From Opera to R&B: Travis Hall's Musical Journey

Foreign greetings and welcome to another episode of Q Points podcast.

I'm DJ Sir Daniel, and my name.

Is J. Ray, sometimes known by my government as Johnny Ray Carnegie iii.

And so Sir Daniel it is.

I love it when we get the opportunity to talk to someone who is just, like, on the precipice and creating dope stuff.

And we are about to do just that.

And this is gonna be fun.

Absolutely.

I can't wait for, you know, when our guest is on stage accepting his numerous awards.

And he better mention cue points.

That's all I'm saying.

So, Jay Ray, we have the honor.

We have the honor and the privilege of speaking with Travis Hall.

Yes.

I am super excited about this.

Tell the people a little bit about Travis.

Absolutely, y'.

All.

So Travis hall blends timeless soul with a modern touch.

A velvet voice shaped by opera, rooted in tradition and reborn in R B.

A proud Grady baby and Atlanta native, Hall brings stagecraft and soul together in a way that feels both elevated and deeply emotional.

All true, though he began songwriter late, although he began songwriting later in many of his.

Later than many of his peers in 2022, to be exact.

Travis poured years of vocal training and jazz theory into every melody and lyric.

For hall, it's essential to write real stories.

Songs born from longing, memory, and deep nostalgia.

He wrote and composed every track on his debut album, Heart Museum, a body of work that plays like a living gallery of cel sound.

With live instrumentation, lush roads, cinematic strings, and themes of love, heartbreak, and joy, the album feels both classic and fresh.

Influenced by Luther Vandross, Ashford and Simpson, and Mariah Carey, and raised on a steady diet of gospel and 70s funk, Hall's music is full of intention.

Every harmony, every word, every note.

This is music made with reverence, imagination, and emotional truth.

And cue points, family.

We are so honored to welcome Travis hall to the show.

Thank you so much.

You're so welcome.

How you doing?

Thank you.

I'm so glad to be here.

So glad to be here.

Speechless.

Almost.

Awesome.

Listen in the Jerry, when you read that he offers influences.

Luther Ashford and Simpson and Mariah Carey.

I took.

I didn't even have to read that because when he.

When I listened to the song Fireflies, I was like, oh, this is a lamb.

There was a liquor you wear.

I was like, that's a lamb.

I said, there's no question about it.

And I was like, I cannot wait to speak to Travis and just talk to him about his journey, which started here in Atlanta.

He's.

You say you're a Grady baby?

Not Crawford, Mom.

Not.

Not Emory.

Nowhere else.

A Grady baby.

How has Atlanta colored the.

The musician that you are today?

How has it informed you as a singer?

Atlanta informed me by a number of different ways, but the main way was being raised.

My family was very small.

I was born into a Pentecostal.

Small family.

Very small family.

And they are from Sparta, Georgia.

So they're from the country.

The country, okay.

And so growing up here, just being surrounded by music, having my mom drive around and play Greg street and on the radio and, you know, just music was everywhere.

And so I just liked it all up.

I can only imagine.

And then, from what I understand, you're an only child.

I am correct.

And so I.

That resonates with me because I'm an only child as well.

And so growing up, you have to entertain yourself.

That's what people don't understand.

They think you're just sitting around being spoiled.

Sometimes you have to entertain yourself.

And if that means putting on a show in a room full of, you know, an audience that really isn't there, that's what you're going to do.

And that kind of colors who you are.

And did that give you, like, the confidence when it came down to performing in front of audiences and, you know, just expressing yourself as a true artist?

I was very shy as a child, and though everyone says I'm an.

I'm an extrovert now, I still really value my quality alone time to recharge.

And my family was so encouraging.

My mother and father are very encouraging, and they've always.

My grandmother, my cousins, they've always told me that I was destined for greatness and that I could do anything.

Like, if I did any little thing, my grandmother would be like, I'm proud of you.

And I remember once she told me, no matter what you do, I'll be proud of you.

And so I think, though, in the world, I've oftentimes hit walls or been turned away, the seed they sowed, seeds of promise.

