Page 13 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2023

TB: I read that you wrote the song ‘Gamble on You’ about your boyfriend, but
you were hesitant to play it for him. How did you overcome the hesitation and
what was his thoughts about the song?

PT: I was hesitant to release the song ‘Gamble On You’ because I wrote the song
based off of a specific experience I had at that point in time. I thought everyone
would be able to relate to it and know what it’s about. And just like the song says, I
took a risk or a gamble and I’m so glad I did because the song ended up being one
of my favorites to play! It is also the first song I’ve released that I wrote myself as a
solo songwriter, so it will always be very special to me.

TB: Is it difficult to share such personal feelings and thoughts to the whole
world?

PT: It’s incredibly difficult to share such personal feelings and thoughts to the world.
It’s scary to be vulnerable and to put it all out there for everyone to listen to, but
when people say they relate or have gone through the same things, it makes it all
worthwhile.

TB: Your debut EP ‘600 Miles’ was released in November 2022. Previous to
the EP, you had released several singles. How long had you been working on
the EP?

PT: I’ve been working on my EP ‘600 Miles’ since 2020. There’re a few songs on
the record that I wrote and recorded back in 2020 and there are a few songs that I
had just finished in 2022! It’s been a long time coming for the songs to get out there,
but I’m so happy that they finally are out!
TB: Do you write your songs by yourself or do you collaborate with others?

PT: I write by myself as well as collaborate with others. I think it’s important to do
both. When you write by yourself, you’re able to say exactly what you want, the way
you want it because you yourself have lived through that experience. But I think it’s
equally as important to co-write because it doesn’t limit your ability to write just one
way. It expands your creative mind.
TB: How do you decide with whom you will collaborate? What qualities or
characteristics do you look for in that other person’s body of work?

PT: When collaborating with someone I look for similar writing styles or writing styles
that I love and wish I had in my songs, as well as melodies. I want to make sure that
it’s still who I am, but maybe it’s just a little more than what I would’ve necessarily
done by default.

TB: The song ‘God Forbid We Pray’ seems to take aim at the pushing away of
God/religion in our society. Talk about the story behind that song.

PT: ‘God Forbid We Pray’ is exactly that. Society today thinks that it’s trendy to push
away from God and religion. In reality, when you have God or religion in your life, it
gives you a sense of purpose. God recognizes that people are going to make
mistakes, but as long as we are living honestly and depend on Him and stick to His
Word, everything will be okay.