Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Tyrone Wells is a successful singer and songwriter, and his songs have been featured on hit TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Rescue Me, and One Tree Hill. He currently holds the number 1 spot on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart with his fifth (and latest) studio album Where We Meet. In 2010 he held the same position for three weeks with his EP Metal & Wood. 

For this edition of 120 Seconds, we had the pleasure of speaking with Tyrone about life, music, food, and family. He’ll be in the Valley at the Crescent Ballroom on April 11. This is a show not to miss, for ticket info click here.

DLT:  How would you describe your music in less than five words?
Soulful, singer-songwriter, emotional, sometimes rocking, heart-felt, I just used way more than five words…

What are your two biggest inspirations?
That’s hard to answer because all of the songs are their own and inspired by different things. But if I was forced to answer, I keep circling around the themes of Love and God, which some would say are interchangeable, and some see as very separate.

Favorite part of the country/world to perform?
I always love performing for Southern California hometown crowds. NYC would be a close second – just because it’s New York.

Read more from Tyrone after the jump:

What was the inspiration behind Where We Meet?
The record is titled “Where We Meet” and was inspired by a lot of different things. But the song “Where We Meet,” was inspired by all of the chaos, tragedy and discord around us. And the reality that although we cannot control everything, we CAN control how we treat one another.

If you weren’t a singer/songwriter, what would you be doing?
I really don’t know. Probably something where I worked with people and tried to make this world a better place.  I feel like music does that.

Who are you currently listening too?
A songwriter originally from Northern Ireland named Iain Archer. Besides making his own music, he also plays guitar for Snow Patrol.

When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
Junior high school. Although, I didn’t really think I could make a career out of it, because I didn’t really know anyone that had.

How has the journey been so far?
Amazing. To me, my career has always felt like baby steps. I’m no American Idol, overnight success story. I’m a songwriter that baby step by baby step, has built a following and a career. My best marketing has always been word of mouth and I really like that. Frankly, I’m just grateful to be making a living doing what I love.

What do you like about Phoenix? Have you been here before?
I love the football stadium (I’m originally from Washington State and I came over to the stadium a couple of years ago to see your Cardinals trounce my Seahawks). I also really dig the cactus park outside of town. Amazing how many species of cacti there are!!  I like how new Phoenix feels… it has grown so much in recent years, there always seems to be something new being built. I love playing in Phoenix and I’ve played here quite a bit. I’m excited to play the Crescent Ballroom, will be my first time there.

What did it feel like when your album hit number 1 on iTunes? 
Really really good ; ) a pinch myself type of moment.

In your free time you like to…?
I’m a new daddy, so free time seems like a distant memory.  We just had a little girl.  AMAZING!  Pro-creating is the bomb.  Also, I’m a big fan of movies.. but I have a terrible memory when it comes to movies.  I’m not one of those people that can recite lines or whole scenes from movies.  I’m more the type of person that might accidentally rent a movie I’ve already seen and not really realize it until it starts and begins to feel vaguely familiar.

Favorite type of food? 
I really love almost all of it.  Lately I’m way in to Pho, which is Vietnamese noodle soup, for those of you not in the know.  But really, I’m a big fan of food period, and am up for almost anything.  Minus the really freaky stuff.

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