Tanner Peterson released a provoking folk single ‘Losin’ My Soul’, a song that explores the idea that it can feel alienating, but completely liberating at the same time when you decide to be completely yourself.
We caught up with Tanner to learn more about the single came about, his writing process, and how he manages to keep up with a plant-based diet.
Aditya – Hey Tanner Peterson! How’s 2021 been for you so far?
Tanner Peterson – Hey! It’s been quite a spontaneous experience! At the beginning of 2021 I wasn’t sure how this year was going to pan out, but it did end up bringing some really great memories. Luckily I was able to play a lot of shows, do some traveling, and connect with some really cool people along the way.
Aditya – Your latest single ‘Losing My Soul’ is a masterpiece! Could you run through the creative process of the track?
Tanner Peterson – It was written back during last winter. I actually co-wrote it with a good friend of mine, Tyson Fahey, and we wanted the song to be about feeling like an outcast to society. Once we had the melody, the song simply wrote itself from that point on.
Aditya – How do you begin writing tracks? Do you write it on guitar or pen it down?
Tanner Peterson – I myself almost always start with a guitar part. I find a riff or chord progression that I really like and go from there. After that, I’ll find a melody that feels right to me, sometimes using a piano to get it dialed in. Then I pen the lyrics down last!
Aditya – The trumpet in the chorus sounds phenomenal, it’s the best part in the track! Did you play that?
Tanner Peterson – That was actually my good long-time friend Jacob Erkel! I’ve known him since I was 10 years old, and he actually was in a high school rock band with me that we called “No Reception”. Currently he’s in a reggae group called Irie Minds, but I guess that doesn’t stop him from popping up in my tracks too!
Aditya – When did you pick up Guitar as an instrument?
Tanner Peterson – I always had a guitar available for me to pick up and play since I was old enough to walk (thanks to my dad being a axe-man himself).There are old recordings I’ve heard and seen of myself singing and strumming my Dad’s guitars that I don’t even remember anymore because I was so young at the time. I didn’t receive my very own guitar until I was 9. It was around that age where I became obsessed, and the obsession never left me I guess.
Aditya – Who influenced you to pursue a career in music?
Tanner Peterson – When I was around 9, I thought Slash from Guns N Roses and Drake Bell from “Drake and Josh” were really cool. As I got older my influences evolved and I became super into people like John Frusciante, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. I also fell in love with artists like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Trevor Hall.
Aditya – I found out on Instagram that you follow a plant-based diet. I’d love to know what your diet looks like.
Tanner Peterson – I eat very clean! I eat pretty anything that’s a plant-based whole food and stay away from anything processed or with sugar. I made the switch when I was about 17 and it was really difficult at first, but now it’s like second nature knowing what plant-based foods work best for me. When I started eating this way it really helped boost both my physical and mental health, so Ive stuck with it ever since.
Aditya – You hold a WORLD RECORD! That’s a milestone. Tell us about it.
Tanner Peterson – Yeah! That happened at the end of 2019, when I was just turning 21. I wanted to do something really cool for my birthday and randomly thought of trying to break a world record. I researched different world records that fit my interests and found out that the world record for world’s longest street performance was 25 hours. I figured since that’s my favorite thing in the entire world to do, I could break it with a 26 hour performance, so I did! Despite it being physically challenging, it was definitely one of the most fun experiences of my life.
Aditya – If you were a Vinyl, what would you be and why?
Tanner Peterson – Good question! I would say I would be a vinyl of Incubus’s “Make Yourself” album. That whole album perfectly explains my experience as a a young adult.
Aditya – Lastly, If you were to spend the rest of your life on an island, where would that be?
Tanner Peterson – Right now I would say that would be on Big Island of Hawai’i. I spent three months there when I was 19, and it was one of the best experiences of my life! I would probably be very happy living there for an entire lifetime, the beauty of that island would never get old to me.
