Paul Simon's Graceland ft. Bakithi Kumalo, Jordy Searcy, Jennifer Hartswick

Folk-pop artist Tristan Bushman’s soulful, small-town upbringing has made an indelible impact on his songwriting. He was born and raised in Ashton, Illinois, a midwestern nook of a town with a population of 800. When he was just 5 years old, his 2-year-old sister passed away from a rare metabolic disorder she was born with called NKH. 

His brothers and cousin were his best buddies, and Tristan came up surrounded by a family of gifted and actively gigging musicians.

Tristan first stepped onstage with his dad and uncle’s band when he was 5, making his debut as a vocalist at a local bar and grill. Eventually, he earned billing around town at coffee shops and small venues, playing 50-60 shows a year as a solo artist when he was just a teen. Today, at 23, Tristan is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter signed to Reservoir Publishing (Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow), releasing a self-titled debut EP on Soundly Music.

“Music has always been there for me—it’s been a natural constant. Losing my sister, and processing having nurses in the house, her seizures, and the stress it took on my folks made me grow up quickly,” he recalls. “Listening to my favorite songs was my salvation—CDs from my father and uncle’s band meant everything. My cousin and I would blast those in the car all the time.” 

Tristan is an intimately empathic, and elegantly earthy artist whose songwriting recalls Tom Petty, James Bay, and Ed Sheeran. His 6-song EP is cohesive but varied. “Some songs have lap steel; some songs feature programming. It was a huge weight off our shoulders to just go for exactly what we wanted and not think in terms of strict genres,” Tristan shares. Thematically, the EP explores relationships—specifically, the euphoria of new love and the agony of fading love—and it delves into coming-of-age reflection.

The EP’s first single, “Carried Away,” is an invigorating dose of pop Americana, brimming with carefree romance and soaring hooks. Here, Tristan sings with awe, and his lyrics capture the fireworks of the small stuff when you’re in the throes of new love. One choice passage is: Oh the wonder of you/Two cube short glass old fashioned/The smile in your eyes when you sip is a chain reaction/Oh the wonder of you/You still love a yellow taxi/Your hand don’t leave my hand/When you pull me in the backseat. 

The ballad, “Break Itself,” yearns for an amicable and easy split with someone you care about but no longer feel romantically invested in. The verses implore the other person to do something relationship-ending, like cheat or be hurtful, and the chorus features the cleverly playful refrain: Cuz I’m gonna need a little help/This heart ain’t gonna break itself. 

An emotional centerpiece of the EP is “Illinois,” a poignant dose of acoustic and ethereal Americana. “That’s the most autobiographical and vulnerable song I’ve written. It’s about my home life, and being in Nashville where my dreams are while balancing missing my family and hometown,” Tristan reveals. His words here are sharp and honest, he sings: I don’t know if I could ever move back home/To tell the truth there’s nothing there for me/I’m sick of being tired and I’m tired of being broke.

Tristan Bushman was tracked at Castle Recording Studios—home base for over 500 gold and platinum records, and produced by Brad Stella, member of the award-winning group The Stella’s, and the father of artists/actors Lennon and Maisy Stella.

Tristan’s evolution as an artist began with the anthemic Americana of Tom Petty and John Mellencamp. From there, he found passion and purpose in indie-folk artists such as David Ramirez and Noah Gundersen who were playing cozy 150-200 cap shows near his hometown. These artists, and their surrounding scene of songwriters, inspired Tristan to be musically uncompromising, boldly vulnerable with his lyrics, and not be afraid of a big chorus hook. After establishing himself in his regional singer-songwriter circuit, Tristan set his sights on Nashville. He took a job at a factory to save up for the big move, and relocated to Music City when he was 20.

This past year has been a whirlwind for Tristan as he navigated finishing his EP, fielding music business opportunities, and longing for his family who he didn’t see for months during the height of the pandemic. During this time, one of Tristan’s most satisfying moments was sending his parents his newly recorded EP. Upon listening, Tristan’s father, a man of few words, texted, “You sound awesome—I’m so proud of you.” Tristan says: “Knowing they’re proud of me means everything. It inspires me to, as Tom Petty would say, ‘run down a dream.’”