Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
Sean: Hello! YASSiN here! Long before Sean & I were making music together I was writing and producing for other folks. Since I was 17 to be exact (I’m 30 now) I spent all those years trying to be the best writer I could be, and along the way out of necessity, I learned to be a producer, manager, publicist, social media marketer, and everything else you could imagine in the music biz. After working with pop singers/rappers/country artists I finally decided to become an artist myself…Pretty much the day I decided to take control of my destiny like that, I met Sean! As for my childhood impacting my musical direction, I grew up with my parents playing classics from The Beatles, Billy Joel, SuperTramp and so many more! These legendary artists and bands really shaped how I play piano growing up, and so many of those classic albums inspired me to want to great songs one day and the sound of that era is laced into the instrumentation we generally use while producing a track!
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “YASSiN & Sean Terrio”?
Sean: Our plan at this point is to keep on keeping on. We’ve managed to gain the following we have by doing the things we love, to the best of our abilities, and not fretting too much about numbers. Luckily, we’re in the music making business which, relatively speaking, ain’t have borders. I think a lot of us are looking for something in life and music/entertainment is one of the best landscapes to find the words and feelings that make you feel found.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
Sean: It’s hard to say; there are a lot of talented, inspiring folks out there who are talented and inspiring in a myriad of ways. Chappell Roans successes after grinding it out for years is awesome to see. That we can see footage of Pink Pony Club being busked, in its fully realized form, to then have it blasting over speakers everywhere. That’s a journey I think all entrepreneurs, artists, and folks aspiring to anything in general can relate to.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the album, “Just Try.”?
Sean: I think there are several ways to tell that story. On some level, Just Try is what happens when you let go of doubt for a collection of key moments in the search for some sort of purpose. For the dreamers, it’s that first step onto an open mic stage; the first time in a vocal booth; the first local gig you play to mainly friends and family; all these leaps of faith stacked upon the last to create your path forward. And maybe yours is not an artistic journey; maybe you’re after a job, a new habit, or a better way of living. It might be intuitive for some, but it’s important that you remind yourself that all these roads begin when you just try.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
Sean: Another doozy for us personally; it’s hard to describe your own thing sometimes. And in one word?! As humbly as we can, it feels we have a lot to offer. From a certain angle, “FUN” would be an apt description. From another, “EmOtIoNaL” would be accurate (cringe). Personally, how I would want people to describe our sound, is “GOOD”. Good as it relates to our skill and competence to create an artistic product and get it out to the world. But also, that the things we do generate more “Good” into the world than naught.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Just Try”?
Sean– Definitely, on both fronts. There are physical, logistical obstacles, money, time, and effort. On some levels, these never leave, but the scope and scale may change. More fundamentally, the primal, internal battle between the ears, the expectations not met, the emotional highs and lows and the sometimes-fragile balancing act of creation, has posed the most enduring challenge. This level of adversity is something that stays with you always, as you learn to navigate how you as an individual exists and operates in the world. It can be hard, but maybe the best problems in life are the ones you choose and sometimes all you must do is decide that you’re just going to try.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
Sean: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, our general message is simple; so much so, it’s the title of the album. Everyone has a tough time, everyone has challenges, everyone experiences doubt, it’s part of the human experience. While everyone has a relationship with the same forces of life, it’s still our own to handle, to push through, to put down for a moment and to rise above. However this thing ends for you, whatever things happen or people you meet, you will have done well to try that thing and more than likely have shown someone else how to do it for themselves. Just Try, out October 18th.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
Sean: I think I’d love to be in a room with the likes of Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Rait, Earth, Wind & Fire, Donny Hathaway, System of a Down (to name a few). There have been a lot of folks I’ve looked up to as singers and musicians. Just seeing how they operate, how they are as professionals and maybe show them some of what we can do, would be reasonably dope.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
YASSiN: Just keep going, and ain’t no stopping you. If you love this thing enough to make it a career those are both things you’ll have to tell yourself on the daily.
Sean: If you are good at something you enjoy, you’ve already got the keys to Kingdom. Now get up, turn that shit, and open the door. Eat good food, get good sleep, move your body, and get on it! – Sean
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
YASSiN: I’d probably say exactly what I wrote in the question above and let him know its going to be better than he can possibly imagine.
Sean: That little feeling in the center of your being needs to be drawn out, not hidden away. DO battle of the bands with the boys, take those guitar lessons, learn how to be organized, ask her out and most of all, SING YOU FOTHER MUCKER!
