Words by: Amanda Marano

We’re back and ready for another TikTok Tuesday, this time with viral artist Tai Verdes. The singer/songwriter released his debut track, “Stuck in the Middle”  this summer, with a catchy tune and relatable lyrics about being suspended in the space between friends and lovers.  With a fresh summertime vibe and lyrics like “friends turn into sleepovers and sleepovers turn into love,”  the track is both authentic and nostalgic.

Artists and their songs have found fame through the popular platform, with users posting dances, covers, and remixes to their favorite tracks. Somehow, Tai has defied the norm by going viral with the pop/indie track simply by posting and talking about it all the time. He proves that hard work, believing in yourself, and a little luck can take you places. “TikTok is like buying lottery tickets. I just played a bunch of lottery tickets,”  Tai said in an interview with Rolling Stone.

The indie pop singer has come a long way. Living in Southern California, the 24-year-old works five days a week for Verizon and uses his off time to work on his music. He began making songs under the name Tylersemicolon but wasn’t finding much success yet. “I was releasing music that was trash,”  he laughs.

He tried out for singing shows like American Idol and The Voice over and over again. “I wanted someone to say, ‘that guy’s good, let’s put him in the next round,’” he tells. “Never happened, not even one time.”  However, he did gain some traction on reality TV, winning money on the 6th season of the dating show Are You the One? Last year, after being cut from singing competition tryouts for the 7th time, he decided to try something different and begin really focusing on his craft. Every day he would practice and perfect his craft, doing vocal exercises in his car for 90 minutes. “I didn’t sing off-key, but my songwriting was up here and my performance and ability to sing was way down there,”  he explains. His main advice? Never stop hustling.

Defying all odds, Tai has continued his everyday routine, still working at Verizon, with a few major changes: featured in Rolling Stone, Lyrical Lemonade, and Lady Gunn, received multiple record deal offers, millions of notifications, recognition, and fame, and has millions of streams (and counting!).  Once a college basketball player and NBA hopeful, he’s now on his way to becoming a star. With virtually no marketing budget, Tai dedicated his time to promoting his song and really interacting with fans through comments and dm’s to show his appreciation. He’s currently working on his first EP, and fans can’t wait to hear more of his work.

As he continues to grow his success, Tai wants to encourage other aspiring artists and remind them of the importance of constantly trying to learn and better themselves. “Change your name, maybe get a fucking haircut, try it again… Everyone should do that if your shit is not popping. People don’t care [that it didn’t work the first time],”  he insists. “Some people think they’re too good for the platform, don’t want to disgrace their art — ‘this is the song, only play it on Spotify’… Fuck that!”  He has a good head on his shoulders, taking advantage of every opportunity: and he knew TikTok was a big one.

Now, “Stuck in the Middle”  has passed 2.5 million streams on Spotify (a feat that would take most songs months to achieve), hit the Spotify Viral 50 on July 4, and was the cover of the Fresh and Chill playlist as well. He celebrated his success with a TikTok video set at the Verizon store where he still works.

“If you’ve got songs you haven’t released, you’re just waiting, put it out,”  Tai begs other artists. “Everyone needs to take their shot as many times as possible. At the end of the day, it’s all lottery tickets. You gotta fucking get one.”. With this incredible track only being his first, we can’t wait to see what all his untapped potential will continue to create.

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