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10 Questions with ... Filmore
May 19, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I do have traditional influences, but I also have influences across the board. From my parents and where I grew up in Wildwood, MO, there are plenty of influences in every direction. But those influences change over time. Even in the time I've been in Nashville, you evolve as an artist, just from the way the writing style is in Nashville, to the way Nashville has evolved in the last six-and-a-half years. But I think who I am today is still who I was back then. The little things have evolved and have fallen more into a brand of who I am
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Rising Country singer/songwriter Filmore has created a buzz for himself since releasing his catchy debut single, "Slower," to Country radio in April. It has already garnered nearly 30 million streams on Spotify and is climbing the Mediabase Country chart. On May 15th, Filmore made his national television debut on NBC-TV's "TODAY" show, he'll make his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 14th, and he recently wrapped up his opening spot on Walker Hayes' "Dream On it Tour." Two days before that "TODAY" appearance, we caught with Filmore to talk about his radio tour, the story behind the single, being a one-name artist and, oh yes, even his trademark hairstyle.
1. We've been hearing some great things about "Slower" from Country radio. Where were you when you first heard it on the air?
I was in Seattle, and it was in the beginning of the radio tour. I think it was the first stop. It was a quick moment. I was in the back seat of a rental car. I think my [Curb] radio rep knew it was coming on, because the station kind of hinted at it, and then it came on. Everyone was filming me as I sang along to the song. I'm sure that video is somewhere, and I look ridiculous.
2. You co-wrote "Slower" with Steven Dale Jones and Justin Ebach. Talk us through the songwriting process, and how it began?
We are all good buddies. Justin and I have so many songs together. We are best friends, and it's been a cool journey together. He has been a huge help in writing with me. It was kind of like friends hanging in a room, and three hours later, the song is done. I can't tell you who did each part because we were probably goofing off half the time.
There are so many songs you write, and it becomes a process, but the hardest part is staying true to something I would say and how I would write it. In this moment, you could feel the magic of the song.
The song, in general, pertains to making life move a little slower and holding onto moments. I'd say the three of us are living our lives that way 100 percent, and it was just very true to who we were. I knew the moment I was writing it. I was like, "This is just so me, and this is just going to be so big for me," and luckily it has been.
3. One of the best things about Country music is all the different musical styles it encompasses. How did you come up with your style, and did you ever feel a responsibility to adhere to the traditions of Country music?
I do have traditional influences, but I also have influences across the board. From my parents and where I grew up in Wildwood, MO, there are plenty of influences in every direction. But those influences change over time. Even in the time I've been in Nashville, you evolve as an artist, just from the way the writing style is in Nashville, to the way Nashville has evolved in the last six-and-a-half years. But I think who I am today is still who I was back then. The little things have evolved and have fallen more into a brand of who I am. It is just part of growing up, and the process. I'm still growing and still changing. I would say that I am anything but typical. That is something I live by.
4. Who were your musical influences, growing up?
In my hometown, the radio stations [we] had were two Country stations and a Pop station. Obviously, growing up with the Internet, you had everything you could download from different genres. My mom is from Columbia, South America, and she was 15 when she moved here to the States. So, there's that whole Hispanic vibe, where I grew up dancing in the kitchen while she was cooking. But then my dad is very rooted in Country, and his whole family as well. There's also my stepdad, who listened to all '80s music.
There's no real answer to this, but there have been a lot of musical influences. In middle school, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban were those artists that really changed my life, in many ways. The storytelling, and just every aspect of what Country music is, and what it's becoming, and what it continues to be encompasses everything I love about America and Country music.
5. How has your radio tour been going? Have there been any surprises, and did any artist friends give you insight before it began?
I have a lot of artist friends, and especially being here, in Nashville, everyone says different things about a radio tour. For me, I love people, and I can't really sit still. My manager was just in here making fun of me because I said something earlier about taking life a little slower. He said, "You don't take life a little slower, you quickly move on to the next thing." [But] I meant it as in holding onto the moments, and making moments happen slower.
The radio tour has been a whole other world, and it is a piece of the puzzle that I was super excited to be a part of. Everyone has been super supportive. I've gained a lot of great relationships from the experience. Everyone has different stories, but my experience has been pretty awesome. The travel is exhausting, but outside of that, hearing my song on the radio, and building the story makes it all worth it.
