“Now though, my success is showing people that you can achieve things if you’re from Beaumont or anywhere else. It was our excuse all the time about why things weren’t happening for us, and we talked about moving to somewhere like LA to make our dreams come true. “I remember in 2017 someone asked me what local scenes were popping off, and I replied with, ‘There’s nothing here, Beaumont is where dreams come to die’. What was it like coming up in Beaumont, Texas? Rather than trying to copy a sound, I look at what all this music represents: Why is rock tearing through these stadiums how is rap tearing up the club how is pop tearing up the charts? I’m still figuring all that out, but the energy of rock is always going to be in my music it might not be guitar-led, but the intensity and urgency of rock will be there.” “I’m never chasing a sound because that would just be satire. Hopefully the future of music is artists being allowed to do whatever makes them happy, the same way a person would do whatever makes them feel happy.”
I’m glad I’m being allowed to do that though because I see a lot of artists that get held to what their fans want them to make. I’m experimenting in front of this audience I have, just trying things out. I’m dipping my toes in all these genres and acting like a piece of gum, picking up things along the way. It’s about finding a sound that you can only get from me and right now, I’m mastering what that is. Whoever sees my set, I want them to leave with my name on their lips.” We don’t have the longest time onstage but I want to squeeze a memory in. I was getting overwhelmed at first but since we started rehearsals, we’ve created a really well-thought-out show with big moments, theatre, and interaction. I feel like it’s really going to connect. I’m so confident and I know that what I’m doing onstage is needed, necessary and new. Speaking of playing live, you’re playing the main stage at ALT+LDN and hitting up some really big rooms with Tyler – any nerves? It’s also fun because it’s the most productive I’ve been in a really long time I’m in the studio working on this album, and the next step for me is ‘F.A.T’: festivals, album, tour.” It’s been a domino effect of momentum and it’s feeling more like what I always envisioned was coming.
“Everything’s been a rollercoaster since ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ came out. NME spoke to Teezo Touchdown about working with Tyler, finding his own lane and leaving the stage with his name on everyone’s lips. His signature look includes six-inch nails throughout his hair, and he sometimes does interviews through his alter ego of Eugene Hanes. With a love of all things dramatic (he considers theatre to be “the hardest artform”), Teezo Touchdown is a larger than life persona. Before that though, he’s making his international festival debut at ALT+LDN later this month (August 30, Clapham Common) alongside Lil Yachty, The Kid LAROI and Playboi Carti. Latest track ‘Mid’ is a bouncing rally cry against mediocrity, while the swaggering ‘SUCKA!’ turned the head of Tyler, The Creator.Īs a result, Touchdown appears on ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ highlight ‘RUNITUP’ and will also be supporting Tyler on his 34-date North American tour early next year, alongside Vince Staples and Kali Uchis. There’s been the lush, guitar-driven ‘Strong Friend’, the 80’s new-wave of ‘Social Cues’ and the head-over-heels romance of ‘Technically’. Since 2020, though, Touchdown has been releasing a steady stream of eclectic singles with their music videos all being shot in front of the same graffiti covered garages. Rapping about the gun violence in his hometown over Panic! At The Disco’s breakout emo-pop anthem ‘I Write Sins, Not Tragedies’, the track caught the attention of Chance The Rapper, while the soulful Soundcloud rap of ‘Slice’ found a fan in alt star Trippie Redd. After a few years making DIY hip-hop tracks, he had his first viral moment with ‘100 Drums’ in 2019.
Raised by a soundtrack of everything from Marvin Gaye and Prince to Kraftwerk and Judas Priest thanks to his dad’s job as a DJ and the radio constantly being on at home, Touchdown spent a while trying to find a way to blend all those different sounds. “People get scared and dismissive when they hear something that’s new or weird but after a while, it starts becoming the norm,” he tells NME today, taking a break from the studio. See, the artist from Beaumont, Texas knows it’s just a matter of time before he becomes a household name. “Don’t worry, you’re early” promises Teezo Touchdown’s Instagram bio.
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