We had the good fortune of connecting with Tinsley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tinsley, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The decision to combat imposter syndrome and put out music in spite of the voices telling me that I’d never be “good enough.”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always loved to sing and write songs. I grew up singing in middle school choir and church bands. One key moment that led me to where I am today was reuniting with my current guitarist Brandon Parker. We played in a high school worship band together and I ran into him again in 2017 outside of a Seattle venue, El Corazon. I saw he was pursuing being a professional guitarist and playing shows, which I had always wanted to do. He was nice enough to grab coffee with me and then invited me to play some cover songs with him at a brewery in Woodinville – my first performance! That led to two other acoustic shows in Seattle. It’s taken a lot of experimenting with genre and different producers to land on a sound that I feel truly represents who I am as a musician and what I want to say, but I also know that it’s going to continue to evolve as I do.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how important it is to believe in yourself and advocate for your art. A lot of people will have ideas about who you should be, how you should sound, how you should present yourself, but ultimately, only you know what feels right and true to who you are.

I am most proud of my debut album that will be released in January 2025.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you’re in Seattle, I’d hit up a farmer’s market for flowers and pastries, the KEXP gathering space for coffee, walk around Lake Union, go vintage shopping on the Ave, get some pizza at Lupo or Cornuto, and ice cream at Frankie and Jo’s. I’d also catch some live music at a venue like Sunset Tavern or Barboza then get a late night burger at Dick’s.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out my family and friends, who have always been my biggest fans, the radio DJs who first played my music – Marco Collins and John Richards of KEXP, my partner and photographer – Will Harvey, and the producers I’ve worked with who respect my vision and push my art to be even better – Timothy Robert Graham and Jesse Field.

Website: https://www.tinsleymusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinsleymusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tinsleymusic

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1encEkVjZ4iqby8BXZc8Pa?si=TC5eFJ6qTeqn9FuiGRuD_w

https://musicbytinsley.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Will Harvey

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.