Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Barnes a.k.a. “HRTBRKJNZ”.
Nicholas, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. Nearly my entire family can sing or a least carry a note, so I guess you can say it’s a bloodline trait. I wrote my first song in the 1st grade but REALLY got into writing in the 7th grade when I wrote for my girlfriend at the time. The song was terrible but it did what was intended (shout out to “you”). From there, I participated in and was the president of the Lancaster Middle & High School choirs, had lead roles in different school district shows, etc. So, it was only natural that it progressed into something greater in my adult years after I started taking my craft seriously. It’s been a challenge and a LONG ass ride to get even to this point, but it’s a journey I’d take 100 times over if I could.
Has it been a smooth road?
In short, HELL NO. But I’ve grown so much during my struggles that I feel completely different. I’ve dealt with depression, social anxiety, dropping out of college, emotional abuse at the hands of my dad’s 2nd spouse, losing loved ones, etc. It’s been a long hard road. Some of the shit is self-inflicted but you have to play with the cards that you’re dealt otherwise and continue to grow. I take pride in what I’ve gone through because it’s all made me a better person, father, and musician.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I’m an R&B singer/songwriter & producer for the indie label/collective ‘New Tribe Same Quest’ or ‘NTSQ’ and we affectionate refer to ourselves as ‘The Tribe’. Also, I’m 1/3 of the original core group that started it all, ‘Trill Soul’, with my brothers Anthony (OG Tony J) & Ashton (Tribel). There are so many talented individuals in our collective that specialize in their own lanes and methods but I specialize in song structuring, vocals, and production.
As a whole, I’m proud of how much we’ve grown over the past few years. When we (myself, Tribel, and OG Tony J) ventured to start this off, we were all coming off of different paths of life with Tony and I splitting off from another collective to form our own and Tribel coming back home from the military, so we were basically starting from scratch with the foundation being our love for music. From that point, we did our first show as Trill Soul a few years back alongside DUCHE$$ & Pryde, two other very talented artists in our collective, and grew from there building lasting friendships and connections and fostering a family atmosphere. At this time, besides the artists I’ve mentioned, our artist/creative roster includes Brionne, Lonnie Ray (formerly known as OG BRag G), Rex, Shot By Bino, Live Visions Media, OriginalVibeGod (OVG), Scott Indigo, Father Rob, & CLXVR, and we have very close working relationships & genuine friendships with Xavier Nixon of the A&R group ‘Unorthodox’ & one of the most talented engineers in Dallas, ODXO.
As far as what sets us apart, it’s the family atmosphere & the like-mindedness we have, for sure. I’ve been apart of a few other collectives when I started out but the difference between then and now is that there are no egos creating friction or anyone being overbearing. On top of that, everyone is looking to better themselves not only as artists but as people. Everyone has their own fair share of challenges, but the end goal is the same: we just want to succeed in our respective fields and help those around us be great.
But as far as what I’m currently doing (because I can talk about The Tribe all day), I’m working on my first album entitled “Jar of Tears” and it’s gonna be the first project I’m putting on all streaming services. It’s basically a culmination of my thought processes on love & all of its aspects, and the emotions behind them. I don’t want to be a martyr, because that’s a bit extreme, but if I can help people come to terms with their feelings through my music then I’ve done my due diligence as a musician. I don’t want to give out too many details about it just yet because it’s still in the development phase but I’m very excited about it and all of the other things I have lined up in the coming months. It’s been a long transition since my last project. I had a lot of growing up to do and things to figure out within myself and the direction I wanted to take my music. But before he passed, my dear friend, brother, and manager Saeed asked me to make an album like the one I’m working on so this is for him, too. Without him and his memory pushing me and everyone around me forward, I can definitely say that the progression wouldn’t have made it this far. Long Live CHUCC.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like it is. There is so much talent in the city and contrary to popular belief, there are people in the city that are looking to help build you up and push you in the right direction without any foul ulterior motives. As far as those who don’t share that same mindset, you can only hope that they see that we can go so much farther as a whole working together versus working to tear down the next man or woman up. Everyone has their time if they take advantage of it. You just gotta continue the necessary grind to seize that moment and opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soundcloud.com/hrtbrkjnz
- Email: ntsqbookingjnz@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hrtbrkjnz
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/hrtbrkjnz
- Other: www.instagram.com/newtribesamequest
Image Credit:
@originalvibegod, @xfatherrobx, @shotbybino
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
