Life With Tré
We recently interviewed Tré Ahmad an upcoming artist out of Charlotte and seeing who Tré is as a person definitely goes to show how someone will have an impact on the culture!
Interview by Kris SimS.
So Tré where are you from and what made you make the jump from the US to France?
I’m from Concord, North Carolina and I haven’t pinpointed it yet, to be honest. Different parts of me have their different reasons from simply being interested in learning more French, to a dire need of isolation.
Does that isolation help with your creative music process?
Yeah, « remain honest » has snuck its way into becoming a credo of sorts. Absolutely. Luckily I’ve worked hard enough to be able to create in any environment but I’ve noticed a difference between production and recording processes. My production creativity can be fueled by social environments while my recording process can be hindered by having 1 too many people around. I record my best songs alone but I can do my best beats from anywhere at any time.
What would you say is the song that if someone listened to they can feel as if they know you personally?
Damn, that’s a difficult one… My instincts are telling me to say that you have to listen to the majority of my discography because there are so many different sides to me as a person BUT I actually want to think of a song that could at least get someone somewhat close… I think Cauchemar could be one of them. Musically, it matches my more relaxed personality and lyrically, it’s an abstract painting that’s held together by brutal honesty about me, situations I’ve found myself in, and how I dealt with them.
So when did you decide that making music is something you want to do and was there any stones you have to step over to get where you are now?
I must have been about 7 years old when I first started making attempts at freestyling and my love for rap grew year after year. As I grew older I began writing “songs” around my raps. I think the exact moment was when Lil Wayne put out his No Ceilings mixtape. it was around that time that I’d steal my big brother’s microphone and laptop when he’d stay over at his friends’ house on weekends. I would try to teach myself to record on Audacity. The first song I remember putting out on YouTube was called “I hate middle school”, it was a remix to Asher Roth’s “I love college”. Then about a year later I put out my first mixtape on my birthday, a few days after WZRD was released in 2012.
the only obstacle I’ve really ever come across was gear. for like 3 birthdays/Christmas straight I asked for the same thing, A USB microphone to record myself and a laptop. After that, YouTube and trial and error taught me how to record, mix and produce. Technically school was also an obstacle because while it was easy, I still wasn’t interested in whatever we were learning if it didn’t pertain to music. So I think my family had different expectations for me than I did and that caused a lot of friction at times.
Is there a genre you’d like to explore?
Quite literally all of them! I’m definitely an explorer so I’m always trying to find new types of instrumentation to put my vocals on. Before I die I‘m gonna train my voice to do some sort of ballad. I’m always incorporating melodies into what I do but I really want to go for it all the way one day and do something Adele would do. On the production side, I want to produce something with a band and make something in the same vein as what my parents or grandparents used to play, like the Al Green’s and Sade’s of the world. As for right now, I think a lot of my favorite artists (Isaiah Rashad or Frank Ocean on Blonde for example) kind of end up inventing their own genre in a way though so at this moment in time I want to hone in and perfect what I do before moving onto something else.
Do You have any projects you’re working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on my first show as a headliner! It will be at the neighborhood theater in Charlotte, NC on June 30th and will feature a few of my close friends who also make dope music; Nia J, Trent Domonic, Te’jani, and the Bleus. I’m in the mixing process of some new stuff that will be coming out throughout the year and I’ll also be working on the next hoodie club project that i’m super excited about!
What is it you want to accomplish in the end, is there an end goal, or do you just want to keep making music that you love and living in peace?
The end goal for me is making a good living from my music. My biggest love in music is performing so if I can make a profit from shows and touring that pays for everything I need/want and I could put some money aside for my family then I’d feel pretty accomplished. As far as peace goes, I have generalized anxiety disorder so peace is the end goal for me in everything I do.
So what’s something you’ve achieved so far in your career with your music?
Not to be all soppy but I think meeting my best friends has been the biggest achievement for me. Things like watching my brother Dillon (most know him as MoonLander) go on tour and sign his first deal are amazing since we’ve been making music together since like 12 or 13 years old. Or seeing one of my other brothers Michael (Mike Laaarry) go from not knowing how to produce to producing the first Hoodie Club album really satisfies my spirit. All my closest friends and family are extremely talented.
I don’t have any major co-signs but I’m not really looking for them either. I think I was pretty happy when Eric Lottary posted my debut album on his Instagram story though. He’s an artist that I kind of look up to in Charlotte so I thought that was cool. I also got my second write-up in CLTure magazine this year which I definitely appreciate as well.
How’s life been treating you so far as an artist do you feel the connection between you and your fans?
Amazing for real. I feel better than ever creatively. I feel a strong connection between the fans. It’s still trippy seeing people use my lyrics as captions or hearing my lyrics sung back at me at performances though! Overall, I think it’s awesome having a community that anyone can come to and feel at home. I’m extremely blessed.
Is there anything that you’d like to let everyone know maybe an upcoming album, songs, or show?
The next show is on June 30th at the Neighborhood Theater in Charlotte, NC! I’m releasing singles pretty much all year and I got two albums in the works to put out starting this fall!