And I think I.

Those seeds are ever sprouting and growing bigger and bigger, and that pushes me to do anything that I put my mind to.

Ooh, wow.

So that actually really does, I think, partially answer one of the questions.

One of the things that we wanted to talk about, because one of the things that you have talked about is you had an early traumatic experience.

This is the high school, Right.

Where someone actually told you that you couldn't sing and was almost discouraging you from kind of pursuing this path.

Right.

So.

And when we think about it for A lot of folks, they would.

That would break them.

But in your case, because of your family upbringing.

So we see that some of that foundation was already there.

But we are curious, like, how did you process that experience at the time?

And how do you feel like that influenced the drive that you have today?

I'm sure I was hurt by it.

I mean, I sang as a child.

I wanted to be an R B singer.

That's what I wanted to be as a child.

And then I woke up in sixth grade and couldn't sing at all one day.

And I was like, well, guess is over.

Which was a very depressing period of time for me.

I remember Dreamgirls came out, and I was like, I can't sing anymore.

And such good music.

You know, so many good things were coming out.

And so fast forward to high school when I got into choir, because I was too afraid to sing in front of people.

And so.

And to have someone tell you you shouldn't pursue music and not cultivate the talent that's there, you know, diamond comes from coal comes from rock.

And so I'm pretty sure I was a rock, but why throw the rock away?

You know, there's something.

You know what I'm talking about?

Yeah.

I think, though, I'm sure it was discouraging.

I've just always been like, I'm gonna do it regardless.

And so luckily I went to college where I was giving tools, actual tools to develop my vocal ability and, you know, work.

Put in the work.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, you know, go ahead.

No, because I actually wanted to certain you might be where I am too, because that is.

So there's like a traumatic experience before the traumatic experience.

Because being in sixth grade and suddenly not being able to do this thing that you were like, this is the thing that I want to do.

Yep, that was there.

Was there a cause?

Was it just puberty?

Do you.

Did you know what happened?

So I remember.

So my mother, we used to watch what's Love Got to Do With It a lot, as well as other movies my mom and I when I was younger, and I think one day I discovered.

What was it called, one of the pirating apps or pirating things.

Limewire.

Limewire or something.

And I think I ran across what's Love Got to Do with or something about Tina Turner.

And then I started going down a rabbit hole.

And, you know, she has a lot of that rasp.

She does.

Yes, she does.

Oh, were you doing the Tina?

I was trying to do the Tina, and then I woke up one day and I couldn't sing, but I just tell people it was puberty prob.

I don't know what it was, but you know, whatever it was.

So you were in there growling.

I was in there got a sounding.

Like a man in the studio trying.

To give that Tina.

And my voice said we.

We going on vacation.

Deuces listen.

And though.

But you know what?

That's.

It's a great story to have.

It's a.

It's a wonderful testament to one, your family affirming you and then two, your, you know, stick to itiveness.

And in your bio you say that you have a velvet voice shaped by opera, rooted in tradition and reborn in R B.

And so that means the opera piece is that you.

You.

Intentionally sought out instruction and, and guidance in the.

In the form of opera.

And I'm sure you're going to tell us about where you went to school for that.

But it makes me think of the fact that it's a road less traveled, you know, a lot more people opera especially for if you're black and you are a performer and you want to, to, to.

To.

To get the attention of people the quickest opera typically isn't the space that you go into.

And so talk to us about being intentional and getting.

And crafting your voice with an operatic background and then.

And.

But it's not like from.

It's not like you didn't have influences or inspirations because even there's plenty, and I do mean plenty of black people who sing opera.

And I want you to talk about that later.

But talk to us about choosing that road less traveled and, and getting your foundation and training in that sense.

So a lot of times when I think of my journey, I'm not quite sure how I even ended up.

So I was in high school and I remember talking to my friends in chorus and I was very shy and we were like, yeah, I want a Grammy.

Yeah, I want a Grammy.

And then no one in my family went to college.

So I remember figure trying to figure out how do I go forth with this?

