Artist Spotlight

This month in our web exclusive spotlight we bring to you Tyrone Giraud of Sleepless in New England!

Angelic Allie: We are here today with music artist, actor and more, Tyrone Giraud of Sleepless in New England. Thank you for taking the time to interview with Black Noise. We appreciate the effort that Sleepless in New England put forth towards the arts in New Bedford, MA. You wear a lot of hats artistically, what was the first form of artistic expression for you?

Tyrone Giraud: Thank you for having me guys, I appreciate all the work you all do. First I want to thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ because without Him nothing will be possible. For me it would be poetry, I mean this is what got me into music overall. I was obsessed with the idea that I could harmonize poetry with an instrumental.

AA: What drives you to have this passion to create?

TG: My family but most importantly my son. I wanna leave him a legacy that is not of a million dollars, but a legacy that shows him how important it is to not just follow your dreams but do it the right way. To pursue an environment in which I might not be accepted as other rappers would have been, just because of beliefs. But still doing it with such high fashion.

AA: Was there anyone in your younger years that made a huge impact on giving you guidance and inspiring you?

TG: Multiple people in my life were such a great inspiration to me when it comes to music, like my mom Virginia Robles. She was and is a worship singer for our church. I’ve seen that since I was a little kid and always admired it. My father Manuel Giraud, he is a music artist, director, producer, and an artist that includes nature. He also wears many hats when it comes down to being an artist. For the one that pushed me the most was my twin brother Leroy Giraud. He was the one that was showing me the "steps by steps". He's the one that says til this day "don't rely on me do it yourself" and the effort that he put towards me. He truly teaches me how to come out of my shell and I truly respect that.

AA: As a music artist, actor and more, what is your favorite art form to express yourself in?

TG: Composing and performing is my bread and butter. It’s the whole process of it; the recording, the practices, the performing live. It's what helps me connect to the people and show them what I feel. I love having props on stage because it brings life to what I'm speaking about. It's funny because I always wanted to do theater, so I always involve it when I do music performances.

AA: You’re involved in a collective called Sleepless in New England who we have featured numerous members of, for our readers who are unfamiliar, please describe what Sleepless in New England is and the part you play in it?

TG: Sleepless in New England is a collective art group that uplifts art and culture through overwhelming layers of talent. I play many parts other than performing. I do color grading, videography, photography, composing, and directing. The creators we have fill a major gap, so usually I like to pick up where I am needed the most.

AA: What initially drew you in to be a part of SiNE? What is the experience like working with so many other talented artists?

TG: It kind of just happened...there was this time where Hendrick Hernandez and Bristol County Castro were doing the Cyphers in the City. I was just appearing early so usually I used to help set up and if I was there late I would've helped taking the equipment down. We got along well fairly quickly, I think that was the major thing and also the fact that I was MVP in two of the cypher nights. They saw high potential in me so one thing led to another and I was part of Sleepless in New England. I am grateful to work with this many artists. You learn from them skills that you might not have learned by yourself. You adapt, you make their talents part of your craft and you evolve to become a better artist yourself, something like iron sharpens iron.

AA: How has Sleepless in New England assisted to grow the art culture in New Bedford?

TG: We have assisted in many ways, I dare to say that the cypher's were a big part of it. Our group of artists are true to the craft, and it helps that we are diverse. But in my opinion our biggest impact to the culture has been our presence. We show up to places where we are not necessarily invited as the main event. You can notice the genuine support creates an effect of unity. I'm just grateful the people in the city have noticed. The second one gives the same amount of impact, these are our lenses. Without pictures and videos it wouldn't be possible to see what was accomplished. I think the people in the city have felt closer to us because they see more of us, recognizing that we are also part of the culture. Shout out to Matty of Everclear Studios and shout out to Robin of Salty Lips Studios.

AA: You were the headliner at Grafochón Puerto Rico in 2023. Please tell our readers what that felt like for you.

TG: That felt like a dream that I haven't woken up from yet. I'm still hungry to feel more of what I felt those days. It was just a wholesome moment. There were people from Brazil, Buffalo, New York, Rhode Island and us, New Bedford Massachusetts in the same area. Doing something that was for the people by the people. The connection and the harmony was something to admire. It also helped that people finally understood what I was saying. I loved that the people could connect to what I was saying rather than how I was saying it.

