SkiP HappEns Podcast
From American Idol to Independent Artist: The Whirlwind Journey of Tristan McIntosh
Ever wondered what it's like to be thrust into the limelight at just 15, only to have the rug pulled out from under you? Join us as we sit down with the incredibly gifted Tristan McIntosh, who shares her whirlwind journey from Nashville roots to American Idol fame and beyond. Tristan opens up about discovering her singing talent at a tender age, her intense yet rewarding stint on American Idol, and how she bounced back after the show's unexpected tour cancellation. Listen to her recount collaborations with industry titans and how she learned to roller skate for a role in Sam Hunt's music video "23."
Imagine performing at a venue owned by a rock legend while a friendly dog roams the bar area. We chat with Tristan about her memorable gig at Daryl's House in Syracuse, New York, and the enchanting atmosphere it offers. She also gives us a peek into her life as an independent artist, maintaining a vibrant social media presence on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Tristan shares the challenges of staying independent, the invaluable lessons from her time on American Idol, and her unforgettable performance at the Grand Ole Opry with Darius Rucker.
But that's not all—our conversation takes delightful detours into favorite Linda Ronstadt songs, the joys of keeping a blue-tongue skink as a pet, and aspirations for global travel. From her bustling performance schedule and late-night gigs to her hobbies like skateboarding and collecting vinyl records, Tristan paints a vivid picture of her daily life. We touch on childhood memories, love for fantasy fiction, and the excitement surrounding her upcoming single, "Burn the Bed," featuring Kim Carnes. Tune in for a heartfelt episode that underscores the power of passion, perseverance, and family support in chasing dreams.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Ever wondered what it's like to be thrust into the limelight at just 15, only to have the rug pulled out from under you? Join us as we sit down with the incredibly gifted Tristan McIntosh, who shares her whirlwind journey from Nashville roots to American Idol fame and beyond. Tristan opens up about discovering her singing talent at a tender age, her intense yet rewarding stint on American Idol, and how she bounced back after the show's unexpected tour cancellation. Listen to her recount collaborations with industry titans and how she learned to roller skate for a role in Sam Hunt's music video "23."
Imagine performing at a venue owned by a rock legend while a friendly dog roams the bar area. We chat with Tristan about her memorable gig at Daryl's House in Syracuse, New York, and the enchanting atmosphere it offers. She also gives us a peek into her life as an independent artist, maintaining a vibrant social media presence on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Tristan shares the challenges of staying independent, the invaluable lessons from her time on American Idol, and her unforgettable performance at the Grand Ole Opry with Darius Rucker.
But that's not all—our conversation takes delightful detours into favorite Linda Ronstadt songs, the joys of keeping a blue-tongue skink as a pet, and aspirations for global travel. From her bustling performance schedule and late-night gigs to her hobbies like skateboarding and collecting vinyl records, Tristan paints a vivid picture of her daily life. We touch on childhood memories, love for fantasy fiction, and the excitement surrounding her upcoming single, "Burn the Bed," featuring Kim Carnes. Tune in for a heartfelt episode that underscores the power of passion, perseverance, and family support in chasing dreams.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Hi everybody, how are you? Welcome back. It's another edition of Skip Happens. My name is Skip Clark, your host and, of course, a radio personality here in Syracuse in our program the Wolf, but tonight it's another man. I get so excited when they send these artists my way because everybody's got a little bit of a background. You're gonna go. Really, that was her. Yeah, it was, and I can throw it back to what american idol? And we're going back maybe 2016 or so, and you may remember the name tristan mackintosh, and she's putting out her own music now. And, tristan, how are you? It's good to see you it's good to see you.
Speaker 1:I'm doing great yeah, where are you right now?
Speaker 2:I am in nashville in my little tiny apartment ah, is it like in the gulch? Uh, no, not quite. I live, uh, in edge edge hill. I think that's what they call it yeah, just outside no, I'm already not me messing up my own neighborhood. Let's just say I live in Belcourt.
Speaker 1:Very good, good enough, we don't need to know. But yeah, but you're in Nashville. How long actually, how long have you been in Nashville?
Speaker 2:I'm born and raised here, pretty much in Nashville.
Speaker 1:You're a Nashvilleian.
Speaker 2:I'm a native. They call us unicorns down here.
Speaker 1:Do they what they call you unicorns?
Speaker 2:Yeah, whenever what they call you unicorns? Yeah, whenever you're a Nashville native, because nobody is a Nashville native, apparently they, they just call you a unicorn.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, you have a good point. There's a lot of people most of the people are not from Nashville but I've talked to, I've talked to a few artists that actually have been, uh, born and raised like yourself right there in Nashville and, uh, matter of fact, there's a band I spoke to here, I want to say maybe a year ago, so they were the Nashvillians and they're from Nashville, so that's what they called them now, that is cool yeah, so uh tell us a little bit about you, though.
Speaker 1:You uh, how long have you been singing?
Speaker 2:first of all, uh well, I started singing probably around nine, nine years old. We had just my mom's in the military so we had just moved from Georgia. I say I'm a Nashville native, I am because I was born in Tennessee. We just moved to Georgia for like three years. So when we were coming back and we lived back in Nashville, my mom heard me singing around the kitchen and she was like that's kind of good. So she took me to a place in Franklin and she said please tell me if my daughter has talent. If not, don't waste my time and my money. And that's when they said yeah, she can sing. And that's when I started singing.
Speaker 1:You know, I think anybody, anybody and everybody has some sort of talent and if you really want to do it, you can do it. It might take some people longer than others, but I think if you have that dream and you have that passion and anybody watching this you know if that's what you're thinking about, give it a shot. You never know, you never know.
Speaker 2:you gotta go for it talent only takes you so far. If you love it and you keep working at it, you can still just be awesome exactly right, tell us about.
