Chad Tepper
Photo Credit: Mark Adriane
Chad Tepper never shies away from the bigger and better. Through an entertainment career that spans over half a decade, the influencer has gained nearly 2.5 million social media followers through comedic bits and head-turning content. In more recent years, however, he’s shown a new side to himself – one that appears to have always been his calling. These days, Chad Tepper makes dope punk-rock songs. The artist receives over 250k monthly listeners and is nearing one million Spotify streams for his song “Loser.”
The artist’s musical direction is a direct product of his upbringing; he was once a professional skateboarder, which naturally meant listening to rock royalty like Sum 41, The Killers, and Nirvana. Now, he puts his pen to paper in creating his alt-rock jams. With collaborations with MOD SON, Lil Xan, and Cheat Codes only adding to his impressive resume, he’s set to release his newest single, “LONELY TONIGHT” which is set to release on February 19th! We recently spoke to Chad about his life as an influencer, the best advice he’s ever received, and more!
Hey Chad! Let’s talk about the new single — “Lonely Tonight” is fantastic. What was the inspiration for the track?
Hey guys! So for “Lonely Tonight,” I aimed for a pop-punk jam that felt like the 2000s all over again. I just wanted to create a feel-good song that just makes you wanna dance and sing. I’m not going to lie to you; I’ve been listening to a lot of Metro Station lately.
Your route to pop-punk has served you well over the past year. Why take this direction with your music?
I’ve been making pop-punk for the past two years but I’m just now starting to go the alternative route. This has been my type of music. I’ve listened to it for my whole entire life! It’s the music that I fell in love with early on and the reason I started recording in the first place.
Who are some of the artists that have helped to influence this sound?
Growing up, my mom bought me a Sum 41 CD and that completely changed my life. I’ve always listened to Weezer, P.O.D, Green Day, blink-182, The Killers, Good Charlotte, Limp Bizkit, and Nirvana! I love all the hits from the 60s all the way through the 2000s, and in my opinion, those are the best years for music. I used to be a professional skateboarder and always did stupid jack ass stunts; when I started to make rock music, it all just started to make sense.
I’ve also been writing poetry and music my entire life. I had the opportunity to sign with a major label and they put me in the studio with a few rock producers. The sound that came from that session was just unbelievable. I never signed to that label but I’ve learned a lot during that time – now I record as an independent artist. Soon after that, though, I did a song with MOD SUN called “Hey Hey Hey” and he suggested that this was the music that I had to make. I released “I Want To Be Your High” with the Dreamers in December and it took off from there. The music I have coming out right now is the best music I’ve ever made in my life. Super nostalgic. If you’re a fan of pop-punk or 2000s pop-punk, you’re gonna love the new music coming out!
It seems that the pandemic has had an effect on many of the artists that we interview. Has it affected our creative process at all?
This pandemic has been horrible for me. My best friend and the first producer that ever recorded me, Diego Farias from the band Volumes, passed away right before. I was stuck at home all alone battling that. Luckily, I’ve been sober now for a year and a half so that helped, even though I did relapse during the pandemic. I have built myself a full studio in my backyard with drum sets, guitars, ukuleles, and anything I would ever need to make music. I’m just ready to get on the road and tour live shows are everything.
Photo Credit: Mark Adriane
Walk us through a typical studio session. How does the typical Chad Tepper song come to be?
So in a typical studio session, I’ll normally show up about 10 minutes before I’m supposed to start. I’ll smoke a cigarette, drink some coffee, and then we go in. On any given day, we’ll either make a beat from scratch or work with one they have lined up for me. I kinda just say some random bullshit to start out and get the flows down. Then, we’ll go back into it, write over it, and most importantly, figure out what I wanna convey in the song. I like to write a lot of my music but sometimes I have some of my homies help me, too!
I like to finish a song within one session because I feel like you’re capturing a vibe. I’ll never make a song then go back in a couple of days later or weeks later because it never works out. A lot of my studio sessions were just having fun and vibing out.
What is the biggest difference between life as an influencer and as a musician?
Me being an influencer is me actually working a job from 9 to 5. But me writing and making music is my passion, love, desire, and my life. It’s just me having fun. It’s such a different world because music is something I actually really enjoy doing. And seeing that I’ve been doing it my whole life, It just makes sense for me to pursue it.
What is the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice that I’ve ever received; I was working at a department store and I was talking to a security guard about how my girlfriend left me, my life was horrible, and I had no money. He told me that everything good and bad will come to an end, so you have to enjoy every moment of your life. That stuck with me.
Do you ever feel pressured to make music/content? If so, how do you get past that?
I never feel pressured to make music. I have about 40 songs that are unreleased and I’m literally in the studio five times a week. Music-making is a drug to me, I love it. Like me talking to a therapist, I need music to survive.
As for me making content, I love making music videos and content around music because it’s my passion. I’ve directed and co-directed a lot of my music videos and helped design the sets.
Chad Tepper’s music is ___
My music is that feel-good nostalgic pop-punk from when you were a kid and just wanted to go skateboarding outside and just be a fucking idiot. God, I miss those days.
Who are you teaming up with for a dream collab?
I have a huge dream collab coming out either my next song or the one after. It will blow minds; they haven’t had a song out for years and have never done a feature before. Cannot wait for that to come out, it’s such a dream.
You’ve had one heck of a journey so far. Is there a moment that comes to mind that still feels surreal to you?
I was working at a coffee shop with no money and sleeping on a couch in a living room when I got my first check for $10,000. It changed my life and I’ll never forget that moment. My mom was still in a trailer in Florida at the time and I sent money home to her. I went and bought a shitty $500 car and I took my girl out on a date. That was one of the best moments of my life. Oh yeah, and I also quit my shitty coffee job.
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
Everybody that’s behind the scenes in my music; I owe them my life. My manager Niko Allison at Spotify, my booking agent Mike, my two badass lawyers, my producers, my homies that help me shoot music videos, and my first producer who recorded me – rest in peace Diego. And last but not least, a huge thank you to my ex-girlfriend Sara! She’s one hell of a muse, love you forever! I don’t take credit for any of this. It’s everybody that helps me, believes me, and listens to my music, and shows up as a friend. I love you guys.
What more can we expect from Chad Tepper in 2021?
2021 is going to be fucking insane. I have so much new music, huge collaborations, and huge features. Let’s just hope Covid clears up and we can go on tour again!
Photo Credit: Mark Adriane