Exposed Vocals Interviews Trucker
TRUCKER, a local rapper hailing from Tokyo, Japan, but born in Houston, Texas. He recently started making music 5 months ago and have already released two projects and a couple of singles. He seek to push a style of music that appeals to everyone in the world. The music can be described as nothing you have ever heard before, always innovative, seeking to push the limits, breaking the boundaries, blurring the lines between genres & always looking for the next sound. Recently, he released his debut EP, entitled ’TF’, an experience that plays on one’s journey towards whatever they want to achieve in life and he plans to continue changing the face of music.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
TRUCKER: Well, my story is a tab bit different from the traditional artist with a music background. I was born in Houston, Texas and when I was 5 years old, I moved to Tokyo and I’ve been living here ever since with my family. The culture here in Japan is drastically different from the culture in the U.S. as you might know and it’s been a constant inspiration for me and the way I approach music now. I was exposed to music at an early age from my family and peers people like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Tupac, and Gil Scott-Heron and I always appreciated the way the music made me feel. It’s all a feeling. The way I got started with music is when my friend kept convincing me 5 or 6 months ago to pursue music because I have a “great voice”, so that is when I started and completed my first EP entitled ‘TF’ and I haven’t stopped since.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
TRUCKER: Well, my real name is Noah Jean and I remember vividly when I was riding in the car with my Father when I was around 4 years old and I saw a truck driver’s bumper sticker that read “We keep on driving” and that phrase is very inspirational to me because no matter what happens in life, the up & downs, you have to keep going/driving. That phrase actually became a chorus on a song entitled ‘Cab Head’ (https://soundcloud.com/trucker-597195004/cab-head-mixed-by-no-1-mix-1mastered) on my first EP. When I was considering artist names ‘TRUCKER’ was a no brainer because of the significance of that day.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
TRUCKER: I think online music sharing is one of the greatest ideas in music history. It allows artist like myself to put up a song on Soundcloud or any other music sharing website at any time of the day and a random person in a completely different city, country, or continent can hear my music and connect with it without me ever meeting them. It is also the new way of discovering new music and finding newer artists because my generation is not listening to the radio to find newer artist like they did years ago, we find artist thru word of mouth and those artist post their music on music sharing websites. You can tell that music sharing is beneficial because it led to me doing this interview. Also, my music will always be free. I can’t put a price tag on something I do as an outlet for fun. It’s more easily accessible that way because people won’t feel guilty if they don’t buy my music, they can easily stream it . Fans have emailed me and DM’d me thru Twitter telling me that I had changed their life with my music. Slapping a price on my music like $9.99 is not worth the price of a human life. Life is precious and sacred.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
TRUCKER: I’m just starting up myself and sure I’ve had some moderate success so far, but I know my time is coming. But, one tip I will tell them is to work hard at continuing to be yourself because people appreciate genuine people and genuine music and you can only go so far being someone else. The sky is the limit when you are truly being yourself.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
TRUCKER: Well, the song writing process is simple. The concepts, the verses, and the choruses come from real life experiences. It is easy to draw from real life experiences, so I write about them. I could be talking to a person and they might say a keyword that would just be stuck in my head for a few hours and I would flip that into a concept and freestyle the whole song in one take and that includes hooks and bridges.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
TRUCKER: Well, I am currently working on a website that will probably launch later this year with my ‘TF’ album. I don’t want to give too many details away, but I know my fans will love it. I mainly use Soundcloud for sharing my music because it is easily accessible and familiar to people on Twitter. So, Twitter and Soundcloud are the only platforms I use with sharing my music.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
TRUCKER: If I was given half a million dollars and a year off, I would spend it traveling because I haven’t been anywhere besides Tokyo and Houston. I feel if I travel I can further develop short film ideas that I have and also work with bigger named artist that I want to work with like Kanye West, Pharrell, and Paul Simon. I guess that isn’t the typical Rapper route, spending money on traveling and doing short films, but hey, I think I can influence the world with my film ideas as well.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
TRUCKER: Honestly, I’m learning now how to effectively promote my music by sharing it with as many people as I can, which works best for me.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
TRUCKER: Well, I came out with an EP with my friend Zafar who is featured on my first project entitled ‘U Welcome'(https://soundcloud.com/trucker-597195004/sets/u-welcome) a month ago, which is one of the most innovative rap projects ever. I advise people to check it out. Also, I’m just sitting back and collecting ideas for the ‘TF’ album. The ideas that I have are ridiculous. I’m hoping to work with others on it and have my friends come along again. Hopefully, I can get a couple of vocalists that I am a fan of to help with some ideas. The album won’t sonically sound anything close to the EP is all I can give away, but it will thematically be a continuation. The album is colorful, loud, and most important: honest.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
TRUCKER: If I weren’t doing music, I’d probably be a major pimp in Houston to be quite honest. I love that culture and I’ve been exposed to it all of my life. And if that didn’t work, I’d probably be a pro-level gamer in Street Fighter. Yeah, either one I would be satisfied with life.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
TRUCKER: Well, I pursue music full time so my other responsibilities come second. Even when I’m at work, I’m thinking of new concepts and writing. I’m actually typing this interview while at work now. So, that shows the dedication I have now for this craft.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
TRUCKER: Well, they should expect me to be the best me I can be honestly. Expect a couple of EP(s) before the album drops. A couple of videos and more versatility. But I would like to say thank you for interviewing me for my first interview. It means a lot and this is only the beginning for TRUCKER. ITS THE YEAR OF THE DONKEY! ITS DONKEY2016!!!