Speaker 1:Uh, I do remember you from american idol. You finished inside the top 10. I think you were like fifth or sixth. Yes, yeah. So then did you go on tour with the top 10 when they went out and about?
Speaker 2:No, our season of Idol went bankrupt, so we didn't get a tour.
Speaker 1:Oops.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oops, but tell us how being on American Idol actually opened up doors for you.
Speaker 2:So I was on American Idol as a 15 year old Right and that's kind of like my first foray into the music industry, just in general. So being out in LA for about four months was incredibly eye opening. You make a lot of connections, but not quite as many useful ones as you think you would, but mainly it's the fans and the people that listen to your music that truly impacted me and my experience.
Speaker 1:And you really got that exposure because obviously American Idol being viewed on television and then of course viewers have to go and vote and a lot. Apparently you were very well liked, so that's pretty cool and rightfully so I get it. But since then you've you've been putting out music. I know you've got a great manager, you've got people, some really really famous people, helping you produce some really good music. Uh, you know I was reading a little bit that you've been on stage with darius and, uh, chris young I love chris young uh, mickey guyton especially.
Speaker 2:We had mickey here for a show last december really yes, I love her she's so sweet, she's such a great person.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and uh, and also you. You've done a lot of modeling and you've been in videos. For example, they told me you were in the Sam hunt video 23.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had to learn how to roller skate. I'm going to have to go back and watch that, because so they had you on roller skates.
Speaker 2:Yes, Like, so I I can like roller blade, but they were like inline skate. No, I don't.
Speaker 1:Well roller inline skating is yeah, okay, not the roller blades, but the actual quads yeah.
Speaker 2:There you go on those and I had a week to practice and so when I was filming, they had me skate with my eyes up in the air and my hands up in the air. So it was just like I was praying so hard. I was like, please do not let me fall in front of all these people.
Speaker 3:And I did not fall, I did not fall.
Speaker 1:You made it, I love it. I did, I love it. And how exciting is that? I mean knowing what you want to do and where you want to go with your career and being. You know, you're obviously out there trying to get some of these gigs and being in videos, but how cool is that that you were in a Sam Hunt video, I mean, and it was just not all that long ago. It's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:No, it was really cool. I really enjoyed the experience too, and it was a beautiful video. If you've watched it, it was filmed very beautifully and it was over in like an afternoon. It took us maybe like four hours. Really Well, for my part, it took like four hours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just the roller skating part.
Speaker 2:And I had to hold like a baby. Not on roller skates, I hope. No, not on roller skates, that would be very irresponsible.
Speaker 1:That is so true. Let's talk about your music, though. I mean you're out with Champagne Rampage and tell us a little bit about that, because I mean you came on and I was giving it another listen. I'm going this is really good, but the words and you know it's like somebody getting revenge made me think, uh, maybe this is a true story.
Speaker 2:tell us a little bit about that so I hate to bring it to you, but it's not a true story I wrote it when I was 16.
Speaker 2:So I wrote this song when I was 16 with Nathan Chapman and Leslie Satcher, who are incredible writers, and I just had this idea I'd come up with it and put it in my notes for the title Champagne Rampage. That's all. I had no story, no, nothing. So we went into their studio, we wrote the song and afterwards I'm like like do you think we could like pitch it to carrie underwood or something like I don't think it's going to be very believable if I'm singing it because I was 16.
Speaker 1:I'm like I can't even drink yet but so when did you, when did you record this? I just recorded this uh, this year yeah and released it in june yeah, I'm gonna play just a little bit of it. I want everybody to hear at least the first line, the first verse. That's pretty good.
Speaker 3:This is tristan mcintosh champagne rampage here we go she rolled in on five inch red heels, look, and wound up as a horn and on four wheels. Everybody said, oh no, oh no, who invited his ex-girlfriend? She made a beeline straight to the bar, a little tornado brewing in the dark, everybody said look out, look out.
Speaker 3:We all know how it's gonna end. She's going on a champagne rampage Just about to ruin that wedding. She's hitting them bubbles bound to have trouble. Need the maid of honor on the couple, what you call the groom? Ain't okay, wow.
Speaker 1:Wow, wow and I'll give it one more. Wow, carol, your voice is so strong. I'm going to be honest with you. I could see Carrie Underwood doing that song Really good. Obviously you did it, but did they even consider sending it to Carrie or seeing if she would buy or what?
Speaker 2:I don't think it ever got to her. No no I don't think so, it doesn't need to.
Speaker 1:You did a great job on that, so you wrote that when you were 16?.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And you listened to the lyrics about a girlfriend in a bar and a guy looks over, and all that At the age of 16, you wrote that I just you know, you haven't experienced life yet.
Speaker 1:I read a lot of books, all right, well, that might help. I love that, I love that. So, so you did that and you've got other things coming out real soon. But you know, tell us a little bit about, about some of the artists you have performed with. I know I mentioned Darius and Chris Young and Mickey Guyton. You met in the video with Sam Hunt, but what, I guess, what else have you been doing as an artist?
Speaker 2:So kind of. I guess since 2018, I've been fronting a Linda Ronstadt tribute band and we tour like the Northeast mainly, and I mean we've moved down South and out West, but we've pretty much been touring nationally and I've been. I was pretty busy with that, but I really wanted to take the time off this summer to truly push my solo career and just try and make a name for myself as myself.
Speaker 1:Exactly Now. I did read about the Linda Ronstadt tribute. Have you said you've been up in the Northeast or traveling the Northeast? Have you been to Syracuse?
Speaker 2:New York.
Speaker 1:Maybe not this far north.
Speaker 2:Well, we've been to Lake lake. Like lake george area, is that anywhere near?
Speaker 1:oh my, no, not really, but that's up in the adirondacks we've been around, uh, buffalo as well yeah, yeah, yeah. Niagara falls buffalo, and then you know the other syracuse is like right in the middle and that's where we do the podcast from.
