Singer/Songwriter Trinity Wiseman on her new single “Stupid Cupid,” playing shows in Nashville, and writing about relationships
Trinity Wiseman is having an incredible year for her music. The Pittsburgh-born artist headlined Pittsburgh Winery, showcased at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and just released her fantastic new pop/rock single “Stupid Cupid.”
She currently lives in Nashville, where she does music full-time. Her music style ranges from upbeat pop/rock to introspective singer/songwriter. She’s the April “Artist of the Month”!
Hours before her show, during a phone interview, I talked with her about her new music, playing shows in Nashville, and writing about relationships.
Musical influences
Josh: When did you learn to play guitar?
Trinity: I learned guitar when I was 8 years old. I wouldn’t stop talking my parents’ ears off about it. So that’s kinda how that began.
J: Did you have any influences growing up?
T: I mean, I think I got into playing because of Taylor Swift, because that’s when she hit the main scene. That was a time to be alive for sure. But my dad was in a band in the 80’s. I grew up listening to a lot of stuff from that time period. I love Depeche Mode and The Smiths. I also love the Carpenters, because of my grandma—we would listen to them at the bus stop every morning. When I went to Belmont, I really dove into Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks. And then current artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Fletcher.
J: Did you happen to watch the television series, “Daisy Jones & The Six”? It reminded me of Fleetwood Mac.
T: I did. I loved it! I read the book. And the show was so good.
J: Yeah, I loved the book too.
T: Yeah, it was kind of like one of those things where I feel like the shows are never better than the book. But I really loved watching it come to life. It really felt like you were watching Fleetwood Mac back in the day.
Headlining Pittsburgh Winery, playing Three Rivers Arts Festival
J: Your Pittsburgh Winery show was awesome.
T: Oh thank you! Yeah, that night was really special. It’s so great that there still is original music coming through Pittsburgh. Venues like the Pittsburgh Winery are really trying to keep original music alive.
J: I liked the stories you told between songs. Do you usually do that?
T: I definitely do it at most shows. I feel like it’s always great to have context behind the song, especially when I feel like it’s about my dating life. I think that a lot of people can relate to that.
J: I think that the best songwriting is about life experiences.
T: I think that songwriting is a form of therapy for me. I love it when people write their own music. I feel like you can just tell that it’s authentic to them.
J: Do you write lyrics on your phone?
T: Yeah, I’m a huge notes app girl. There’s just little notes like, ‘this would be a cool title’, or ‘this is very much what I’m going through right now.’
J: You also played the Three Rivers Arts Festival last year. How was it?
T: It was great. I really love [the] Pittsburgh Cultural [Trust]. I’ve done First Night and stuff like that. And every time that one of those events comes around, it’s truly special. I love doing the full band shows. I have a band in Pittsburgh and then I have a band here in Nashville. I go home for almost 10 days and play 8 shows in that time span. I’m really trying in this next year or so to go on the road a little bit more. In Nashville, it’s a little bit different than I feel like in any other city just because Nashville has such an abundance of live music, so they don’t pay very well.
Playing in Nashville
J: What’s it like playing in Nashville?
T: You know, it’s really great. I don’t think that there’s anything you can compare to Nashville, with how many musicians are here and how much talent is in the city. Like, it’s actually insane. The person waiting on you at the bar or the restaurant is probably a better guitar player than you are. It’s great in that sense and the community is so open. I got my publishing deal when I was 15, so I started coming to Nashville a week a month.
J: Wait, you had a publishing deal at 15?!
T: Yeah, I did.
J: You say that so nonchalantly.
T: Yeah, I mean, it was really great. It was through Rising Music. They’re now known as ‘Nashville Cool!’ publishing. I was coming to Nashville all through high school. It was kind of a hard adjustment to be totally transparent, but I think it really opened some doors for me.
Songwriting sessions
J: You spend a lot of time in songwriting sessions. I think that would be so cool, just doing that each day.
T: Oh yeah, honestly, a great part, and sometimes a chaotic part, of doing what I do right now is that no day looks the same. So I will probably have like 3 or 4 writes a week and I’ll get to write either via Zoom with some people that don’t live here or I’ll do an in-person with some of my co-writers that live in Nashville. And it’s great. I think that collaboration is so underrated. I think there’s something to be said about writing songs by yourself because I feel like that is a different environment where no one’s really telling you no and you can kind of feel free to say whatever you want to say, but sometimes it’s also good to be told no. Yeah, it’s really fun.
J: Have you written for other musicians?
