Stephen Thomas: Back Home - WV MetroNews Interview with Hoppy Kercheval

[Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] patience life's frustrating in its own ways I'm trying to find a way to make it day after day the W of the wave face it these battles with don't make me innoc that is the uh hit single I mean this thing exploded on social media back home is the name of it is by Stephen Thomas why are we talking about this because Stephen Thomas is from Charleston Charleston West Virginia native he's recording artist and he is right now red hot red hot back home has surpassed 300,000 views on Tik Tok within 24 hours of its release he joins us on metro news talkline Stephen how are you man hey how are you how are you how's everything well how's everything with you you are red hot right now hey man listen first off I want to say it's an honor to be here um I did not did not expect this opportunity and I'm just I'm grateful man I'm I'm just really grateful happppy to be on your show and uh as far as being red hot I love the introduction man I can't even lie that was that was so cool so yeah that was awesome but I mean red hot I I don't know I mean oh yeah no you are you are you are are you back in West Virginia now uh no we not yet we're we're on the road uh I'm actually I'm actually coming I'm actually coming in really soon and um we have just been traveling we're touring um I'm actually gonna be back in West Virginia here in a few days are you are you gonna perform are you just coming back for family and friends or what well you know what there's nothing more than I would love to in West Virginia yeah then perform I would love to I would love to do some stuff in my state man I really would I would love to do the call up your friend Woody Woods at the beat and he ought to be able to work something out I mean Woody Woods can make things happen so he should man hey he's he's the man brother he's the man what did you how did you get start I know you were a DJ early right how did you get started in music um so I was I was a DJ I started at 177 DJing on 98.7 to beat which we're now 107.3 so I started there um at 17 and then I was always doing music so I started out in Christian music crossed over in R&B hip hop pop and now I'm going rocking alternative as well and um which this is my to let you know this is actually My First Single in Rocking alternative to be honest and uh with that being said we've been dominating a lot of the media based charts for for for now I just received yesterday we have now been on the radio charts for five consecutive weeks really um looking even into the billboard being being next and on its way well you're so Ste Stephen you're Your Role Stephen Thomas Is With Us Charleston West Virginia native and you just described a bunch of genres you seem like genre bending because back home is more like alternative rock you've also done like hip-hop kind of rap R&B so you're all over the place you is that is that a problem because you can't be defined in a particular genre or is that an advantage you know what I think I look you know how they say you have a blessing and a curse in the same yeah yeah I think I think it's a little bit it's a little bit of both but I think it's more of an advantage of being of being on the universal side because here's one thing that I've learned about myself I got asked a few days ago what do I specialize and I was like you know what what I specialize in is trying new things what I specialize in is being an artist that you can't put in the box if you really want to be if you really want to be technical about I mean if you pay attention to some of the greats man Michael Jackson and you know the James Brown the uh Jimmy Hendricks all the you have a lot of artists that back in the day especially like Michael Jackson he reached a lot of demographic but a lot of them wanted to call him the King of Pop but you know Prince yeah de Rock but at the same time though I think what I love about myself that makes me stand that that sets me apart just like them is that we're able to reach all demographics but not only that but I'm able to reach demographics and do the lane yeah you know yeah I do I do I do you know what I mean and I think that that really does make me uh I think that really does make me stand out and and it's a blessing man but in the industry though in the industry where the curse part of it is they want to Define you to this is what your lane is so everything that we do with when it comes to marketing and things like that I'm like no we say I'm multi- genre we say I'm universal we we say those words because at the end of the day no matter what happens I can go anywhere tell me tell me tell me this Stephen Thomas is with his Charleston West Virginia native recording artist and he is uh he is really emerging in the music scene this song back home when I listened to it I I I got chills because it resonated with me I think it's resonating with people because you talk about the challenges of life and pulled in a lot of different directions then you go to back home back home like is that is that like all these things happen in your life yet you've you've got to stay true to yourself or you got to have your North Star I mean what is that about in every in everything that you do you got to do your best to stay true to yourself um you know and but I had a I had a uh I had I had one of my producers shout out to Reggie Hamlet years ago we had a talk in the studio and one of the things that he said was don't be so original that you're not relatable and that's been almost like 10 years ago since we had that talk maybe well probably like 12 years ago now and I kid you not um that stuck with me and I never and I never never left that and one of the biggest things with back home is that back home is a is is a record that says whatever is back home to you get back to it okay you know what I mean I had a conversation with a guy yesterday that talked about he he loves being a chef his