LeTrainiump
Defying categorization yet bringing back catchy synths, drumbeats, and vocal stylings from the 80’s and 90’s in all the right ways, LeTrainiump’s music is a delight. You’ll dance, you’ll feel, and more importantly have songs such as his latest single Go, playing on repeat. Read on for LeTrainiump’s thoughts on music and mental health!
Describe your music in three words.
Energetic, ethereal, and electric.
How do you think your music has evolved over time?
I’ve become more sure of myself and my expression, I’m learning how to speak my mind through the lyrics and through music. It’s almost become like a language and I’m learning how to speak it a little bit better. It kind of helps that my daughter is learning how to talk right now, too. I’m watching her learn the language of English, but I’m also relating it to myself and learning that over time, I’ll just do things and figure things out and that adds to my knowledge of the language of music. It helps me to convey my feelings and emotions a lot better. I think over time it’s just getting seasoned, like good food.
What made you want to get into music. What sparked they "Hey, I want to do that!'' moment?
I saw Michael Jackson moon walk across a stage, and I watched The Jacksons’ movie when I was a kid and I thought to myself, ‘I wanna do that. I wanna write songs.’ But it wasn’t until I was a teenager, almost an adult, that I realized I really like the feeling of communicating through music, singing specifically. It’s just a different feeling. It feels magical.
Allen Toussaint once said, "Music is everything to me short of breathing. Music has a role to lift you up, not to be escapist but to take you out of your misery." Reflecting on that sentiment, how has music guided you through hard times in your life?
When I was sad, I listened to sad songs and I felt like the singers and artists related to me. When I was happy I listened to really happy songs because I felt like it made me enjoy the moment just a little bit more. Music induces whatever atmosphere it’s in, it intoxicates it, and I think for me personally it really helps that I know how to find the right music to make me feel something.
Besides music, what other coping skills do you use to unwind and relax?
Meditation. I meditate quite a bit. I start my day off at the gym just to kind of wake my body up and get myself going. I come back home and do yoga with my family so that we’re doing something active together. We like to go to the park in the morning. We like to do things that kind of take us out of the framework of work and then I meditate in my own time just to kind of sit with my own thoughts.
Any final thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
I think it’s important that you learn to spend time with yourself. I think it’s important that you learn to face the dark thoughts. I think it’s important that you spend time in your life figuring yourself out, because if you learn how to love yourself, it’ll help you to learn to love the people around you.
Official Website: https://www.letrainiump.com/home-2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeTrainiump
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letrainiump/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/letrainiump
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/létrainiump
All photos by Dominique Richard for the Brett Thomas Doussan (BTD) Foundation.