Trevor Daniel

Singer Trevor Daniel Talks Signing With Internet Money Records, LA Life, & New ‘Homesick’ EP In Latest Interview With New Houston Music Outlet 

What’s up Trevor Daniel, it’s been a minute since we met at Last Concert when you won Artist of Year. Time flies! It seems a lot has happened since then so let’s get right into it.

 ‘Homesick’ EP is out now. What is the backstory behind the EP? 

Yeah! I was out in LA and NYC a lot, working with all of the guys in Internet Money. I was tired of being away from home and most of the songs were inspired by how I was feeling. I was homesick during the entire process of making the EP, so it only felt right to title it “Homesick”. 

‘Homesick’ has the same vocals we fans love, the sound on this one sounds more ‘commercially packaged’ meaning it follows more closely what seems to be the pop format. Was this done intentionally? 

It wasn’t a conscious thing on my end. We just got in the studio and made music. I typically do most of everything alone, but with this project, I was able to focus on my writing and singing without the pressure of knowing everything else needed to be done by me. It was a weird adjustment period & I had a lot of anxiety about letting someone else work on the mixes, and other things but ERA did a great job engineering the records and the whole team truly is the best of the best. But now that this project is out, I understand the process a little more and I feel like the music is only going to get better as I grow with these guys. 

Last time we talked I asked why your songs sound sad, Homesick kind of highlights this especially with the content it covers. What are the inspirations behind the songs? 

Well, like the title suggests, I was extremely homesick the entire time of making the project. I wrote allot about missing my girl; how I was feeling depressed, anxious, not knowing how to handle all of the new pressures being traded for the old ones, overthinking, the back and forth of the thoughts in my head, etc. My girl came up to NYC while I was there recording there and it was a huge relief for me, I was just happy she was there with me. Which is why “Wild” stands out of the bunch, with its positive outlook.

A very sweet bonus on your EP is the last song, ‘I Don’t Know’, which is an acoustic song which was different than the rest of the EP. It’s a unique track because it really brings out the uniqueness of your voice. Why did you take this approach? Will you do more songs like this?

Thank you! It just felt right. It slowed things down, and summed up where my head space was at the time. I’ll absolutely do more acoustic tracks- we have a few more in the vault already, so I’m really happy you like it!

Single, ‘Falling’, is a massive track, right at the beginning of the EP, and has had a big reception. It has hit nearly 100k streams on SoundCloud and more on other streaming platforms. Why do you think the song is doing so well?

I think people can relate to having a hard time giving someone new a chance after having their heart ripped out their chest. It was a while ago, but I felt really off about being in a solid relationship at first because I was almost expecting something bad to happen, since I hadn’t really experienced much different than that before this. That, paired with the beautiful production from KC, Charlie, & Taz ( Taz Taylor). I’m happy that people are able to connect so much with it. 

How has your move to Los Angeles been? What has been your experience? What is the craziest story you have from being there?

It was cool, but I came home to Houston to “visit” and sort of just stayed haha. I learned a lot about myself and realized family, close friends, and my experiences with them are what I value. But now with everything that’s been happening, I’m in LA more than anywhere else it feels like. But I like it, the weather is nice, I’m always getting something done, and I love hanging out with the team. The craziest story is probably when I walked past Hillary Duff at the SOHO house. I’ve gotten to meet a ton of cool people, but that was something I’m still not over. Just because, you know… it’s Hillary Duff. I played it cool at the time, but I was seriously star struck and it was all I was thinking about while we were at that meeting haha!

Listening party in LA. Looked fun, hope we shall get a media invite to the next event. Tell us about your album listening party in LA

You absolutely will! I’ll likely be doing a small event here in Houston soon. The listening party was great though! I didn’t really know what to expect but people came and shared the moment with me. I got the chance to meet people I’ve looked up to for a while, and people that look up to me all in the same place – which helped me sort of process what was actually happening a little bit. At one point, before playing the project, I stood up on a table and gave a short speech which was thankfully received extremely well. It was just an amazing night it all felt like it was supposed to be happening the way it happened. 

What’s new that you’d like to share? 

There’s just so much happening I wouldn’t know where to begin. But I’m going on a tour soon, and there’s a Houston date. I’ll be able to say more about it soon. But I’ve got a ton of new music coming. 

We hear you got signed! Congratulations finding the right team. Tell us a little about the team you are moving with.

Thank you! Yeah, it’s been a crazy few months. I was very much into staying independent before all of this. We had a lot of interest from other labels, but it didn’t feel right until we met the Internet Money/Alamo guys. I had always watched Internet Money tutorial videos, which helped me learn how to produce my own records. Of course this is before they became a full-on label with Alamo & Interscope. Taz (Head of Internet Money) reached out to me and said that he wanted to fly me out to work on some records, and I was hyped about it since I had looked up to him and the rest of the I.M. team for years. We met up at a studio in LA and within a few hours had multiple songs knocked out. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel nervous at all; they were all very welcoming and it just felt natural. 

What were the major career moves or steps you took that led to you getting signed to Internet Money? 

I didn’t really know they wanted to sign me at first and when I found out, if I’m being honest, although I loved working with them, I wasn’t sold on signing at first, since I had mostly heard negative things about major label deals. Luckily I already had a great manager and attorney, who were able to negotiate terms that I wanted in order for me to enter the contract agreement. They went above and beyond, making a point to prove that they believed in me. I really couldn’t be happier with the decision!

What’s your relationship with your new family at Internet Money?

It’s really like having a bunch of brothers who make amazing music. I’ve always liked having people around me who were better than me at certain things because it keeps me challenged and forces growth, so this situation was a Godsend. 

Where do you keep your New Houston Music Outlet Artist Of The Year Award? Maybe you will you be putting it next to a Grammy in the next couple years, or even next to RIAA Gold. What do you think about this statement/ declaration? 

I keep it on the wall by my door in my room! Every time I leave, I see it, and it reminds me to keep pushing forward. That award really means so much to me. I’m here speaking it in to existence with you man. I fully agree. Let’s get a few Platinums on that wall too while we’re at it, haha! 

Speaking of which, is there any word on the wire about an official studio album?

We’re just working on a ton of music right now, Some huge collaborations, tours, etc. I’d love for the world to know a little more about me before releasing a full LP, but we’ve got enough in the vault for multiple albums right now. The goal is to shatter every expectation with every new release & give fans the best music possible. So when the first album breaks records, the next challenge will be breaking those. I really enjoy seeing people happy with what is released. 

Houston is home and people already know you there. New audiences are being exposed to you each day. What do you want new audiences to your music to know about you?

They need to know how thankful I am for their support and I really hope this doesn’t get written off as a cliché answer, but it means the world to me! 

So TD, in closing, what’s next for you? What should the fans expect?

I’m just going to keep moving forward, doing everything in my power to give people the absolute best of me. 

Stream ‘Homesick’ EP below and get connected with Trevor Daniel: Twitter | SoundCloud | Facebook | Instagram

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