6. Are you working on new music, to possibly release an EP or full album down the line?
There will be a lot of new music releasing this year. How it's packaged is still in the works. We must find a creative way to keep feeding the fans. It will be sooner rather than later. That will add onto the collection of songs that have been coming out since 2018. As a singer and a songwriter, that is up there as the most exciting part of my career.
7. What made you decide to go by just your last name, Filmore?
My name is Tyler Filmore, and there's too many Tylers in Country music. In sports, and throughout my entire life, even in high school, I don't think anyone ever knew what my first name was. Everyone just called me Filmore or Fil. Even after I moved to Nashville, I would introduce myself as Tyler Filmore, and everyone would just call me Filmore. I think it was my publisher at the time, when I was going to release music, he said, "Why don't you just go by 'Filmore?'"
It's been a struggle, at the same time, because people ask, is it P-h-i-l-m-o-o-r-e? I thought, maybe I'll create an alter ego, as Philmoore, and let my hair down, wear glasses, and act super weird.
8. You recently wrapped up touring with Walker Hayes. What did you take away from that experience? Any highlights?
Yeah, there were plenty of highlights on that tour, but it wasn't any different from opening for other artists that I've done. It's the Country community, and it's getting in front of other people's bigger audiences. I try to help bring people to the show and add to the audience.
It was one of the cooler parts of my career, because of what I've built so far. Seeing Walker's amazing fans, and being able to win some of them over, was a highlight. Also, the people singing back to me was probably the coolest moment, and that's happened a lot this year, even with my original songs -- deep cuts, that people are finding, and learning every word. I would stop the music and just hold the mic out for them to sing the whole chorus back. Those are the cool things that have been happening for sure.
9. Congrats on your "TODAY" show appearance. Do you get nervous before certain performances? How do you prepare?
I used to get nervous a lot. Now I feel I have seen it all and dealt with it all. I'm not nervous, but what I get more caught up in is just making sure that things are going to be set up the correct way. I always want my stuff to portray me 100 percent. So getting on the "TODAY" show is exciting. I have performed "Slower" many times, and it's going to be exciting to get it to a bigger audience. Nerve-wise, I guess I'll call you after and let you know you how nervous I was. It's a new experience, and it's a first, so maybe I will get nervous. You never know. Sometimes I get super excited, and I'll have to stay away from the caffeine, because that paired with my excitement, has me singing the song way too fast.
10. You also have your Grand Old Opry debut coming up in June. What does the Opry mean to you?
The Opry is a stepping-stone for every Country music singer. It comes with the history of all the greats. Even with all the changes and everything, the Opry has been like that stand-alone wooden circle, which has always been there. To be a part of that history and that legacy, I'm probably going to cry.
Bonus Questions
Your personal style is distinctive, particularly your hair. Do you get asked by fans what products you use, and how you keep up such a cool hairstyle?
Girls always ask me that question during a meet and greet line. The answer is, I don't wash it enough, probably. I travel a lot and, oddly enough, I don't put any product in it. I just throw it back and wash it a couple of times a week. There's no hairspray, there's nothing. I'm just lucky, I guess.
Was there anything funny that happened during the Walker Hayes tour that you can talk about?
We didn't do pranks on this tour, because I don't think people wanted any pranks. [Walker] is super family-oriented, and I'm not trying to ruin his life with pranks. Maybe I've grown up a little bit since 2016, [when] I Saran Wrapped Michael Ray's bus.
I think the special moments were when we grilled out, and the band would hang between the buses during the nights. He is such an accommodating person, and his team made it an easy, fun tour. It motivated me to hype the crowd before Walker got out there. It was a great fit all around. He got me an amazing tour gift, which was a tent and custom chairs. We would use theirs while on-tour, and now I have my own set-up.
I got him something as well. Walker always wears Nike LeBron shoes, which are those huge shoes with the straps. He might have 10 pairs of them, and he always wears them onstage. I used a contact that I had in Seattle from the camp of Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson's manager hooked me up with these all white LeBron Nikes. The same artist that painted Russell Wilson's cleats got these shoes, and she's been working on them. All the straps are painted in the colors of the tour. It has the "Dream On It Tour" painted on there. It also has the numbers 29, 23, and one, which stands for 29 cities, 23 states and one tour.
Once you tour with an artist, you haven't met before, there's that bond that forms. I have those bonds with so many other Country artists now, and it's great friendships.
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