Or what am I going to do?

And I somehow ended up at Georgia Perimeter College, the Clarkson campus.

I went there as well.

Yes.

Look at that.

Come on.

And so luckily that was the perfect place for me because I had never really read music, knew nothing about formal music, and.

And I didn't really grow up in that training of church because, you know, church is a training ground.

So I didn't have that either.

And so luckily they would give you lessons your first semester and then give you Repertoire, give you lessons, and then you could audition at the end of that semester.

So I got lucky in finding that program where I could be, you know, incubated and cultivated and grow.

And I remember even when I wanted to be an R and B singer before I went to college, I really wanted to find my voice.

Like, I used to say all the time to myself that I'm just mimicking people or, you know, what is my voice.

And I think going to school, working on my technical flaws, my vocal flaws, it was about me and learning my voice.

And so, yeah.

And that.

And that's such a special time in one's life.

Like you said, you're incubating your talent, you're finding out who you are, and then you start to come into contact.

I'm sure you start.

You got to start, you know, leaving.

Leaving the nest, going around and finding your peers, earning your chops, as it were.

And so in.

In doing so, you got.

You're exposing yourself, right.

To people's critique and.

And, you know, and whatnot.

And so have you ever experienced any pushback or any gatekeeping?

Especially if someone who's coming from an opera background?

Because I'm sure.

And maybe let me not make any assumptions about how many black people are in these conservatories and whatnot, but I'm sure, you know, you have to.

You're kind of a unicorn already.

Right.

So what.

What has that experience been like?

Any pushback, any gatekeeping that you experience?

Yes, it's strange to me.

It's strange to be here in life.

Right.

Someone who studied opera and someone who's going into R B.

Because I feel like I've kind of always been in between, like, one being Western European and one being black and that I feel like I've never quite been black enough to people.

And I feel like I've never quite.

Well, people think I'm white.

So, you know, like, I feel like I've always been.

Been, you know, in between cultures, you know, in terms of people's perception, regardless of where I feel that I am.

Yeah.

And so I feel like being in a operatic space which is primarily white or Hispanic, I mean, Latin or Asian.

I feel like culturally, I like to be in spaces where people understand my background, if that makes sense.

And so I feel like a lot of times you're misinterpreted or misrepresented or you're a token in the operatic field, especially for men.

I feel like when you think of black operatic women, you have Leontine Price.

Why am I blanking?

On singers.

Leontine Price, Kathleen Battle, Jesse Norman, Denise Graves.

Like, there are so many who got to a certain top percentage, but when you start talking about black men, there are very few that get to that top percentage.

They may work.

And so I'm pretty sure I've experienced gatekeeping there in that it's harder to break into that field.

And especially I'm a tenor and.

And to be a love interest for a Caucasian woman or an Asian woman, you know, that goes into casting.

And so I'm pretty sure I faced it there in the black world.

I feel like I'm never seen as black enough usually.

So I think I feel it there, too.

I actually sang at a jam session, which I didn't normally go that route of singing at jam sessions, but I went to one last week, and I was like, you know, everyone has their stereo or every space is different, but in that particular space, I feel like they were looking for something that's not me.

And I think that's why, for me, as.

Even as an only child, I've never fit in.

You know, I've never had that community around me.

And so I think doing this album was important for me because it's.

I can put me on paper, and it's me, and it's.

And whoever loves it, loves it.

And I'm not trying to fit within.

I mean, I am trying to fit within space.

Not really fit within a space, but it's who I am.

You know, when I authentically create music, I create soul and R B and funk and jazz and, you know, things that touch me and the things that I grew up on, you know, the good stuff.

To me, at least, you know?

Absolutely.

Real quick, sidebar.

Sorry.

As you were talking about.

As you were talking about not being, you know, being too black here and not being black enough there, I just automatically.

Speaking about where R B and opera kind of connect, I automatically think of Aretha Franklin just shutting down everybody.

And when she performed Ness and Dorma, huh?

And just.

Just gagged everybody with her performance because nobody expected that from her.

Are you.

