Nashville saw Tyler Rich coming, from 2,007 miles away.
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A kid from California with movie star looks and not a twang in sight, the budding singer/songwriter had already created quite a stir in the lounges and casinos of the West Coast when he showed up in Music City in 2015. With a record deal in his pocket just two years later, Rich sauntered into the writing rooms of Nashville with a confidence that comes from big promises and developing dreams.
But then, he was stopped dead in his tracks with the stark realization that he had much to learn…about songwriting.
“It was like learning how to write all over again,” the 34-year-old explains emphatically during an interview with American Songwriter. “In Los Angeles, you get inspired by a feeling. You create a line out of that feeling and you wrap a three-minute song around it. But in Nashville, everything is premeditated. A song has a path its going to take, no matter what.”
So, Rich put the time in. He scheduled writes with the likes of songwriters such as Jon Nite and Lindsay Rimes and Justin Weaver, and in doing so, he learned the way of Music City. And if there ever was an album in 2020 that showcased the tremendous growth of a country music songwriter, it’s Tyler Rich’s new album Two Thousand Miles.
Set for release September 4, Rich’s debut album is the first chapter in what is sure to be yet another country music success story. Armed with a tender heart and an authenticity that always seems to effortlessly make its way on the page, Rich co-wrote 8 of the 11 tracks on Two Thousand Miles and has already earned more than 200 million streams with the GOLD-certified “The Difference” and “Leave Her Wild.”
“I’m, for sure, a better songwriter than I once was,” says Rich, who wrote his first song at the age of 11. “My melody writing has expanded a lot, and so has my ability to know what I can bring to a write. I mean, what’s my strength in that room? I have come to realize that I can bring the melody, the vibes, the feelings.”
Granted, the road to Two Thousand Miles has been quite the journey for Rich, filled with twists and turns and a few tribulations here and there.
“I remember getting my record deal and thinking that everything was going to happen really quick,” says Rich.
“I mean, every artist feels the same. You get the deal and you think, okay, we will have an album out next year and then album two. And then 300 songs later, you are still piecing it together.”
Rich laughs at the recollection.
“It’s a long but appropriate process, I guess you would say,” says Rich, whose recorded his latest track “Feels Like Home” at home during the recent coronavirus quarantine. “The fact is that your first album means everything. It takes time to make it right and it takes time to grow into the artist that you are supposed to be before it comes out, song wise and mentality wise. I’m glad its taken longer. If it had come out right when I got signed, I don’t know if I would have been ready.”
But Rich has never been more ready to release this album, which includes a collection of songs that he has released over the last couple of years, along with a handful of new ones that he says goes far in completing this part of his story.
“I love the concept,” says Rich, who was forced to postpone his first headlining tour earlier this year. “It’s my first stamp on this industry and gives my fans one place to go.”
Winding between the sexy to the sweet, Rich says each of the album’s songs feed into one another.
And that’s no coincidence.
“I spent a long time figuring out the order I wanted them in,” says Rich. “I truly feel that music fans want albums and artistry and so much of the industry is pushing back on that. I still feel there is so much value in the album and a value in pressing play and listening all the way through. Everything is on purpose and in order for a reason.”
But make no mistake – Two Thousand Miles is filled to the brim with love songs, many of which are driven by the love and the force that is his wife Sabina Gadecki.
“Every songwriters main muse is the person they love,” says Rich, whose relationship with Sabina spawned everything from “Leave Her Wild” to “Adrenaline” to “Real Love.” “She’s my inspiration.”
And from the sounds of it, she will continue to be that songwriting inspiration for years to come.
“That’s the plan,” he says quietly. “It’s the ultimate goal.”
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