Bryce Ann Hartzell, 16.
So, are you a singer?
Yeah, mostly. I also produce and manage shows.
What bands or groups do you produce and manage shows for?
Mostly my own band; and currently I’m only managing one other group called Gemi. I have managed quite a few bands in the past, though.
What inspired you to get into music?
My uncle actually passed away, and he left me his most prized possession. It was his elevation guitar, and I felt like it was something I needed to learn, because you can’t put something that special into a closet somewhere.
Do you write your own songs?
I do: I’ve taken a few songwriting classes at SOTA and it’s helped me write my own songs but I started writing them when I was about 12 or 13.
What instruments do you play?
I play the guitar, piano, bass… I’m trying to learn the drums, and I play the ukulele, but, not often because it’s an instrument that not many people want to hear anymore.
What type of music are you in to, and what type do you play?
I’m actually into a lot of different genres of music; I like to listen to everything because I feel like you can pull inspiration from everything. I do prefer to listen to rap, indie, and slow stuff like that; and I mostly play indie or alternative rock.
Do you think it’s important to have role models?
I think people wouldn’t be able to shape themselves as authentically if they didn’t have role models. Role models play a big part in kids and teenagers finding who they want to be, and the qualities that they want to possess, along with their views about the world and their treatment of it. Role models also affect kids’ and teenagers’ self-worth and self-treatment.
Who have some of your role models been?
My mom is one of my biggest role models; I feel like a lot of people say that, but she’s just inspired me to be really strong because she’s had to be strong her whole life. But in terms of celebrities or famous people, I have some really strong feminist role models like Halsey, and even weirder people like Mac DeMarco just because a lot of them are carefree and they don’t really care what other people think. And they just do their own things.
Role models play a big part in kids and teenagers finding who they want to be, and the qualities that they want to possess, along with their views about the world and their treatment of it.
Where do you want to take your music?
The dream is to be famous one day; the dream is to be a pop star. Realistically though, I’m applying to music colleges in Europe and I think the route I’m wanting to go is making money off of touring and playing shows. I just want to be able to do what I love and live off of it and be happy with it; to just be happy with my life and my career.
What’s your favorite song that you wrote?
It’s a song that I put on SoundCloud; it’s called Trees. It’s basically like… okay, so I go to summer camp each summer and there’s this counselor there who has just shaped my life so incredibly over the last 4 years. And she has this little tattoo of a tree on her leg, just because she loves the outdoors, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So, I wrote her that song and it had trees in it and it was really fun and I liked it a lot.
What was the most challenging instrument to learn?
The guitar, because my hands don’t like to do 2 different things at once. I mean, piano does kind of do that but it’s more melodic in a sense because you can look down at it the whole time, while you can’t do that when you play the guitar usually, unless it’s classical. So, just learning how to do 2 different things at once is just really complicated for my brain.
Do you wish you were talented in any other way?
All the time, I mean, I go to an art school so I see all these fabulous people all the time. And even at school dances, I see all these dancers just going at it. And I just think, “I wish I could do that but I’m just not graceful,” or, “I wish I was better at drawing so I could have my art up somewhere.” I definitely wish that there was more than just music for me, but I’m also just really grateful that I even have music.
How has music affected your life?
I think it’s made me more independent. People who do music kind of have to do a lot of things for themselves. Like you have to book your own shows, so it’s made me not only independent, but it’s made me more able to talk to people and reach out and not be afraid of getting turned down because at least I tried. There’s always the possibility that you’ll get turned down, but there are all these opportunities if you don’t get turned down. And so, it’s made me kind of fearless in a way that’s just like, “this is me, and here I am.” If people don’t like it then that’s okay, but if they do, then I want to work with them and do something awesome.
What are you doing now in the art community?
Well, I recently booked a show with Realart, with a few different bands. One of them was actually from Arizona; they were touring and they came up here looking for a venue and I was like, “hey come to Realart, we have a show date already and you can hop in with some of us.” So I’m trying to book even more shows through Realart and other venues.
I actually volunteer at the YMCA, where I help out with things like Healthy Kids Day, where I basically just watch little kids play and do games with them.
Has working with the kids affected your music?
Yeah; kids are really inspiring just because they’re not afraid of failure. I actually have a little cousin and she falls down so much, but every time she falls, she gets right back up and she’s like “I’m fine,” and I just feel like that’s a metaphor for life. There are all these little kids that are so fearless and it makes me think that if they can do it then I can do it too.
Have any of your personal relationships affected your music? If so, how?
Yeah; I actually have an ex who I was in a band with, and when we broke up, the band basically broke up. And I think I’ve been a bit stupid in choosing to be in a band with my current partner, and it’s fine right now, but I’m always worried that, “if we break up then the band might break up?” Or, “will we be able to stick it out for the band?” But eventually that might go sideways, so my romantic relationships have definitely affected my music in really large ways just because of the decisions I’ve made. But also, breakups are really good for song inspiration [laughs].
What is your musical process?
A lot of crying, honestly, and a lot of self doubt. I’ll even write one line and think it’s not good enough, and then it’ll just spiral into me thinking that I’m not good enough and I’m not going to get anywhere. A lot of the times, it takes a few days to get yourself out of it and be like, “okay, you’re fine, keep writing.” The musical process for me is just really hard; it’s filled with a lot of anxiety around it about whether it will be good enough or what people will think. In the end, though, I just end up coming to terms with the fact that some people won’t like it. That’s how it’s always going to go. There are famous people who have people who don’t like their music. You just have to accept that and if you like it, that’s all that matters.
Do you make music for yourself or for others?
A little bit of both. Usually when I’m writing my music, it has a lot of meaning to me. There are lines that are seemingly not much to anybody else, but to me they mean a thousand words to the person I’m writing it to or the situation I’m writing about. So my music is a really good outlet for myself, but I definitely do consider what other people like and enjoy when I’m writing it. If I make a song too complicated or too simple, I feel like there will definitely be people who fall off the ends because they aren’t entertained or because there’s too much going on and they get too much in their head. I think you have to have that balance, to be a successful artist.
Do you have an ending statement for anyone who is afraid to spread their art?
The worst that can happen, is people won’t like it; but in all reality, that’s not even that bad. As long as your art makes you happy, that’s all that matters.
Go Check out Bryce’s social media on Instagram @bryceann.music and @bry.hartzell!
