Jan 2025 issue. Vol 10

"My music is a reflection of my heart" theresa grayson

Tony Smith, publisher of Indie Incognito magazine had the pleasure of speaking with the first two members of the super band TR3PLE THREAT, Theresa Grayson and Gina Payne. Here is his conversation with Theresa Grayson .

T. Hello Theresa Grayson. Who was little Theresa.?

TG. I was always autistical, So I love the arts, I love fashion, I love music. At a very early age, I was collecting articles and collecting magazines. We had a newspaper called the Houston Chronicle, so I would collect it and I loved the fashion section. So I would cut it out and make me a nice little binder of all my favorite fashions. And it w as just awesome. So those are things that I did as little Theresa. And then, of course, I was already in music, starting with the piano when I was a little girl. So when I was able to get to elementary school, I then joined the band, because it was an Elementary School of magnet fine arts. We had art , gymnastics, band, orchestra. It was a great program to be a part of here in Houston. So that 's where I grew up. And I grew up in music and fashion, and it 's so crazy because my last event I just performed was a fashion show and also played walking down the runway.

T. The next question is one I asked Gina, about as a young girl, can you remember your first real influence when you when she realized that music was something that you could really do?

TG. My very first teacher in music, her name was Shirley Joyner. She was a gospel legend here in Houston, and she was my piano teacher. That w as was launching pad to who I was going to become. Molding me and shaping me. Yeah, she was hard and a tough cookie. She didn't play. You were going to practice and you're going to play it right. That 's how she taught us.

Now I'm the only one that stayed with it , as all of my friends, I'm the only one that stayed with the craft because I just couldn't let it go, or either it wasn't letting me go, you know?

See, the thing of it is, sometimes we think that we're choosing something when that particular entity might have chosen you.

T. That is profound The next question I want to ask is about the genesis of of Triple Threat? When did you realize that this band, would be a good fit for you?

TG. Veronica McCreary discovered me here in Houston. I performed at a great jazz club here in Houston and and so she met me performing there, and she's like, Oh, okay, I gotta work with you. So we started. Then, of course, she began to, you know , work her little jelly. Promoting hard. Yeah she was cooking it up. She was getting a recipe together. I begin to work with her artist , Wake Campbell And then when she saw Yo Jonesy, and Gina later reached out to her, she's like, Okay, well, then maybe it was just like the universe started aligning everything together. That's the birth of TR3PLE THREAT . That 's where it all started. And when she saw these three beautiful women perorming in different cit ies, and they were doing their thing, she wanted to put this together and see what kind of gumbo she can make. And I think it 's pretty tasty.

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