AS a singer, what matters most to Tevin Hartman is remaining consistent. And through this, the 28-year-old Chaguanas native hopes to become a household name in TT’s soca industry.

Beating books…and desks

He told Sunday Newsday his interest in performing began in form five at ASJA Boys’ College in Charlieville.

In their green and white uniforms, he and his friends would create rhythms by beating their desks with stationery and freestyle over them.

“We would sometimes try to enjoy free periods a little bit. And that is where the whole thing actually started … beating a desk with my friend and now barber Akil Haynes and a few others,” he said with a laugh.

They recorded one of those sessions and posted it to Facebook. And to their surprise, strangers praised it.

The song was titled Don’t Tote which was about them telling a schoolmate “doh tote if gyal wine on me in a party.”

He had never thought about a career in music until the video began getting traction.

After completing his business studies, he sought guidance from some artistes.

But, he recalled, “They did not really take (him) seriously.

“But then I reached out to Akeem ‘Preedy’ Chance, and what I am about to say is why he is could call on me for anything any time in his life...”

[caption id="attachment_1136541" align="alignnone" width="683"] Tevin Hartman. - Photo by Ian Davis[/caption]

He continued, “At that time, I was looking for opportunities to do music. He spoke to me and said, ‘Bro, you need to invest in yourself, invest in your craft and invest in what you’re trying to get done.’”

And those words stuck with him.

A few years later, local producer “Damien “MillBeatz” Millien launched a contest for upcoming artistes to win a free beat and studio recording.

Competitors had to e-mail a video singing an original song and Hartman won with Don’t Tote.

The song is on YouTube and other music-streaming platforms.

He was nervous recording in a professional studio for the first time but said Millien’s positive feedback boosted his confidence.

“It kind of added an extra spark.

“He was amazed at what these young fellas (created) in a classroom.”

He then worked with producer and songwriter Anson Pro (Anson Soverall) in 2015 on a track called No Way.

“Anson also told me, ‘Keep sticking to it, you have a future.’ And it wasn't that it felt as though he told me that just because we're going to do work (and) money passing. It felt genuine.”

He continued to build connections in the industry, eventually teaming up with Kris Kennedy and Mical Teja on tracks like Major Key and No Shame.

“We also worked with Sekon Sta that season on a song called Reflections produced by Nikholai Greene (NMG Music). At the time, Nikholai had a project called Hear Them Out that gave new artistes the chance to collaborate with established ones.”

[caption id="attachment_1136542" align="alignnone" width="683"] Tevin Hartman. - Photo by Ian Davis[/caption]

Other tracks by Hartman include Overproof, Permanent, Company, Flatten featuring Erphaan Alve