May 26, 2022

By Devyn Bakewell

Assistant Managing Editor

 

Bryan (B) Thompson was a child prodigy and born lover of music. Despite losing the hearing in his right ear during his childhood, the twenty-five-year-old instrumentalist still mastered multiple instruments throughout his life.  

In an interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel, Thompson enthused about his love for music, and how it started at birth.

“I grew up in the church listening to music, so it’s a forever part of me,” said B. “The love started there, and still remains just as strong to this day.”

The instrumentalist went on to share that his relationship with music “has stayed very, very, very consistent over the years. As I evolve, my love for music evolves, so I experience it differently which makes me treat it differently.”

He continued with, “[my love for music] hasn’t really changed, but it’s growing in ways to express it.  When I was younger, I didn’t have the same outlets to perform and express my love for music the way I do now. My love for music evolves as I do more.”

Thompson currently practices three instruments—the saxophone, the piano, and the flute. The saxophone was the first manufactured instrument the musician learned how to play.

Recently, Thompson’s artistry has become well known with acknowledgement by famous celebrities such as Chris Brown, Cardi B, Chloe & Halle, Mariah Carey, and many more.

The Pop/R&B Instrumentalist has become an overnight internet sensation with social media views totaling over 100 million.

“Social media changed my career back in April 2017.” Thompson told LAS that his social media pages had blown up after he did a cover of Future’s “Mask Off”.

“I wasn’t really into posting on social media and was just throwing stuff up online. That song [“Mask Off”] got international attention. It was put on The Shade Room and WordStar. I was on Entertainment Weekly and the Times and all these other outlets, and my fanbase increase by forty or fifty thousand in a few days.”

The fast spreading of Thompson’s cover jumpstarted his career. “It allowed me to get out there and reach people in this new one-dimensional transaction of communication that we call social media.”

Social media is what not only connected B. Thompson to his celebrity fans, but people he wouldn’t normally be able to reach in-person or in real time. “Everyone is so accessible with just that one follow. I really owe a huge contributing factor of my success to social media because of when and how it operates.”

One of the artists Thompson mentioned he’s had the pleasure to work with, thanks to his social media uprising, is Toni Braxton.

“I love everyone I’ve worked with,” he shared. “But working with Toni was one of the most amazing experiences ever. She shared one of my videos, and a couple hours later I’m at Target and I get a call saying ‘Hey, it’s TB’.”

 

The musician continued with, “I relive that wonderful experience over and over in my head every time I think about her.

On top of being the legend that we all know and love, I’m happy I got to experience her.”

Recently, on May 13th, B. Thompson released his debut album “P.O.V.”, which he produced along with six other producers.

The album features several other musicians, such as King Dreams and Grammy Award Winning singer, Saeed Renaud.

“This [project] is an amalgamation of music from my point of view.

Just all the sounds in no filtered lens that I’m hearing and putting out there.

It’s been reshaped and evolved over the years, so I’m very glad to break this project.” Said B.

“It means a lot to me,” he continued. “There’s been a lot of trials and setbacks and delays, and then of course COVID happened.

So, I’m glad to actually get it.

I want it to tell a story, and I hope it does.”

For those looking to follow in Thompson’s footsteps, his advice is to “envision yourself doing what you love.

And once you see it, consistently go at your vision until your very dying breath.”

He continued, “Know what you want and go after it. You have to be consistent. You have to hold yourself to accomplishing your vision because not everyone has that.

The people that do, we have to focus.”

For more information on B. Thompson, visit his Instagram @bthompsonmusic.

His album “P.O.V.” is now available on all streaming platforms.

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