grasp on his creative process and works. “Creativity is the greatest gift. It’s never planned, it just comes and those are the most special moments,” he says. For the past few years, Trevor has been drawing inspiration from Hunter Hayes, Rascal Flatts, Michael Jackson, Tank and Usher. He enjoys all genres but is very passionate about country music. Trevor’s interest in country music is very interesting, as a lot of R&B artists are collaborating with country stars now. He describes his love for good music is what bought his love for country music. He views country and R&B as the same. “They’ve got the same amount of soul and they’re both lyrically beautiful genres. It’s incredibly good music.” Although Trevor has not collaborated with any country artists yet, he hopes to work with Hunter Hayes in the future. “I respect Hunter because he’s so musically talented. It was the first time I listened to an album without skipping any songs because he sings with so much soul and the lyrical content was amazing.” In regards to his writing process, Trevor believes he has the gift of putting himself in other people’s shoes. “I’m one of those people who, even if I don’t go through anything personally, can relate easily to others,” he says. During his writing sessions, he tries figuring out the tone of his song first. He believes that having an acting background can really help a person immerse themselves in different characters and aid the writing process. Working with B.o.B. was an incredibly rewarding experience for Trevor, and he was inspired by how confident he was. “It was dope, man. He’s a super talented guy,” he says. “B.o.B. was so laidback, chill and comfortable with himself. I respect that a lot. A lot of people do what everyone else wants them to do, but he knows he has to live his life the way he wants it to be.” However, not every artist finds it easy to fight off the peer pressure. Trevor agrees that it is quite difficult but still believes that it is important to stay 30
away from it. “If you’re going to fall, you rather fall on your own terms and not have someone to blame”, he says. “It’s important to fight until the end.” After years of hard work and writing, Trevor will release his debut album later this year. “They’ve been saying that the album will be out next year for the last four years, but, finally, it’s actually coming out,” he exclaims excitedly. He describes the songs as timeless and songs that all ages can relate to. Fans can also expect some surprise collaborations and truly “feel-good” melodies that bring different elements to the table. Outside of his own music, Trevor is really looking forward to meeting new artists and eventually being able to sign them to a record label of his own. “I feel like it’s about what music can do for everyone else, not just myself. But right now, I want to do me, and if that helps anybody, then great. But I still have a lot to learn and eventually, I want to pass on my knowledge to the younger generation and help them achieve their goals,” he says. Although music is still his top priority, he plans to continue pursuing an acting career. “As long as it fits into my schedule and I can express myself through musically related performances, then I’m down,” he says. After his album release, Trevor still won’t be taking a break. Following his current tour and starting work on his second album, Trevor still has more touring plans for the upcoming months. “I want to open up for a country artist or vice versa, that way I don’t disown the crowd. I don’t want fans to feel left out at concerts and mixing genres will leave fans with the best of both worlds. I’m really trying to end the whole ‘genre divide’ and focus on making good music,” he says, adding that he would like to open for Drake or Lil Wayne at some point. “I know rock fans that think hiphop sucks, or pop fans that don’t give country a chance,” he explains. “I’m just a fan of good music, regardless of the genre.” NKD