You could say that 18-year-old country music upstart Ty Myers seems like a perfect example of the Old Soul, with his love for and knowledge of the blues and classic songwriters, and with prodigious singing and guitar chops that have had him writing, recording and touring for pretty much all of his teen years. But the word “old” feels wrong here, even in a rhetorical context. Certainly the girls screaming in his audiences aren’t there because Myers seems particularly ancient to them. He’s fresh-faced, to say the least, even as his musical prowess and reverence for classic sounds may draw in listeners who usually prefer something a little more grizzled.
Somehow, at 18, Myers is already on his second album for RECORDS Nashville/Columbia, the label started up by former Jive Records head Barry Weiss. The first, the gold-certified “The Select,” came out last year and generated a hit single in “Ends of the Earth,” which after a year is just now peaking on the country chart. He’s wasting no time in getting on with his recording career, having just released a followup, “Heavy on the Soul,” that bears a telling unofficial subtitle: “The FAME Sessions.” Myers cut the album last fall at the legendary FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where so many of the great R&B and rock albums of the ’60s and ’70s were tracked. It has a throwback sound, to be sure… but to the extent that it’s also throwing back to, like, John Mayer, the album shouldn’t sound particularly dated to any of its young or elder listeners.
On the eve of the release of “Heavy on the Soul,” the Austin-bred teen whiz set his cowboy boots down inside a West Hollywood suite to talk with Variety about how he discovered his major musical loves, the plus and minuses (mostly pluses) of being considered a TikTok discovery, and why he’s not too worried about how his genre-crossing sounds ultimately get classified.
You are going out on the road opening for Luke Combs in stadiums this year, but you have your own headline tour, which is being dubbed the Legal Tour. Is that an overt reference to being 18, now?
Yes, it is. With tour laminates, everybody makes a funny one, and ours for this year is me in a baby crib with a full suit on, acting like I’m pouting in the crib, as a joke. But yes, the Legal Tour is because it’s my first tour that I started when I was of age. We figured the girls would get a rise out of that.
There is a novelty factor to you being as accomplished as you are as young as you are, although you wouldn’t necessarily want that to be the main or only thing people are latching onto.
Exactly. I see TikToks all the time where it’s like, “I can’t believe he’s that much younger than me,” or “I can’t believe he’s my age.” Or, “How’s he singing about a mortgage?” But it’s all good. Honestly, it makes me happy because they mean it in a good way. It’s always positive. And I use my age as much as I can to help me. When I hear “I didn’t even believe Google when they told me you were 18,” that means a lot, because they just mean they see a higher level of maturity, which is always what I try to display in my writing.
“Heavy on the Soul” is your second album, although it may be the first one that a lot of people hear, as your profile is growing. What you do you think is the biggest leap you made?
It was from the age of 12 to 17 years old that I was writing that first album, so it represents a lot of changing during very formative years. This was the first time that I actually got to write towards a project with a specific idea in mind. I definitely tried to lean into the soul, blues, Motown, Southern rock type of thing with “Heavy on the Soul,” which is why we recorded in Muscle Shoals. My studio musicians like to refer to it as musical camping, because they’re always in Nashville recording, but they got to go out of town and camp out to make music, which was fun for them and for me and created a great environment. I’ve heard about FAME Recording Studios since I was little, as this place of mystery and mystique. When I watched the documentary, I was in awe about the history and the legend of it, and so when I decided that the soul/Motown route was the direction I wanted to take with the album, the first place that popped into my mind was FAME and Muscle Shoals.
So FAME lived up to the mythos for you when you got there?
It definitely did. I’ve never been in a building like that. It’s like recording in a museum. You can look around at the pictures on the walls and have people point stuff out to you, but it’s not 100% how it should be until you start making music and crafting in there, which is when it all comes to life. If I’m recording in a vocal booth that Etta James and Aretha Franklin recorded, standing on the same wood, there’s a part of you that comes out that you didn’t have before. It really feels like it’s in the walls.
Are there any more contemporary records you’re aware of that were recorded there that made you think great records could still be made at FAME?
Jason Isbell — his record he made there was so perfect. But I’m a huge Allman Brothers fan, so that’s a big reason too, and a little band called Lynyrd Skynyrd. We were going for that timeless, classic feel, and where else?
Ty Myers album cover
You grew up with a lot of music in your family. You’ve talked about how watching a video of Stevie Ray Vaughan live at the El Mocambo was a big deal in setting your path. Was the Stevie Ray discovery the main flashpoint that set you on the path of the type of music you ended up doing, or were there like a lot of things like that?
There were a lot of things, but that was the big one. The El Mocambo video was kind of the domino effect starter point where it was like, “Whoa, I need to learn guitar,” and then that leads you down so many different rabbit holes. But it started before that.
