Rising Stars: Meet Trevor Toms

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Toms.

Hi Trevor, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is typical of most in middle-class America. I grew up in the city, attended public schools, was taught to work hard, go to church, pursue hobbies, and seek happiness in everyday life. Growing up in Denver, Colorado was beautiful and fairly benign. I sang in church and school choirs, led different bands in high school, college, and as a young professional. My father was a musician in his youth, and he taught me about his love for jazz, bossanova, and western music. My mother taught me about oldies, classical, Motown, hymns, and musicals.

With this diverse background, I always felt a little out of place when my friends talked about the latest rock and hip-hop music which I was not in tune with, but I learned to appreciate all types of music. I have always loved music, but was so distracted by other hobbies, sports, clubs, etc… that I was not devoted to making music until I moved to Nashville in 2021. There was a moment a few years ago when I became disillusioned with my career in landscaping, with my trajectory in life, and I felt the overwhelming need to pursue something greater, something that would make a larger impact on humanity. I knew that I had to tell stories through music, and that I could use my talent and skill to communicate what others feel, think, experience, but don’t always have the ability to express the way that music does.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Failure is inevitable, and albeit sometimes painful, the most important thing is to try and try again. The number of bad songs that I have written, connections I have missed, times I have been denied requests to perform, failed to keep bandmates together, or lost focus is numerous, but it makes my successes that much sweeter. Most great art is the result of adversity either as subject matter or it is an artist’s impetus for creating. I grew up as a child of divorce in a non-nuclear family with a mother that was an alcoholic. That was hard. I had to mature quickly, accept responsibility for myself, and learn independence.

The most important lesson I ever learned about obstacles is that they will always exist, and the only path to success is to stay focused, not on the challenges, but on the accomplishments. It is analogous to skiing in the trees; if you focus on the clear path you will glide smoothly through the forest at speed, but the moment you look at the trees you will inevitably end up headlong into a mess of branches.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I tell personal stories through song. Some of these stories are my own, some belong to others, but they all speak to the human experience, and give a voice to those who cannot express themselves in some manner. That is the point of the arts. To truly connect with people I have to be able to share my music with them, that is why I have focused on building a business of songwriting, recording, and performance. The greatest art means nothing if no one experiences it. So I started an LLC, work hard at the craft of storytelling, practice my instruments, constantly put my name out there, make lots of cold-calls to other artists and venues, make money singing other people’s songs to pay for recording costs, and distribute my original music as widely as possible.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Taking calculated risks is the only way that we achieve greatness. This is paramount in my life, and although there are moments of failure along the way, the true success of my art is born on the back of these failures. They help to lift me up and reach higher, push farther, try again. The biggest risk I ever took in my career was quitting my previous business in landscape design and construction to move to Music City in pursuit of my art, but I take risks daily, whether I am pouring my heart out on the page, pouring sweat upon the stage, reaching out to grow my network, or selling myself to strangers through cold-calling.

Contact Info:

• Email: trevortomsmusic@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.trevortoms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trevordtoms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorDToms/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGiFNyDnwyDgUkgA4axS5g
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/trevortoms
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/49RNPop1c18H9wGLxrIg21?si=C0HPFgQFR2GXzryE8f0zKw

Image Credits
Tim Kirby
Austin Dellamano
Jourdan Elongoria