Think of the soft, graceful rifts of Jack Johnson, the folky undertones of Great Lake Swimmers, the emotionally charged lyrics of Dan Mangan, and the smooth, homey vocals of Josh Pyke. T.J. Kingston is an up-and-coming Canadian hit. Call a hunch, but I definitely see him going places. His debut album, Always the Moments, plays out like a beautiful love ballad that meanders from one graceful, feel good song to the next without ever loosing steam or emotion. There's something about his gentle guitar rifts and vocals, which are as smooth as honey, that keeps you wanting more, and I definitely think that he's tapped into something special here.
(Definitely check out his song Away We Go, it's my favourite from the album. SO good!)
Who are you and what sort of music of you write and perform?
My name is T.J. Kingston and I'm a singer/songwriter from Whitby, Ontario. My music is mostly acoustic and mellow, and really inspired by folk sounds, which definitely works its way into my songs. I've actually heard my style been called BBQ music before, which I think is awesome, because the best music ALWAYS gets played at BBQ's!
When did you start playing an instrument and singing? What drew you to play and sing? And what instruments do you currently play?
I started playing bass guitar when I was 12 years old. I got it for Christmas when I was 11, but it just kind of collected dust for a year. I was a classic, stubborn kid who wanted to be a rock star, but didn’t want to learn how to play. My parents were really cool about it and never tried to force me to learn it, they only wanted me to do it if I wanted to. I think that’s why I ended up loving it so much and sticking with it. I signed up for bass guitar lessons after I saw School of Rock (still a classic). I taught myself how to play the acoustic/electric guitar a couple years later, and the rest is history. Singing was something that always came pretty naturally to me. I never took it seriously, or even let people know that I sang until a few years ago.
As far as instruments go, I play a few! As I mentioned, I play the acoustic/electric guitar, bass guitar, as well as the ukulele and mandolin. I’ve started playing some banjo, I play the piano a little bit, as well as a bunch of different percussion instruments, a little bit of drums. Basically if it makes a noise, I want to try and play it! I recorded all of the instruments/vocals on my album; there were no other musicians on any track.
Do you come from a musical family?
I do for the most part! My dad is very musically inclined, and he plays the acoustic guitar and sings, the same as me. He was in a band when he was my age, so I’m carrying on the family tradition. I remember my dad bought me this little toy guitar when I was a kid so that I could “play along” with him when he’d play songs for my brothers and I. Some of my favourite memories growing up were dancing around the family room with my brothers while my dad sang songs. My little brother played piano growing up, and he’s recently started singing and playing acoustic guitar as well. It’s in our genes, I guess!
What's your latest project?
My latest project was the release of my debut album, Always the Moments. It was a two year process to get that made between writing, recording, and distributing. It’s probably the thing that I’m most proud of in my life, and I’m glad it’s something I’ll be able to cherish forever. Now I’m just trying to play as many live shows as I can, and promote the album as much as possible!
What inspired Always the Moments? Do you have a favourite track?
Always the Moments is based mostly on my personal experiences and stories. At its roots, it’s an album about falling in love, being in love, and then losing love. There are lots of very happy songs, classic love songs, but there are also sad songs, and songs about heartbreak. I was 21/22 when I wrote most of these tunes, and it’s something that a lot of young people go through and can relate with.
It’s always hard for me to pick a favourite, and it often changes, but right now it’s probably From Far Away, or Your Love Song. They’re both pretty heartfelt. To Be Real is also one of my favourites. Most of my close friends and family all have different favourite songs from each other, which I’m very glad about because there’s something for everyone on the album!
When starting a new piece, how do you go about it? What’s your songwriting process?
I definitely never try and force it. I rarely grab my guitar and be like, “I’m going to write a song,” unless I’m feeling really inspired by something. It’s usually something that happens on it’s own when I’m just playing around with an instrument. What usually happens is I’ll just be messing around and end up playing a riff or a chord progression that I like, and then I put a melody to it. That’s basically the base of the song, and then I go from there. I don’t really have a song writing ritual though or anything like that, and it depends on the song as well! It’s Not So Bad took me 25 minutes to write the entire thing. Melody, lyrics, guitar, and all. It’s not because I rushed it or anything, it’s just the way it happened to flow out of me at the time. On the flip side of that, songs like Do Your Worst, and Away We Go took me three months to write. It’s crazy how it works sometimes.
Who are some of your favourite musicians?
It's so hard to narrow the list down because I have so many favourites! The first band I really remember being into was The Beatles, and I’m still a huge fan. I have lyrics tattooed on me, and my room is covered in Beatles posters and vinyl’s. More recently, my favourites are Jack Johnson, Ben Howard, The Lumineers, Mumford, Bahamas, Sam Roberts, Alabama Shakes. Hozier is probably my favourite songwriter ever. All of his songs are phenomenal.
Is there a particular song that never fails to move you emotionally?
As I mentioned, Hoziers’ entire album is just an adventure, but Like Real People Do always seems to get me. Everything about it is so beautifully written, from the story and imagery of the lyrics to the haunting vocals. Ho Hey by The Lumineers will always hold a special place in my heart. Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah struck a chord with me from the first time I heard it many years ago. It’s so pure and honest, I think it’s impossible not to feel anything when you listen to it.
What are you currently working on?
Lots! I’m kind of in this exciting stage of writing my second album, but also promoting my first one, which just makes everything double as exciting! I’ve already got a foundation of songs for album number two, and I’m very excited about them. I’m writing this album a lot slower than my first one, but it’s allowing me to really perfect the songs.The songs I have so far are pretty consistent sounding with what Always the Moments was, but I’m experimenting with adding more sounds, more instruments. I’m excited for it!
What’s your favourite movie and why?
Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows I’m totally obsessed with Interstellar. Christopher Nolan literally takes you to space for 3 hours, it’s incredible. It’s one of those movies that every time I watch it (which is a lot), I pick up something different. I also had this crazy fascination with space when I was a kid, so that probably plays into it!
I also always feel hard pressed not to mention The Lord of the Rings trilogy when someone asks me what my favourite movie is. I know it’s not one movie so it’s kind of cheating, but I can’t leave these movies out so I’m going to count them as one! I truly believe they’re timeless, and I usually do a LOTR marathon a couple times a year. I always feel like a hero after I’m finished, and by the end you feel like you’re the tenth member of the Fellowship. I can practically recite the movies line for line!
Also shout out to Remember the Titans. I guess this ended up being my top three. Oops!
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And make sure to purchase your copy of Always the Moments!