The way I see it in my mind is, this album encapsulates my mom’s car. Before everything else, traditional country music was what I listened to growing up and my first intro to music as a whole, because that’s what my dad sang. Everybody around me loved that music, so that was the music that was kind of constantly playing in our house type of thing. But I remember when I got in my mom’s car driving around, she would play Sam Cook and Otis Redding and Gladys Knight and the Temptations and all that kind of stuff. So that was the first thing that I remember that was kind of my turning point about, whoa, there’s so much more out there. Then that soul vein kind of led into the blues thing, and the blues is what I really took an interest in. It wouldn’t have existed without the soul/Southern rock influence from my mom — and kind of my dad, too, but mostly my mom. I just figured there needed to be a project kind of dedicated to that, because I wouldn’t have those influences necessarily that I have today if it wasn’t for that experience as a young kid.
My mom was really into singers and songwriting, and not necessarily guitar playing. My dad really wasn’t either, but he appreciated it. He always thought guitar playing was really cool and he was excited about it, but you know, he played shuffles on guitar. Shredding was never in my dad’s vocabulary. He told me about Stevie Ray Vaughan, so I knew his name. Obviously I’m from Austin, so I knew about him my whole life. But I never really got into him until I was 11 or 12 and saw the video and was just in awe. That obviously led me down the path to BB King, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, and the whole world of guitar, which is just vast. It can be confusing and a maze, but I fell in love with it and couldn’t go get enough of it, and it really set me off on the right foot for discovering all sorts of music. … Now I listen to everything under the sun and take influence from everything I listen to. And I think a key to a great artist is being able to morph everything into your own specific sound.
Country music, which you’re a part of right now, is a big umbrella, but there isn’t so much of it that has this distinct flavor at the moment.
I think country music has always kind of been broad, and because so much is derived from it, you’re able to classify a lot of things as country music. With Bob Dylan’s songwriting, what do you call it? It kind of sounds like country, but it kind of doesn’t. It is what it is. It’s music. There doesn’t have to be a name for it, I don’t think.
If we went and played most of the songs on this album for somebody down on the street and asked them to pick a genre, they probably wouldn’t necessarily pick country first. On the other hand, there is a surprising amount of steel guitar floating through there.
Yeah, I love using steel guitar. It almost confuses some people because it’s not necessarily like dancehall steel, but it still sounds like country because it is steel, which is kind of what we were trying to do. It’s very moody. If it was a different instrument playing the same thing, it wouldn’t sound as country, but because it’s steel guitar, it creates kind of a dance in your brain, which I think fits the music very well.
I hate to jump to a list of influences or “you sound like…” questions, but there is one that is inescapable. I don’t know if it’s a welcome comparison or could be a sore point. But when I was first listening to this album, I thought, OK, this sounds a lot like John Mayer.
Yeah, yeah, of course.
I’ve interviewed him recently and seen him play with Dead & Company and on his own in the last year or two. So he’s naturally on my mind…
Mine too.
So it sounds like you wouldn’t disavow Mayer being part of your sphere of reference.
Oh, no. He’s probably No. 1. … When I grew up, songwriting was my first love, and I was a huge Kris Kristofferson fan. That was my first No. 1 guy — like, I remember being 6 years old and breaking down Kris Kristofferson lyrics, and that set the stage for me as a songwriter. I mean, that’s a high bar to look up to as a child. But Kris Kristofferson wasn’t necessarily a crooner. And then I fell in love with singers like Otis Redding, and wow, what an amazing vocal powerhouse, but nobody really considers him a poet. And then I loved Stevie Ray Vaughn, who is just a savant at the guitar. He wasn’t necessarily the greatest vocalist of all time, but it was rough and it was perfect for that. He also wasn’t some crazy poet, but his songs kind of gave you amazing emotion.
But then with John, obviously I knew who he was when I was younger, but when I really got into his music was when I was probably 13 or 14. And it was like he married everything I loved into one. He was one of the first artists that I’ve seen where it was almost this sliver of perfection. I would hate to be called perfect, because the best music is raw and unperfect, but it was as close to perfection as you can get with it being raw and emotion-filled. And it blew my mind. So for years, I was just diagnosing it, like: “How did he do this?” I would break down every song and ask, what exactly is connecting? And I realized that it’s everything. So he was the first one that made me see: Oh, everything that I love can be put together into one tjomg. And for that reason, he’s probably my favorite artist ever, you know? And it has really changed my life.
You seem like you are aiming toward a tradition that includes Mayer but also, on the country side, people like Vince Gill and Keith Urban, guys who are great guitarists but are going to dole it out very sparingly, and if you listen to the records, you might only get small pieces of that.
Yeah. That’s why the (Mayer) Trio records were so amazing. Everybody was, “Oh my God. He can do that.” He’s the best.
Ty Myers
Libby Danforth
Let’s talk about your signing with Barry Weiss and what they saw in you. Your mom was managing you as you went around to different labels, right?
