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Show Notes & Links:
- gracetylermusic.com
- Grace Tyler on Facebook
- Grace Tyler on Instagram
- Grace Tyler on Twitter
- Grace Tyler’s Music
- Featured songs in this episode:
- Drive
- That’s Cool
Connect with Lifestyle Frisco on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu8Jh5IyPz4
Transcript
Scott Ellis: On this episode of the Frisco Podcast, we have Frisco’s own Grace Tyler. She’s an up and coming young country singer, and you are not gonna believe your ears.
Grace Tyler: (singing)
Scott Ellis: All right. That was just a bit of her single, “Drive”, just enough to tease you with. Let’s get into the show.
Welcome to the Frisco Podcast. We’re here today with local singing/songwriter Grace Tyler. Grace, welcome to the show.
Grace Tyler: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Scott Ellis: I’m super excited to have you here. I found out about you through an event that your performed at. You were singing at an event that Jeff Chaney had a couple months ago, I think it was, now. And I believe you sang the national anthem.
Grace Tyler: Yes, I did.
Scott Ellis: And you nailed it. We all know that’s not an easy song to perform.
Grace Tyler: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Scott Ellis: Yeah. So I really wanted to have you on the show. I was very impressed by what I heard, and thought, “Wow, that’s talent that probably a lot of people in Frisco don’t even know is right here in our backyard. So let’s have her on the show and let people know.”
Grace Tyler: Aw, thank you.
Scott Ellis: You bet. You’re gonna do this better I will. Why don’t you tell people a little bit about yourself? You are in high school here in Frisco, and you’re getting off to an early music career start.
Grace Tyler: Yeah. So, I go to Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas. I’m a sophomore this year. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I started playing guitar a couple years ago and picked up songwriting in the midst of that. Music has really been the big part of who I am and who I identify myself as and how people see me as, too. I go to school with a lot of kids who are involved with sports and athletics, so music is something that separates myself from everybody else. It gives me a voice where crowd of people that I’m so different than, but through music I get to express my emotions and show them who I am without having to say it and to their face.
Scott Ellis: So tell me this. How do your friends at school and your schoolmates respond to what you’re doing? Because you’re not just hanging out playing guitar. You’re writing songs, you’re recording, you’re doing shows, you’re going pro.
Grace Tyler: Yeah. Well, thank you. They are really incredible. My friends are so supportive. They come out to my shows. They all have bought my music and listened to my music. It’s so cool to see them listening to it and jamming along to it in the car. I lead FCA, which is this organization, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and I lead worship for it. So, it’s cool that I get to interact with all these people I’m really different than, but we all have one thing in common. It’s really cool to see all these people supporting me and supporting my music and just being my fans.
Scott Ellis: Okay. So, how would you describe … Let’s talk about the music some more. How would you describe your sound and your style of music?
Grace Tyler: My sound, style of music, it’s more of a pop twist on country music. At the same time, I love to stick with some of the roots of traditional country music, incorporating sounds like the fiddle into my music and that country sound. Being from Texas, you gotta love that country music, traditional country sound. So I love trying to incorporate that into my music.
Scott Ellis: Okay. Very good. Now, I know, and by the way, I am a musician as well. I played in a couple bands, including when I was in high school and college, and I’m a guitar player.
Grace Tyler: Awesome.
Scott Ellis: Maybe we’ll jam one day. I didn’t do country, but we’ll figure something out.
Grace Tyler: Done.
Scott Ellis: But we actually wrote all of our own music as well. We were big fans of writing and doing original songs. I know that’s your angle as well.
Grace Tyler: Yes.
Scott Ellis: In a world where there’s a lot of people doing covers, and they’re just out performing and having fun doing that stuff, what made you want to write music as opposed to just singing other people’s stuff for the fun of it?
Grace Tyler: Well, personally, I love getting to do covers of other people’s songs because I love to try to change a song and make it my own, like taking more pop songs and turning them into a little more country, more my style. So, I’ve never seen anything wrong with doing covers of songs and taking other people’s music and making it your own, but I just had this desire to get my story out there and to express how I think and my emotions and my feelings and incorporate that into my music instead of taking other people’s stuff and making it my own. I wanted to share my own story.
Scott Ellis: Okay. Speaking of stories and expressing your emotions and all those things through your music, where would you say a lot of your inspiration comes from? When you’re writing a song, where does that begin?
Grace Tyler: It usually comes from things that are just happening in my life. Being in high school. There’s a lot that’s happening right now. I just turned 16, so I’m just learning to drive. All these things, people in my life, love and emotions like that, just all these things I only get to experience in high school are my influence at the moment and what I try to write about and what I try to express because I think it’s such a cool time in your life. Writing a song about it to remember how I was feeling whenever I’m older. The experiences I felt during high school and to not forget them.
