Happy Wednesday Folks,
I write this to you from the screen porch at my new house, where I now spend my entire workday since moving here. It’s summer fully now in North Carolina, and for all the words I have, I still can’t seem to find the right ones for how the light hits in the early morning, how the sky goes dark and orange when the storms roll in. This is what I stay here for. It’s the place that inspires me most.
Speaking of inspiration, I’m thrilled to introduce you North Carolina-based musician Tre. Charles, who joined me in conversation about finding creative fuel in the places around you and the specific way this manifests in the South. A few blocks from my home, there’s a brightly-colored mural with painted microphones, radio tapes and records, an open mouth, and above it all is written: The South Got Something to Say.
André 3000 offered the words in Outkast’s acceptance speech for Best New Rap Group at the 1995 Source Awards, and Brittany Howard echoed them in her introduction for The Oxford American’s Winter 2020 issue, writing: The South Just Has a Thang.
There is something here that those who call it home understand—a pull to expression unlike anywhere else I have ever seen. I have never felt more full of love, rage, hatred, joy, desire, longing, frustration, and awe than when I am here—and what else besides art can hold space for all of those feelings at once? There is a reason so many arts movements started in the South, and a reason so many artists—from here and around the world (I mean, just look at the roster of artists who recorded in Muscle Shoals) —have found themselves here.
Tre. Charles is one of those artists. Growing up along the East Coast from city to city, he was exposed to a myriad of different cultures, and it is from these experiences that he has cultivated a sound of his own which pays homage to his nomadic upbringing. With hints of avant-garde R&B, modern/indie rock, and ambient soul, Charles’ honest & thought provoking music has the ability to make every performance feel like a transformative experience.
He has been compared to musicians like Frank Ocean, Moses Sumney, Sampha, and James Blake, to name a few, but this artist has a sound all his own. Tre. has acquired many cosigners along his artistic journey, one of which being the world renowned guitar company D’Angelico Guitars, who he is now endorsed by as an official artist.
He has also been nominated for the Best R&B artist for the Carolina Music Awards and winner of the Virginia’s Favorite Award at the Richmond International Film Festival, as well as dubbed the future of music at the 2022 NXNE music festival in Toronto.
Tre. has performed in venues all across the U.S., from being featured on CBS and NBC programming to performing at a myriad of festival stages such as Artsplosure Carolina Jubilee, Dominion Energy Riverrock, NXNE, Blacktoberfest, D.C. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Charlotte Shout and many more.
His artistry has a unique way of making any setting intimate and personal. Tre. has performed for numerous CreativeMornings sessions as well as numerous Sofar Sounds; he also made his New York debut in 2022 at the legendary Rockwood Music Hall and the renowned Pete’s Candy Store to captivated audiences.
His lead single Stressin. music video amassed 200k+ YouTube streams and gathered major buzz, as well as his debut EP Currently., from publications such as NPR, INDY Week, Wearesoul, Iggy Mag, Metal Mag, Wonderland magazine, Notion magazine, Rated R&B and many more.
Already, after the release of Currently., Charles has been on show lineups with rising talent Devon Gilfilian and world renowned Tank and the Bangas.
You can also catch Tre. at this weekend’s Good Folk Fest at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, North Carolina—a celebration of the emerging artists and musicians poised to be at the forefront of the Southern arts scene. I hope you’ll join us, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.
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