TRISTAN WELLS
“Music is another language. So, yeah…I guess I do speak two languages,” Tristan Wells, the Los Angeles based musician, states. Tristan has a stoic presence about him, but a faint glimpse of a vast underground network of penetrating emotion can be caught every so often too. He’s balanced and gentle, but profoundly intentional with every decision he makes, word he utters, and piece of art he creates. During the course of our conversation about making music during a time riddled with intermittent lockdowns for the outside world, Tristan explains that he has remained hunkered down and locked in his hazy, purple hued LED lit production cave churning out a plethora of music to be devoured by his fans spanning nearly every continent. “My friends have always been huge supporters of mine, but in 2020 I really began genuinely connecting with people that love my music all over the world. It’s wild to me. There are people in Australia, India, even Russia writing to me about how much they appreciate my art. I’m grateful,” gushes Tristan. Not only has he been deepening his relationships with those that support him as Tristan Wells, but he’s birthed a side project that’s beginning to grow legs of its own.
“I’ve sacrificed more this year than I ever have. Whether it’s time, energy, or relationships, I’ve given it all up for my time to be with myself and simply create. ”
“When quarantine kicked off, I started making a lot of beats on Twitch. I ended up with stockpiles of really chill, atmospheric tracks and no idea what to do with them; thus, Blu Velvet was born,” the musician laid out while slightly swirling back and forth in his computer chair. In 2020, Tristan released an album of instrumentals literally named “Instrumental Sessions” under the moniker “Blu Velvet.” The entire project is an experimental journey that enables one to effortlessly saunter into an unknown world open to anyone daring to surrender and enter. In relation to the style in which he usually releases his music as Tristan Wells, he says, “more is more for me. I like to put things out and see what sticks, see what the fans resonate with. Now, when it comes to the actual creation of the music, whether that’s a certain vocal or guitar piece, I’ll do it 500,000 times in a row until it’s just right. I’m really instinctual with it, so I know exactly when it is precisely how I want it.” Being locked into that state of perfection comes with sacrifices though, and that’s exactly how Tristan would describe his past year, “very sacrificial,” he says. “I’ve sacrificed more this year than I ever have. Whether it’s time, energy, or relationships, I’ve given it all up for my time to be with myself and simply create. I haven’t seen my family in over a year, and I’m so close with them. I have never missed a holiday with them
until this year. Being in this space can be emotionally draining, but like I said earlier, I’m really instinctual with it so I just know this is how it has to be for me right now. Not only has it been a year of making very deliberate moves to reach the outcome I know I want, but it’s been such a year of growth too. I, like so many others, have never spent this much time alone with myself. The personal changes I’ve seen and felt within myself have been gradual, but they’re affecting every area of my life and especially impacting my ability to make music. It’s really cool to see how much better things can be if you simply stay locked in. At the same time though, I do wish I could go back to certain periods of time and revisit. For example, my track “I Wish” is all about wanting to go back when things were better, more simple. Even rewinding to before COVID wouldn’t even be so bad. I was in a relationship back then that actually finally ended during in the midst of lockdown. That was rough. When I think back to certain things though, I sometimes wonder if I’m romanticizing parts of it or if it really was that good,” questions Tristan.
“It’s really cliche, but we’re all connected so how are there even still haters?”
As much as nostalgia lightly paints it’s own brush strokes over our memories from time to time, our minds can deliver us symbolic messages about our futures in mysteriously similar fashions as well. “I have really vivid dreams that are laced with meaning. It doesn’t consistently happen, but when it does, I just know it’s real. I get the ability from my mom. She’s a Pisces. She’s so tapped in and in tune. One wild prophetic dream she had was about my friend and a pool years ago. Not long after the dream, he fell in a pool and fractured his skull,” explained Tristan. “When she tells me things, I listen. For example, I don’t do dairy anymore because she explained to me how much my gut is connected to everything within my body, especially my skin. Dairy is so detrimental to it, so I had to cut it out. Everything in our bodies are so connected. I don’t know how so many more of us don’t understand this or take it seriously. It’s the same thing with people too. It’s really cliche, but we’re all connected so how are there even still haters? It seriously just doesn’t make sense to me,” says the artist.
