New York Country Swag Swag Spotlight Featuring Tristan Jackson

Tristan Jackson has taken winding rounds to end up where he is now, living in Nashville and pursuing a solo career in music. Growing up, he and his mother moved around a lot but he tends to call Branson his hometown. Eventually, Jackson made his way to Los Angeles where he focused on his film and music career simultaneously. “I was trying to utilize acting to pay for music, landing a small part seemed to be easy, I had a better opportunity getting acting gigs, so I could then put that towards my musical endeavors,” he explains in a recent phone interview.

Growing up in the Midwest, he grew up listening to traditional country music, explaining that his late grandfather was a real cowboy. “My idol is my grandfather, he is a true country guy, a cattle rancher, he played country guitar, he taught me my word is my bond and integrity, he is my hero,” he thoughtfully expresses. While country remained in his blood, he started a band and was the lead vocalist for The Cavalry in which incorporated his favorite types of music, southern rock, pop, R&B, and country. “I ended up in Nashville and I had the opportunity to write with and work with Nashville writers and artists, I had such a profound respect for Nashville.” he tells us “I started cultivating a new genre that I coined “Nashville Rock” which is a hybrid of pop-rock, country and where the new country style is going but at the same time trying to stay true to my roots to country music in rhythm and blues.”

Now focusing his energy on writing in Nashville he is venturing out on his own as a solo artist. His first single “Wake Up Call” definitely still has an underlying southern rock vibe but with the addition of Jackson’s fiance, Kirstie Lane, the lyric and delivery allow the country fans to really dive in. Throughout our conversation Jackson discusses artists from all different genres including Taylor Swift, Post Malone and even Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars, explaining how they have each influenced him and how he doesn’t want to put himself into a box of a genre. “I love that artists are branching out in different directions now, they aren’t doing it for the money they are doing it because they love certain types of music. I love adding different elements to my music,” he tells us. “When I leave this world I want to make sure I leave it the way I want to, as far as my music goes, I want my kids to say ‘That was my dad’.” Relating genres back to movies, something Jackson is familar with since spending nine years in LA, he talks about why people feel they have to pick a favorite genre of music or why artists must define themselves in that way. “Actors pick different roles all of the time, people decide to watch a comedy one day and a drama the next, I don’t believe in genres.”

“If you work hard for it, anything is possible, that’s the mindset I try to stay in,” he says of committing to his dreams and pursuing his career. His debut EP is slated for release later this Fall and he looks forward to sharing his journey through his music. Listen to his latest single “When the Radio’s Gone” below and follow Tristan Jackson on his social media channels (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook,) to keep up with his album release date.

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