Trent Toney draws from a lifelong engagement with music to transform his pain into art. The indie/alternative pop artist combines audio and visual media to provide his audience with a glance into his creative world.
Music has been a constant in Trent Toney’s life. His parents urged him to learn the piano starting when he was seven until he graduated high school. As Trent tried to figure out his interests, there were times when he did not consider music as his main focus. However, even then, he had plenty of opportunities to use the talents and skills he developed. Trent played in church, picked up small gigs, experimented with production, and took music-related classes in school.
In college, Trent Toney started creating YouTube videos as a hobby. The online community quickly latched on to his content. Many of his videos went viral, with one reaching 2.5 million views. Not long after, tragedy struck the budding artist’s life. Unknown to Trent at the time, a difficult breakup and trying challenges would shape his future.
Given his lifelong relationship with music, it was only natural for Trent Toney to gravitate toward the artform for healing. Music became his therapy during this challenging period. Trent locked himself in his room, learned the guitar, and wrote songs for months. In the process, he realized his direction as a musician and transformed his struggles into art.
Trent Toney dove into his local music scene in 2017. He developed a cycle of playing gigs to earn money for studio time. Even at these early stages of his career as an artist, Trent would play up to five shows a week. Sometimes he would play multiple shows a day. While writing hundreds of songs, Trent raised as much money as he could through gigs to afford recording new music.
The artist’s songs feature dominant piano and guitar instrumentation. During live performances, Trent Toney also uses loop stations, which make his shows more interesting. Listeners are drawn to Trent Toney’s unique gift of using personal experiences to explore universal emotions in his songs. His authenticity also appeals to an audience looking to hear exciting music. The years it took for Trent to put together the handful of songs in his discography is evidence of his careful attention to quality.
Trent’s newest release showcases even more of his talent and vulnerability. In a song called “Close to You,” Trent speaks about love and the feeling of wanting to be close to someone even though it feels like there’s a world between you. Trent wrote the song during lockdown because he spent that time pursuing a girl he met right before the quarantine hit. Though they couldn’t be physically together, Trent yearned for her and translated this yearning into a song.
A high level of creativity plays a significant role in his songwriting process. It’s not typical pop music, which makes Trent Toney a refreshing figure in the industry. Listeners describe his songs as having indie, folk, and alternative pop influences, while Trent’s videos are typically tongue in cheek.
Trent Toney is an entirely independent artist. Over the years, he found the right people and has slowly built his team. “My team is just people I’d want to hang out with and people who actually care about me,” explained Trent Toney. With the help of his social media and production team, the artist hopes to grow his brand and strengthen his following online. Trent hopes to go on tour and share his music with a global audience one day. Until then, he will continue to use his platform to share his creative process.
You can learn more about Trent Toney by visiting his website or listen to his music on YouTube.
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