Check Out Thomas Rowland’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Rowland.

Hi Thomas, 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.
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. My mother and sisters are incredibly talented singers, so I feel like I fell into it by singing with them and trying to keep up! My mom forced us to join the church choir from a young age, and that’s when I started to fall in love with singing. I went to Woodberry Forest School for HS and was in the chapel choir when I met Wallace Hornady. Mr. Hornady is one of my biggest role models in music to this day.

I spent three years singing acapella with him, and he began teaching me how to use Logic Pro in my free time. Once I had the basics down, it was off to the races. I released a cover of Steve Lacy’s “Dark Red” at the end of my senior year of HS, and it was streamed over 700k times. From there, I continued to try and create new projects, mainly original music. I spent almost all of my free time experimenting with Logic, and I began writing my music around that time as well. In college, I continued writing songs and played with a few different bands around the southeastern college scene. In 2021, I released a song called “Ragdoll,” which opened a whole new world of releasing original music to me.

I became obsessed, but I needed to find my niche. In January of 2023, I got a call to open for the Old Crow Medicine Show in Spartanburg, SC. I accepted and began building a band, which was one of the hardest and most stressful things I’ve done musically. Things went well, and me and my buddies who played with me decided that we would form a new project titled “Winyah”. Winyah is an indie-rock five-piece that has quickly gone from a side project to the forefront of my day-to-day life. I’ve also been reeling in my original work, which is focused on my vulnerability as a person, with musical inspiration from folk, pop, soul, and country music.

Since moving to Nashville, I’ve met friends I feel blessed to know, played some awesome shows like Whiskey Jam, and had an amazing time being inspired by the incredible talents in town. Earlier this year, I was invited to spend a week with Evan Honer, Brendan Walter, Leon Majcen, Briggs McElwee, Kate Stephenson, Liam St. John, Theo Kandel, and George William Thomas, writing songs and hanging out in upstate New York. The week was life-changing for me, and none of it would’ve happened without my good friend (and now manager) Kyle McEvoy.

From that week on, I began working with the magnificent producer Jon Notar and releasing music under Evan’s Cloverdale Records label. My first release under the label is Aimee’s Song, and I have many new ones coming soon. Aimee’s Song marked a turning point for me artistically, and I feel like my sound found me rather than me finding it. I’m so excited to continue working hard lyrically and musically and creating things that represent me and the things I’ve found in life so far.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Man, it’s been quite a journey. I’m sure many other creatives have dealt with this, but being open about your creativity through middle school, high school, and college is challenging. So many people will try and bring you down, and I’ve certainly dealt with that throughout my life. Luckily for everyone who ever brought me down, I’ve had many amazing family and friends encouraging me to stay true to what I love.

I’ve always used criticism as fuel to continue chasing my dreams and proving people wrong. I love the opportunity to make a nay-sayer eat their words, but I try to do it in a way that doesn’t make me seem like an asshole. That’s the last thing I want people to think I am. I’m super open to criticism because it makes me better and helps me find areas where I can grow. I don’t like unnecessary negativity, though. That shit is stupid and can be super detrimental to people who are trying their best to be vulnerable and truthful. Thank god for my two big sisters and parents for helping me grow into thick skin. I’ve learned to love being a weirdo. My sis and I talked about how we’ve accepted that we’re weird people, and we find peace in that.

Aside from that, I’ve struggled with the whole social media thing. It can be a bummer that social media seems to rule the music industry these days. I always grew up thinking that social media was super overkill, and now it’s such an integral part of my artistry. I’ve had bouts of becoming discouraged when my engagement hasn’t been great, but I’ve let that go since moving to Nashville. I’m focused on being a real person singing about real shit that means something to me… if that goes viral, great! That would be sick and probably boost my career in some weird, whimsical way… If it doesn’t go viral, great!

I gave up and posted something representative of myself, no smoke or mirrors! Then, I’ll return to the drawing board and keep trying to become the best writer, artist, and, most importantly, person I can be. Life is too short and interesting to worry about views and followers too much. That being said, I’m constantly trying to up my game on socials in a way that feels good. Getting to that point has been tough, and I’ve had times where I’ve been jealous and had a “why not me” attitude.

Still, for now, I’m really happy with everything and super excited for all the artists having viral moments and seeing immense success on social media. It’s pretty sick to see some of my homies have some content and songs blow up… it makes me proud to know them and inspired to create. Having the “why not me” attitude showed me a side of myself that I don’t like at all, but it also helped me decide to focus on the things I can control, not the things I can’t!

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. I love writing songs for myself, my band, or others. I’ve written pop, rnb, rock, country, folk, EDM, soul, and hip-hop songs; I love trying to be as versatile as possible when writing for others. For my stuff, I tend to lean towards acoustic-based folk music, with touches of pop, country, and soul. For my band stuff, I lean towards psychedelic indie rock, as that’s the music I often listened to throughout high school and college. Shoutout to Spacey Jane, Kevin Parker, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd.

I’m trying to word this in a way that doesn’t make me seem like an ass, but something that sets me apart from others is that I couldn’t care less about being famous or rich. Sure, it would be fun, but that’s not why I do what I do. Music, for me, is an escape. It’s a method to get out all of the stuff I’ve got cooped up inside of me, and I feel like I owe it to music (since it’s been so amazing for me) to try and be the best I can be musically. I love music, and my goal is to become the best writer, musician, and producer I can be to have a life-long career in music. I love learning, and I think I’m pretty good at listening closely.

I’m very proud that I am not afraid to be the least intelligent person in the room, and I’m proud that I have continued chasing my dreams to a point where they don’t seem as far away as they did when I was younger. I’m blessed to be able to pursue music, and I’m proud that I realize that and have been acting on that blessing. God is good.

Alright, before we go, can you talk to us about how people can work, collaborate, or support you?
Please shoot me a message on Instagram!

I’m always down to meet up and shoot the shit, whether on some music stuff or just life in general. I love meeting new people and learning new stuff! My Instagram is @thomascrowland, or you can email me at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: thomasrowlandmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomascrowland/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.rowland.904
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomascrowland4/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thomascrowland4/videos
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-rowland-469798603
• Other: winyahband.com

Image Credits
Ian Noah, Kate Stephenson, and Taylor Flynn