Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd McVicker. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Todd discovered his passion for music at an early age and as an Atlanta native, his sound has the heart and soul of the city woven throughout in every note. Growing up, he was deeply influenced by harmonic R&B and has since been shaped by many different genres to cultivate a vibe so reflective of his own unique style.
As a young man who was eager to learn, Todd immersed himself in various visual and performing arts programs throughout adolescence, including attending the historic performing arts magnet program at Tri-Cities High School. With the knowledge and skills he gained, he was able to build an accomplished career in ministry.
Over the last 15 years, Todd has worked at one of the largest multicultural churches in the nation, where he has taken on the roles of worship pastor, writer, producer, mentor, and event creator and His valuable experiences in this position have continually deepened his love for music and broadened his creative perspective in the best way.
His journey has led him to step away from the traditional sound of Christian music, offering a fresh perspective on worship.
Todd launched his solo music career in 2020 with a collection of singles that would culminate in the “Finished With Fighting” EP which has surpassed over 1 Million streams on Spotify. Signing with independent label Lula Street Records in 2021 Todd continues to press the boundaries of Christian Music with his beautiful authentic lyrics and diverse sounds.
His latest release, a Lofi version of “All Because of Love,” is a testament to the greatest love we’ve ever known. The vocoder vocals, synth and captivating Lofi groove strips away life’s busyness and draws closer to His love.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not a smooth ride at all!
I tried my hand at music a few different times over the years. I’ve been involved in a few different bands that had very minimal success and reach and this was many, many years ago when people still bought CDs and I have had to go through the pain of throwing away boxes of unsold CDs.
It wasn’t until I found a writing partner and producer, Sean Hill, who helped me find my own voice that I even started thinking about launching a solo career in music.
That partnership started all the way back in 2016 and over the years, I honed my songwriting and artistry until I was finally ready to step out to share my sound with the world.
With being an independent artist, I didn’t really have much expectation on what kind of reach these songs would have and I’ve been so grateful to get the reach I’ve had. Some strategic partnerships with a marketing company, Christian Music Marketing, turned into me becoming a founding artist for a new independent record label, Lula Street Records which has really helped with getting larger exposure.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What a great question!
I sort of have two different worlds I operate in:
One is my music career. I am very proud of the songs and videos I release. I feel like I have something unique to contribute in those arenas. I am probably most proud of a song I released, “Even Here Love Comes.” This song was written about an experience I had while on a mission trip to the Philippines. I was able to help rescue a young girl from Sex-Trafficking working with an amazing organization (Wipe Every Tear). I came home and wrote a song about that experience from the girl’s perspective and partnered with an amazing local artist (Harvest) to help me bring that to life. We made a music video for that song that told a little bit of the story – https://youtu.be/yHo-9ZWZ_UI
Here is a video telling a little bit more of the story – https://youtu.be/8VCyuSTWlSU
The other part of the story is I had an idea to do an acoustic remix of the song with the Filipino girl singing on it, she has a beautiful voice. So, I researched recording studios in metro Manila and found one that I could work with through Facebook Messenger and a few months later, we released that version with her singing the song with me! I also get to see her each year when I go back to the Philippines. That encounter has literally changed my life.
Here is a link to that version – https://open.spotify.com/track/6BIVOCaJMcS4okKENbf7pL?si=u1TdFJC3RyO9ZtFn5vm16A
My other world is the work I do at church. I am over Creative Arts at one of the most racially diverse churches in the world. We have over 140 nations represented in our church and because of that, I get to present all kinds of stories in theatrical and film formats.
One of the things I am most proud of here is an Easter presentation we did in 2020 that actually won a Telly award. Here is a link to that – https://youtu.be/YvfwoLldUBk
I am a storyteller at heart so any format I get to tell stories in is a huge deal for me.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Authenticity & Excellence in Creative Expression.
I want to be honest and excellent in everything I do. I also LOVE pulling in other voices in telling stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: ToddMcVicker.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmcvicker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toddmcvickermusic?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/toddmcvicker
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1fkiYD0YKDH1DgISsuh1Bo?si=IhKGCS9RScmycH9GEIDFXg
