Ty Brasel is an artist who writes songs, about issues that matter to him and affect his life, not just for himself, but also for everyone else – for the world; the people he knows and those he doesn’t. Many of his releases have been focused on and aimed at those struggling with the more difficult aspects and times of life, something Ty himself is familiar with. As someone who has overcome personal demons, he’s established himself as an artist with something to say and to share – a message of hope for everyone to take comfort from when things get hard.

Destiny: Vol 1

Ty’s new album, Destiny: Vol 1, blends his love of southern rap with contemporary pop, with lyrics that are powerful, poignant and on several occasions, deeply personal and autobiographical. There’s a deep sense of spirituality to and behind the record, but ultimately it’s a collection about hope, positivity and a brighter future.

“Doubt, trauma, and fear can threaten to get in the way of people accomplishing their goals,” says Ty, who addresses several of the difficult periods of his life on the album. “Sometimes, they can hinder you from even trying. I’m trying to show people, using my own life and my own music as an example, that you can always keep going.” PopWrapped caught up with Ty to find out more about his new record, to discover what he thinks of social media and to find out his future tour and performance plans.

Please introduce yourself if you would Ty.

My name is Ty Brasel, I’m 27 years old. I was born in Memphis Tn & raised on the Mississippi/Tennessee state line. I’ve been doing music professionally for about 9 years. 

At what age did you first discover music and consider, even for a moment, that it could be a career path? 

I was a huge fan of rap music when I was young and began writing raps when I was around 9 or 10 years old. I won a statewide contest for song writing when I was in 4th grade. Then around 14 or 15 I started to realize that I actually had a gift for writing and I started rapping and freestyling all the time.

Many believe that music is a form of therapy for them – given some criminal behaviour in your past, would you say that’s also very true of you, or is that more down to re-establishing your connection to and faith in God? Perhaps a bit of both? 

I definitely think it’s a little bit a both. I have always had an outlet to express myself and get my feelings out and that has always felt very therapeutic for me. Creating music always gave me a chance to process my emotions and work them out instead of always bottling them in, which I have a habit of doing. On the other hand, I also consider it a form of prayer and meditation at times as well.

The past two years have been challenging for many – personally and professionally. Have those struggles caused by the pandemic filtered through into the songs on your new record, Destiny: Vol 1? What else inspired its writing?

I think the pandemic has affected all of our lives in some way or another & it definitely has hit home for me in many ways as well. It definitely played a huge role in the creation of this project because I felt like myself and a lot of people were struggling with life and going through tough times, so I wanted to make hard hitting, motivational anthems to help inspire and encourage people to keep going. I think everything I face in life naturally finds its way into my music because I draw on inspiration from my personal experiences to create song ideas and concepts.

How exactly was this mixtape created? Did you work remotely during periods of lockdown or in between times when you and your team could meet to discuss ideas etc?

I had a few opportunities in 2021 to work in person with my producers for a week or so each time, and that’s when we did all of the producing and recording. We have a lot of fun with it and I feel like we bring out the best in each other musically. Once we had all the material, we did the rest of the post production and mixing remotely. That might be my favorite part of the process because it’s just focusing all your energy towards “how can I make this song feel and sound better and take it to that next level.”

What did producers Dirty Rice, Joseph Prielozny and JuiceBangers bring to the creative process of the collection?

We really operate as a team. I feel like everyone brings unique strengths and ideas to the table. From the moment we all started working together 5 years ago, I knew the music we were creating had a chance to really stand out in the world, and now I feel like our work & chemistry is stronger than ever. 

You also collaborated with a number of hip-hop names including Jenna Wright and Jay-Way. How did those come about?

Thankfully, I was already friends with all of them so it wasn’t too difficult to pull the collabs together, but I actually am a fan of every artist that was on my project. I respect & appreciate their music & art. I did want to make sure though that the song I put them on was the best fit for their style.

Which song on the record are you most proud of and why? 

“Halo” was the first “pop” record that I’ve technically ever written so I was really proud of what we were able to accomplish with that song musically and conceptually, and seeing the response to it has been crazy.

What do you want those who listen to this record to take from it? Is there a particular message or idea that you hope resonates? 

I think the main reason I called the project Destiny is because I feel that I have found my purpose in life with music, and I wanted to use my story to hopefully inspire other people to pursue their dreams and find their purpose as well.

Are there any tour or performance plans in the works? 

We have been talking through multiple options as to how we can best bring live experiences to people in a post-covid world. I would love to get on the road and connect with my fans and I hope that works out, but if it doesn’t, there’s other ways we plan to make it happen.

Over the course of your career Ty, you’ve amassed an incredible 52m+ streams of your songs to date. What do you think it is about your music that connects so strongly with music fans? Given that success, and the power social media and streaming has on artists such as yourself, do you think it’s at all possible for anyone to achieve success without having at least some form of online platform or page like Twitter? 

I think one reason that people resonate with my music is that I use a lot of melody. I try to create music that feels good and gives the listener good vibes, and I also tell a lot of stories and experiences from my own life that people are able to relate to. On the second part of the question, I think in today’s day and age it would be almost impossible to succeed without social platforms, because that’s the main way to promote your music. I do think though that if you truly make great music, it usually finds a way to shine through and get noticed.

Finally then, with almost 12 whole months ahead of you here in 2022, what are you hoping to achieve in the year to come? What one key thing have you set your mind to accomplish and why is it so important to you?

This year I have some big plans and I’m definitely excited for what’s in store. I’ve been creating a lot of high-quality content and I’m excited to release it all and I also have a fire album on the way in 2022 so I can’t wait to get it all to the people. One key thing I want to accomplish is spreading my global presence on streaming and at radio. I want to impact more people globally and be able to tour overseas and that’s important to me because I have a heart for the world and I want to reach as far and wide as possible with my music and message.

Give Destiny: Vol 1 a listen below and for more information on Ty Brasel, visit his website, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.