// INTERVIEW
He's getting in tune with singer Tyler Hilton
Kids Stuff
By William Feldman
Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today's column includes a one-on-one interview with singer Tyler Hilton.
I am sure most kids are familiar with Tyler Hilton, either from his music or his debut on the One Tree Hill TV series on the WB network. Tyler Hilton is his real name. I did ask if he was a Hilton. He joked he is not related to the Hilton family.
Tyler, 21, was interested in music as far back as he can remember. All of his family is musically oriented.
"Seeing them playing their musical instruments, hearing how good it sounded when they harmonized, and seeing how much fun they had, made me want to play music as well," he said.
Tyler's father and Elvis Presley had the greatest impact on his interest in music.
"My dad was always playing his guitar and Elvis was the musician that I really became obsessed with when I was younger," he said. "I dug everything about the way he sang blues tunes, the way he redid them and his choice of songs."
Tyler set a goal for himself at a young age to pursue a career in music, and eventually his dream came true.
Tyler's favorite musician of all time is Robert Johnson.
"He was a great player and an awesome songwriter," Tyler said. "I loved his voice. More importantly, a lot of people have these qualities, but he had a great story to go along with it."
Who had Tyler met? A couple of years ago when he was signed to Maverick Record Co., he met Michelle Branch.
"Ever since then, we have been very good friends. I had a chance to tour with her a couple of times. She is very nice, a lot of fun and a nice, stable person to know," he said.
He also mentioned Reese Witherspoon, of Legally Blonde. She is one of my favorites. He met her when he was filming Walk the Line.
"I'd never been in a movie or acting project before. I was kind of nervous about that," he said. "I was wondering what it would be like to act with such a great star. It turns out she was pretty nervous too, because she had to sing and dance in the scene we were filming that day. She really didn't know anything about music. It was nice to know she was just as nervous as I was. Reese was really great, down to earth and humble. That's surprising for someone who is so exposed."
How does a singer become an actor?
"It started in elementary school, a little more in middle school, but I really started digging it in high school," he said. "I tried out for all the plays there. I became real serious about it in high school. I didn't know if I would be doing it professionally outside of high school until this movie, Walk the Line, about Johnny Cash. They started auditioning musicians; I came and auditioned, and they wondered if I could act, playing Elvis in it. The same thing happened with One Tree Hill."
In the Johnny Cash movie, Tyler got to sing two Elvis songs: That's Alright Mama and Little Cowboys Bleed.
Does Tyler relate to his character in One Tree Hill in any way?
"I think our love for music is similar," he said. "Other than that, he is so cocky. I know people like that, so it is fun to play him, but I don't think we have much in common as far as that is concerned."
Tyler does not see himself pursuing a full-time acting career over his musical career. However, he would like to continue to do the small acting parts on the side for fun and as a hobby. His part on One Tree Hill has made him much more visible.
"So much of the time, musicians are just recognized through their sound. You could go anywhere, even if you have a hit record, and still not be recognized," he said.
Tyler was not sure how many total songs he has written. He thinks he has written at least 100 songs since middle school. He stated he wrote all of the songs on his new CD.
He has one CD out that is on his Web site titled, Tyler Hilton, which focuses on a single titled, How Love Should Be. His other new CD, The Tracks of Tyler Hilton, is out in stores. It features his new song When it Comes.
On the personal side, Tyler is single. Outside of music and acting, his main interest is reading.
"I like reading a whole lot, whether it's a paper or a book. I like to play sports when I have time," he said. His favorite genre of music is folk blues.
Tyler would like to meet Jack White from The White Stripes, as he is a huge fan. He would also like to meet singer Gavin DeGraw.
He also hopes to still be in the entertainment industry in the next five years.
"Statistically, most entertainers don't last that long," he admitted.
He hopes to have a huge success now or in the future, but he would be satisfied just to have steady success "even if it was a small, slow climb for the rest of my life."
Tyler's message to his fans is that he appreciates anyone who would come out to his show, and he hopes they enjoy his show and get what they paid for.
Tyler loves the East Coast. Philadelphia is one of his favorite places to perform.
An upcoming Kids Stuff column will focus on a review of his June 14 show at the Trocadero. The column will include details of all of Tyler's new songs.
