Among the smoky haze of fog and stage lights, Tim Atlas took to the stage in a fan-filled venue for the first time in over a year to showcase his newest EP, “Quota,” a project that had come to fruition during lockdown.
Atlas is a multi-faceted singer-songwriter, producer, photographer and graphic designer with a downtempo neo-soul sound that fits the laidback and California-cool aesthetic he gives off. A former contestant of “The Voice” and independent artist, Atlas is ready to get back out there with his latest record. “I think it represents a lot of my life over the last year and a half,” he said. “And I hope that people see a bit of themselves in this record.”
As a child, Atlas grew up with music in the house, with his father being the worship leader at church, his mother having an affinity for power singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey and his sister’s love of ‘90s R&B and Alternative Rock. Gravitating towards band in school was natural for him, choosing to pick up drums and then the guitar to satisfy the craving to make music.
But while there was a clear love for it, Atlas was apprehensive about diving in head first. “I was scared to major in music [in college] because I didn’t want to lose my love for it,” Atlas explained, choosing to study photography instead. “[It would have been] a career so I wanted to make sure I stayed passionate about it.”
Over time, Atlas felt as if his experience in photography informed his music, pointing out, “When you think about photography, you’re interpreting the world in a different way … And I guess that’s something I want to do with my songwriting.”
As an artist, Atlas is open to sharing his perspective with fans, whether that’s through music or through some other medium. “I’m happy to give people more of myself,” he offered, “I just want to make sure that it’s honest and I’m true to myself.”
Watch the full video above for more!
