On his new single, Terence Blade (also known as Terry Blade) goes acoustic. Known for his brutally honest pop, on “Read the Room,” Blade strips his music down to his voice and guitar. In spite of the somber atmosphere on the song, Blade is a vivacious person, as you can hear on our interview in Episode 176 of Adobe & Teardrops. Blade notes that his music is a place to channel his more difficult feelings and experiences, and that’s certainly true on “Read the Room.” On this interview, Blade talks about his influences, the origin of the new single, and what he wants to see to make a more just music industry.
Who are some of your musical influences?
In no particular order:
Tracy Chapman
Ben Harper
Nina Simone
Amos Lee
Meshell N’degeocello
Explain the title of your single “Read the Room.”
“Read the Room” is about that loved one who always says the wrong thing at the wrong moment. You look at them and ask “What would possess you to open your face and say something like that?” They may speak with the best of intentions, but they often do it with little self-awareness and a complete lack of awareness of anyone else in the room. When you’re LGBTQ+, you seem to get more than your fair share of family members who are like that. They say hurtful things, and wonder why the room gets empty every time they’re in it.
If you feel comfortable answering this, what do you want to see from white allies among your coworkers, team, and audience?
Cultural competence–which begins with white allies listening more and talking less.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
My queer identity intersects with my racial identity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, etc. That’s true for me as a human being and it’s true for me as an artist. Sometimes my queer identity is the subject and theme of the song I am writing, and the lyrics makes that clear. But even when that’s the case, you can be certain that my black American, East Coast-raised, older millennial experience is inextricably tied to it. It’s part of the humanity my music exposes.
Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off?
You mean besides having Anohni do a feature on a song I wrote? I’d love to co-write a song with Brittany Howard.
“Read the Room”
Lyrics By: Terence Blade
Verse:
What about the words you spoke?
What about the things you said to me?
What were you thinking?
You said it was a silly joke
You thought I might find your words funny
But I’m not laughing
Not the time or place
The moment or the mood
And you wonder why
I have an attitude
Pre-Chorus:
Too insensitive
To see that shit was rude
Some words are unspoken
For their magnitude
Chorus:
Some day your mouth will be your doom
You need to look around and read the room
You need to watch what you assume
Just look around and read the room
Verse:
Not even the thickest skin
Can pardon the errors of your tongue
Fools are whipped then hung
You say to “get over it”
But you speak poison from your lungs
Cannot be undone
Chorus:
Some day your mouth will be your doom
You need to look around and read the room
You need to watch what you assume
Just look around and read the room
Terence Blade — Official, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Apple Music