Raised in Colorado by a theater singer mother who had him performing and playing the piano at three years old, singer-songwriter-actor TT remembers first learning “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Diagnosed with a chronic kidney condition as a youngster, he spent years in pain, working to regain the ability to walk. Music brought him a safe escape and a creative world to play in, and when he moved to Los Angeles to pursue music after college, he began performing local gigs. When his kidney disease flared up, adding more time in and out of the hospital (after being told he had six years left to live), TT returned to music, releasing his Americana-feeling debut, Man on the Corner in 2025.
“There’s never a reason not to pursue something, so go ahead and take the risk, but try to make it calculated," he says. "Be creative: go sing, go write, go record things. It’s a weird business. You don’t know what the audience is gonna like. When I wasn’t able to pay the bills with music, I had a second career in business. I see people struggling and at some point, maybe you need to try something else? Be smart about it. Is this really your core competency? Is this the thing that will really make you happy?”
Joe DiMuro (executive VP of Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group, Burgundy Records) was the first to hear the project, telling TT he “had a career,” and introducing Nicole Poulos, who linked TT to A&R rep Gabi Kochlani (and she connected co-writers/co-producers Emile Ghantous, Sam SZND, Sheppard Solomon, and Mathias Gavriel). Entering remission as the album was finalized, TT says the experience “made me really rethink and change my course.” Amassing millions of viewers on YouTube (almost 3 million to date), the project earned the European Music Awards’ Best Original Song and Best Production honors, and the single “Heal My Mind” received a Global Music Award bronze medal.
TT’s writing process to date involves inventing a tune and writing based on a theme. “I wrote it when I was in an airport,” he says of “My Confession.” “I had a long layover, singing it into my phone. Next thing you know, I’m on an airplane working on it. By the time I land, I have things together, rushing to my guitar, riffing a chord change, and a melody hits me. I lived with that for a while, then put words to it.”
While the first record was very angsty and cathartic, the second is more reflective and hopeful, and with a more rock and pop sound, the latter involved collaboration. “In all four originals that were co-written, they started with the music,” says TT. “I did the lyrics, and then we tweaked both sides. I love that process. That’s probably the way I want to keep going; it’s a lot more fun than working by yourself.”
“I was first sick when I was six, in and out of hospital for a year. I went into remission the first time and, coming out of that, didn’t walk well. I was small and was bullied a lot,” confesses TT. “That lasted through elementary school, so I have pretty low self-esteem. I don’t think it’s as much about being confident as it is about just not failing. That’s what kind of drives me. I’m a total workaholic, but I also really love what I do.”
Sometimes the unexpected just falls in our lap. As the central character in music videos “Let Us Breathe,” “My Confession,” and “Heal My Mind,” writer-director Art Camacho loved TT’s work and he has become a passionate mentor, casting him in the film Dustlands (TT is also featured in The Hook, Sweet Redemption, Marx, and The Exorcist Archives). Whether through music or film, TT’s passion lies in storytelling, transforming survival into a form of artistic expression. “Stuck In Traffic”—co-written with Mati Gavriel (Jon Batiste, Kesha, Diane Warren) and Sheppard Solomon (Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Natalie Imbruglia) is out now, as are his Alanis Morissette cover “Hand In My Pocket,” and original “My Dear Woman” (also co-written with Gavriel and Solomon). The sophomore album Dancing On The Ocean is out this month.
Contact Deborah Radel - DRPR, deborah@drpr.us
Visit ttmusicstudio.com
