“I’m finally feeling like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” says Teddy Grossman, and the forthright, ever-soulful singer-songwriter speaks like a man who has been down many paths only to arrive back definitively where he’s forever belonged. Adds Grossman, a palpable determination and resolve in his voice: “I need to be able to look back at my life and say I gave it every ounce of energy.” This steady perseverance, this take-no-prisoners passion of Grossman’s— it all goes a long way in explaining why the multi-talented artist has finally arrived at this moment, his moment, the moment he’s been winding and weaving his way towards in life until this very time. That’s because for years, the lifelong music lover had kept music on the back burner, forever wondering if he’d ever take the leap and make it his principal career. Only recently however has he moved to Los Angeles and at last embarked on that long-gestating journey. And, Grossman says, he’s never felt more self-assured than he does right now. “It’s the happiest I’ve been in my life,” the shaggy-haired old soul says of the rich and inspired sessions for Soon Come, the musician’s highly-anticipated debut album out on March 11th, 2022.
Grossman spent much of his life getting his mind around what it meant to fully commit to a life in music. He’d always been a lifer at heart — his childhood was spent ingesting Otis Redding and Steve Wonder and Dylan and The Band— but upon graduating from the University of Michigan in 2009, he took the road often traveled and got a 9-5 job in the tech world. A few years back, however, after a near-decade living in Chicago and New York City, all the while working for the Man, in 2018, Grossman was finally ready to take the plunge. “It was all about taking that leap,” he says looking back at his decision to break out on his own and transform his passion into his livelihood.
All that time spent wondering what a music career — his music career — would look like now comes pouring forth via his cerebral and sublimely centered songs— the sort that speak to years of hard-won wisdom and, well, maybe a bit of luck. “There’s something about this music that feels modern,” Grossman says of the 12 songs that comprise Soon Come. “It feels organic and homemade.”
For Grossman, where things head from here is the exciting part. He’s eager to hit the live stage — “I really intend to get on the road and get out in front of people and perform these songs,” he says. “I’m excited to see how it translates” — and says no matter how his music career unfolds he knows he’s reached his proper destination.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Ready,” one of the last songs he wrote on the album. With its lyrics about opening up to someone and letting the walls come down in order to to give love and receive love, the song has a throwback soul sound that is sunny and hopeful. Drawing on 60s and 70s R&B and soul music, the song carries a deep groove and sensuality. It’s also a wonderful showcase for Grossman’s silky smooth vocals.
Grossman describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“I wrote ‘Ready’ as we were finishing up the album, in the early days of a loving, healthy relationship, and settling into a new way of life with my music squarely in the forefront. It’s a song about letting the walls come down and opening up space for the light to come in.”
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