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AUSTIN HARGRAVE
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PAM ENGLISH
The War and Treaty
Founded in 2014 by the husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, The War And Treaty have emerged as one of the most electrifying new acts in American music. With stunning vocals and thought-provoking lyrics, the duo has become a favorite in Nashville and beyond. In support of their new album and on the heels of their showstopping debut performance at the 2022 CMA Awards, The War And Treaty will hit the road for their 35-city “Lover’s Game Tour” in March.
HOMETOWN: Washington D.C. (Tanya), Cleveland, OH (Michael). “We both claim Albany, MI as the launching pad of The War And Treaty.”
YEARS IN NASHVILLE:
Michael: In 2014, we were trying to get our songwriting chops on and become artists. We played at the Tennessee Brew Works and were scheduled to play for four hours. We didn’t have a babysitter, so we brought our four-year-old son Legend, who completely destroyed that show as four hours turned into 30 minutes. We couldn’t focus because we were in parent mode, but fate gave us another chance.
Tanya: We came back here in 2017 for Americana Fest and we met Buddy Miller and it felt like everything took off from there. We’ve been living in Nashville since then after we saw the light. Working here and living here has been such a complete joy.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START?
Tanya: I started out in D.C. singing in a Baptist church and those songs carried me through until I became a teenager. I wanted to explore music more and ended up meeting Natalie Cole and a few other people at a record company through a singing competition. They signed me when I was in high school and that was the beginning for me.
Michael: I got started in a Baptist church as well; I was three years old and I sang my first solo with my uncle. I remember that feeling and my grandmother encouraging me from the audience. After it was over, I realized I wanted to do it again and I would practice until I finally got the courage to try in other veins. Like Tanya, there was a competition in D.C. and I took first place. From that moment, I thought, “I’m going to chase this.”
WHO WERE YOUR EARLY INFLUENCES?
Michael: This is a cool question. Tanya and I were talking about our journey and people who influenced us. I was listening to a Charlie Crockett interview and how he would run away from his story and where he was from. Often in interviews I sway myself away from the truth—and the truth is gospel music was a heavy influence in my life. James Cleveland, the Angelic Gospel Singers, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, The Carter Family hymns. My direct inspirations, though, were my uncle, my mother and her sisters who had a singing group and I wanted to be just like them.
Tanya: My brother Willie Blount, Glenn Jones, Donald Vails...so many early inspirations from my church background. My idols as I expanded were deeply rooted in rhythm and blues and jazz music. I remember going to see Sara Vaughan when I was 13 years old and I fell in love with jazz. Ella Fitzgerald, Patti Labelle, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, and Tina Turner are all legends in my eyes. My early inspiration was my mother who was my biggest fan and pushed me to expand my understanding of music in all facets and genres.
BREAKOUT MOMENT:
Michael: In 2020, we had just finished performing on the Grammys and we thought our career was going to take off and then the pandemic hit and everything was stripped away from us. It made us focus on one thing—ourselves. I looked in her eyes and I realized I hadn’t given her a wedding. Whether it was singing at the Ryman, performing at Bonnaroo, collaborating with Brandi Carlile, we had done some work and all I wanted to do was something drastic and unexpected to show my appreciation to Tanya. On her birthday during the pandemic, I threw her a surprise wedding on her birthday because it was something we were finally able to afford. To me that was a breakout moment in our relationship, and I think that was important.
Tanya: I would have to agree. I think the pandemic put a lot of things in perspective for me. It reaffirmed why we love each other and why we do what we do together. The surprise wedding was definitely that breakout moment because we were all on pause, but for Michael to bring all my family here really reaffirmed a lot of things for me. Not just as an artist but as a human.
IN 2022 YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO PERFORM AT THE CMA AWARDS FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHAT DID THAT MEAN TO YOU?
Michael: When we first got the phone call that we were going to be part of the CMA Awards, that moment took our breath away. Even now as I talk about it, I still can’t believe I’m saying those words. The year prior we were sitting in the rafters and I was asking my wife if she thought it would be possible for us to perform on that stage. She said if we work hard in five years it could be a possibility. As fate would have it, one year later we were backstage getting ready and Brothers Osborne was telling us how it’s going to feel. It meant so much for us to be a part of an elite group of folks who get to grace that stage. Then to get a pat on the back from Chris Stapleton saying well done...it doesn’t get better than that!
Tanya: It meant the world to me. My mom and I used to sit and watch these shows together. To get to share the stage with Brothers Osborne and look at my husband and to be on the floor now as performers and equals with people that we really look up to and paved the way was just absolutely incredible.
NEW AND NEXT:
Michael: We have our first album under UMG coming out this year that was produced by Dave Cobb. It’s ten songs of honest emotions, and every song is about The War And Treaty’s journey. From “Lover’s Game” to “Blank Page” where you realize you get to write your own story all the way down to the final track, “Have You A Heart,” and realizing we all come from somewhere and we all need to have a little more empathy for each other. This is something we are asking all genres and our world: “Do you have a heart for me?” I feel like it’s the perfect way to end the record because we are giving you our heart. We are very excited to tour with the new music this year.
ANY ADVICE FOR FUTURE ARTISTS?
Tanya: The 1969 Frank Sinatra song “My Way.” If anybody is reading this and is nervous or scared and doesn’t know if their way is going to work, continue pushing through and stay focused. Do it your way.