Meet Tai Verdes, the basketballer-turned-viral singer reminding us to do what we love
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
With a viral song that took over TikTok last summer, Tai Verdes is using his new album to take us through his life story, and to remind us that everything is going to be A-O-K.
Credit: Angelo Kritikos
NAME TAI VERDES
AGE 20
LOCATION Los Angeles, United States
STAR SIGN Sagittarius
LIFE MANTRA “We’re all gonna die…so you might as well do what you love.”
May Garland: Hi Tai, what are you up to today?
Tai Verdes: Just got done with some yoga. I’m on my healthy shit right now.
MG: You’ve gone from a college basketball player to model to musician...what was the defining moment when you realised you wanted to make your own music?
TV: There was no crazy sign, I just kept trying. I wrote a song, then wrote more songs. I just believe in trying new shit. I played piano for 13 years and some ukulele and guitar, so I already had some experience.
MG: Congratulations on the success of your debut album, TV, by the way. Tell us more about it, what was the journey to conceptualising and creating this piece of work?
TV: I just wanted to have a diary of the last four years, and I wanted there to be a reason for the album. Listening from top to bottom will take you through my entire story (dropping out of college, meeting a girl, breaking up, and trying to be A-O-K), every song on the album has a reason for being there.
MG: A-O-K is definitely a personal favourite! What is the message behind this song?
TV: Everyone takes life super seriously. The sun is coming up tomorrow regardless. My mentality is that we will all be okay.
MG: Who or what inspires you creatively?
TV: I try to just make music that makes me feel good. If a chord or an instrument inspires me, that’s what I follow. I listen to everything from CHANCE THE RAPPER to Rhapsody in Blue - the old United Airlines theme song. So, I take from everything I get my ears on.
MG: One of your first tracks, Stuck In The Middle, really blew up on TikTok last summer. There are so many artists who are getting their ‘big break’ on the platform - what do you think of TikTok as this new barometer for success to so many young artists?
TV: It’s amazing for everyone. There’s less barriers between creation and consumption and that’s always the best for a musical audience. Who knows if anyone would know any of these new artists without the help of TikTok.
MG: As a new artist, it’s almost like a double-edged sword, you have so much room to grow and define your sound and audience, but then there’s also the aspect of trying to make yourself commercially viable to a record company. How do you navigate creating music that’s your own while also keeping everyone from the label to the fans happy? Does it ever cross your mind?
TV: I don’t try to make anyone happy. My music is my own experience and always will be.
MG: Three words to describe your style would be…
TV: Cool ass shit.
MG: What is your biggest pinch-me moment so far?
TV: Hearing A-O-K on the radio on accident in my car was really fucking cool.
MG: If you had to pick three artists to solely listen to for the next year, who would you pick?
TV: BON IVER, DOMINIC FIKE, and DRAKE just ‘cause the man got a discography.
Credit: Amy Le
MG: Now that you've already finished your second album, an impressive feat for any artist - do you ever get writer's block?
TV: I don’t put pressure on myself to write for anyone so there’s no block. If a song doesn’t feel right I just end up writing a new song.
MG: What’s the best thing about LA?
TV: The weather - I hate being cold. Why would I do that to myself?
MG: And the worst?
TV: Nothing. We got too much good weighing out the bad.
MG: What are you looking forward to most over the next year?
TV: I want another album out already. I’m all about giving more music to the people.
MG: Any last words?
TV: You’re gunna die. The lights go off. So why not do what you love?