Today we’d like to introduce you to Theo Love.
Theo, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been a performer. I grew up in Houston doing theater. I found my way to Austin via the music scene in 2009. I grew up going to every concert I could. If you were great, I wanted to see you live. I’m the guy who listens to the record on repeat until he has heard every part possible. I’ll take a break and do it again, only to find new discoveries. I love music that is vulnerable. I love dialogue, storytelling, and poetry. I started with my label, JURNT Entertainment, in 2014 and put out my first album, No Other Love Alive, in 2015. I went on to create, The Book of Thelonious, my second album, in 2019. I learned so much through both of those projects. Not just about music production, but my own story and what I wanted to share. I’ve done a lot of pieces on rebellion, spiritual awakening, effective activism, and dealing with the daily struggle of overcoming adversity. I’ve been through the heartbreaks of love, the mourning of my father’s death, and dealing with mental health during several global crisis, including an ongoing pandemic. Life got real as I got older. With my upcoming project, my goal is to share my own process of dealing with life as honestly as possible. I want it to be raw and fun! Not too serious. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves and stand up for ourselves at the same time. This project is more about me and less about the world I live in.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing about the music industry is easy. Making art is hard enough. Especially good art. It’s not that simple with the internet now. You have social media and all these things people expect of you to share on top of your music. I’ve struggled to find that balance. You’re expected to speak on things or have answers to things you may not know anything about. It’s exhausting. It’s an expensive investment; the music industry. You really gotta know who you are as a person or it will eat you alive. You can’t be in it for a quick payoff and you have to work hard at what you do. No one does it alone. You have to build a team. It’s scary shit putting yourself out there. No one is perfect.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a songwriter and performer. I love creating. Taking an idea or feeling and musing on it until it comes into the world, tangible. It’s a trip really. I’m proud of all of my work honestly. Even the stuff I consider bad now. I’ve learned the details and importance of every step of making a song and I love doing it. I’m a spoken word artist. I’m proud to speak up for my queer, black voice. I’m proud to have the courage and self-worth to know my voice deserves a seat at the table. I’m proud of the teams I’ve gotten to work with. I love the music videos we’ve created. Right now, I’m most proud of the music I am creating. I’m applying everything I’ve learned about music production and also expanding my story to be a fuller, more honest self.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Study the greats! Anyone, I am a fan of, I study their story. I watch their interviews and live performances. I like to see how they handle themselves throughout their career and maintained their happiness and success. It’s a business of human experiences and emotions. I watch The Breakfast Club, Tiny Desk Concerts, Colors, Inside the Actor’s Studio, and a bunch of other Youtube videos studying my favorite artists.
Contact Info:
- Email: theolove@jurnt.com
- Website: http://www.jurnt.com/thelonious-love
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theloniouslove/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theloniousloveofficial/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theloniouslove
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JurntEntertainment
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jurnt
Image Credits
Alice Rabbit Photography
