“It’s the stuff you dream about,” says Troy Cartwright of his whirlwind year. The young Dallas native began to see a lifetime of hard work pay off in spades in 2015, as he signed with Sunfire Entertainment, released a critically acclaimed debut album, cracked the top 25 on the Texas Music Chart, and shared bills with Hayes Carll, Randy Rogers, Turnpike Troubadours, Green River Ordinance, and more. “This is all I wanted to do since I was 14,” he reflects, “and now I’m doing it.”

In this interview, we have a virtual pow wow with Troy Cartwright to discuss music, influences, his newest project and more.

Full Q&A, links, and a stream of Busted below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

Since I was a teenager I’ve had a deep appreciation for songwriting and it’s ability to affect people. I love it’s authenticity and as I got older I was especially drawn to this genre’s ability to take seemingly simple chord progressions and deal with complex emotions. Being at Berklee, I was surrounded by guys who were much more proficient musicians than myself. Whenever I sat down to “shed” (which is the term we used for practicing guitar licks, etc.) I always ended up writing a song instead. I learned that my skill set was grounded in crafting images and dispensing feelings with my lyrics and melodies. I’m a firm believer in everyone finding their niche, in music and in life. And playing this style of music I know I’ve found mine.

What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?

I used to listen to guys like Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind in the back of my mom’s minivan closing my eyes and singing every word to an imaginary crowd of thousands on the way to church. We lived pretty far away from church, and we went there a lot, so I had a lot of time to imagine. I picked up guitar along the way and eventually somebody was sick at church so they asked me to lead the youth group that week. I think I was 13 or 14.  I never really looked back after that, I think I was lucky to find out so early that this is exactly what I wanted to do.

Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?

One thing i don’t hear many music artists discuss are their influences outside of music. I am heavily influenced by literature – reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as a teenager literally shattered my view of the world.  I’m not sure if it was groundbreaking at the time but it was groundbreaking for me just in the sense that people could be that irreverent and funny.  Author’s like Steinbeck have a wonderful way of painting pictures with words and as songwriter reading really helps fill up that magical well that we all dip into for inspiration.

As far as my musical taste, mostly just getting older has allowed me to enjoy things more. I didn’t want to listen to country bc I thought it was fake and I suppose some would say it still is, but I think as you get on in life you realize there are different songs for different moments. I have always considered a song to be a song, and whatever genre people label it is usually just the wrapping paper someone used to package it a certain way.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

Yes, I wanted to make a record that reflected my sound and where I am at right now. I played almost 150 shows in between these last two records and wrote almost as many songs. In that time I’ve learned a lot about myself as a musician and as a person. I think I believe in myself and what I’m doing now. I take that pretty seriously, and I think the people who hear it will see a much more mature product that deserves their attention this time around.

What was the last song you listened to?

Vice by Miranda Lambert (it’s fantastic by the way).

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Vinyl if I’m at home, Spotify when I travel for obvious reasons.

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

Spotify. I think bc I put it on my credit card 2 years ago and I’m too lazy to change. I also think it’s fantastic for it’s ability to help people discover new music.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?

I think this is the most exciting time to be an artist. The world has never had more people, and we’ve never had more ability to access each other. I think the biggest challenge is just having the resources to persevere and not have to quit and get another job.

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

Twitter is the most fun! I love engage there. I also do snap’s and instagram. Facebook is the best place to go if you want some actual info on shows, etc.  Of course all of that is on my website troycartwright.com.

Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?

Yeah! Share your favorite songs with all your friends! I hope “Busted” can be one of your favorites too. Thanks for tuning in, see you down the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK-XCs8LK6A