Do you.

Do you want that moment for yourself where your.

Travis, you're like, listen, you know, let me show.

You know, listen, I wouldn't mind it.

I practice 365 days a year.

Well, I just added, like, two off days vocalizing last week, but I practice every day, so I'm ready.

I mean, let's go.

Let's go.

Oh, that's right.

So it's so interesting, Travis, that you talked about once again, as well, like, DJ Sir Daniel said, kind of being in that in between space.

But when you listen to Hart Museum, you are recording.

It's squarely from a black tradition.

It is.

And it's a diverse tradition that you are pulling from, where we get kind of a little bit of everything.

But let's talk a little bit about Heart Museum.

Break it down.

And so it's a.

Okay, so you are doing a traditional R and B album in a world.

That is not the traditional R and B. Oh, my God.

There is string arrangements.

I got horns.

We got live instrumentation.

We have like a high BPM.

Yes, high BPMs.

The.

The.

The interesting vocal piece that you did at the end of My First Love and like all of these little interesting pieces.

So you hear some Stevie Wonder in there, you hear some.

Some jazz in there.

It's all the things.

Right.

People are not doing that today.

All right, so what is your hope for the listener both musically and emotionally?

What are you hoping that people explore when they listen to Hartmuseum?

I hope people explore musically a time where.

And just to go back for a second, like Aretha Franklin.

Aretha Franklin was an instrumentalist.

She played keys.

Yes.

She knew about classical singers by name.

She revered multiple.

She started in jazz, then she went into soul and R. Well, she started in gospel, actually, then went to jazz standards then.

Versatility is missing, I feel today.

And it's missing because, I mean, it's for a number of different reasons, but training is important.

I remember when I went to high school and I wanted to be an R and B singer.

A lot of other people who were really, really doing music, rapping or singing were like, I'm not going to college.

I'm just gonna be an artist.

And now I'm actually glad.

Even though I couldn't find foresee the trajectory, I'm glad I went and was trained because I'm able to put so many more things into my music.

I'm able to make so many.

It's just my ear is more fine tuned, I feel, because of that.

But yeah, I hope that people musically begin to pull back into traditional black things.

I mean, I think maybe I shouldn't say this, but I think black people are so.

We want to reclaim country so much, but we've watered down our own music.

I mean, when I listen to R and B, I don't hear the jazz, I don't hear the live string arrangements, I don't hear the horns, I don't hear the funk.

I'm not even hearing our stuff and our stuff.

I'm on It.

Shots fired.

Come on.

And I'm like, I did it.

I don't know how I did it budget wise, because.

But I'm like, people got way more money than me.

Yeah.

And I just feel like everyone wants to, you know the word crossover, you know, and I guess crossover, I'm.

I'm big on being authentically yourself.

Like, I just.

I am fitting in.

I mean, everyone wants to be accepted.

We're human.

It's a part of our nature.

But I feel like you should be accepted and fit in based on who you are.

And all I did was sit down and make music based off of who I am.

You know?

Like, I. I tell people all the time, I feel when you create anything, you're imparting a piece of your soul into that thing.

And so when you listen to Heart Museum, you're listening to my soul.

Like, that is me, you know, it's not me chasing something, Me trying to be this or that.

It's literally just me.

I forgot the second question.

But musically, that's what I want people to.

Emotionally.

And you covered emotionally, too.

Okay.

Like, I do feel like you did that as well.

And this is actually bringing up something.

How did you choose the title for this record?

Hart Museum in particular.

Like, museum is a very specific word.

So talk to us a little bit about this title.

So the spirit told me to work on this album.

I was working on it, and one day in the midst of working on it, I had the idea, I don't know, Hart Museum came to me.

Excuse me.

And I remember thinking, if these songs.

Because the song, this album is very strongly but loosely based on my last relationship, it kind of tells the story of it somewhat.

And so I said, if these.

If my heart were a museum, these songs would be the paintings on the wall.

And so I just imagined that, like, that was just the imagery.

And I actually gave the name up.

