Meet Tyler Simmons: Singer and Songwriter

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

Hi Tyler, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
This is a really interesting question, because it really happened organically for me. I never really thought about doing a career in music until I was already well into the music scene in Toronto, Ontario (my home town) When I was younger, I was really terrified of performing, so I only started playing music when I was 13. My mom kept encouraging me to perform in front of people, until I finally got the courage and just did it. It was an amazing experience to get to express myself on stage in front of people, and it really only took that one performance to kick off my love for music and performing. After that performance, I decided to write a song and start auditioning for gigs. And later that year, I got to open for Andy Grammar for a charity event. It was an incredible experience, and really jump started my career as a musician. From then on, I was gigging and writing extremely frequently! I loved it so much, and eventually decided that it was going to be my career path. I am at Berklee College of Music right now, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else in life. Music is my passion and what I love to do! That’s why I ended up choosing it as my career!

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 am a singer/songwriter from Toronto, and I mainly do pop-alt music! I think what really sets me apart from other artists, is that I love to use all the knowledge that I have gained over the years in music theory, and lyric writing, and songwriting in general, but I do that while still keeping the music sounding simple. I like to write pop tunes that are very unique sounding, but the average listener won’t really know why it sounds unique. I love that discovery of taking complex musical ideas and making them sound really simple and elegant! My journey to getting to where I am today, was such a fun and exciting journey. It obviously isn’t easy trying to have a career as a musician, but it has definitely given me lots of life experiences that I would never have had otherwise. I got to act on a Disney show because of my music, play in venues that seat 3k-5k people, and travel to the United States to go to Berklee College of Music. The friends I have made through music, either professionally or just for a shared passion of the art, have been so amazing. I couldn’t image what my life would be like without music anymore. Some of the challenges though, was growing up trying to do school and music at the same time. This was really hard for me, because I basically had no time to do anything else. I was constantly either doing homework, going to school itself, or I was doing something music related. That was it. It took me a while before I really found a way to balance life and music. Another thing, is the pressure that the music industry puts on people. I’ve seen how dark it can be on people, and I have made sure that I don’t let the pressure have a negative impact on my life. But that took time and a lot of work to figure out as well. And about what I want the world to know about me and my story. I want people to know that I really love making music. It really brings me so much joy in life, and my goal is to be able to spread that joy and love to everyone else! That’s the reason I make music!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ohh Ok. I’m going to give you spots in Boston, since I’ve been living here as a student for 3 years now, and I definitely have my favourite spots around the city. First of all, if you’ve never had JP Licks ice cream before… You are missing out!! It’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had, and when I did a Berklee summer program in 2016, me and my friends used to go twice a day. I’m not even kidding. We loved it that much, and I still love it that much! Actual spots to go to though, I love the Commons. It’s basically just a huge park area, but its so beautiful to walk around, and just sit in. I love to walk through the commons and write songs. Anywhere by the Charles is also beautiful. And the walking paths along the Charles river are so beautiful! My two favourite Charles river spots, are by the docks near Berklee, or in Cambridge. (The spot that I got to the most is by the water close to this taqueria called Felipe’s which is also amazing!) Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout out my parents. Their support over the years is really what gave me the grounds to even do this as a career. They supported me through all the years of high school, getting me lessons, driving me to co-writing sessions, coming to every gig, and they even supported me coming to Berklee! They’re really special people, and I’m incredible grateful to have them in my life! Other people who have really helped me over the years are: Jack Lenz, Justin Abedin, James Bryan, my vocal coaches Falconer Abraham and Elaine Overholt, as well as lots others!

Website: Tylersimmons.ca

Instagram: @Tylersimmusic

Twitter: @Tylersimmusic

Facebook: Tyler Simmons

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/thegr8name