Up Close & Personal with Tyler Jacob
BY RITA FOSTER
We are given opportunities to experience the sounds of new artists in the ever expanding field of music. Many times we like what we hear but, walk away feeling a little underwhelmed. And sometimes, we are just blown away and can’t stop replaying a song in our heads. This is the case with R&B/Soul artist Tyler Jacob. Tyler’s music sweeps you away with a wave of emotion. His lyrics are honest and heartfelt. You wouldn’t think that music like this could come from a Jersey boy; especially one from Camden.
Full Blast: Did your parents present you with opportunities to sing at a young age or did opportunities present themselves?
Tyler Jacob: The opportunities basically presented themselves. My mother wanted me to be a doctor, so her focus was my education. It wasn’t until my freshman year in high school that I realized I could actually sing. Music has always been relevant to my life and I always had the passion and desire to sing, but my family would always tell me that I couldn’t. My choir teacher thought differently though. She asked me to sing, so she could classify my voice. I looked at her like she was crazy because I didn’t think that anyone, besides myself, would like my voice. Full of fear, I sung “Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do” for her and that’s when my life changed dramatically. My teacher believed in my voice so much that she had me transferred to a creative and performing arts high school. At this point in my life I knew that singing was the career that I wanted to pursue. What I didn’t know, was how I was going to do it.
Full Blast: You are originally from Camden, NJ. Where are you located now? Where would you like to live?
Tyler Jacob: Yes, Camden, NJ is where I was born and raised. It was a difficult area to live in, but I loved every experience that I went through growing up. It made me who I am today. I am now located in NYC and living here has always been my dream. I’ve been here for two and half years now and I am still in amazement that I made it here. If I didn’t live in NYC, I would want to live in L.A or London. Music seems to be thriving in both cities. I have to be where the music is.
Full Blast: You were “accidentally” placed in a choir class during your freshman year of high school. Do you think that you would be in the music industry today if that “accident” hadn’t happened?
Tyler Jacob: Honestly, no, at this point in my life I would probably be in college pursuing a medical degree. I call it an accident, but I am positive it was in God’s perfect plan for me to be placed in that class. God works in mysterious ways . He continuously blesses me and proves to me that I am on the right track. Thank you Lord for what I call an “accident”.
Full Blast: What would you be doing if you weren’t singing or writing songs?
Tyler Jacob: I couldn’t even imagine what life would be like; I would probably be studying for a final in college. Fortunately, my only option is singing and writing songs right now.
Full Blast: You write and sing songs in English and Spanish. Why is that?
Tyler Jacob: Well my Mother, who is Spanish, raised me and my siblings as a single mother. She loves Spanish music and of course it was all she played in the house growing up. My ear, naturally being a music lover, tuned in to all types of music. English is my first language, so I automatically write in English, but Spanish music is a part of me, so I feel I always have to pay respect to my roots because that’s where I came from. You can definitely expect Spanish music or a Spanish influence in some of my songs in the future.
Full Blast: What other types of jobs have you had? Have you ever considered modeling?
Tyler Jacob: All of my jobs that didn’t deal with music were retail or office administrative work. Modeling has always been something that has been in the back of my mind. My mother also wanted me to model because everyone would tell her I had a “look.” My mother said I have always loved being the center of attention. Every time she would pull out a camera, I was already ready to take a picture. Unlike a lot of kids, I was more than cool with taking pictures. Haha. So, yea, modeling is something I considered.
Full Blast: Your voice is so smooth and silky. Do you act, dance, or play any musical instruments?
Tyler Jacob: Thank you. Going to a creative and performing arts high school, the students had to do it all. The teachers strived to make sure we were multi-talented. So there was a focus on singing, acting, dancing and playing an instrument. I play a little piano. Haha. Creative Arts High School made me very diverse and gave me exposure to a lot of things I wouldn’t have in a regular high school.
Full Blast: Face II Face’s lyrics are a brilliant play on words. Is this your usual writing style?
Tyler Jacob: Thank you. It was definitely not the usual writing style for me. My usual writing style is very, straight to the point and I usually paint a clear picture. With “Face II Face”, I wanted to go outside of my box and take on a different writing style. When I heard the instrumental, for some reason I thought of a metaphor. From the beginning I had the concept of two people in a relationship that wasn’t working. But I challenged myself to write the song in a different form. I chose to write it about two people on a battlefield, in a war, and one has to kill the other. Both having a gun at each other’s heads leaves the thought of who will shoot first. One person, being me, can’t pull the trigger because my love for her is too strong. She, on the other hand, would rather kill me than to be killed, so she shoots. Before I die though, I tell her that I had every chance of killing her but I didn’t because I loved her. My approach to the execution of vocals was to have a very light falsetto and harmonies at the end to kind of mirror my spirit going to heaven. The end. I think a lot of people can relate to it.
Full Blast: Did you write Cry No More? If so, what made you decide “not to cry no more”?
Tyler Jacob: Yes, I wrote “Cry No More” three years ago. For me, it was about my girlfriend taking me for granted and leaving and coming back as she pleased. I wrote it to express how fed up I was of being hurt and constantly forgiving and allowing her to come back. Of course, in this world it is unusual for you to hear a man writing about expressing his emotions. But, that’s the artist that I want to be. I want to be real with my fans and let them know that it is okay to express yourself in any form . It doesn’t make me any less of a man that I can express how I am really feeling. It makes me human. What I love the most about “Cry No More” is that when I listen to it now, I can relate it to whatever situation in my life that I’m fed up with . I also have fans who expressed to me on Twitter & Facebook that they relate to the song in many ways, not just relationships.
Get more Tyler Jacob by logging on to his web site.
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