Griffin Tucker – born to rock the world!

Griffin profile pic“I love making music. It’s my contribution. My legacy. I want rock n roll to live on through me to my fans.”

Charismatic, creative and kind-hearted: Griffin Tucker was born to rock the world! I have had the privilege of meeting Griffin and his family in person and have had the unforgettable experience of hearing him perform live. A true rock star at heart, Griffin exudes an incredible energy when he sings and plays and appears completely at home on the stage. 

Born to Rock!

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Griffin has had an exciting and varied career since he was first featured on this site at 11-years-old. You can read that first article here.

Those of our readers who follow Griffin will know that his supporters are affectionately known as GriFANs and that the buck stops with his mother / manager (known to most as Momma G!) They say behind every great man (or boy) is an even greater woman and this is certainly true of Griffin who has a competent and powerful team in his family, and particularly Momma G. She was kind enough to provide us with an update giving some highlights from the last year:

“As many of you GrifFANs know, Griffin is a drummer at heart and has been since the age of 5.  But did you also know that Griffin is accomplished at many instruments? Piano, keyboards, harmonica, mandolin, ukulele, bass & guitar. In fact, he’s not just any kid who plays guitar. Last summer, he won the coveted TEXAS TOP TEN UNDER TWENTY GUITAR competition at the Dallas International Guitar Show.

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In addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, he’s been gigging since the age of 8.  First, in a Beatles tribute band then he toured with Disney artist Zendaya. Next came Westfield Presents in London England then a KISS tribute band – and, now, he plays as a solo artist whenever he’s not in school.

And, those who are lucky enough to see him perform live are blown away! Not only because of his musicianship but because of his stage presence! He is a ROCKSTAR!!!”

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A Children’s Crusade

For me personally, Griffin was formative in my growing belief that young creatives are the hope for the future. Like so many amazing children, he is largely unaware of the positive effect he has on so many. When I first discovered Griffin he was 10-years-old and I was helping him grow his Twitter following. What struck me then and still does now was his genuine kindness and concern for his fans. This combined with a natural talent and work ethic that is only matched by his modesty makes Griffin one hec of an inspirational kid and – dare I say it – a role model for boys in their early teens. He knows what it is, as Led Zeppelin would have it, ‘to be a a rock and not to roll’.Griffin Twitter

It all sounds rather over-sensational doesn’t it? But what made it strangely fascinating for me is that it coincided with some detailed research that I was doing on the 1212 Children’s Crusade for a musical project.

Brief history intermission! 800 years ago – a time of great political strife - a 12-year-old, French shepherd boy, called Stephen arose as a great preacher. He gathered a huge and enthusiastic following of children and, likely, adults too from all walks of life (some scholars put it as high as 30,000) which sparked a series of critical events across Europe and beyond. Stephen carried a scroll which he claimed had been given to him by an Angel, with the seal unbroken, to be read only by the king of France. The pilgrimage ended in disaster. Intimidated by his powerful following, Stephen was refused access to the king and told, in no uncertain terms, to go home. Stephen did as he was commanded and the scroll was never seen again. There is a record of Stephen meeting the Pope in person who was intrigued by his fervour but told him to come back when he was older and it is likely that Stephen later became a crusader knight protecting the pilgrimage routes to the Holy Land. But I digress…

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I became fascinated with the image of a Children’s Crusade and what that might look like today. The world of social media is riddled with risks and more than its fair share of darkness. I saw in Griffin a whole new world of possibilities. As well as sharing his talents and amazing music, Griffin has created a community where he supports his GriFANs as much as they support him, sharing in their successes and even asking everyone to pray for them when they are going through hard times.

As in 1212, thousands of people are rallying round Griffin, drawn by his music, his talent and his caring personality. My hope is that the adult world – in our wisdom – are not too quick to reject something which on first glance may appear threatening and out of control. I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds for Griffin and his army of GriFANs!

Looking ahead and an exclusive announcement!

