“Thick Skin” by Rich Tuorto addresses those voices that would like you to believe “you are too old,” “your time has passed,” “you took too long to figure out what you want to do,” etc. Lines like, “Don’t let ’em tell you that you can’t keep goin’,” offer encouragement and understanding to listeners. We had the pleasure of interviewing Rich Tuorto, and here’s what he had to say:
Q: What inspired “Thick Skin”?
TUORTO: I often feel like I was supposed to know exactly what I wanted to be when I was 18 years old in order to have had any chance of success in this unforgiving industry. As I get older, I can’t help but hear all of these voices in my head, telling me that I missed the boat, that my time has run out, and that I chose this path too late in life. But when I stop and think for a minute, I realize that all of this doubt is only based on my own insecurities and there is nothing in the way of my own success except for me.
Thick Skin is a song for anyone that doubts themselves. That feels like they “don’t fit the mold” and therefore will never be able to achieve their goals. A reminder that there is no limit to what we can achieve as long as we back ourselves, block all of the noise around us, and unapologetically pursue our passions.
Q: What did you enjoy the most about creating this song? And what aspect would you say was the most stressful?
TUORTO: The song started as a voice memo recording of a guitar part and I later used that same recording as the main guitar in the final production. So I love the organic nature of how the song was formed. Nothing was overthought and it all kind of fell into place naturally.
While the simplicity is what I love about the song, that also is what I found was most stressful about this piece of music. As a producer, I always want to push the music and add elements that help it build and be dynamic but here I actually needed to push myself to not add elements that would ultimately take away from the song.
Q: How are you hoping listeners will respond to this song?
TUORTO: I hope people find meaning in my words and realize that if they stop comparing themselves to other people and stop looking for reasons why they don’t deserve success, they realize that they are the only person standing in the way of their own successes. Ultimately hard work and determination are the only factors that separate us from achieving our goals.
Q: Which 3 artists would you love to work with at some point in your career?
TUORTO: Oh boy, this changes so frequently for me but at the moment I’m a huge fan of Clairo, Cautious Clay, and of course anything that Ryan Tedder has his hands on.
Q: If you could only listen to one album for the rest of the year, which album would you pick?
TUORTO: If I had to listen to one album for the rest of the year it would be “Good At Falling” by The Japanese House.
Q: What’s your parting message for your supporters?
TUORTO: Thank you for listening and being a part of my music.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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