Artist Spotlight: Thxrsday
Thxrsday’s music is rooted in real-life experiences, emotions, and memories. Born in Colorado and raised in Tennessee, he uses personal experiences to create songs that listeners can relate to.
His song “O V R T H I N K” explores the guilt and complicated emotions following a past relationship. While the song is personal, Thxrsday hopes listeners can connect it to their own experiences of regret and overthinking past relationships.
In this Q&A, Thxrsday opens up about life beyond music, finding balance, defining his artistic identity, lessons learned throughout his journey, and the conversations he hopes to inspire through his latest release.
Johnnie-Q: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
Thxrsday: I like to jump on the game from time to time- games like GTA, 2k, Call of Duty, mostly games I grew up playing & I also like to read occasionally. I hated reading when I was younger but found an interest in books as I matured.
Johnnie-Q: How do you balance your personal life with your music career?
Thxrsday: It's hard from time to time, I will say, but having amazing time management and having people around you who support what you're doing makes it easier.
Johnnie-Q: How do you stay true to yourself while evolving as an artist?
Thxrsday: I don't think there will be a point in time where I won't be true to myself; evolving comes with change, and change for some people can be seen as bad. I think as long as you keep the same expectations you set yourself, you'll always be true to who you are.
Johnnie-Q: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned from your career?
Thxrsday: Not everyone is your friend & not everyone genuinely wants to help you; if you want it, you have to go get it yourself. Even if that means failing over & over again while a group of people watches you, and then when you make it, the same people who watched you fall will be the same people to congratulate you on your accomplishments. Resilience & self-reliance were a big one.
Johnnie-Q: If you could change one thing about today's music landscape, what would it be?
Thxrsday: Having a real fan base, growing organically, I feel like everyone is chasing to be the next big thing or gain 15 extra seconds of shine on the Internet, so people aren't creating; they're just producing a product, in my opinion. Authenticity & having a raw sound with a loyal fan base has disappeared a little bit.
Johnnie-Q: What advice would you give artists trying to build careers instead of moments?
Thxrsday: Build a career. You'll find somewhere where you can get paid making music; I feel like making moments is where the magic happens. Create moments to create memories, which brings negative or positive emotions, and then communicate that moment & those emotions through music.
Johnnie-Q: How do you define your artistic identity?
Thxrsday: A bittersweet feeling about hope & hurt all in one, emotional realism with a glimmer of hope. Not sugarcoating, but not forever doomed either. That feeling when someone you love is going away for a week; it sucks cuz you'll miss them, but it's okay because you know they're coming back, that same feeling just in different vice-filled scenarios.
Johnnie-Q: If someone heard your music for the first time today, what would you hope they understood about you before the final song ends?
Thxrsday: I'd hope they understood that I was vulnerable in expressing my experiences & could feel my story through the speakers, really feel my truth come out. I didn't hide from the chaos, but I also didn't drown in it either. I really wanna say something corny since I like The Weeknd, like "there's beauty behind the madness," but I can't help but laugh my ass off at how true those words are.
Johnnie-Q: What keeps you hungry after everything you've already accomplished?
Thxrsday: I'm a very driven person as it is, but knowing that there are more accomplishments to be made and that the bar is really never high enough is what keeps me hungry.
Johnnie-Q: What conversation were you hoping to start with this release?
Thxrsday: Honestly, I didn’t have a specific conversation I’d like to have, but I definitely think we’ve covered a lot of different topics revolving around this release.
.JPG)