And I was like, yeah, no, because I wanted to do more museum visuals, artistic stuff.

So I was like, no, I'm not doing that.

So I threw it away.

And then I was gonna go for, like, Grady baby.

And then a friend of mine was like, no, no.

And so didn't do that.

And then I had a creative director who was like.

I was like, yeah, I was gonna do Hart Museum.

And he was like, oh, I love that title.

And I was like, oh, you do?

Well, I bring it back out.

And so I don't think you guys got to see the album cover.

Oh, yes, you did, because the album cover is.

Well, maybe you didn't get to see the album cover.

No, we didn't get to see, you know what?

I saw it there, but I was like, oh, it's so small to get it.

It's so small you can't see it.

And that's not done anyway.

But I ended up going back and really fighting to get that artistic.

Those artistic.

And paint visuals with the album cover.

So it'll.

It'll tie in there.

It'll tie in there.

But, yeah, that's how I came up with the title.

That's beautiful.

And because.

So when you were talking about the album, it sounds expensive.

It, like.

Does it sound.

Baby, it sounds rich.

It sounds like.

It sounds luxurious.

Like, you.

You paid the musicians.

Because those musicians were like, oh, the check.

I mean, listen, they were playing like they got paid.

So, yes, we know.

I paid some money.

And listen, and so.

And what you put in is what you're going to get back out of it.

And that's my whole point is, like, you.

I can tell that you've invested in yourself.

You invested in this project, and.

And people are going to pick up on that.

And I. I want to go back to.

To your.

To the jam session, you know, and people.

People forget now because it's.

You know, Atlanta has kind of.

I don't know, for, like, Atlanta has kind of lost its.

Its edge to me as far as as being that number one place where music was incubating and, you know, and people were doing the things, including jam sessions, including live.

Live nights at Apache and those kinds of places.

But I bring that up to say Atlanta is chock full of artists as well.

And, you know, and a lot of people that I'm pretty certain you watched growing up.

Is there a specific artist from Atlanta that you, you know, you're like, you know what?

I got to have my collaboration with Fill in the blank.

I mean, I would love to write for it.

You know, honestly, I would love to.

I would love to write or produce for anybody because, you know, you know, I would love to, but I mean, I would love Gladys to really do something with Gladys.

Okay, what is it about Gladys Knight that you're like?

I. I know there's a lot of people here.

There's a lot of newbies and whatnot, but that I'm going on that midnight train and I need, you know, Ms. Gladys, who's homegrown.

I need that.

I need that.

What is her.

What is her voice?

Is it contralto?

Is it.

I think she may be a contralto.

Okay.

She sings low, but what is it About.

About Gladys, that you're just like, you're.

You're zoned in on Gladys.

Like, that's what I love.

I mean, she's a. I. I literally only listen to basically 60s, 70s, 80s music.

Like, that's.

That's basically.

And why not?

So, like, the class, the.

The.

The.

The artistry, the musicality, and she comes from a place of training.

You know, they were trained.

They were.

They went through artist development.

And so, I don't know, I just feel like I could pull.

I mean.

I mean, I can't pull anything out because she's.

She's Gladys.

But I would love to really just.

I don't know.

I mean, even.

I would just love to work with Gladys.

I mean, even.

Even some younger artists like Usher.

I would love to work with Usher if Usher wanted to do, you know, some R and B. I mean, some more.

I mean, some older style R and B, perhaps.

I would love.

I mean, I would love to write ballads for people.

I would love to write.

I would.

I mean, I really want to write and produce for everybody.

I mean, let's do it.

So that leads me to wonder, Travis, it sounds like.

It sounds like you are a studio, like, guy.

Like you like being in the room kind of creating because there's, like a couple different parts, right?

Of course, there's the onstage component, and some people really love that part.

Right.

But then there are those other folks when we think of, like a Luther Vandross.

Right.

Mariah Carey is also Ashford and Simpson.

All of your inspirations are studio.

Like, that's where they lived.

Like, they were in there.

They were crafting, they were working on their own stuff and with other artists.

Is that where you're coming from as well?

