Dripping Springs teen sings in the spotlight

DRIPPING SPRINGS —  Following in the footsteps of his father, Ty Myers can’t remember a time when he was not singing on stage: “I kind of was born into it.”

The 16-year-old star-to-be began taking music seriously at just 8 years old, said Myers. His smooth voice naturally lends itself to the familiar twang of country music; though, he takes inspiration from many places.

“When I was probably about 12 or 13, I started listening to a lot of blues. My mom is a big blues and soul fan, so I started getting into it,” said Myers.

Taking influence from BB King, Albert King, John Carl Hendricks, Otis Redding, Bill Withers and more, the artist noted that he does not feel constricted to a particular genre.

“I’m really in the market of making good music,” Myers said. “We’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of people about how genres are kind of being a yesterday thing. People listen to good music now. [The genre] is less of an importance.”

Although it was always a dream, Myers said that it feels like he blew up overnight, citing a TikTok video that reached more than 3 million views as the tipping point. Multiple companies called him that night in an attempt to sign the artist. Ultimately, Myers signed with the management company Starstruck.

The song that gained attention was “Tie That Binds” and was written, like all of his songs, by Myers. Typically following a love story, the lyrics are relatable to those of all ages.

"Cuz I've been lookin' for a woman like you for quite some time

I'd be the happiest man in the world to call you mine

I think you found a tie that binds" - Tie That Binds, Ty Myers.

The same is true for his upcoming single, “Stay,” to be released on Jan. 19. Written when he was 13, the song is the singer's first waltz and tells the story of someone leaving, yet their memory stays inside someone’s mind. According to Myers, the end of the hook is “You can’t stay.”

“I really do believe it’s God given,” said Myers when discussing how he writes his songs. “I can’t put a finger on it. I mean, it’s just so random. I’ll just be driving around or something and it’ll just come to me and I’ll write it down in my notes.”

Although grateful for the opportunities, Myers explains that it isn’t always easy.

“There’s always those nights that challenge your mindset,” he admitted. “Every musician has shows where you’ll show up and the vibe, the energy isn’t there. There’s just not a lot of people there and you’re like, ‘Why did I just drive five hours to come to this show?’ … But you have to get through that. [You have to] know your end result that you want it to be.”

The teenager has also sacrificed leaving public school to live out his dreams, although, according to Myers, the only real loss is the inability to play football.

“And school sucks. I hate school,” laughed Myers.

Despite the difficult moments, Myers is appreciative of all the support he has received from his community. One of the moments that sticks out in his memory was a home show at Hudson’s On Mercer Street.

“I remember the first time right after Tie That Binds got big and I was singing it and people started singing it back,” beamed the singer. “It was the first time that’s ever happened and that kind of stayed with my mind … [Hudson’s] ended up getting insanely packed and, oh my God, that was something else because the AC went out and it was 150 degrees. It was shoulder to shoulder, all breathing the same air, people grabbing at my feet … [But] that’s what you want. That’s what you’re going out to get.”

Myers will have several opportunities in the future to experience this again as he has several tour dates in the coming weeks:

Jan. 19

• Terrell, TX: 8 p.m. at the Silver Saloon with Aaron Watson

Jan. 20

• Nacogdoches, TX: 8 p.m. at Banita Creek Hall with Aaron Watson

Jan. 26

• Austin, TX: 8 p.m. Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater with Aaron Watson

Feb. 17

• Buda, TX: 9 p.m. at Buck’s Backyard

Apr. 17

• Lubbock, TX: 7 p.m. at Cook’s Garage with Willie Nelson and Larry Fleet

Myers explained that the beauty of music is that “You could give two people the same song and they could come away with completely different things from it.”

“My ultimate goal is to just reach as many people as I possibly can,” he said. “[Music is] just about impacting as many people as you can.”

For more information on upcoming tour dates and music releases, visit www.tymyersmusic.com.