AA: How did that opportunity come about?

TG: My father Manuel Giraud is a Hip-Hop pioneer in the West Side of Puerto Rico. What he's been doing for his community is something to admire through and through. I'm talking about graffiti artists coming together for walls that were outdated so they put art on it. He had two short films in the theaters from Puerto Rico. He also had art that was displayed at an Afro-Taino museum in Puerto Rico, he was in the newspapers for it. Let’s say that this gentlemen is very well decorated. Well he talked to Flavor who organized it about me and Flavor knew who I was as a kid because he is like family and he came out in one of my music videos tagging a wall with my name in a roof from the Bronx, it was epic! But that was a long time ago. He didn't know my development now. So he took a chance on me that became an opportunity, so he made me part of the main event. We made a huge buzz that day, they are still talking about it today. Shout out to Flavor and Hot Cru.

AA: How would you describe your music to anyone who hasn’t heard it before?

TG: I describe my music as liberating, peaceful, motivating, healing, joyful, chaotic and self reflective.

AA: You’ve also co-directed a music video, “BALCO”, what was that experience like?

TG: It wasn’t my first time directing a music video. I had experience in the background before so it wasn't bad at all. I just wanted to bring two elements to life in that video. One was the square that represented ourselves to be a collective art group within the frame. The other one was the atmosphere, having the suitcases there created such a modern yet classic feeling and that's what I was aiming for. The rest was just grooming the artist to have their presence be felt.

AA: You take part in the Intentional Worship Arts School and Ministry can you tell us a little about that?

TG: Yes I do, my wife is the director and I am co- director of IWA. In our knowledge there wasn't an art ministry in New Bedford that provided education of both the ministry and the physical art of worship. It's a school that educates the ministers on why and how to be intentional in worship through art.

AA: What has it been like to help guide those in the younger generation into the art world and see that passion for it ignite in them?

TG: There is this indescribable joy that I get when I see some of my family members or friends that either know my art or we have talked about their art and some way or another I was part of the little grain that got them to pursue theirs. It just makes this all worth it, it shows that we are united in more ways that we are not.

AA: How hard was it to be the floor director of “The Body of Christ” event? Was that your first time directing a project so big?

TG: It was hard, but it was manageable because it was my first time taking care of an event with such magnitude of people. The part that made it manageable was that the people were willing to listen to me and trusted my decision making. So huge shout out to the Potter House Church, ushers, and volunteers that came through and made that day happen. I appreciate you all!

AA: In a world that is constantly changing it can be hard to blend spiritual beliefs with art and not turn an audience away. As an artist who is deeply spiritual, how do you blend your spirituality and personal ethics with your art in a way that makes people take the time to stop and pay attention while not betraying your core morals?

TG: The way that people would stop and pay attention and I don't betray my morals, it's just me not trying to be anybody else but me. When people see me they know what to expect, so I'm not really playing hide and seek with it. It also helps to perform at a high level. I don't only bring the message, they also get to see the entertainment of it. I personally have come to believe that some way or somehow when I bring the message to the people there is something that connects beyond language barriers and I think only God can do that.

AA: Do you have any advice for any aspiring artists that was given to you when you started out and has stuck with you?

TG: Stay hungry, feed your art and not your ego. Search for your purpose and not attention. Reject hate and accept good criticism. Alone you can build momentum, but together we can build a kingdom.

AA: Do you have any projects in the works you would like to tell our readers about?

TG: Yes! I'm working on my official first album called "Class in Section" where you'll have from boom box, to indie, to Hip-Hop Gospel, and so on. Some of these paint a picture and others are confrontational, so I'm excited to see what the people are going to say about it. I know it confronts me personally and every time I hear them I get goosebumps myself, sometimes I smack my own face with this music. I'm not perfect, like all of you guys I'm broken as well and my own music sometimes get me back to the path that I need to go. Shout out to Nyto Mejia, don't sleep on him, he is the real deal. Also, Leroy Giraud EM, and Hendrick Hernandez-Resto for all being part of this album. Once again Black Noise, thank you for having me I appreciate you all!



You can find out more about Tyrone Giraud at Tyrone Giraud