Speaker 2:So okay, and that's where I am right now calling like daryl's house uh, no, but uh, daryl's house.
Speaker 1:I do want to talk about that because I happen to see a video of you at daryl's house yeah, we've played there so many times that that is so freaking cool, because there's always something going on at daryl's house. And how did you get to play at daryl's house? We're talking about daryl hall now yeah, I love.
Speaker 2:First of all, I love hollow notes uh but daryl's house was one of the one of the earlier venues that we played as a tribute group, because we built it from the ground up, so our agent was able to get in contact with them and we've been playing pretty much every year, almost twice a year since.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is so cool, it's really unique and have great sound and they have a dog named bailey and we've been playing pretty much every year, almost twice a year since. Wow, that is so cool.
Speaker 2:It's really unique and have great sound, and they have a dog named Bailey. Yes, walks like in and out of the place.
Speaker 1:It's a house, the door's open, come on in, hang out, have a cocktail. That's what it's all about. And they play great music and I always see a lot of my favorite artists down there. I my favorite artist on there. I watch it quite often and then I saw you were on there. That's pretty cool. Is it really like just a house, is it? Is it like a barn in the backyard where?
Speaker 2:you know everybody. Yes, there is a barn. The backyard is very it's very much like a backyard, but the inside has way more room and they've like, built a bar onto it, so I got to hit the bar but it's still very cozy. Got to have the bar bar.
Speaker 1:You gotta have the bar. What about now? You've been doing a lot on socials too. I know TikTok you had some videos go viral and YouTube man, I'll tell you you're like on fire on social media and I just can't believe that we haven't heard you more on radio, or even. I know there's streaming, there's Pandora, pandora and there's Spotify and all that good stuff, but still for me, uh, yeah, you can listen to us online, but we're also over the air and you know to hear this song. I mean that's. I'm surprised I haven't heard it yet until it was sent to me and I'm digging it.
Speaker 2:so well, I am independent, so I I release everything by myself. So so there's a lot of avenues in which haven't been fully explored yet. So I'm excited to finally be pushing into the radio industry a bit more.
Speaker 1:Well, you got a good team behind you. I think they're really getting on top of it. I mean, that's how we got hooked up to do the podcast. They wanted to get you out there and, like I said, I've been doing this a long time and I enjoy talking to so many of the independent artists. And are you happy being an independent?
Speaker 2:exactly have the largest team from the beginning, like I've had to build and build and build to have people that I trust around me. But I think ultimately it's it's going to be better, because record deals can be very predatory, especially for, like, younger artists and less experienced, and I just I've always wanted to have a leg up before I ever signed anything so I'd be able to, you know, make my own deal yeah.
Speaker 1:So when you, when you say all that, let's think back. Even though you were 15, you're on idle. You must have learned a little bit about the do's and don'ts, uh, with that you know, pertaining well, just being on idle as as you moved on, probably things you remember and still hold true to this day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean you just kind of learn, you just pick up everything along the way. You don't just learn it right, then you go through it and then you learn from it.
Speaker 1:I know we were before we went out with the lights, or, yeah, before the lights and the cameras went on, and she popped on and I said I think I have that poster that's in her background because I can see the Opry. That's when you were on that Opry stage. Yes, that's when you got that poster. How long ago was that?
Speaker 2:Shoot, let me look, let me turn around. I know. December, something I can't really read December 24th, so it's Christmas Eve.
Speaker 1:This past December 24th.
Speaker 2:No 2016.
Speaker 1:last december 24th, no, 2016. Oh okay, yeah, I got that framed as a gift from one of my bandmates. Oh my god, that's so cool. That's so cool and what. What a moment to to be able to walk out on that stage was that?
Speaker 2:that obviously was the first time no, it's the second second okay uh, because the first time was when darius rucker asked me to come on stage and sing wagon wheel with him how cool.
Speaker 1:And were you like scared?
Speaker 2:let me tell you the whole story that's why we're here because, um, when I got eliminated off of idol, it was probably like a thursday, and then I had to do a bunch of like exit interviews and then I went home on on Sunday and my grandfather had told me he was like hey, so you know, darius Rucker is going to be at the Opry on Tuesdays. Like you should reach out to him. And I'm like I don't know my mom's like just do it, just tweet him. So I tweeted would love to be like backstage at the Opry with him, which is cool enough. That's, that's the extent of what I thought was going to be happening, which was already really cool. You know, we got some pictures and everything.
Speaker 2:And then the uh, manager of the opry at the time comes out and he's like well, tristan, he was like how was it? And I'm like this has been awesome. And he's like well, would you want to make your own opry debut? And I'm like are you joking? Like yes, yes, I'm like you cannot feel your body in like those kind of moments. And he was like would you also want to sing Wagon Wheel with Darius? And I was like yes.
Speaker 2:Like of course. And like, as we're on stage, like he announces me and we're singing, I'm just singing harmony on the choruses. He looks over at me and he's like, do you want to take a verse? And I'm like no, no.
Speaker 1:Did you end up taking a verse, or no?
Speaker 2:no I was like no, no, unprepared what.
Speaker 1:what an experience, though, and that that's a learning experience as well, and you know now you've done it with other artists and you know you're moving ahead with all that, and you say you said you're taking a break with the Linda Ronstadt tribute thing for the summer.
Speaker 2:We'll be playing some more shows here in the fall and winter.
Speaker 1:Is there a favorite Linda Ronstadt song that you like to sing? Do you sing something like back when she was with the Stone Ponies? Do you go there? We do the 60s.
Speaker 2:To wow, her last recorded album was probably in the 2000s, but the the latest we do is like from the 90s. She recorded a tom petty song. Uh the waiting oh yeah uh. But my favorite song is probably a song by anthony and the Imperial. She did in 1980 on her Mad Love record. It's called Hurt so Bad. It's just so. It's such a good powerful song and it's just chilling.