A lot of things don’t seem to make a lot of sense anymore, but that hasn’t stopped Tristan. He says, “2020 sucked for a lot of reasons, but for me it was my best year yet. As everything crumbled around me, all that I had left was myself and my music. The only thing I could rely on was myself, so that’s what I did, and it’s paid off beyond belief.” As for his outlook for 2021? “A lot singles are on their way to streaming platforms throughout the year and maybe even an album,” shares Tristan. He will never be one to rush himself, his art, or his journey. He’s an artist that freely creates without reservation, yet very carefully plots each move he makes outside of the safety of his creation bubble because “this is a game of chess.” — S 03/15/21
last minute gems
what words of wisdom do you live by?
patience is a virtue. patience is everything to me. patience with myself. patience with everything around me. patience with the universe.
what memory instantly makes you smile?
being left on my own in england and having to figure out what to do in a different country. i traveled all over england in the middle of the fucking night by myself for like 8 hours, it was a great time
what’s the most useful business-related book you’ve ever read?
never read one
what’s your favorite non-business book?
either 'tuesdays with morrie' or 'the five people you meet in heaven' both written by mitch albom. i read those in school growing up and they stuck in my brain for some reason.
if money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?
probably exactly what I'm doing right now, but on a much larger scale
what words of advice would you give your younger self?
to not care what others think of you. to truly be yourself and always live in the moment. to never give up.
what’s your super power?
i honestly believe my super power is the ability to create something from nothing
what do you regularly take for granted?
i feel like literally just being alive and well, and the fact that i'm currently dream chasing. i don't know why, but it's so easy to get myself down about the smallest things, or just not exist in the moment. i've been working really hard at getting better with this. i just have to think "look around you". i feel everyone should take a step back frequently and just examine where they're at and what's happening around them. you'll find out a lot more about what you take for granted and what's amazing in your life
how do you recharge?
i love nature so much. i try to walk outside for at least an hour everyday. i always feel recharged after that. i also sing to the moon when it's full. that works wonders.
what aspects of your work are you most passionate about?
creating something truly authentic to myself. substance is everything to me. i really take pride in creating something unique and genuine. i'm also super passionate about interacting with people who support me. ego is a very dangerous thing if it gets too powerful and people lose sight on who really helps them get to where they want to go, besides themselves... we are one, so everyone should be treated with respect. i try my best to always communicate on a personal level with my supporters.
what’s something that overwhelms you?
los angeles. HAHAHA.
what is the most memorable lesson you learned from your parents?
to follow my intuition. to always trust myself. oh, and to be clean. got the ocd from my mom for sure.
what was the most impactful class you took in school?
if we're talking high school. as funny as it sounds, choir was most impactful. i still use lessons from those classes to this day when i sing. if we're talking about after high school, all the music courses i took out here in la were very impactful in many ways.
what’s something you wish you had done years earlier?
locked in to my grind like I did in 2020. i could've been much further ahead, but it's all good. we all learn at our own pace.
what lesson have you recently learned that you know you’ll never forget?
things can change in an instant. a blink of an eye. cherish what you have around you, and just move with love at all times. live in the now.
what concept do you fully grasp that you wish the rest of the world deeply understood?
respect for others
how have your priorities changed over the past 2 years?
i feel like my priorities have just been amplified within the last two years. my priority coming to la was music, still is, always has been, always will be. at times we get lost in translation, but i guess within the past two years i've realized i'm really here doing this, and i just gotta go even harder.
would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
hahaha good question. mmmm, i'm gonna go with 100 duck sized horses.
what new skill are you in the midst of learning?
i feel like with my music, there is always something new i'm learning whether it be in production, song writing, etc... there's always something new to learn. to choose one in particular, i'm still learning guitar.
what is something that you’re embarrassed you’re talented at?
hmmm, i honestly can't really think of anything i'm embarrassed of talent wise. i feel like if you're talented at something, you shouldn't be embarrassed? you should embrace it.. maybe that's just me though.
when was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical limits?
since my old gym closed because of covid. i was running a lot, and i would run without stopping for a long time. it's really been a minute since then. i need to get back into my natural physical activity. also, sitting and staring at 3 screens all day for over 14 hours, really does some damage physically... so i guess this past monday as well!