TA Thomas Talks ‘Angry,’ And What’s Next For The Rising R&B Star
After a year since the release of his debut album, Caught Between Two Worlds, TA Thomas has only just gotten started on cultivating his way by embellishing his “Southern Soul” into his 2024 releases. Starting with “Risky,” the singer expressed his longing for love while “Angry” ignited a sensual push and pull of a lover’s quarrel which TA noted as “not always liking sh*t when it’s all good.”
Photo Credit: Jaimar Viray
When sitting down with Beyond The Record, TA spoke about how his Southern upbringing created a masterful foundation for his artistry.
“Being raised in church. It was kind of drawn to me at an early age,” he began. “You know, music really wasn't a choice. Like, from playing a piano in church. I went to college, and I started in gospel, actually.”
“Gospel music, soul music is so moving,” he added. “You know, you can't deny the feeling when you listen to that stuff, and you know that made me notice I had something different about what I was doing. You know, just serving the South, the soul, the feeling, the traditional R&B sh*t. That was something that was so special about myself.”
This year alone, TA has released the two aforementioned singles and collaborated with MaKenzie and The Amours on “Maybe” and “Pick Me Up” respectively.
“I love singer singers and man, listen to the girls. Them girls can sing,” he said of collaborators MaKenzie and The Amours consisting of sister duo Jakiya Ayanna and Shaina Aisha. “Hopping on those records, I don't like a feature to sound like a feature, so I had to, kind of dive into their world and the messaging of the song but the music. How can I blend in where it felt like it was meant to happen.”
Prior to his start as a solo artist, TA was a part of the boy’s group Next Down Town where he implemented the teachings from the group into the next phase of his career. From songwriting, musicality, and finding his own distinct voice, he spoke about how the group was an important time to his budding artistry.
“We all got our stepping stones into the music industry,” he said adding that it was always in the group’s intention to be able to stand alone as solo artists. However, they were able to create “something special” and in the process acted as his artist development.
TA has gone on to collaborate with 6lack, Rich The Kid, and has a writing credit on Chris Brown’s Grammy-nominated 2022 Breezy album. The future for the Southern soul artist is shining bright.
TA Thomas Teases New Project For 2024
With only a couple of months of 2024 left to go, TA shows no signs of slowing down. The singer confirmed that a project will be dropping sometime this year that will dig deep into his “home roots” and a full album to be released next year.
Follow TA Thomas on social media @tathomas for updates on his music. Listen to his interview with Beyond The Record on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube to learn more about his musical journey.