Travis Crown is a 20 year old singer/songwriter living in Los Angeles, CA. His raw voice and lyrical talents deliver a powerful message to his listeners. Throughout many struggles in life that Travis has faced, music has always been the one thing he could hold on to. Facing homelessness and abuse, Travis has overcome many obstacles. He expresses himself through his music by spreading positivity and good vibes.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Travis about the latest music, challenges, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I am from New Haven, Connecticut, and my style of music is primarily Pop, as well as  R&B soul.  

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

 I started writing songs when I was 9 years old and ever since then I have never stopped. Throughout my life and throughout many different obstacles, music is the one thing that I never lost. Even when I was experiencing homelessness at the age of 18, writing lyrics is how I kept my strength and where I found motivation and my purpose. 

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

This is my very first album, so it’s definitely the biggest project that I’ve released compared to the singles that I’ve released in the past. I was trying to accomplish 3 main goals for this album. First, variety. I wanted to make sure that there are different kinds of songs that would connect with different people from all backgrounds. Second, impact. I wanted these songs to empower people and make my fans feel confident. Lastly, quality. The production is so important to me and it’s only going to get better in the future. 

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

The two main challenges that I faced are figuring out the budget and marketing my music. Figuring out how you’re going to pay for recording sessions, photo shoots, marketing, PR, and the millions of other things an artist has to invest in, while paying rent and the rest of your bills can be a nightmare. And when you’re still trying to build a strong fan base and become known to people it is so difficult as an independent artist. Technology and social media definitely helps to put your name out there, but with so much content being uploaded every day, you need to find ways to stand out. 

What was the last song you listened to?

The last song I listened to on my album was Gold Digger. Defiantly one of my favorites, and there is a music video on the way ! 

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I am old school so I do like CDs, but besides that I prefer the wav forms because they capture the highest quality sound. 

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Apple Music is where it’s at. I love their playlists and it’s just aesthetically cute. They also promote a lot of independent artists which is dope. I do like how Spotify has those music industry interviews to get some good insight and advice.  

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

You can find me on all social media & music streaming platforms. I am very active on Instagram (@traviscrown) and if you don’t pay for a streaming service, I have my music uploaded on YouTube as well. 

Anything else before we sign off?

My top three favorite tracks on this album are Indecisive, Games, and Excuses.