YSB Tril
Talks New Project, Influences, and Evolving as An Artist
By Brennan Greenwald
ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE 〰️
YSB is more than just a catchy moniker. It is an acronym for “Young Self-Made Boss,” and serves as the mantra and continual form of inspiration behind Clayton, North Carolina native and Interscope artist YSB Tril. YSB Tril is building off his success in 2021 and is proving again in 2022 that he is one of the most captivating and unique up-and-coming artists in the rap game. He boasts over 15 million streams on his 2021 released debut project, HOTSHOT, and roughly 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. YSB Tril’s name and sound may ring a bell amongst sports fans, as he has received substantial exposure via the sports industry. His song “Count Me In” is featured in the Madden NFL 22 soundtrack, “AIN’T THE SAME” was used by the NBA and Toronto Raptors before tip-off during the 2021 regular season, and Tril performed in the 2KFest event last year hosted by mega-popular video game brand NBA 2K. His latest project, STARSTRUCK 2, dropped on March 25th. In a press conference hosted by Universal Music’s creative solutions team,°1824, YSB Tril spoke about the new project and his distinctive sound.
YSB Tril has carved out a distinguishable sound that fuses elements from rap, trap, pop, and R&B. Tril’s earliest exposure to music began with artists his mom listened to while he was growing up, such as Beyonce, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys. Tril explained how his exposure to music evolved as he matured. “As I got older and started really just growing into myself, I was listening to weird stuff you would never expect to listen to like Jonas Brothers and stuff like that. And then eventually my cousin introduced me to Lil Wayne and then that’s when I just really got into rap music and went crazy.”
Tril’s style and delivery are reminiscent of industry heavyweights Roddy Ricch, Juice WRLD, and Lil Tjay. He credits Juice WRLD as one of his biggest influences stating, “When I was really getting into music, like heavy, heavy, as an artist. I was just listening to Juice WRLD a lot… Listening to the way he did things and I kinda took that and made it my own… he made me want to experiment with melodic shit.” He certainly draws influence from both Juice, Roddy, and Lil Tjay while also incorporating catchy choruses and melodies of stereotypical modern-day pop hits. When asked what direction his music is going, Tril responded, “this year you can definitely expect more experimentation… I’ve been doing a lot of pop-ish stuff, some more R&B-is like trap, soul ish stuff. I’ve been kinda everywhere… I got a lot of different types of music.”
STARSTRUCK 2 is the sequel to the Startstruck EP Tril released in 2019. The evolution between the two projects exhibits Tril’s progression as an artist. Tril explained “I want people to understand my versatility. Because I feel like I’ll definitely be able to showcase that way more on this project. I’ve branched out a little bit… I feel like on this project it just shows how much more mature my sound has gotten.” The 8 track project is riveting front to back. The track that has been especially well-received by listeners is “PARALYZED” which features hyper pop sensation midwxst.
YSB Tril and midwxst on a track together is a match made in heaven. The chemistry is truly pronounced. Tril spoke on the experience of collaborating with midwxst. “Edgar [midwxst] is just a super cool person… I had been talking to him for a decent amount of time. I started talking to him around when he dropped ‘Trying’ and we just kinda been tapped in ever since. Then I made that song ‘PARALYZED’ and I thought he’d just be a good fit.”
A good fit he certainly was. YSB Tril and midwxst recount a previous lover which has left them lamenting. It is an emotionally charged track that ponders the impact of a lost relationship and having to let them go. Tril harmonizes on the chorus, “You left me paralyzed / Hard to find someone to touch / When this world is so sterilized / Tryna watch the back of my heart, I was terrified.” The beat on the track is infectious. The duos’ melodic and serene verses are magically illuminated by the vibrant 808 drums, slick guitar riffs, and chattering percussions from the beat. Fans are encouraging the Tril and midwxst to partake in future collaborations as they desperately await more releases from the duo.
When Tril was asked about his mantra (created by his friend and collaborator YSB Eli) and what it meant to him, he stated, “As a person, I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to depend on other people, I really just like to do it myself. Because, if I mess it up then I know it's my fault and I don’t really like to put the blame on other people.” Powered by this sentiment, Tril continues to blaze his own trail with his eclectic, personalized music style. Stream STARSTRUCK 2 from the link provided and keep up with him on Instagram @ysbtril.