name is Nick he was like man I love i l being a chef but I'm working this job you know and sometimes what happens is is that I get it that we all need finances right we're all doing a lot of things sometimes that we probably don't be want that we don't want to do and I'm sure it but sometimes getting back home is also taking that leap of faith taking that risk taking that opportunity just taking that jump and saying yo I'm going after it and and a lot of people a lot of people go to their grave with their dream still burning inside them are you fulfilling your dream I'm working on it I'd say we're working on it because at the end of the day you're always still pursuing it never stops you know what I mean because there because when you get to a certain point in life you're just like you know what I think I want to do this or I like this but then times change we become interested in new things so you're always pursuing you're always pursuing that dream and you just you just can't stop dreaming that's where the that's where that's where it stops is when you stop dreaming you know what I'm saying do you have fond memories of growing up in Charleston or was it hard Scrabble how was it man I do uh grew up in Charles I I mean west side of Charleston I mean I had fun i' I've played I played ball down you know I played ball for Capital went the horse man and just went to you know really just good schools and just had I had good times man I had good times and and it was one of those things where it's like uh you know one one of my one of my dear good friends and brothers is landal Eugene Murphy Jr yeah and um and me and landow like we we actually just had a conversation probably about a c about a couple months ago about last month last month we just talked about how when we met each other we was at the multifest I was working security at like 14 15 years old and the sh lights were there and we're sitting up here talking about how they called people on stage and me and him sung on stage together and that was the first time we ever met and we've been best of friends and like brothers since yeah you know what I mean so it's it is it's it's fond memories because you're just like dang here it is we were doing this and now here it is we're doing this yeah you know what I mean so it's it's really amazing and we yeah it's you sound like you sound like and I watched a couple interviews with you I don't know if you're like this all the time but you sound like you're really feeling good on a roll about where you are right now professionally true you know what I I will say this I we back home is becoming one of my biggest records yeah since and to have seen the success that it's having I've I've been considered now for a total of five Grammys right um I just received the plaque uh about six months ago or so um for hitting number two on the iTunes charts with Blake Shelton and now here it is that I'm doing this genre rocking alternative and to have seen the success that it's having I mean I I just partnered with Amazon music and we filmed a commercial and I looked about a few days ago and found out that it's over 960,000 views and almost at a million views on Tik Tok and we're just I'm just really excited about how it's coming along because this this is my record my first record in Rocking alternative my debut record and you mean we're charting on active rock radio mainstream yeah with Metallica with Metallica ghost Lincoln Park Almond's Green Day um oh my gosh uh there's um um uh Billy Billy uh Billy ellish I mean all of these artists and I'm just like wow so I'm I'm you know I'm I'm super grateful and not only that but people will find out but when they find out what I look like is been the shocking experience what do you mean what you look like because we've talked about how I've been getting this whole thing about how how are you uh what was say what were they saying um so it's one of those where I'm like the Justin Timberlake in the rocking alternative music so how Justin Timberlake is in R&B I'm I'm that guy in Rocking alternative so it was it's like what and so I and it's funny man the responses I've been getting is so funny and I love it because there's nothing like being there's nothing like being different sometimes sometimes people need a little different to be I get it I get it well listen you know what I mean you're having great success and it's wonderful that you keep your West Virginia rout Stephen Thomas Charleston West Virginia native recording artist uh he this latest single back home is hot and he is uh five-time Grammy nominated and you are you're on your way man you're on your way it's good to talk to you it's it it was an honor man I uh I appreciate you having me I I was told that this is the biggest talk show in the state and so when I heard that I was like really like this is crazy you know and I I want to tell you I'm I'm happy to be here and uh every everyone that's listening man y'all y'all stay tuned in keep your heads up keep dreaming keep striving and uh make sure you follow me at Stephen T music on Instagram um all socials Stephen T music s t e p h n t as in Thomas and music so follow me there Stephen music.com uh man shout out to you hoppy I'm I'm just grateful to be here man I I appreciate you brother and hopefully we'll be performing soon man I need to get on some of these festivals down there I well call Woody get get Woody I mean get Woody off his keester and get Woody Williams busy Woody Wood's busy Woody Wood's busy at at the beat okay I'm telling you I'm telling you man I I do I I can't wait I'm looking forward to some of those things because I tell you this um we but I'll say this just a little bit of exclusive news okay go ahead back home back home is in talks with we are in talks about back home with some big organizations as far as what's being broadcasted on TV right now oh kid you not keep us posted we'll follow you take care kid you not hey thanks brother you too man it's so grateful take care talk soon