Today we’d like to introduce you to TellyGP.
Hi TellyGP, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story “Telly Tales” starts in Kankakee, Illinois raised under a single mother who had a full 3 kids at this time and I came in this world with illnesses so I didn’t develop properly at first. I remember seeing “missing kids” posters around the neighborhood in the city when I started to develop, remember thinking they’re as young as me. This was when we were living with my grandmother, my mother’s relationship with her mom became distant and difficult caused from many different circumstances so we were forced to leave and did, this is where instability started for me I was going on the age of 2 years old.
We lived in Kankakee, Rockford, spent time in Chicago as a kid. As I was going back and forth to living with my dad in Wisconsin, this is where I encountered a life altering experience that forever changed my life and that was a death experience. When I eventually went and lived back with my mother after the duration we had stayed with a lady name Diane in Joliet, Illinois at her apartment as my mother worked at Kentucky fried chicken. I didn’t really know how to read or write at this time and also didn’t know how to explain what I had went through but I would watch scary movies and order personal pan pizzas from the Schwans truck and make them myself. I had to learn independence early because Diane was an overweight lady who couldn’t leave her bed. I had so many experiences being at all these different places and locations as a kid, and I can’t say I was truly able to be a kid because of the traumatic experiences I dealt with until I was 7, this is when we moved to Saint Louis Park, Minnesota. I connected to music the most growing up it really made me move and I used to be the kid who would be dancing at the family reunions, Isley brothers is the most nostalgic for me.
Once we moved to Saint Louis Park, we stayed in the Louisiana Courts- people perspective, kids connection, boy and girls club, big brother big sister and blocks parties where active within the community, many programs to help the youth connect- so I truly started to fully grow. It went from me being a kid not being able to go down the street to me exploring the whole Saint Louis park finding kids I connected to, even being a overly shy individual with so much trauma stored in his mind. I’m very thankful because I was able to be in the Saint Louis Park newspaper once I graduated in 2015 from Saint Louis Park High School, one of my favorite accomplishments because it was about my life and I was able to present a speech at my Children Defense Fund ceremony for a 5000$ scholarship I’d won upon what it was like for me, giving advice plus guidance and speaking up for the ones who couldn’t.
Once graduation happened I was actually torn because I had to graduate and leave the place that made the most impact on me growing up and we lived in south Minneapolis at this time in 2015. It felt like divorcing your first love in all honesty and I had to just walk away, as someone who felt many heartbreaks that was always normalized and simplified. I tried college but ended up being a drop-out due to circumstances I couldn’t control, where I laid my head was neighborhood red tail squirrels in my walls gnawing holes in it aggressively- so I went through that battle for at least a year and a half. I went through every season, even developed a sort of sound PTSD on top of my depression. I remember going outside one morning and we had a big tree in the backyard that connected the squirrels to the spot on the roof of our duplex, it was at least 16 squirrels on the tree all looking at me. The maintenance people from section 8 were suppose to come but didn’t, at the time I was going to college but knew I couldn’t finish. It was conflicting for me because I had teachers telling me to not give up, they seen that light in me and knew I was smart, just couldn’t have understood my circumstances. I was also around individuals with separate active addictions at the time that also affected my views due to proximity.
I came up with my Artist Name “TellyGP” derived from my actual name, experiences and an acronym around this time. It standing for “too evolve learn lessons young grow and prosper” the purpose is to give back and be the person to the kid I didn’t have when I was younger and or be like the ones that made a difference for me as a kid, because I had hero’s too. I keep it forever groovy because of my childhood friend who is no longer here named Noah, I make sure I give back a feeling that derives from the groove. I did grow up on good sounding quality real classic inclusive music, something you can’t forget and really does the right numbers on the heart. One of my favorites classics is “Cool like dat” by Digable planets, I remember vibing to it during a scene in the movie “freedom writers”, but I have so many favorites and a wide range so the list forever goes on.
I think when it’s said and done, I just want it to be known that healing is the most important thing you can do for yourself if you need to. I was able to find healing through music and once I started to create I felt the sense of love I’d never felt.. It’s different when you treat music like therapy sessions within yourself and that’s what “Telly Tales” is, my stories- a 11 song project detailing life trials and tribulations from my perspective to give back. That being said if I can help heal others while I do, then that’s what God placed me here to do! I’ve made sense of the madness in the mix of the chaos but I won’t stay there if I know I deserve better, I’m just following my heart now and days thinking why not, “why can’t I be the MVP of the league?” – Derrick Rose. All my glory goes to God and my light forever revolves around source. My album “Telly Tales” an independent 11 track project will debut in August 2026 on all platforms, it’s my gift to you!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road due to stability issues derived from broke homes and broken hearts, not being able to heal from life altering wounds and creating life on top of that. The choice to but not choosing to, the voids and the avoidance of sitting with self. The mimicking of fixing mental issues but being the same ones who give the issues, having to figure out who to believe so you know who to be around or support, other addictions and the list can go on when it comes to what I’ve learned. How society makes you feel based on systems that should be torn apart, erased or redid- seeing through it and making sure you remain knowing who you are. My healing helps history, helps my bloodline and my impact is felt simply off divine presence.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
TellyGP is a groovy artist who mixes harmony with hip hop rap, within sonic production- he is able to create that forever groovy vibe in the honor of his childhood friend who passed away, TellyGP grew up on Old School R&B, neo-soul, jazz, funk and hip hop as he creates that feeling that is forever classic, derived from not forcing you can listen and get some kind of benefit from the groovy sounds and vibes. Using his voice as an instrument in hopes the music is able to transcend and become worldwide, doing the work to touch the ears of the masses! Representing “broken homez” (BHZ) which is felt worldwide, from being inspired to inspiring is the main mission of vision to accomplish.
“I’m not saying I’ll change the world, but I guarantee I’ll spark the brain that will change the world” -Tupac Shakur
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I just want to touch the ears of the masses, would love to be known worldwide and be able to travel so I can heal my heart. It is nothing but star quality thoughts and moments “hopefully they feeling this and it make me rich so I can amplify up on these gifts, finding more ways to give and get” just trusting in self and following my heart, going where it takes me. I’m forever remembering the kid inside who was very much traumatized, abandoned and heartbroken and then living for him until the end of time!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/tellygp
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellygp?igsh=M3ZqNDJoMXpzeGRs&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@brokenhomez?si=YcT4AtNoqXSR994b
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/xTnk9XEVXmDAjjD3xF
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/user/31nvj6tust7uzjm7iuuwyiy3s6w4?si=egj7LTV4Qd2PDwJrS0fXDw&utm_source=copy-link