Correct, for a year or something. We definitely took it slow. The No. 1 advice that I got going through that whole process was, the money will come — like, the money’s the least important part — but you have to work with these guys every day, and finding family and people that you know really care about you and what you do is the most important thing. I’m really glad we found that. It was a long process, and by the end of it, I was ready to pick one, but I’m glad we took our time.
The first time I met with Barry, I had been talking with Joe Fisher, my A&R now, for a while, and he’d been really working hard to sign me. We were just talking about what they enjoy about my music. I have a song called “Malibu,” and Barry goes, “You know, that’s not my favorite song of yours.” I sat there and I laughed, and I was like, “You know what? I really, really respect that.” Because all these label meetings are you sitting down and people telling you about how awesome you are and how great your music is. And for somebody to say, “You know, that’s not my favorite one,” it felt honest and sincere and was really a big reason why we chose them in the end. But it’s funny — Joe thought he just ruined it; he just put his head down. And it was one of my favorite memories.
Aside from pure musical talent, there would be other reasons for label interest. It seems like there’s kind of like a heartthrob thing going on.
No, definitely. And I don’t really know what they see in me for that, honestly, but yeah, they’re great — a lot of young girls, and they’re the best in the crowd. They are excited to be there and loud and they sing every word. I know everybody says this, but I honestly do believe I have the best fan base in country music… or in music as a whole. I’m a little biased, but they’re the greatest. There’s never a night where there’s not just massive amounts of energy being thrown back at me.
In this age where so many people get discovered on TikTok, as you did, there’s the stereotypes that TikTok artists can’t bring it live — that having captivated people’s interest for 20 seconds don’t translate into a good hour and a half show. But it’s interesting how it happens that people use that kind of media to discover what some older people like to call “real” music, as well.
Absolutely. I mean, I never meant to be a TikTok artist. My mom started my TikTok in the beginning. It was because I had hurt myself in football, and she wanted me to get my mind off of things and not just be worried about rehabbing. So we got to recording songs, and she started me at TikTok, and then all of a sudden the TikTok was doing really well. I’m like, “Oh God, I don’t want to be a TikTok kid.” Then all of a sudden that led into something bigger and bigger, and now, we are where we are today.
I like to write music and play music live. And the way I see it is, TikTok is an amazing tool. I always relate it to putting tour posters up around town back in the day, except now you can do it from your couch and millions of people see it. Now, the whole “TikTok artist” thing sometimes kills me a little bit when people say that, because they kind of mean it in a weird way. Full honesty: if I could never make a TikTok again and just play live music, I would do it. But it gets music out to people all around the world, and it’s amazing for that. But, you know, I don’t have interest in sitting in front of a screen and lip-syncing to my own songs. I want to play live. I’m an artist. But it does serve its purpose.
Listening to your songs and their descriptions of matters of love, you would think, either this guy’s got a great imagination or he’s really lived a very rich romantic life as a teenager.
Who knows? Maybe both. I mean, it’s a mixture. I’ve always had a very vibrant imagination from the time I was little; that’s how I was able to write songs when I was so young. Back then, I always knew that nobody wanted to hear about my day at school, you know? So I had to find new ways to write stuff that had already been written. But now, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to mix it with real life or really be like an affidavit of something that’s true, and I found how much more emotion you can squeeze out of it with that.
You have Marcus King on the album to join you for an interesting cover.
He’s amazing. I met him in Austin and we talked forever. We wrote a song that’s on the album, “Songs for You.” He started so young like me, and we connected on a lot of points, funny stories, serious stories. You grow up fast in this business when you start so young, and it can be a hard thing to handle sometimes. He was very open about what he’s been through. And when I discovered the kind of the direction I wanted to take with the album …
On the first album I did a John Mayer cover, “Man on the Side.” It was a nod to where my mind was while I was writing the album and my inspiration. I wanted to do the same thing with this album, and when I started writing it, I was really into Little Feat. That was kind of the sound I really wanted, that Southern rock, bluesy country kind of mix. So I thought, what better song to do than “Two Trains,” and what better artist to be on it with me than Marcus? Thankfully, he obliged. When you’re in person in front of him, hearing that voice… I was sitting there with all my musicians who are insanely talented, probably more talented than me, you know? And we’re sitting in there in the studio and he goes in there to record his vocals, and he starts in that first line. And everybody’s just like looking at each other like, oh my God, how? Like, what is coming out of that dude? It was one of my favorite memories.
You have just started in on your season of opening gigs with Luke Combs, right?
Yes. Our first show was in Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. That’s as big as it gets. My favorite part about it is I get to convince these new people. I get to play and try to earn their attention and get some sort of emotion out of them. It reminds me of growing up and playing these bars that I was too young to be at, but my dad got me in to sing with him, and you had to get these guys’ attention. They didn’t show up for you; they showed up to get a drink, and you have to convince them to sit down and listen to you. That’s what music’s all about.
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