I would love to do that.

It's interesting because opera is a stage thing, so it's theater.

But I tell people this album is the most fulfilling thing I've ever worked on.

You know, it's just.

There's something about writing and creating.

It feels.

It's just a feeling that in opera you're interpret.

You're interpreting.

Someone else's work feels different.

I mean, people would argue that you're also creating, but you're interpreting something from the 1800s, primarily, or 1700s, but I had never experienced again, imparting my spirit, my soul into something.

You know, I tell people, is this what childbirth feels like?

You know, I feel like, you know, because I feel like this is my child.

Like, I feel like, you know, but, yeah, I would love to.

I feel like I would love that.

I actually have my album release show in October 22nd.

I want to find a way to bring that studio feeling magic to the live performance, which I think a lot of artists did well too, back in the day.

You know, really crafting that experience for the audience.

You know.

Jerry, I feel like our prayers are being answered.

I feel like you and I have sat up on this show for four years now and continuously put out this cry to the universe.

Like, where are the young people that can pull from the past?

Yes.

And pull from those.

The references of poise, of training, orchestration, of like, really.

Lyrics that really speak to the human experience, that call back to love.

All of those things that we.

We as Gen Xers, we.

We caught.

We caught all of that stuff even from the 60s.

We caught the 60s, the 70s and 80s, and we caught all of that music, all of that inspiration and have such a.

A reverence for it and.

But we hear the two of us have been saying, where is this person?

And I think, you know, you speak.

We speak things into existence.

We do it around here.

We do it around here, and we have it here with Travis Hall.

Travis, I am super excited for Hart Museum and all the things that it's going to do.

Take this moment right now and connect with our viewers and listeners and invite them on this journey and where they can find you and get a piece and get a ticket to the Hart Museum.

Yes.

So details for the show are coming soon, but you could please follow me on Instagram.

Ravishall Music.

I don't even know.

We'll make sure it's in the thing.

Travis Hall Music.

I think that's my Instagram handle also.

Please subscribe on YouTube.

I have a number of music videos coming for hopefully total for four singles over the course of the next few months.

And so you may subscribe and find me on there at Travis Hall Music with a K. Only on YouTube with a K. Everywhere else with a C. Awesome.

It is Travis hall music, by the way, on Instagram.

Man.

Travis, it is a journey.

It is a joy watching you on.

On your journey.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for delivering a absolutely heartfelt, uplifting R and B album which we don't get a chance to say a lot anymore, right.

That really invites folks into to an experience.

And so thank you so much for doing this work and we're so grateful that you made it here to Q Points.

Here's what's dope.

I'm gonna tell y' all about Travis.

Here's what's dope about Travis Hall.

Y', all, Travis reached out to Cue Points a year ago.

Like, remember, we.

You reached out to us, like, sure did.

A long time ago.

Sure did.

Was like, hey, I got some stuff coming.

I want to come through the show.

We were like, hey, yeah, reach back out to us closer to, you know, when the release date is.

Let's work it out.

But Travis was already on it, and so seeing it all come to life is just so beautiful.

So congratulations on Hart Museum.

You are so welcome.

And for all of you joining us, make sure that you follow Travis on all of the platforms.

All of that information will be in the description.

Thank you so much for tuning into Q Points.

If you can hear our voices, if you can see our faces, subscribe wherever you are.

Tell a friend, tell your family, tell your colleagues.

Because if you love Q Points, chances are they will love Cue Points too.

Visit our website@qpoints.com where you can watch our entire archive of shows.

There's links, lots of shows to catch up on, and you could also visit our magazine at Q Points magazine and shop our store@store q points.com we appreciate y'.

All.

We love y'.

All.

Absolutely.

And it's like I always say, in this life, you have a choice.

You can either pick up the needle or you could let the record play.

I'm DJ Sir Daniel.

My name is J Ray.

That's Travis Hall, y'.

All.

That's Travis hall.

And this is podcast Dropping the Needle on Black Music History.

We will see you on the next go round.

Peace.

Peace, y'.

All.