T: I’ve been so focused on my artist project. I’ve also been doing a lot of stuff for TV and film work, so it could be like a trailer or a Hallmark movie. I went to the Sundance Film Festival. I was there writing some stuff for movie trailers. So it was fun.
J: That’s incredible.
T: Thank you, yeah, it’ll be great if they get placed, but it was wonderful to get to go. I got to play the Sundance Film Festival which felt really insane.
J: I was going to ask you about that!
T: It was so much fun. I’ve never been to Utah.
J: Did you ski?
T: They asked us if we wanted to. I’m not the most graceful person on the planet.
J: (laughs) That could be for next time.
T: (laughs) I’m gonna pencil it in for sure if I go again.
Playing the legendary Bluebird Cafe
J: You played The Bluebird. I don’t even know how you would describe that experience.
T: Oh my gosh. It was incredible. I feel like the Bluebird is one of the hotspot places for people to go see songwriters. Obviously, there’s been so many prolific songwriters that have played there. Ed Sheeran just played there. It was really incredible just because you can kind of feel the energy in that room. It’s one of those gigs where people are coming to hear your songs.
J: Yeah, that’s a tremendous accomplishment to play there and showcase your songs. Everyone’s listening, no pressure.
T: (laughs) Oh yeah, no pressure. My heart pumped out of my chest the whole time I was playing on the stage, but it was really fun. There’s nothing that beats that. As an artist, so much of the time you feel like you’re screaming out into the void, whether that be on TikTok or in a bar. People are talking over you or they don’t even act like there’s live music going on. So to be in a space like that and to feel really appreciated, there’s just like nothing that compares to it.
Original songs
J: Your song “I Don’t Really Miss You” recently hit 50,000 streams. Congratulations!
T: Thank you so much! Yeah, it’s really cool. That song was just one that I threw out there. I started working with my producer, BRCKSH. I wrote that song literally the day after I had broken up with my boyfriend at the time. I think it’s a spot that we’ve all been in before, where you don’t really miss somebody, but you just wish that they would act like they cared about not being with you anymore.
J: This is bringing me back to your show. I’m just nodding my head along, thinking, ‘she’s so right.’
T: (laughs) Yeah, I mean, it’s true. I’ve been in a relationship for a year and a half, but previous to that, I was really just, you know, going through it constantly.
J: That could be your next song lyric. “Going through it constantly.”
T: No, seriously. It’s like, always.
J: “Woke Up” really caught my attention.
T: Oh, thank you, yeah I love that one too. I wrote that one for my older sister. She was going through a break up at the time. I wasn’t going through a breakup coincidentally, so I asked her if it would be cool if I wrote about it and she said ‘of course,’ so I wrote that for her, to kind of inspire her to not go back to the guy. Thank goodness—the power of songwriting.
J: You’re saving people from relationships now.
T: Exactly. I’m like ‘Why would you want to go back to that?’
New single “Stupid Cupid”
J: Very exciting with your new single, “Stupid Cupid,” coming out.
T: Yeah, it’s really leading into some rock elements which is cool. I have five songs coming out this year that I’m gonna be releasing periodically. I really wanted to focus on bringing some more guitar into my pop realm. I’m a guitar player. I’m really passionate about the guitar.
Favorite song to play live
J: Do you have a favorite song to perform live?
T: There’s a song coming that’s called “Sober.” I’m a sad girl at heart. I think that’s kind of why I really identify with that music. Nothing hits like a sad song. I feel like every time I play it, it’s just kind of like a reminder that I’m no longer in that situation that I was in or the relationship that I was in at the time.
What’s next?
J: What else do you have planned for this year?
T: More original shows and I’m gonna be putting out that project. And we’re doing some cool merch, which will be really fun.
J: Oh that’s really cool.
T: We’re doing a themed hat chain for every song, which will be cool. T-shirts for “Stupid Cupid” are gonna come out. I’m excited about it. I think it’ll really be fun.
J: Fans can collect all of them.
T: They’re super quirky and super fun, so it’s really nice to have merch that doesn’t feel like merch.
J: And your show is tonight!
T: Yeah I’m excited for it! It’s a pop showcase here in Nashville. I’m excited to get to play with my band here.
Upcoming shows and keeping up with Trinity
Trinity Wiseman will play at the following venues in April: Jackson’s Restaurant + Bar Monaca on April 17th, Morelands at Waterworks on April 18th, and The Pub at 333 on April 19th.
You can find her new single, “Stupid Cupid,” on Spotify and Apple Music! Keep up with her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Visit her website for more information.
Check out the March artist of the month here!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.