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Griffin has an incredible work ethic and manages to stay well on top of his school work as well as using every spare moment to develop his musical skills. He has plenty of natural talent and is blessed with perfect pitch and a wide vocal range, but much of Griffin’s success is down to his passion, dedication and hard graft. I remember hearing an interview where Griffin shared some golden advice from Momma G:

“Try to be a little better each day”

As simple as it sounds, this is some of the best advice I have ever heard – especially to young musicians in our culture of instant fame and recognition. If you can be dedicated enough to be a little better each day as a musician – and as a person – the only other things you need to reach your goals are some time and patience.

I asked Momma G about Griffin’s plans for the near future:

“Although Griffin doesn’t play much during the school year because he focuses on maintaining his A Honor Roll status, he does love to play for his fans. And, he is set to kick off this summer early this year by playing 2 shows on March 26th – one show is at a party with some surprise guest artists accompanying him on drums & bass; the 2nd is at the Prophet Bar in Dallas with a band named STEEL that he drums for.  But he is most excited about going back to the Dallas International Guitar Show to play on May 1st.

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As Griffin says, “There is nothing better than playing and seeing people sing & rock out.” So if you’re in Texas or can get there, better check Griffin out!”

We are honoured to be able to announce here the title of Griffin’s next release! It is called ‘Who to Be’ and – in the manner we have come to know and love – Griffin will be playing every instrument and singing each vocal the track! He describes it as “a very Paul McCartney/ELO sounding tune.” Release is set for late May and a video will follow in the summer.

Griffin being Griffin 1Meanwhile, do check out Griffin and, if you have not done so already, join the GriFAN army!

Griffin on YouTube

Griffin on Facebook

Griffin on Twitter 

 

 

 

 

 

Theo Constantin: passionate Romanian performer

“My music is created to reach the soul of those who hear it”      Theo Constantin

 

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Romania and its remarkable people have a special place in my heart. Torchlight Talent is privileged to feature young artists from all over the world, but we are especially delighted to introduce to you today the rising Romanian star, Theodor Constantin. 

Theo was born in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, in 2005 where he still lives with his family. His musical journey began in the choir of the Ecumenical Institute of Sacred Music in Bucharest where he quickly became a soloist and started to study piano at the age of five. As a soloist of the choir, Theo realised that solo singing gave him the opportunity he craved for self-expression and communication with his audiences. So, at just 7 years old he started studying pop music at the Academy of Fine Arts and today he is a student at the Art School of Bucharest where he studies solo singing and performing.

I asked Theo to tell me a little about his greatest musical influences:

professional photo8“When Michael Jackson died, in 2009, I was almost 5 years old. In Romania, it was on all the radio stations and all the TV channels. His music was everywhere. This event was a significant moment in my life, I asked my parents for Michael’s music. I have studied him – from the man to the artist – and it was from watching him that I learned my first lessons in solo singing.

The idea that I could express what I was singing best through solo performance was already deep inside me. Michael Jackson confirmed that for me. Through his music, I learned English – actually, I learned to speak English, without understanding what I was saying – by learning his famous songs. Then I listened to rock music, rock ballads. They had something special. They had a particular feeling.”

 

professional photo2Theo has his own music producer and together they try to create music and videos to express the messages that Theo wants to communicate. His repertoire consists of both covers and his own original songs. One of the wonderful things about Theo’s music and videos is that they are unapologetically from his own perspective and expressing the joys and struggles which he experiences as a 10-year-old boy. He performs with such confidence and energy, you might expect Theo to be very outgoing and extraverted, but in truth he is a quiet and thoughtful boy for which music is his preferred method of communication.  

“Each track has its own history. It is inspired by real life. I am quite shy and usually don’t talk too much and that is why I think my music speaks for me. For example, my latest single, ‘I’ll be your hero’ has an underlying social message that I want to send to all those who can stretch out a hand to help the children who, unfortunately, do not have a family, a house or a toy. They would love it to happen. That’s why they need a hero in their life, a normal person who is willing to stretch out that saving hand toward them. My music is positive, though certain parts awaken feelings of sadness. It always expresses truth and all the tracks have a happy ending.”

 

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