Brandon Hutcheson, a 20-year-old from Guelph, is releasing his first song on all major streaming music platforms on May 8.
Don’t Say is a confrontational song Hutcheson wrote a year ago after going through a toxic relationship. The song aims to encourage listeners to rise up after a difficult relationship filled with tales and tricks.
“It’s just about getting to the point where you know everything is a lie at this point and you’d rather them just basically shut up and not say anything because you’re just over it,” said Hutcheson.
Raised in the South end of the city, Hutcheson was very involved in the music program while he attended Bishop Macdonell.
He said his interest in music sparked at the age of 10 when he learned how to play the piano after looking up to Elton John. Years after learning how to play the piano, he picked up a guitar and received vocal training in the comfort of his home through online education and YouTube videos.
“I wasn’t really confident at the time to go out and perform so I kind of just stayed to myself and bought a little mic and recorded in my room,” said Hutcheson who then began to receive positive feedback from his friends when they discovered his work.
“They said ‘hey why don’t you pursue that?’ and I never thought about that. I was posting covers of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and I got a lot of great feedback from that.”
Hutcheson said he then began to write to create original content inspired by Khalid, a singer whose music is more contemporary R&B.
“That’s kind of where my voice is at. It’s more on the R&B side,” said Hutcheson.
“That’s when everything started to come together. I got producers started to contact me because they heard my stuff on Instagram,” said Hutcheson who later recorded two songs with a Toronto based music producer.
Hutcheson who currently has a commercial pilot license says his long term goal is to pursue a career in music and it all depends on how well his music is received in the coming years.
He says if things don’t work out in the music industry, a career as a pilot is an excellent profession to fall back on. And with the current pandemic, he says he has all the more time and creativity to put into his songs.
“All my piano, my guitar and my recording equipment are all just in one space just right next to my bed so literally whenever I get some inspiration I move two steps to the right,” said Hutcheson.
He is currently in the process of writing more songs and an EP in the near future with several supporters around him, particularly his parents.
“They’re literally the most supportive parents anyone could ask for,” said Hutcheson.
“They’re more excited that my song is getting released.”