Speaker 1:Wow and Blue Bayou. I mean that. That took off on TikTok and everywhere else. I mean that went viral when you did that. It's so Easy is one of my favorites. Yeah, that's, that's hilarious, it's so easy is one of my favorites.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's, that's hilarious. It's so easy is really fun. Uh, at one point I got contacted to do a parody version for morgan and morgan I love that.
Speaker 1:I love that. What about, uh, like I said, the, the Stone Ponies, what was it? Different Drum.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's the song we usually do is Different.
Speaker 1:Drum.
Speaker 2:I really love her song Evergreen, volume 2, stone Ponies. That's one of my favorites. It's very 60s, psychedelic, haunting. Awesome she's not even really singing, she's just kind of like.
Speaker 1:No, but it's Linda Ronstadt. I know that's all she has to do. It's justadt. I know that's all she has to do. It's just, you know that's linda ronstadt. Um, so, what else? What's your day like? I mean, do you have? Uh, I understand, I'm well. I understand because I'm reading it right now that you love reptiles and you have a pet, and you have a pet lizard I'm looking at her right now is it a big lizard?
Speaker 2:yeah, she's like probably as long as my arm. What? Yeah, her name is aussie. She's a blue tongue skink a blue tongue skink.
Speaker 1:So what is it? I mean? Where are they from? How do?
Speaker 3:you? How do you know?
Speaker 1:reptiles. Is this something you've been like? Yeah?
Speaker 2:I've kept lizards since I was like seven years old.
Speaker 1:Chameleons.
Speaker 2:Never chameleons. They're not very. They're not like very interactive lizards Like you would want something. If you wanted a pet lizard and you weren't just into like looking at them and you wanted to actually interact with them, You'd get like a bearded dragon or a blue-tongued skink or something like that.
Speaker 1:I've seen a bearded dragon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, dragon or a blue tongue skink or something like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, they're. They're like the dogs of the lizard world. Yeah, no, I know, I some stuff I do with radio. We ended up going to an exotic pet shop and they had had all the lizards and snakes and the big ass turtles and stuff like that. That. It's just amazing, though amazing, and I was. I called my wife and I said I'm gonna bring home a new pet and she's like don't you dare? So, but it was cool. Do you have to have like the heat lamp on and all that?
Speaker 2:I have, like a time, a timed heat lamp. So it shuts off at night and turns back on in the morning. And she doesn't eat bugs, she literally eats dog food.
Speaker 1:I was just going to ask you. You took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to ask you so does Aussie eat? And what does Aussie eat? But it's dog food.
Speaker 2:Dog food, fruits, eggs, you know. Whatever you give her, she'll probably eat it. I tried to feed her bugs, but she doesn't like them, Like she's just too lazy to go chase them, she just lets them fall around.
Speaker 1:I think when I used to have my chameleons, we used to take the wings off the flies.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know they're a bit of underachievers in that aspect.
Speaker 1:So it also says that you enjoy traveling the world by boat. Have you done that, or you know they put in here I was like who said that? All right, no, I'll reach, I'll reach. It's got a little asterisk and says she loves, enjoys traveling the world by boat, planes, trains and anything else oh, okay, that makes way more sense.
Speaker 2:I was like boats specifically. Um, I've actually always wanted to go on a cruise, but I've never gone on one. I have traveled most of the us, like not, there's only like one little group which is, like you know, the washington, oregon, idaho area. That I haven't really been to, but I've pretty much been to most of the us. I would love to travel more like to europe and asia, but I haven't had the opportunity yet I'm a little nervous.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I would do that right now. It's just me, though. I'm sure, with everything going on in the world, I feel pretty safe right here in the United States. But you know, you read and you hear about all this stuff. I mean I'm sure maybe you'll be fine. I don't know, but it's just me. But yeah, you know what Contact a cruise line, tell them who you are and you want to work a cruise for a few weeks. Wouldn't that be cool?
Speaker 2:That is true. I did get in contact with them one time, but it's always when I'm working. I hope Darren's taking notes. Darren is always taking notes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I got a great email from him today and he even talked about your second single that's coming out and I'm glancing at it here Burn the Bed, and it features Kim Carnes on background vocals. Now, how did you get Kim to do that? Oh my God.
Speaker 2:I know. First of all, what an absolute pleasure to have been in her presence. She is incredible, like just an incredible woman and incredible voice. But we had a connection through the producer that we worked with, Craig, and he was able to reach out to her and she said she'd love to do it, and it was. I don't know it's just moments like that where it's like I really don't know how that happened, but it did, and I'm very grateful for that.
Speaker 1:Charlie Perry is chiming in. Do you know, charlie?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, charlie, I didn't know this was actually live.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's live. And he says and I'm going to bring it all the way up here so I can read it says uh, tristan is a great artist and her family is awesome my family is awesome.
Speaker 2:Thank you, charlie, let's hope you're doing good yeah, they.
Speaker 1:Anybody can chime in at any time, which is I don't know if you can see it on your screen or not, but uh, no, but I got a little larry over here that comments. So that's where charlie is. He's over here on the side okay, I didn't know all that yes, we are live. Oh, we're, absolutely live and um I didn't say nothing crazy.
Speaker 2:I've been like can you cut that in post?
Speaker 1:you're like uh actually, no, we don't do post. This is the real deal and I've been doing this a long time and I just I just love being real and, you know, authentic. Uh, I'd love to show that artists are real, they're authentic, they're real people, that you know what I mean. Just, I want people to see that and I want people to understand that a hundred percent I mean I agree with that yeah, I've.
Speaker 1:You know, I've talked to a lot of big stars on here, and I talked to a lot of big stars on here and I talked to a lot of the independents and a lot of the brand new artists. So it's just the point is to be real, be human, and I always say it's one fan at a time too.
