Interview with performing and visual artist Tre Ward | "Mind, Body, Soul Conscious"
Performing and visual artist Tre Ward
Question: What is your name?
Answer: My birth name is Terrance Terell Williams Walker, but my stage name is Tré Ward. My stage name is a representation & reminder of my small community
called Third Ward, located In the heart of Houston Tx which has made me the
person that I am today. Third Ward is also the hometown of many legendary artist
actors entertainers such as Beyonce & Solange Knowles, Phylicia Richard, Debby Allen,
Carl Hampton, John Biggers and, many other great artist and activists. My name is my way of mobilizing my community by carrying out the legacy of those who came before me while working to pave new paths for those who come after me.
Question: What is your date of birth?
Answer: November 7, 1994, I'm a Scorpio might I add!
Question: What industry are you employed in?
Answer: Music
Performing and visual artist Tre Ward
Question: What is your professional title?
Answer: I am a Performing & Visual Artist.
don’t like to pick and choose between titles like singer,
dancer, actor, model. I’m an artist & I believe that art has infinite channels of
expression, it comes in many
shapes forms, and facets and I choose not to limit myself to one tile or label.
infinite and I choose not to limit it to one title
of expressing my artistry. My job as an artist is to tell a story & evoke thought &
emotion, & connect
people.
Question: How long have you been employed in your profession?
Answer: I have been employed as a full time performing and visual artist for about one year now.
This year I quit my job in public health to pursue my dreams of being a full-time artist.
The money that I made at my 9-5
job was good, but It didn’t make me feel happy or fulfilled, I
Felt like I was just working to build someone else’s dream. I took a leap of faith & decided to put my time
& energy towards building my own dream and although It was one of the biggest
risks that I have ever taken it has been the most rewarding. It has taught me to
never make my dream a side hustle or plan b. I won’t even pretend like Being a
full-time artist is what keeps the bills paid.
After resigning from my job in public health I started my own
consulting company which provides technical assistance to programs &
organizations on how to create
governance structures such as youth advisory boards and action councils for youth and
young adults experiencing homelessness & involved in child welfare, or
juvenile justice systems so that they can have a collective voice to advocate for themselves and their peers. Don’t get me wrong, it is
definitely something that I am passionate about but unlike music and
entertainment I don’t know if I can do
that job if there was not a paycheck, that’s how I differentiate my passion from my occupation, is by asking myself could I do it without the promise of financial or social security. For me music is something that I could do without getting paid because it is my passion, I figured out a way to make my passion my plan A and my
occupation my plan b, or backup Or support instead of the other way around.
Question: What are you passionate about?
Answer: I am passionate about storytelling. I believe that healing comes through
open & honest communication & dialog. My music and visuals are my way of
communicating, to the world, sharing my lessons, insights, and struggles.
Question: In what ways do you express yourself the most?
Answer: I express myself mostly through my writing. It is the time when I’m
most vulnerable. Most of my songs actually start out as daily journal entries, then
eventually comprise pieces to different songs. Writing has always been a safe
place for me. It has allowed me to create the person that I want to be & the life
that I want to live. Many of the things that I have manifested and accomplished today’s started out as a scribbles on a paper or a note saved in my phone.
I believe that writing allows me to relate to people, it is my way of letting other
people know that they are not alone. That there is someone else in the world who
shares your struggles or triumphs. Fashion is another huge form of
self-expression for me. Sort of like music it allows me to tailor the
message that I want to send out to the world. It speaks for, me before I even open my mouth.
My style is an expression of where I have been in the past as well as what I
aspire to go in the future
Question: What is your definition of success?Answer: My definition of success is being full ...confident in one’s self and abilities. You will know that you have truly
succeeded at your goal when You no longer need validation or approval form
other. When you don’t
have to wait for a confirmation or cosign for someone to tell you whether or not
they think that you or you’re
work is good enough. Success is being able to rest assured with knowing that you gave it it all that you had &
you wouldn’t change a thing about it. Success is the small voice in your head that
says well done in the midst of a sea of critics and naysayers.
Performing and visual artist Tre Ward
Performing and visual artist Tre Ward
Performing and visual artist Tre Ward
Question:? What is the most difficult thing you have had to overcome in life?
The most difficult thing that I have had to overcome in my life is fear. I use to always be so concerned about
what others would think of me, how they would perceive or judge me. I had all of
the talent &
natural ability in the world, but I wasn’t confident because I was too afraid that
others wouldn’t think that I
was good enough. As a gay black man and artist, I didn’t see many reflections of myself in the music industry
on tv or radio. I saw lots of stigma, shaming & hateful propaganda & I feared that as a representation of my
community I would be greeted with the same disdain & ignorance, so I chose to
conform. I adapted my lyrics,
my style, my sound so that it would be acceptable and palatable to the general
public, even though I was n’t being true to myself.
Question: How did that difficult experience shape who you are today?
Answer: I allowed fear to cripple me for 21 years of my life. It held me back from
knowing and showing myself, it stifled
my talent & stunted my growth, but it taught me a valuable lesson that that fear is an inevitable feeling. It’s
apart of the human experience that everyone encounters, but What matters most is how you allow fear to
impact you.
Question: What is your favorite genre?
Answer: I don’t have a favorite genre. I don’t like boundaries and restrictions. I look at music at its core as
words.
Without the instrumentation’s & melody, it’s all just words. Those same words could be applied to any beat
and have the same meaning. I listen to writing, I admire penmanship. Good
writing transcends genres, it can be
found on the lips of anyone, regardless of their age, ethnicity, social status, or
lifestyle.
But the style that I’m most influenced by is R&B.
Question: Which music artist do you listen to right now?
Answer: Right now I cannot stop listening to Nao’s new album Saturn, it is a waveeee. I’m also in love with H.E.R,
Ella Mai, Eryn Allen Kane, Yebba, Kirby, BJ the Chicago, Brandy, Tame Impala,
Chance The Rapper,
Tank, Beyonce is God of course. Some of my more classic favorites include Tina
Turner, Hall & Oates,
Al Greene, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross.
Question: Who is one music artist you think we need to hear?
Answer: Omg, so there’s this one guy from IG, his name is Samoht (don’t ask me
how to pronounce it, it’s Thomas spelled backwards) he is amazing. His new
album Moon Wave just dropped a few months ago & haven’t stopped listening to
it since. Please go check
him out!
@tr3.ward
Performing and visual artist Tre Ward