At Two Step Inn, we caught up with Lubbock, Texas based musician, Tyce Delk to talk about his life, his music, and… the Boston Celtics?
Read below to learn more about Tyce!
You’re a fourth generation cattle farmer and rancher. How would you say that ties into your music?
I think, especially at this point in my career, we spend a lot of time on the road. It’s a grind right now. We’re driving ourselves etc. so the work ethic that was instilled from just a lot of the stuff we did growing up is tying into this. It is really helping us get down the road and just do everything to the best of our ability and do everything the right way.
You come from a family of musicians. Talk a little bit about that. You got a guitar at ten years old, but you didn’t really get into it until later.
I was around it all my life. My dad, uncles, and all their buddies they got done touring, and like ‘98-ish somewhere in there. (Delk was born in 2002). They did a lot of stuff on the weekends growing up. There’s some pictures of me and my brother sleeping in a guitar case. My dad played our little Baptist church growing up, but just being around it and the blessing that I was able to kind of come to it naturally. I think being around it as much as I was, I think helped me develop a little quicker on the musical side.
Did you ever think you would do music?
I say all the time: if you have ever picked up a guitar and been able to make some degree of an orchestrated sound, your dream goes to this: playing in front of big crowds. It was always a thought, but the way it happened, just with “Adaline” doing what it did, I’m just so fortunate and blessed we get to do it. It was a dream, but I didn’t know how much of a reality it would become.
Since you mentioned Adaline: it blew up online. It has 13 million plus streams on Spotify as of last night. That’s a lot, especially for your first song. Were you prepared for that? I mean, you dream about it, of course.
No. It was kind of funny timing, because I recorded that song and then I sat on it for a year, just because I was so unsure. And my wife was like screw it, put it out. Like, why not? And then it just went bonkers. It was going viral a week and a half out from my wedding. We’re trying to plan a wedding and getting emails for quotes on flowers and then a record label is sending an email. It was pretty wild but we got it figured out. I didn’t know or think it would do that, but I’m just so happy it did really, because we get to do this.
What would you say is the best thing to come out of this song becoming so popular?
I think the best thing to come out of this song is what it’s provided and given me. I’m thankful to have some degree of a platform right now and just being able to be a vessel to some people. I’m thankful for what the song has given me in aspects of qualities of life that we get to live. And just being a figure to a degree, and being a good figure at that.
Since you mentioned your platform, you’ve been teasing a new song on Tiktok called “Mind If I Smoke” which you played today. Is there a timeline on when you’re gonna release that or is it just gonna be like “hey, here it is.”
May 1st!
So, let me back up a little bit. You’re from New Mexico, but you went to college where?
I went and played college basketball in Belton, Texas (Mary Hardin-Baylor) for Clif Carroll. Go Cru! When I got done playing, I moved to Lubbock and was doing online school: living there and working there. Then I moved back to New Mexico.
Didn’t finish school?
I’ve got two classes left. I really want to finish.
You’ll make it happen when the time is right. School will always be there.
Being from New Mexico: How would you say that that shaped the type of music that you played? I mean, I know your family tied into it too.
It’s kind of a wild card because there’s not a lot of music that comes from New Mexico at all. We’ve got Will Banister, who has made a name for himself, and then Dzaki Sukarno, but as far as a New Mexico music scene, to my knowledge, I don’t think there is very much. I’ve been able to develop my own sound out of there and some degree of a Texas sound, but then also some soul and mainstream commercial stuff. I think it’s just finding a marriage between the three of those things and put together what we like.
What are your future plans? I know we have a single next week.
Single next week. We’re going to do an album this year and we’re going to put as many miles on our bus as we can.
Where are you going to record that?
We are recording everything in Nashville. It’s at Amber Sound with Ryan Youmans. He’s been great. He’s done all of all of my songs so far except “Can’t Recall” and “Adaline” and he’s just got such a great feel. He keeps it homey in a sense, but also produces the way I want.
Okay, lastly. I always ask the people I interview this: if I knew you better, what would I ask you?
If you knew me better, you’d ask me about why I love the Boston Celtics so much.
Why do you like the Boston Celtics so much? Because clearly you’re not from anywhere near Boston.
Paul Pierce. He did it when I could first understand basketball. That was Paul Pierce’s hey-day.
So you’re a big basketball fan.
Basketball is my mojo.
Is there anything else you want to add?
No. I’m just thankful for all my fans and everybody showing up. And we’re gonna keep on rolling.
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