Speaker 2:So yes, somebody could be watching this. Yeah, I have the best fans I can't wait to see, like, what the future brings, but I already have like the best fans ever, yeah.
Speaker 1:Let's back it up a little bit. Tell me about the next single, the next release, burn the bed.
Speaker 2:Okay, burn the bed is a song. I didn't write this one, but it was written by a girl here in Nashville. Her name is Candy Carpenter and I had played a writer's round with her back in like 2017. And she played this song and I've just been in love with it ever since and I would listen to it on Spotify all the time and I could never get it out of my head. Well, about five years ago, she took it off of Spotify, took it off of everything, and I couldn't find it. And I would reach out to her. I'd be like Candy, where did your song go? And she's like it's just not the direction I'm going anymore. And I'm like huh. So I just kept having that song stuck in my head when we started recording and I was like, darren, we should record this song. I'm like listen to it. I'm like this is absolutely just an amazing song and I think somebody needs to, you know, bring it back to be heard, because it wasn't heard enough originally. It's an incredibly moving song, in my opinion.
Speaker 1:So when all these songs drop, or when you release them, where can people go to get them?
Speaker 2:So all of my songs stream on anything you listen to music on. So Spotify, apple music title Pandora. Whatever you're listening on, you can actually buy it on Apple Music. Buy it buy it.
Speaker 1:You've got to buy it.
Speaker 2:You can also check it out on my social media. I'm always posting little clips of me singing the song, so that'll be probably the very first place you hear it. Or come me live, cause I will play unreleased music live all the time.
Speaker 1:I love that. And do you know, arlo is from Mars.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Says hi, Tristan. Tristan is the best singer ever. She's going to be a huge star and I would have to agree.
Speaker 2:Hello. Arlo from mars I love that he is that's now.
Speaker 1:Are these people like? Are they fans in nashville, are they? Uh, just kind of all over I know, charlie's from arkansas very cool arlo's here in tennessee though okay, okay, maybe he's not a nashvillian, but he's close he's close.
Speaker 2:He's on the outskirts.
Speaker 1:He's close. He's close, very close. So I was going to ask you. So tell me a little bit about your day. What's your day like, being who you are?
Speaker 2:I mean as a full-time musician, artist model. Whatever I decide I want to do that day, it is entirely dependent on the gigs that I'm booking. And I'd say, a typical day I wake up, water my plants, because even though I live in an apartment, I got a bunch of plants outside, so I just go, I wake up, I water them, take shower, get dressed, go to the gym, come back, I get ready, I film some content of some sort and then I will, and then after that is when I just do whatever. The big thing is that I need to do. That day Like today was my podcast here with Skip there it is, I did all of that.
Speaker 2:I went grocery shopping too, so I did all of that, and now I'm here.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it and I encourage you to check out a lot of my previous podcasts because I you know Patty Loveless, everybody from Patty Loveless to Sawyer Brown was on the other night to you know, there's a lot of that's really cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's, it's very cool and I'm very blessed to be able to do this and actually have a decent studio to do it in, and it's the real deal, and this is how I get to know artists like yourself as well. And when I come to Nashville, I usually say come on, let's you know I want to buy you lunch, or let's go out and talk, you know, and stuff like that. So that's, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:So a little birdie told me you were pursuing acting I. I've been acting for a long time yeah, okay like like I was a child actor technically but I just did like a lot of commercials and stuff uh I'm still with that agency to this day. Uh, I just got a commercial for like a pharmaceutical company. It's really just here here, there it's not my main focus, but I really enjoy it when it comes through and when I have to take some time and, you know, get, get my acting chops back up.
Speaker 1:No, but at least it's something, something to fall back on a little bit. If you're doing some acting gigs, you've got your you know your artist thing going. Um, how many nights a week do you play out?
Speaker 2:Again, it just depends on the week or the day or what gigs I'm taking. I thought I could do like a Monday, tuesday, wednesday gig, and I absolutely could not, so I don't do that anymore. So I usually perform probably like Friday, saturday, thursdays, and then I go live on TikTok and Instagram, so I'll perform online as well, usually on Wednesdays.
Speaker 1:Do you get down on Broadway at all? Do you do any of those bars or you know?
Speaker 2:Well, that was my Monday through Wednesday gig that I was trying. It was at Kid Rocks. Oh boy, yeah, you've got to have the right time and I just could not do it anymore.
Speaker 1:Were you doing the nighttime shift.
Speaker 2:Yes, I was doing the 10 to 2 am oh my goodness, my sleep schedule is not the same and will never be the same no, no, no.
Speaker 1:You get done it too, and by the time you pack up and get out of there and then you gotta unwind once you get home, it's probably 3, 3, 30 before you're falling.
Speaker 2:Try 5 a Really yes, Because you get home probably around 3, and then you're like I need to decompress and do something, or usually I'm starving so I have to eat first, exactly, but then you don't want to eat so much because you're uh-oh, she disappeared.
Speaker 1:Where'd she go? There you are, you're back.
Speaker 2:Sorry, somebody called me.
Speaker 1:Let me put it on Do not disturb. Yeah, we could answer it.
Speaker 2:Hello, no, I'm just kidding. There she is, I got you.
Speaker 1:But you know you don't want to eat a big meal before you go to bed, but yet again you're hungry. So at least, at least I wouldn't. But everybody's different, everybody's different. So what about singing jingles? Oh, there she goes. We're talking with Tristan McIntosh tonight and I highly recommend that you check out her music. I don't know, I could play a little bit of it again while we're waiting for her to come back. Oh, there she is. I was just kidding. No, no, it's okay. Three, two, one there. No, no, it's okay. Three, two, one. There we go, we're going to bring you back up. Oh, I just got a black screen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, I don't see my camera.
