Rising Music Star Thomas Goforth On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Eden Gold

That pursuing music will be one of the hardest things you do.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Thomas Goforth.

Thomas Goforth has been rapidly gaining recognition in the Nashville music scene, drawing comparisons to current hit-makers like Morgan Wallen, Sam Hunt, and Dustin Lynch. His independent releases, including “Devilish,” “Mile Outta Town,” “All She Wrote,” and “Black and Blue,” have collectively garnered nearly 225K on-demand streams, solidifying his status as a formidable newcomer in country music. This year, he has performed at notable events such as Whiskey Jam and CMA Fest at Ole Smoky Moonshine, further establishing his presence in the industry.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity, thank you! I was born and raised in the small town of Barnhart, which is about 30 minutes south of downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a small town but everything you need is within a 10 minute drive so I didn’t have to leave it much. I played some sports growing up like football and baseball, but nothing really kept my interest like making music did. As a kid my favorite music artist was Eminem, I admired his ability to rhyme and tell stories through his music. I listened to rap/hip-hop music for most of my young life, but my parents split up when I was young so when I was with my dad, we listened to a lot of rock and country music. My dad and I would have our own private concerts in his car and we would basically blow the speakers out, lol. We loved listening to Nickelback on repeat. Fast forward to around when I was 16/17, I listened to all genres of music pretty much, still a lot of Eminem, Lil Wayne and Drake. It wasn’t until my early adult life when I really began appreciating country music. Now all I listen to basically is country, however one of my all-time favorite bands to listen to on any day is Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks has a voice like no other and the stories they tell through their music inspires me so much. So these days I’m listening to a bunch of Morgan Wallen, Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch, and Fleetwood Mac. I also really like George Birge, I just heard him for the first time this year and he’s got a great sound. I grew up in a blue collar family, so I’ve been an electrician all my life. As far as my childhood goes, I have no complaints. My parents did anything and everything for me and my younger sister Claire.

What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?

I’ve thought back many times to try and figure out what drew me to wanting to create music and I can’t really put my finger on it. I know that I really loved hearing rhythms and rhyming words. I can say that I remember certain songs making me feel different types of ways, whether it be happy or sad. I guess maybe I wanted to be able to make people feel a certain feeling through music. Music has been the only thing that I’ve come back to multiple times. I was born into a blue collar family so I’ve pursued a lot of construction related jobs and ran my own business in the past, but nothing compares to the feeling I get when making music. I just love the process of going into a studio with ideas and coming out with something awesome. Maybe it was Eminem that inspired me in the very beginning, I can’t say for sure.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I’m not sure I have a most interesting story, but I do have a story that I think is pretty cool. I was about 18 I think and I was in the studio working on some songs, when the rapper Chingy walked in. He was just coming in to say hi to the studio engineer because they were friends, but he talked to me also and introduced himself. Growing up I listened to Chingy all the time so to me that was crazy that he was standing right there by me. Anyways, he agreed to feature on a song with me and we made a track together. I believe I removed it from the internet because I was going in a different direction with my music at the time, but I still thought it was pretty awesome. He’s a super nice guy.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I agree with that statement completely. When I was first starting I got scammed quite a few times by people online. I wanted so badly to just get myself out there and advance my music as much as possible, and I was willing to spend money to do it. But, the people that were reaching out saying they could help me were not really who they said they were. Later in life I realized that good things take patience and faith. Those two things to me are most important. Even today I get excited about opportunities, but I know that I have to be patient for them to happen at the right time.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

That’s a tough one because I have so many people rooting for me. But I can say that my mom has always tried to put me in the right room or place with the right people to help my music career. Whatever she or I thought I needed in order to advance in music, she did whatever she could to make it happen. So I’m extremely grateful for her. Currently at this time in my music career, I would not be where I am without my very good friends Anthony Rankin and Kate Ryder. They have helped me navigate through this musical journey so much in the last 2 years. The knowledge they’ve given me and just the friendship we’ve created is priceless to me.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just recently released my first duet single so that was pretty awesome! Currently I have about 6 unreleased singles that I’m planning to put out that I’m really excited for. I think these next songs will really help define my sound. In the beginning of my country music journey I couldn’t really pinpoint my sound and what I wanted it to be. But I think these songs I have will help with that for sure.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

When I think of diversity I think of the people that I call “game changers”. To me these are people like Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Sam Hunt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Denzel Washington. They all brought something new to their worlds that no one had seen before or at least in a long time. I think that you have to have diversity to shock the culture. Things become stagnant and people are always looking for something new. So when you can bring in something new and exciting to an area, It creates a new base line. Now the bar gets set at a new level and it gives people motivation to try harder. I think we as humans want to always try and outperform one another, so if you can bring in diversity you will have an upper hand.

As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?

I have definitely faced many challenges through my journey and I will face many more. I will start by saying that for me, staying motivated has been the toughest part of the journey. When you see all of these people achieving everything that you want to achieve, it’s hard not to think “when is it my turn?”. I have daily affirmations and prayers that I say every day to keep my mind moving forward and on the right track. I tell myself that I have everything it takes to be where I want to be. I try to surround myself with good people that want the same for me. Staying on track and moving forward is a job in itself. But I have to do it for me, because no one else is going too. I know that I have to put in the work or it won’t happen. These days I try to look at everything as an opportunity, whether it goes how I want it to go or not at least I got the opportunity to try. One of the biggest things I pray to God for everyday is opportunity.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1 . That pursuing music will be one of the hardest things you do.

2 . It won’t happen overnight.

3 . You must have patience.

4 . Play live shows as much as possible.

5 . Learn an instrument.

Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?

For me, songwriting can be all different. A rhythm might randomly come to me or even an idea for a chorus. I always right all of my ideas down even if I might not ever use them because you never know when you’ll need them. I used to write all of my songs myself, but these days I write a lot with friends in Nashville. We bounce ideas off of each other and whichever idea sticks is the one we go with! Most of my collaborations have come about through social media. My favorite thing to do is message people on Instagram to see if they respond. Worse thing that can happen is they don’t respond.

Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?

I’d like to believe that my music helps people with certain things they might be going through in life. My goal is to give people good music that they can relate to. I try to also blend different genres together in my songs. Country music in my opinion is very much changing and blending with other music.

How do you connect with your audience?

I try to connect with my audience by always responding to messages and interacting with comments on social media. I also try to let my fans know when I’m planning to release new music by putting out snippets of new songs.

With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?

At this point in my career, I don’t have so many shows that it’s really changed my personal life. So I’m able to maintain everything pretty easily. However, my goal is to build such a big name for myself in the country music scene that it does change my entire life and I’ll just have to maintain it as it comes to me.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :)

I genuinely believe that believing in yourself is so powerful. Telling yourself every day that you are good enough and that you do have what it takes does more than people actually realize. So if I could create a movement it would be for people to physically tell themselves everyday all day that they are good enough to be or have whatever it is they desire. Self-motivation mixed with faith can do wonders.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I guess it would have to be Stevie Nicks. I would love to talk with her about the parties she’s been to and just about her past life in general. I’d probably also try to convince her to make a song with me as well!

How can our readers continue to follow your work online?

I’d say my biggest platform is Instagram. I post as much as I can on there so people can stay up to date with what I have going on.

https://www.instagram.com/thomasgoforthmusic/

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.

Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.