Meet Radio Airplay's artist of the Month. Born and raised in Victoria, BC, Tristan Thompson's family knew he was going to be a performer at the tender age of 6 months old when they noticed him dancing to Will Smith's "Wild Wild West" as he held on the coffee table.
At the age of 2, Tristan began singing Red Hot Chili Peppers’ tunes at the top of his lungs. He would soon pull out paint cans and use them as drums or he'd play the spoons to music he was listening to and sing along.
After each "performance” in front of his family, he would always bow and say "Thank you, Thank you very much" - yes, Tristan was definitely destined for the entertainment industry.
A major turning point for Tristan was learning so much more about Michael Jackson's music after MJ's death. Tristan soaked up everything he could regarding MJ on YouTube. He also started to learn every nuance to MJ's moves while dissecting all of his videos. Soon after, Tristan would end up performing MJ's moves at a school dance and he quickly earned the nickname “MJ”.
In the summer of 2010, Tristan would busk in downtown Victoria where he would show off his "MJ" moves. On the July 1st weekend, the local police had to move his gathering audience along so the congested traffic could continue.
After a live performance at a family friend's wedding and a few performances at various local charity events such as The Autism Walk and the Lac-Megantic fundraiser, Tristan was featured on the local "Go Island" TV show where he was interviewed by James Green.
Soon after, Tristan recorded a cover of the song "Don't You Worry Child" and a video for the track was uploaded to YouTube. Thousands of views later, the video caught the attention of songwriter/record label owner, Tylor Johnson, and a record contract between Tristan Thompson and Chatter Records was signed.
"Tidal Wave" is the debut single from Tristan Thompson's debut album, "Here For You"....now available worldwide on iTunes.
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/here-for-you/id867558486
Be sure to check out the video for "Tidal Wave" on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YEwOq2L8vU
Describe your sound in one ramble on sentence
The sound of my debut album “Here For You” can be described as fun, danceable pop with some edginess thrown into the mix coupled with lush melodies that can’t help but tug at your heartstrings!
What inspires you to make music?
My goal is to create the kind of music that makes people feel good & inspires them to live their dreams!
What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
I’m excited about creating the kind of songs that my fans will enjoy and seeing just how much my music connects with them as I have the opportunity to share my songs with an ever-expanding audience.
What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
Not being able to perform live as often as I’d like can be discouraging. Forming that connection with my fans that only comes through live performances energizes me and provides the opportunity to show them just how much their support means to me! For booking requests, please feel free to contact me through my website www.tristanthompsononline.com
Is there a particular song or musical passage that never fails to move you emotionally?
Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror” has always helped me remember how important personal integrity truly is.
What's one of your all-time favorite recordings?
My all-time favorite recording is another song by Michael Jackson....“Billie Jean”. What a great tune!
Name three people who have influenced your music, and tell us why - Living or dead
The 3 people that have had the biggest impact on my music are:
1) Michael Jackson – He’s the greatest entertainer that’s ever lived and is definitely deserving of his “king of pop” title
2) Bruno Mars – He has a raw edginess to his music that really grabs me
3) Justin Timberlake – I love the way he uses harmonies and I totally feel the heart-pounding beat in his music. He’s also a classy guy!
Do you have any recent or upcoming projects you'd like to share with us?
The video for my debut Single “Tidal Wave” has just been posted to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YEwOq2L8vU) and the video for my next Single entitled “Mistaken” will be released this fall. Throughout the summer, I’ll be busy filming more videos as well as recording my first Christmas Single!
What do you like the most about Radio Airplay?
Radio Airplay is an awesome platform for Indie artists because it allows them to be heard all around the world and the importance of this kind of exposure simply can’t be overstated.
Interesting story about the artist - Anything extra you would like to add?
At the age of 12, I used to busk on the streets of Victoria, British Columbia. I would entertain crowds while impersonating Michael Jackson.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TristanThompsonMusic?ref=hl
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNiJCFbh4Bw4A_bTDiOIhNw
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/tristanthompsn
Official Website:
http://www.tristanthompsononline.com
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/officialtristanthompson
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/here-for-you/id867558486
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Here-You-Tristan-Thompson/dp/B00JX0WHBI/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1398523481&sr=1-1&keywords=Tristan+Thompson