Speaker 1:What did you do? What did you do?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I just joined the same way.
Speaker 1:You know, did you go all the way out and come back in again?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had to. It was frozen.
Speaker 1:Do and come back in again. Yeah, I had to. It was frozen. Do it one more time and I'm going to play a little bit of your song while we wait for you to come back. Okay, all right, here we go. We started the song a little bit earlier. It's Tristan McIntosh. It's called Champagne Rampage. Give it a listen. I hope you like it.
Speaker 3:Here we go, stay bucked. We all know how it's going to end. She's going on a champagne rampage.
Speaker 1:So let me see if I can bring you up. But I'm still getting a little bit of a countdown. And there you are not. And Arlo said Arlo is from Mars, said man, it was just getting good. Skip happens is always good and there's a reason we call it skip happens, because skip happens. Are you there? She can probably hear. Oh, maybe she's coming in over here.
Speaker 1:So let's try this what what, while you're there, I mean, we can still chat, chat. And Arlo was saying that, man, it was just getting good. So you played piano. You started that at the age of four. I'm reading yes, yes, mm-hmm. Yeah, I'm trying to figure out here if they can hear us or not. So they can hear me, but I'm not getting any levels on you. Um, no, no, tristan, uh, why don't you go all the way out again? I'm going to remove you here. You go all the way out, see what happens, and we'll just wait and see what happens. But, arlo, you're right, it was just getting good.
Speaker 1:It's one thing we do with Skip Happens. If you subscribe, you go to YouTube, subscribe to Skip Happens or follow me on my Facebook, because I don't want anybody to miss any of these interviews. They are. Usually you find stuff out about an artist that you had no idea, but we'll see what she does here in just a moment. We've been chatting with Tristan McIntosh, american Idol, back when she was 15, and that was in 2016. She finished six and now she is out doing their. Oh yeah, I think so, I think so, yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Tristan McIntosh. I've done it. I've done. Yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for.
Speaker 2:Tristan McIntosh. I've done it. I've done the impossible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know what you did, but you did it, that's all that matters. I don't know. You know technology. It's so weird.
Speaker 2:It is weird.
Speaker 1:Now Arlo's Arlo's going to feel better. Now Arlo from Mars is going to feel better. So what are your? Some of your hobbies that you like to skateboard?
Speaker 2:Oh, I do. I love skateboarding. That's the only time I've ever really hurt myself. Too is skateboarding. I like to skate. I do yoga a lot, Okay, I like reading. I don't read as much as I used to, but I still enjoy it. I like gardening.
Speaker 1:You collect vinyl records.
Speaker 2:Oh, I do.
Speaker 1:I have so many like really way too many. I have not even listened to them all. Like, give us an idea. When you go to get a vinyl record or some or some sort of music, there's something you're looking for there's always something I'm looking for, but I always find something that I'm not looking for as well and it's simply more expensive yeah, true, how many do you think you have? It's in the hundreds for sure cool, and do you have the turntable that plugs into the computer with the usb?
Speaker 2:no, I have a crossley, so it's like five and one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah very cool, very cool.
Speaker 1:and that's do you just, it's like a five in one, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, very cool, very cool. And that do you just. It's like some night, when you don't have anything planned, you just throw an album on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I put an album on. You know, put some incense, go in. You know, have a glass of wine. It's really relaxing.
Speaker 1:Red or white.
Speaker 2:White. Okay, yeah, I don't drink red wine and everybody gets mad at me for it, but it's fine.
Speaker 1:You know, most women that I talk to it'd be a red wine and a lot of the guys go with white. I have no idea, but I can go either way with that.
Speaker 2:It's just lighter. The red is just like such a bold taste.
Speaker 1:So I mean, do you, when you go out for fun, where do you go? Here in Nashville, yeah. So I mean, do you when you go out for?
Speaker 2:fun. Where do you go? Uh, here in nashville. Yeah, you don't go to broadway, do you? No?
Speaker 1:no, self-respecting local goes to broadway unless they have some friends in town I'm gonna stop you for a second, because every that's almost the exact same answer, doesn't matter who I'm talking to. You get the the well, you know, I have family in town. I got some friends in town. I'll take them down there and show them what it's like this and that, but no, when they're not here. No, no, we're going in the other direction.
Speaker 2:So unless I'm working, that's the only other reason you'll catch me down there.
Speaker 1:Ah, you know what and talking about that is we were talking about a few minutes ago why couldn't you get a shift like 10 till two, like during the day, from morning to, because music's going, you know, from the crack of dawn till God knows when, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, you can. You could if you wanted to, but I don't really wake up that early, it's harder on the voice to sing in the morning. Oh, that's true because you're not warmed up at all yeah, and speaking of that, did you have voice lessons? Growing.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I took voice lessons for five years excellent, and what's the best thing you can do for your voice hydrate.
Speaker 2:Hydrate is very important. And relax. Relax, like that is the biggest one, like let go of all the tension in your body, because if you have tension, you're holding it in your neck and you're going to strain your voice really good advice I also use like a steamer, so I just steam my voice when it feels extra tired and steroid shots. That's the.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, that's good for the vocal cords.
Speaker 2:When you get really like, when you lose your voice and you need it to come back really fast. That's a secret.
Speaker 1:That's a secret. You just let the secret out of the bag.
Speaker 2:Yes and Zycam, zycam.
Speaker 1:Oh, zycam, absolutely. If you feel something coming on, yes, don't even let it get bad, just start popping the Zycam. Just take the Zycam, exactly, exactly. When you talk about hydrate, though, is it just plain water?
Speaker 2:Is it lemon?
Speaker 1:water? Is it warm water, water, electrolytes, tea, tea.
