Henri Turner, a former Parkland student, sat down with us to talk through his several experiences. From his lengthy background in music to his unforeseen partnership with his professor turned producer, all of these occurrences have accumulated to his debut single, “Whatever Happens.”
Turner’s background in music
Turner is truly a man of music. Growing up as one of four kids, his musical journey began as a child in church. Being in church every Sunday and hearing the music moved him to begin playing guitar.
Although Turner’s peers often labeled him as a musician, he did not get deeply into music until he began playing the piano in his sophomore year of high school. Diving deep into the intricacies of jazz created the foundation for Turner’s passion for music today.
The piano is his main instrument with him being primarily self-taught – but he was formally taught to play the clarinet, guitar, bass and has some experience with the drums.
Turner’s shifting passions
Turner developed a deep interest in the production process of music after his first class in audio engineering with Adam Porter, an audio engineering professor and the director of Perimeter Road Sound Recordings.
His favorite parts of the process are beginning to record a song, because that starts to bring the projects to life. He also found that taking the time to mix it – which is adding the touches needed to make it a song worth listening to – assisted him in appreciating the work more.
Turner graduated from Parkland with his degree in audio engineering last semester. Even though he can write and sing, his greatest passion is to help bring the dreams of others to the forefront.
The journey of “Whatever Happens”
His journey with his song “Whatever Happens” began last year in October. After recording his demo, he sent it to Porter. Once Porter heard it, he knew instantly it was a song he wanted to produce.
When Porter first approached Turner about making his demo a real thing, Turner was really on the fence about it. He did not see himself making his debut or knew if that was something he wanted to do. After a while of deliberating, he decided that getting his song out there was the move to make.
Writing “Whatever Happens” came easier to him because it is based on a relationship that he witnessed instead of one that he was in. Writing about other people allowed him to process with a clarity that is not often there when you are focused on your own situations.
The process of bringing “Whatever Happens” to life took a little over a year to finish. It began with recording the instrumentals earlier this year and after a hectic summer, recording the vocals came this semester. They are currently in the mixing phase of the song to add the finishing touches.
Turner’s build up for success
Turner had nothing but great things to say about working with Porter and Perimeter Road Recordings. He said Porter and all those involved are truly supportive and made the process easier to go through and fun. Having a team made it easier to rid himself of his own doubts while getting the project done. However, receiving the reassurance he needed from Porter made Turner prouder of being a part of such a supportive studio.
His unique perspective on this particular project came through working on both ends of the process. He was the singer-songwriter this time – which gave him the experience as an artist. Turner also played a pivotal role behind the scenes and helped with the synthesizing of the song. He heavily participated in deciding what the dynamics of the listening experience would look like.
While Turner is unsure if he will be on the singer-songwriter end again, he is eager to release his work that has long been in the works. Everyone should definitely be on the lookout for his debut single as well as what is to come from his band Tobo Tobo!
