After going viral on TikTok in 2023 because of his song “Tie That Binds,” Austin-based country singer-songwriter Ty Myers went from performing gigs at local venues to selling out his first headline tour. Since then, Myers accumulated millions of Spotify streams and is set to release his debut album, The Select in January. The Daily Texan spoke with Myers about his Austin roots, music success and his song titled “Can’t Hold Me Down.”
The Daily Texan: How would you say your Austin upbringing influenced your music and artistry?
Ty Myers: The music scene in Austin is so profound, historic and probably my favorite music scene in the whole world. It’s very artistic and songwriter-friendly and focused, so growing up in that environment was everything to me. It was the foundation for everything that I’m doing now.
DT: How has it been dealing with such a quick ascent to success?
TM: It’s definitely surreal. It’s kind of an out-of-body experience. It’s a very abnormal life that people who do what I do live. Especially when it’s so quick … you gotta make sure you’ve got your head screwed on straight, and mental health is so important. What helps the most for me is keeping my focus on the right things, and that’s always the music.
DT: In the song “Can’t Hold Me Down,” one of the lyrics is “Oh, honey, won’t you stay for a while, but you cannot hold me down.” Can you explain the dilemma that lyric explores?
TM: I wrote that song about the struggles of having relationships and being a touring musician and never being home. The truth of the matter is, for most (musicians), music is number one and always comes first … it’s like coming home for a little bit— I’ll see you, but also, keep in mind that I’m going to go back out there, and I’m going to do my thing. You can’t hold me down.
DT: After somebody finishes listening to the album, what do you want them to feel?
TM: I’ve always said, it’s not my job to tell the listener what to feel, or what I think they should feel. My main goal is to make them feel something. That’s part of the magic of music — everybody’s gonna pick something else up from the same song. You play the same song for 10 different people, and they’ll have their own interpretation and feel different things from just that one song. So, my main thing is just to make sure they walk away from it feeling something and that their life is changed in that little bit.