Speaker 2:Tea. I know everybody talks about it, but I still feel like it's underrated. Like nobody, the throat coat tea is the best one. I'm sure you probably heard that before I have throat coat tea with like way too much honey and super hot water wow see, I think people think like give me a cold water.
Speaker 2:But I've been told that if you're an artist you gotta have like room temperature water or liquid it's preferred like you don't have to, but it's probably better for your voice if you don't have cold water. But you know the at venues you just take whatever they give you.
Speaker 1:So if it sits long enough, it'll warm up yeah, my favorite water is a free, so free okay and spring spring water spring water. Exactly, I got you there. What about the bluebird cafe? I was reading that you had a chance to perform there oh, I love the bluebird.
Speaker 2:I performed there for the first time when I was like 12 years old. I performed three original songs that I had written, uh, and I just performed again recently, which was incredible, kind of like full circle moment, and they've changed up the layout a lot. It's very, very. It's much more intimate, and it was already an intimate venue. The first time I tried, the roof started leaking so they had to reschedule it, but the second time they have four people sit in the middle and all the patrons are around that circle, like instead of it being a stage, and people are here.
Speaker 2:You're in the middle and everybody is surrounding you and it's. It was really cool.
Speaker 1:I really liked it do you feel intimidated at all or like you're playing the bluebird? We've all heard about the bluebird. I mean, we saw a rendition of it when we used to watch nashville here a few years ago uh, even though that wasn't the real bluebird, but uh, still. Do you feel? Do you get nervous when you play the bluebird?
Speaker 2:just just to know that it's very intimate and very one-on-one I get nervous playing anything like you can put me in front of one person and I'll be nervous. No, seriously, like it if you love it. That feeling does not go away in my opinion. Like it's not gonna go away, and I feel that way regardless of the size or where I'm playing. I mean, I don't feel particularly intimidated by any stage and the Bluebird is very, very comforting place to play. So I wouldn't say I felt more nervous than usual, but I did feel nervous.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, doing what I do and being on the radio is one thing, but I do a lot of shows. I go out and do what we call the presents, introduce the artist to the audience and this, and that I get like, before I go on, I get I don't know, maybe you can relate that you get like, oh my God, okay, here we go, here we go. Oh my God, oh my God, my heart's pounding, it's like. But once I go out to earth, and then all of a sudden I'm really comfortable. I don't you say you, you stay. I guess I'm comfortable, but maybe not as comfortable as if I wasn't doing it, but still, it's yeah.
Speaker 2:Once you hear it, then you come back down I mean when you're on stage, like everything kind of disappears, like I've been sicker than a dog and gone on stage and all of the symptoms will disappear for the time that I'm on stage, and then 10 minutes later, once I get off, they'll all come back, they're all bad but it's just such, I don't know.
Speaker 2:It's very spiritual and, in my opinion, just the way that singing and the adrenaline affects you in that way to where you are able to deliver what you have to do regardless of what you are feeling like inside or like sickness.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love my friend Chrissy is watching as well. Gave us the thumbs up and a big shout out to you, chrissy, thank you, thank you for having me it happens. Yeah, she is so awesome, she is just so awesome.
Speaker 2:So awesome. She's been through a lot for being awesome.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, you know what I always say you take a good day and you make it great. I say that every single day, every day is a good day, but make it a great day. That's all. That's what it's about. Yeah, exactly right, is there? Um, let me ask you this where would you like to see yourself in five years?
Speaker 2:Shoot. I mean I think I'd probably still be in Nashville, but I like, where do I see myself living? Or just no, no, no.
Speaker 1:As a person as Tristan McIntosh. Where would you like to be in five years?
Speaker 2:where? Where would you like to be in five years, man? I mean, I would just like to be doing what I do now singing, writing just on a larger scale, you know, a bit more regimented, having a really solid team. I just I want to do what I do and, I guess, get that to more people and really help others with my platform, because I personally think that a lot of these big artists could really be using their platform to help out young like younger artists, and just their communities as well, and that's something that I've really really been eager to do that when I gain somewhat of a platform, I want to be able to use it to help artists that I believe in and also to help my community.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that. Now I'm going to ask you a really crazy question. She's getting all nervous. No, so what was your favorite toy growing up? You must have had a favorite toy it was a book a book. Yeah, you were a bookworm then.
Speaker 2:Yes, very much always reading a book like, quite literally, when I was a kid I was so anti-social. I would be reading a book, it would be my turn to go on stage, I would perform and I'd come back and go back to reading.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, and what?
Speaker 2:kind of book would it be Most likely it would have been the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
Speaker 1:Ah, love it. Love it Very nice.
Speaker 2:But anything fantasy fiction I love. I can't do the self-help books. I've tried, I've tried. They're just not interesting at all.
Speaker 1:And if help books. I've tried, I've tried, they're just not interesting at all. And if I was to get in your car truck right now, what's the first thing if I was to turn on the?
Speaker 2:radio, what, what would be playing? Oh, that's a good. What am I listening to? Uh, what was I listening to today? This is gonna be just out of pocket, but it's just. It's just frank Pyramids. When I go on my run, that is like the first thing that I listen to. It's like such a long song. It's like seven, eight minutes long, but it's really good.
Speaker 1:Do you have a favorite place to go on vacation If you want to get out of Nashville, is there a spot or a place that you would like to go with family or whoever and go and hang out?
Speaker 2:Well, my parents have a cabin down in Alabama and I really enjoy spending time with them there, my family, or just taking my friends down there, just relaxing, going fishing, have some go kayaking. It's just really nice. You fish, you fish. I could fish before I could talk.
Speaker 1:No, I love it, I love it, I love it, and are you one of those that will actually handle the fish?
Speaker 3:Oh 100%.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh 100%.
Speaker 2:All stages, from beginning to end. I can fix the reel, the rod. I can get the hook stuck out of the tree. I can get it out of the mouth. I love it. I got all of it down, I can get it out of the mouth, like I love it, all of it down. I've been doing it.