Scott Ellis: I can tell you, I look back on those years for myself pretty fondly, so you’re doing much greater things than I ever did. So I’m sure you’re gonna look back on them in much the same way.
Grace Tyler: Thank you.
Scott Ellis: Do you have any other shows coming up? Are you performing anytime soon?
Grace Tyler: Yes. I’m actually singing at a charity event and opening for the Randy Rogers Band on April 23rd. Then, I’m also singing at the opening of Lava Cantina, opening for Los Lonely Boys.
Scott Ellis: Very good.
Grace Tyler: I’m so excited because I’m gonna be the first person to sing on that stage. So that’s really exciting for me.
Scott Ellis: Wow, congratulations. That’s awesome.
Grace Tyler: Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m so excited for that. I’ve been looking forward to getting to sing there for the last two years after I won the Battle of the Legends competitions. So, I’m so excited to finally get to do that.
Scott Ellis: Very good. Yeah, we’re looking forward to the Lava Cantina opening up. That’s gonna be a really fantastic facility.
Grace Tyler: It is.
Scott Ellis: So, that’s neat that you’re gonna be the first person to perform on that stage. Wow.
Grace Tyler: I’m super excited. It’s such an honor that they would have me come and sing. I just can’t get over how amazing that is.
Scott Ellis: What is the date on the Los Lonely Boys opening up for them?
Grace Tyler: It’s gonna be on May 4th.
Scott Ellis: On may 4th, okay. I think that’s a Thursday, right?
Grace Tyler: I think so, yes.
Scott Ellis: I only know that because it’s two days before the mayoral election here in Frisco.
Grace Tyler: Oh, yes.
Scott Ellis: Everybody can come out, and you can see Grace then. We’re gonna be working on some more opportunities for sure to hopefully see you around town as well. So, let’s go back and talk some more about your music because I listened to some of the songs that you have on your website, which for anybody that wants to check that out, it’s gracetylermusic.com. Do you have any particular favorites? And songs that you’ve written that are ones you personally like the best? Then, are there any that have been fan favorites?
Grace Tyler: That’s really hard. That’s like saying, “Which kid is your favorite?”. Let’s see. I really love “That’s Cool”. It’s the EP title for my EP that I released. That song just really had a deep meaning for me. I don’t know. There’s something special whenever I wrote it. It just came together so easily, and I don’t know. It just really expressed what I was going through at that time in my life. So I felt like I can really connect to it. It’s really just talking about how you don’t have to be like everybody else. Being yourself is cool. So, that’s kind of my inspiration for that one. A bunch of my friends have loved it. A bunch of people have said that’s their favorite song. So, I don’t know. That’s one of my favorites. That’s probably gonna be one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.
Scott Ellis: So, let’s take a quick listen to a clip from that’s cool.
Grace Tyler: (singing)
Scott Ellis: This episode of the Frisco Podcast is brought to you by Stan’s Main Street. If you’re out and about this weekend, they should be at the top of your mind of places to stop in and have a bite to eat. It’s a very family friendly environment. They’ve got great burgers. They got live music going on Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. Just a good place to go hang out, catch a bite to eat in the middle of the day. Maybe at dinner time if you don’t feel like cooking, stop in, tell them we said hi. Now, what about future? Are you recording another album? Do you have anything else coming out that’s planned that you’re working on?
Grace Tyler: We just finished recording my EP. So, right now I’m just taking a break, just doing some gigs around town, and focusing on getting my name out there. Definitely in the future we’ll start recording again and getting back in the process of writing more songs. So I’m excited for that.
Scott Ellis: Okay. Do you have a backup band, or do you primarily perform on your own?
Grace Tyler: I do have a band that I work with. There’s some amazing musicians that I love to accompany myself with. I do do some shows by myself going solo, but there’s just this sound and this really cool … It just sounds so cool when you have this group of people backing you up. There’s nothing better than that sound of a live band for me. I love getting to do that with them. Then there’s also this amazing sound that’s just me and my guitar. I love how simple it is, but at the same time, I can get my point across. So I love doing both. I am down for doing whatever.
Scott Ellis: Very good. When you’re rehearsing and practicing, I assume you just practice at home most of the time?
Grace Tyler: Yes.
Scott Ellis: Are you taking vocal lessons? What are you doing to help yourself along? I was really very impressed when I heard you sing. You’ve heard a lot of people do national anthems at games and events and all kinds of things throughout the years, and every once in a while somebody just really jumps out. I think for me that’s why I had to track you down at that event so that we could make sure we got you on the show. But what are you doing to help further the technical side of being a musician alone?
Grace Tyler: Well, thank you. That really means a lot to me. I currently am doing vocal lessons with Jane [Lybrand 00:12:40]. She is an amazing coach. She pushes me to my limit and has shown me that I can do things even I didn’t know I could do. She has worked with so many people, and it’s really inspiring. She is such an amazing musician herself, and she pushes me to be the best musician I can be. So I love working with her. She is an incredible person and even more incredible coach. I’ve really enjoyed working with her these past few months.
