Q&A: Tauren Wells On His New Album, Touring With Lionel Richie And Giving Back

Ten time Grammy nominee Tauren Wells will release his new album, Joy In The Morning, tomorrow (June 10). Like all of the Houston-based artist’s music at this point in his genre-busting career, Joy In The Morning is a musical amalgamation, successfully blending R&B, ballads and feel good pop vibes with an uplifting message.

I was promised Wells would be equally uplifting as an interview and he did not disappoint. His attitude and outlook were as positive as his music. Despite his popularity he maintains his humility and fandom, approaching music as a fan first.

I spoke with him at length about subjects ranging from fatherhood and Michael Jackson to touring with Lionel Richie and delivering a message of unity in his music and using his music to give back.

Steve Baltin: Where are you today?

Tauren Wells: I’m in Houston, Texas, at home. The boys are in the pool, summer break here, so we’re chilling.

Baltin: How old are the boys?

Wells: Nine, six, four and one.

Baltin: You only need one more for your own basketball team.

Wells: I know the other one is not coming.

Baltin: You can be player coach.

Wells: That works well for me. I just got to stay in shape, that’s the challenge.

Baltin: I feel like with four kids that age that’s actually not that much of a challenge, because you probably do nothing but run all day long.

Wells: They occupy each other’s time so that helps a lot now.

Baltin: This is an important question because I just interviewed Lyle Lovett who’s a fellow Texan, because he has four-year old twins and this comes up in interviews all the time. What do the kids think of the music?

Wells: Oh, they love it. I’m their favorite artist. I’m holding on to that reality very closely. Every night, they want Alexa to play daddy’s songs, which now they understand Alexa doesn’t know who their dad is. But we’re in a really sweet season of life, where they actually enjoy my music and what I do and the dancing. They want to see all the things I just do. They’re pumped that I’m in a magazine, and it’s all filled with wonder for them. It helps me to continue to look at it through eyes of wonder as well, so I don’t know if that will ever diminish. I hope it doesn’t, but my gut says it will. But I hope that what they are getting from my music they carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Baltin: It will change, but it’s good because it keeps you humble.

Wells: Yeah for sure they are definitely honest critics, so I can always count on their honest opinion about things. But they are definitely a part of my fan club as well.

Baltin: That’s such a good litmus test too. So what are their favorite songs off the new album?

Wells: They love “Come Home,” they listen to that on repeat. They love “Fake It,” they dance to it all the time. Because the whole thing is not out on Apple Music, I only have one link right here on my phone and it’s the whole album all together. So even if they asked to hear one song at a time I just play them the whole album. So it’s yet to be seen what songs they really gravitate toward in their free time.

Baltin: What songs from the album are you excited to do live?

Wells: We’ve done a few already. We’ve done “Come Home,” which has an amazing lyric to it. But the vibe of it is just undeniable great energy so I’ve loved performing that one. We just opened an award show with “Fake It and I brought in the dancers in the whole thing and it was fire. I love performing them and I love seeing the audience really engage with something new. It’s great to have some of the “hits” in your back pocket, the songs people are waiting to hear and it’s great that those are proven but there’s something really exciting, like a lot of these songs are still veiled and mystery because I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what exactly on the album is going to connect with everyone. It’s such a cool time because we’re nine days away from the album coming out, so I can’t wait to kind of watch and see what numbers move and what the responses from people on social media.

Baltin: How do you celebrate album release day?

Wells: I am going to go to Target and I’m going to get my album off of the shelf. Something like 750 Target stores are carrying it. I don’t often go and get the CD. I did go get John Mayer’s last album from the store and there will be artists periodically that I’ll pick up a physical copy of. I can only hope that I am that type of artist for my fans. And we’re also doing a cool thing with vinyl albums for this so I’m excited to get those. I’m going to Target to pick it up, I’m going to locate a few billboards that we’ve got up. I love the physical tangible part, I have to put my hands on something to make it real.

Baltin: Do you remember the first CD or album that you had that experience of touching?

Wells: This wasn’t like the first one, but I definitively remember going to FYI and picking up the Michael Jackson History double disc album. Of course I had Dangerous and Bad and all of those other CDs, but getting the double disc History CD I remember going in the record store and picking that up.

Baltin: When you think about being that kid who went into FYI to buy Michael Jackson’s History and now kids are going into buy your records how crazy is that for you?

Wells: It’s wild to me and also I just love the idea that you never know what can happen with your life. Going into those stores and getting those albums I never thought in a million years that I would be doing the same thing, that I would be signed to a record deal and it would be distributed all over the world. And so to people listening or reading, never underestimate what can become of your life. And some of the moments that we feel like we’re just living through are actually moments where there are seeds of greatness that are being planted. And one day you get to look back and see how it was all connected and it’s a really beautiful picture.

Baltin: Were there moments you started to notice others picking up on greatness and responding to what you are doing?

Wells: Whenever I got the call to go on tour with Lionel Richie I was like, “How did this happen? How does Lionel Richie even know that I exist?” My booking agent at the time was friends with Lionel’s manager and so he said, “We showed him five or six artists. There were five or six artists that wanted to be on this tour, and he picked you.” That was before my album came out. I just had a five-song EP out at the time, my album came out and the first show of that tour we played Oracle Arena. I had the Live Nation guy chasing me down the hall of the venue they almost didn’t allow me in. He’s like, “You are next, I feel about you how I felt the first time I saw Lady Gaga.” Like you are special. And so to hear people who had no reason to say anything nice to me, who had no vested interests, just to be encouraging was super inspiring to me. And it’s those little moments, those touch points that keep me believing in myself and keep me moving forward.

Baltin: What did you learn being on a tour like that?

Wells: The cool thing with him was, I was able to watch him connect with people on stage and off. And I understand that at this point in his career he doesn’t really need to be taking a bunch of time with the people, no one will ever see or know. And that was the thing that stuck out about me and what I really want to emulate more than anything is the time he took with my parents, to talk with them. The time that he took with the security guards in the venues, he saw everyone. And I think that it’s important and it’s connected to the longevity of the artist, how you walk into a room and the people that you see when you get there. And so I’m taking both of those things — the onstage and offstage parts that really make someone great.

Baltin: Who’s the dream artists to collaborate with you haven’t done yet?

Wells: Probably Taylor Swift, I love Taylor. I have an autographed guitar from her. What I love about Taylor is that she has been herself, she’s done things in her own way. I just always have a great appreciation for artists who are committed to carving their own lane and seeing what they can do and taking risks. So I think it will be dope to get on a song together at some point.

Baltin: When you see artists like Taylor, who uses her voice for good, how does that inspire you to use your voice to speak out?

Wells: Yes, and politics are not the thing that’s going to save humanity. We can get as political as we want, but if policy worked, it would have already worked. So I feel like we have to do what you’re talking about, which is getting to the people. I think that there are people who are educated and gifted to move in the arena of politics to help create the social change that our world desperately needs, particularly in America. However, nothing can out legislate me loving you and you loving me. Like me showing up to serve the marginalized, the broken and the downcast in my community, or partnering with someone like Tim Tebow, who is actively fighting against human trafficking, who is creating night to shines all over the world for children with special needs. We teamed up on a song called “All God’s Children” to help raise awareness about our fight against human trafficking. If we relegate all the responsibility to the government and the politicians we’re going to lose our actual opportunity to help one another and change each other’s lives for the better. And I think we need both, obviously. But what I hope to do through my music is inspire people to believe that their story is enough and that they actually have what it takes to make a difference.