Speaker 1:You bait your own, hook, you bet your own hook 100%.
Speaker 3:I love it.
Speaker 2:I love it Artificial worms, crickets.
Speaker 1:Let's go back to music. How soon before we see it. How soon before we see a complete album? Well, I warned you that this podcast goes all over the place. That's what I do.
Speaker 2:No, I love it.
Speaker 1:It's a lot of fun, but when will we see a first full length album from you?
Speaker 2:So there is no official date yet, because we don't not. All the songs aren't even written yet, so you know they're probably still in my brain somewhere. But you can definitely expect the next single sometime in the fall. I love it. I would say probably like November.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay Is that a wink. I'll watch for it. And then here's the deal. You know, when you drop your next song, you got to tell your manager, you got to tell Darren say, hey, we need to call skip, we need to get a skip happens and we need to talk about this next song because I want to be there for you every step of the way.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, thank you so much. That's what we do.
Speaker 1:That's what I do. I embrace the independent artists, even the local artists here in town, everywhere. That's that's what I do, and everybody deserves to be heard, everybody deserves to have a chance.
Speaker 1:So and and and if you don't I mean if you weren't doing what you were well, obviously you've got a little bit of a background with the idol thing and all that and working your way up through and you've made a name for yourself. But you know, if you weren't doing this you'd regret it. So at least you're giving it a try and for you, you're being very successful.
Speaker 2:It is all just you know. Keep it pushing, never give up. Hard work Always.
Speaker 1:I see it looks like Richard DeLuca jr. I got to lean. Yeah, you know because, hey, tristan, I got to lean here. Good seeing you just found out two minutes ago, so apparently just found out we were on. But here's the deal. This is posted. It'll always be up. Tristan, you'll have a link, I'll make sure your manager gets a link and you're welcome to share that. So just whatever.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:You know, I mean, it works two ways. But so once again, do you have where can they go to get your music?
Speaker 2:You can go to Spotify, Apple Music, anywhere you listen. Type in Tristan McIntosh. If that don't work, type in Champagne Rampage. If that don't work, go get a new phone.
Speaker 1:Because I don't know what's going on after that. I need you to do me a jingle for the Skip Happens podcast.
Speaker 3:A jingle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you said jingles or you did some jingles. That'd be cool.
Speaker 2:I do jingles. That is on my resume it is.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it, tristan, I love you. I love you for you, who you are, your music and, uh, you know you're off and running girl and you're doing it in nashville now. Is there any family there in nashville with you now? Oh yeah, most of my family lives here okay, I didn't know. But you said, you got your own place.
Speaker 2:But then yeah, I live alone, but they're.
Speaker 1:They're a hop skip and a jump away from me, that's all close enough where, if you need mom or whatever, you can, yeah, yeah, and what branch of the military was your mom? She's an army, oh cool cool, was she a lifer when it came to that?
Speaker 2:she was in for 24 years.
Speaker 1:Okay, that explains it.
Speaker 2:She's a major, major pain major pain.
Speaker 1:Well, god bless her and thank her for me, for her service. And you know, usually you see, you hear some of the women going in, but it's usually more. You know, the men have been there and back again.
Speaker 2:So but God bless her. She's tougher than most of them. You do something wrong. She's tougher than most of them.
Speaker 1:You do something wrong. She's going to kick your ass is what you're saying. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You do some. You even like think of doing something wrong. You don't even got to do it. She just knows.
Speaker 1:She knows that that's what moms do. Absolutely, kristen. I want to say thank you for coming on. Skip Happens tonight and Skip Happened. We lost couple of minutes, but you came back.
Speaker 1:Uh, you know, that's skip happens and uh, you know, hopefully people, when they watch this, they will look up your new single, a champagne rampage. Uh, hopefully they'll watch for the next one to come out. Hopefully they'll buy your music to support you. Uh, that if it's, you go to itunes, you can download it, you can buy it and just you're supporting the artist by doing that. For example, tristan, and I do remember you from Idol back in the day, so it's kind of can you believe it was that long ago, holy crap.
Speaker 2:No, I can't, I don't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy, tristan, it's storming here. Oh, is that thunder? I just heard. Yeah, yes, oh, is that thunder? I just heard. Yeah, yes, I love it. Well, nothing here, be careful. No, I know, I just heard that crack, though I heard the thunder.
Speaker 2:No, it's loud.
Speaker 1:I know you know what I don't know about you, but we're going to get off here in a minute. But a good thunderstorm, I love it, as long as there's no damage and nobody.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean except for the fact that it's been so gloomy for the past two weeks here oh, that's not good I'm tired of it yeah, and for example, what was the temperature there today?
Speaker 1:yeah all right, it was 90 here too in the northeast, so hey, in the northeast yeah, yeah, we got another heat wave going three days of 90 or better, it's considered a heat wave. So all right yeah see, just telling you, just telling you what it's all about. Tristan, you're awesome. Thank you for coming on tonight. Uh, thank you everybody for watching. It was a good time. We found out about tristan mcintosh. Uh, her single is out there. Go buy it, buy it. Don't just listen to it.
Speaker 2:You need to buy, you need to support the artist and follow me on instagram and facebook and whatever you have social media on. That is the most important part, because that's where you'll hear all of the updates.
Speaker 1:God, I love that I'm there for you either way and remember when something else drops, you get a hold of me, darren darren knows how to get a hold of me. Uh, tristan, you stay right there. Thank you for watching everybody. Uh, have a great night. Enjoy the thunderstorm. Did I just hear it again?
Speaker 2:No, that's my air conditioning.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it, Tristan. Thanks for joining us on Skip Happens tonight.
Speaker 2:Thank you, it's been such a good time, my pleasure.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's always a lot of fun. Stay right there. Good night everybody.