Scott Ellis: Very good. What about guitar? You said you just started learning guitar a couple years ago, right?
Grace Tyler: Yes, I have. I recently started working with a new guitar teacher. His name is Brad Barns, and he has been really good. He’s teaching me more about how to play guitar and not just keeping a melody, but expanding my guitar abilities and digging deeper into how to play the guitar. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. It’s been really fun.
Scott Ellis: What kind of guitar do you play? I know all the musicians are gonna want to know that.
Grace Tyler: I play acoustic. My guitar is a Taylor, and it’s a koa wood. So it’s really cool. It has this bright sound, but at the same time this cool sound to it. It’s so cool. I love it. It was the best gift I ever got in my entire life. Except my car, that was a great gift, too.
Scott Ellis: I am a big Taylor fan. I am also a Taylor man.
Grace Tyler: They are so good.
Scott Ellis: It’s an amazing guitar.
Grace Tyler: It is.
Scott Ellis: Really, they make fantastic instruments. Do you have any favorite places around town to go for when you’re looking at instruments or guitar shopping or anything like that?
Grace Tyler: I love Guitar Center. There’s the music store on Main Street I love to go to. I bought my little guitar there that I bring to camp with me. I go to camp each summer, so I don’t want to bring my baby guitar with me, like my Taylor. So I went and bought another guitar that I wouldn’t be so stressed out about taking to camp. That’s super fun because I get to share my music with people from all over the United States at camp. It’s really fun to just sit at night, sit outside in our hammocks, and just play the guitar and sing some songs. Yeah, I really like that store. That’s a really good store.
Scott Ellis: That sounds like fun. I haven’t been out camping and playing guitar in a long time. You make me miss it.
Grace Tyler: It’s fun. It’s so fun.
Scott Ellis: So, before you perform, do you get nervous at all?
Grace Tyler: Sometimes. I keep my nerves in most of the time. I try not to express it, but bigger shows, I do get nervous sometimes. It’s gotten to the point where I’m just comfortable with who I am, and if I mess up, I mess up. There’s nothing I can do about it. So, it’s just gotten to the point where I’m just like, “I’m gonna go out there, I’m gonna do what I can do, and if I mess up, it’s okay. I’ll just keep going.” So yeah.
Scott Ellis: That is spoken by somebody who has experience getting on stage. For me, it took a lot longer. I don’t think I ever was not at least a little bit nervous before I got on stage, but yeah, you do reach that point where it starts to become a little more comfortable.
Grace Tyler: Right. Yes. Yes. For sure.
Scott Ellis: Well, good. Good. I can’t thank you enough, Grace, for joining us today. I want to make sure that people who are interested, who want to learn more about you, know how to do that. So you’ve got your website, gracetylermusic.com, and we’ll link this all up in the show notes. If they want to follow you, if they want to follow along, maybe hear some of your music, where else can they find you online? Where would you point them to?
Grace Tyler: Yeah, you can follow me at any social media. I’m basically on all of it. Follow me on Facebook at GraceTylerMusic. My Instagram is grace.tyler, and then my Twitter is also GraceTylerMusic. Then, follow me on YouTube. I post videos on there at GraceTylerMusic again. Then, if you want to listen to my originals, you can go download them on iTunes. I have an EP and a single out, and I’d really appreciate it if you all could buy it.
Scott Ellis: All right. So everybody in Frisco, go to iTunes. We’ll link it up in the show notes. Download the song. Go give her a five-star rating. Tell the world how much you love it.
Grace Tyler: Yes, thanks.
Scott Ellis: It’s so nice to know that we have this kind of talent up and coming here in Frisco. Again, it was great to hear you at Jeff’s event. I look forward to hearing you out around town doing some of your own music. So, keep up the good work. If there’s anything we can do to help you get the word out there more, especially in Frisco, please let us know.
Grace Tyler: Aw. Well, thank you so much for having me out. I really do appreciate it. Frisco’s such an amazing city. I was born and raised here, so I’m just so appreciative of what this city has done for me. Thank you so much for having me on here.
Scott Ellis: You bet. You bet. We’ll hopefully have you back again. Maybe we’ll do an update down the road and see how things are progressing for you.
Grace Tyler: Of course.
Scott Ellis: But, in the meantime, I think we’re gonna … Our outro, we usually have some music that we use, but I think we’re just gonna go ahead and leave you with a little bit of “That’s Cool” by Grace Tyler. If you want to hear the whole thing, go out to gracetylermusic.com or iTunes and download the song. Grace, thank you very much. And you guys in Frisco, we’ll talk to you soon.
Grace Tyler: (singing)
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