What’s your stage name and where are you from?
I used to go by TY’O but now I go by my legal name Thomas O’Shea. I’m from Madison Wisconsin.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
TY’O is my initials with the ‘ in my last name moved over. I created it sophomore year of high school and decided to switch to my legal name Thomas O’Shea recently because I feel like I’ve outgrown hiding behind a stage name.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
I have always been drawn to music- when I was a kid (like 2 or 3 years old) I was begging my parents to start piano lessons for me and finally started around age 6. Then, in high school, my choir teacher did a lesson on music production- we sampled a recording of us singing some call and response song and I just never stopped producing after that. Finally, I went to college for audio production and music business and composition and continued my productions and songwriting developing my sound into what it is today.
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
Not a single track, but a project- I recently finished and released a concept album titled Dances with the Devil. This project was my honors thesis for my undergrad. I got to work with my close friends and colleagues and there were a lot of unique experiences in the studio from ideas from the vocalists and instrumentalists (like screaming into a mic for the Devil’s entrance and working with a rapper to add effects and ideas to convey the story.)
What message do you want to convey through your music?
Music is everywhere and can be made with/ about anything. I’ve written songs with soda bottles, doors, and with recordings of my friends screaming funny memes but also about very real things like my anxiety, heartbreak, mental health, and how my bad decisions turned me into the person I am today. Music is what you want it to be and even if you have a certain goal with a song, maybe someone else will find a different meaning.
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
In all honesty, I can’t choose a singular moment- every time I sit down to produce or write something I always run into an issue. There’s also not a specific way that I overcome issues, I just always have to think creatively. Sometimes I can’t get a sound to sound exactly how it is in my head so I use other sounds at my disposal and layer. Sometimes the recording of an artist I’m working with didn’t turn out how I wanted- so I work with it and do the best I can to still achieve what I wanted. The challenges in the studio or in post production are what makes the songs I write and release memorable for me- so I can’t single out any one.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
Not an artist but a producer- Max Martin because he is easily one of the best producers and songwriters of this century. I would love to play even just a small role in one of his songs.
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
I like to keep an open mind- I had no idea that my music in Dances with the Devil would be so well received so I don’t even know where I’ll be a year from now.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
I’m working on the next big step- rebranding from my old stage name TY’O to my real name Thomas O’Shea. This is not just a name change but also a full rebrand of who I am as an artist. TY’O was me experimenting and learning as much as I could. While I’m still learning (and will always be learning) it’s time to lift the tinted shades and truly write, record, and produce as me. I used to twine fiction into fact in my music as TY’O and that no longer feels genuine, so I am now fully invested in only telling the truth and writing without hiding- unless I’m writing for someone else or writing one of my concept albums/ soundtracks.
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
Wherever you listen to music! I’m Thomas O’Shea on all platforms. You can also find some of my old music under the TY’O moniker on my website https://www.tyoismusic.com