Evan Troop is the living embodiment of the term North Americana growing up in Texas and then seeing the world.
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And while his deep love for travel inspired him to join the Merchant Marines after high school (earning a senate nomination from John Cornyn, and received an appointment to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY), Troop’s civilian life is defined by his deep love for making music. At 4 years of age, Evan began learning the Piano. He then took up the drums at 11 and the finally the guitar at 18. Even when he was traveling with the Merchant Marines, where he was part of the team who helped bring an end to the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, he was writing songs in his downtime.
Now having earned his MBA and working in finance while moonlighting in bar bands, landing a great job at JP Morgan, Troop began recording music under his own name, first with 2018’s The Evan Troop EP and now with another upcoming EP. And American Songwriter is happy to premiere the first single from this as-yet-titled project entitled “Gone,” a song Troop attributes to the heartbteaking feeling of being on the deciding end of a breakup.
“This song is about a breakup with a girl that I dated for 4 years,” Troop tells American Songwriter about the song, which captures this vibe akin to Alan Parsons going Nashville. “This is arguably the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I was deeply in love with this girl however, I knew she was not the person that I wanted to marry. For two years, I would go back and forth with myself thinking that I had made a terrible mistake. Ultimately it was the right choice, but I can still picture her eyes streaming with tears as I had to tell her that I’m leaving….really tough experience.”
Given how Troop’s mettle has already been tested in the harsh environs of civil service and corporate finance, the singer feels prepared to let the world hear a chunk of the 200+ songs he’s written over the last 10 years or so without fear of judgment or criticism, and encourages others to implement a similar mindset when venturing into this music industry.
“I would tell someone starting out to remove all fears about people disliking your songs,” he advises. “The important thing is to go for it, and find the right partners that can help to elevate your sound and achieve your goals. Additionally, there are a ton of shady characters out there that will promise you the moon for a price. Always trust your gut. There are no shortcuts, and you have to work at this everyday both creatively and from a business standpoint to get momentum in this industry.”
Listen to “Gone” below.
