideration. There was one particular instance where he liked the vocal I recorded on “This Love” for India Arie, that it landed me my first vocal credit on, “SongVersation”. Before graduating college, I was also blessed to record vocals for artists such as Algebra Blesset, Derek Minor, and Jamie Lidell. The song “Empire” by Derek Minor garnered me my first songwriting credit which later led to a few major sync placements.

Since then, I’ve continued my pursuit of music. I’m currently working on my first short EP which is set to release early next year. When people listen to my music, I hope they hear a message of love, self-discovery, and equity. One of my favorite writers, James Baldwin once said, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” As a storyteller, my goal is to help listeners to see the beauty of their own story and the stories of those around them.  At the end of the day, I’m not afraid to fail, I’m afraid of the consequences of giving up. So it’s not when you start but where you want to finish.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Most definitely! It’s no secret that it takes money to build your brand but knowing where to start is crucial. Here are a few steps I’ve learned from other creatives on building a career and establishing your financial goals. First, know your ‘why’ and create a plan. Your plan should outline what you want to do, a timeline to achieve those goals, and the resources needed to accomplish them. Next, write down all sources of income and what each goal may cost to complete. Learning how to diversify a portfolio may also aid in garnering capital to build a stable career. Lastly, make it official and establish a business structure. This will show other respectable brands you mean business and could potentially open doors for partnerships. The following list of tools may be helpful for local artists who want to fund their own projects and learn more about financial management: (1) Nashville’s Financial Empowerment Center offers free individual financial counseling (2) The Tennessee Secretary of State website addresses ways to create a business structure (LLC, Sole Proprietorship, etc), (3) Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville offers brand-building workshops and networking events, (4) Volunteer Lawyers of the Performing Arts provides pro-bono legal counsel and (5) NerdWallet.com shares resources on portfolio building and how to diversify.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, my mission is to diversify the narrative by providing an opportunity for underrepresented creatives and intellectuals to share their stories. I believe the music industry has a tendency to glorify a hyper-sexualized persona of femininity for Black and brown women; therefore, my hope is to play a role in dismantling negative stereotypes of women of color.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://truthchiles.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imtruthchiles/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@truthchiles

Image Credits
Cedrick Jones (Photo 4) DaNita Reddick (Photo 2 &3)