Meet Troy Boleyn | Music Producer & Medic

We had the good fortune of connecting with Troy Boleyn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Troy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk has played a huge role in my life, some calculated, others not so much. Since 1995, when I was 16, I started taking risks that led to my success, and put me on the path I’m on today. Those risks started with getting out of my comfort zone to try to aspire to become an entertainer. Even though I was more into music, I chose to sign up for a couple community theater programs in Waterloo, Iowa. I was a really shy guy and still pretty new to that area, and thought it might be a great way to make new friends.

The friends I met in these groups convinced me to transfer schools in 1996, to Cedar Falls High. I was living independently at that point, as was common with my older siblings by that age. I had an uncle that helped me with a job in the family business, and my dad kept tabs on me to make sure I wasn’t slipping in academics. This privilege in itself was a risk, cause I had no idea if I could be strong enough to be that independent.

Once I transferred over to CFHS in January 1996, the rewards of making that call immediately started to show. One of the benefits of the transfer was a better drama program at the school, as well as a great music program, both of which I promptly signed up for. By the following year, I had gotten into and completed the first Independent Study Drama Program. That put me onto independent studies in general, which really helped boost my grades. I’d always struggled with losing interest with classes when the curriculum spanned a full semester.

In my senior year, I was informed that I was a couple credits shy of graduating on time, and would have to complete an additional semester. That led me to taking another risk, perhaps the biggest that far.

I turned 18 in February of my senior year, and knew full on that I wanted to pursue a medical career to support my endeavor of becoming an entertainer. A buddy of mine had already enlisted in the Army, which at the time was offering up reduced terms of two years to attract more graduates. Since I was 18 and had little idea of how else to make things work out, I joined up to be an infantry medic and to let the Army pay for my medical schooling. Early in the second year of my contract, my past accomplishments in theater presented a new opportunity. I was offered an opportunity to be a part of my old community troupe’s group visit to Gdansk, Poland, where the Teatr Wybrzeze had invited us to conduct workshops on promoting the prevention of child abuse and domestic violence, in conjunction with the Polish Red Cross. I had some vacation built up, and it was just enough to cover the trip. I was issued my first passport and on my way to the next set of prospects.

After leaving the Army in 1999, my first visit to Poland landed me opportunities to visit every six months. In 2000, I took another gamble, taking what little money I had and accepted an offer by a Polish pal to move from my cozy little Iowa town to Brooklyn, NYC, to pursue medical jobs and go after a dream of becoming an MTV VJ. I had the look: long blue and purple haired metal guy, knew a lot about music and the industry, and was sure I’d get an audition – which never came. After a year of struggling in NYC, I returned to Iowa. I continued working in fast food and pharmacy jobs to save up money for further excursions to Poland, where I continued to gain traction with new friends and a bigger network of artists.

In Sept 2001, just after the attacks on NYC, I married my Polish sweetheart who had been living with me in Iowa. I joined the Navy to further pursue a medical career and stability for my new family. Due to my prior service as an Army medic, I was sent to Jacksonville, NC, to train as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman. This came with perks and setbacks. The main perk was that while on liberty during weekends, I was able to get into the Wilmington TV and film scene, less than an hour south of Camp Lejeune. A major setback, as a result of several changes in orders, was the deterioration of my marriage. My wife had grown impatient and decided to return to Poland to be closer to her family. While I was doing my tours, she met another guy and moved on.

I had a choice to make. Re-up and pursue the goal of becoming a Medical Warrant Officer in the Navy, which I had so desperately desired, or leave the Navy and risk losing everything by moving to Poland and trying to reconcile. Being no stranger to risk at that point, I opted for the latter. I moved to Poland, initially overstaying the 90 day passport grace period with no visa. Ultimately, the marriage was annulled and I had lost both my marriage and career. But I was living with my best friend in Poland, and through other friends, a new opportunity came. I became a teacher with a couple of schools, which even though I was living in Poland illegally, they paid me pretty well. Back then, it was easy for a native speaker to get a teaching gig, and get decent rates.

As I navigated the foggy path I was now on, other opportunities dropped into my lap. I was invited to move to Warsaw from Gdynia, to be represented by a well-respected acting agency. Within a few weeks of relocating, I had gotten new teaching jobs with bigger schools, and had my first set of auditions. Those auditions landed me parts in the films Thr3e and other Polish films like Ranczo Wylkowyje, where I was also hired as a dialog coach for English speaking parts. Roles with teen TV dramas also came. The best opportunity came when I transitioned from Film and TV back to music.

Numerous other risks led the way from Poland to Scotland for two years, then to Texas in 2014, where I’d accepted a couple medical job offers. This was a huge deal, as I had no lifeline, one new online friend previous to moving here, and very little cash saved up. I managed to rent a room walking distance from the job site, and with the help of my new friend, got on my feet. Within a couple of years, I was producing music professionally. I am currently on the path to becoming a Radiological Therapist, with a goal of participating in cancer research.

Music production, as it turns out, is an expensive hobby. Unless you make a name for yourself through touring or YouTube, in order to sell merch, you will not make a living as an indie artist. The day job pays for the pursuit of getting known as a musician. Paying for promotions and marketing helps, but in the end, it consumes more than it gives, until you reach the sweet spot. Getting on Spotify and other playlists does not pay out. For every one million spins, your song will make about $5000. Getting those spins is where the marketing and investment come in. So, if you enjoy what you create, enjoy what you’re doing and can muscle ahead, the risk may eventually prove worthwhile.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think that my approach is one of the things that sets me apart. I don’t want to limit myself to creating just one genre of music. With all the drawbacks that the current music industry is facing with online streaming, one caveat for me is that I can release a single, rather than an album, and can release that single any time, without being limited to creating several more tracks to support it. There’s also no stressful deadlines to adhere to. Understanding the new territory a bit better than traditionally focused musicians helps me put myself out there, and saves on the costs otherwise accrued with traditional band and touring setups. Also, being my own producer and doing my own marketing helps me better understand streaming platforms’ best practices for getting new music heard.

With all the programs, websites, etc available nowadays that cater directly to the Indie musician, I think I’m most excited by the level of hope it creates as far as accomplishing the dream of becoming a known artist with a national or world-wide audience. For example, with sites like Renderforest, an artist can get great visuals to compliment their music track for use on YouTube. They can also select from tons of stock footage to piece together their very own music video, as I have done a couple of times now. It’s very rewarding when you put such an investment of effort and money into making your own media – as well as your music. Even if it doesn’t gain immediate traction, the accomplishment you feel helps you realize you’re a professional. Other sites exist, like Airgigs, where your benefits can be two-fold: you can hire other musicians and singers to take on the parts you’d rather not come up with, and you can also put yourself out there and earn some money by offering the same types of services to others.

Some challenges come from not having a band, working solo for so long. I kept hiring outside help, in an effort to put together a setlist to later be performed with a band for live shows. Earlier in 2021, this led to the formation of Architecture of Sound (AoS), with Ele Dona of the Italian bands Hi Fi Stacy and Blackdust being the first to contribute vocals. Later came Polish violinist YLO Violin, and my ‘brothers’ Grucha and Czoper pitched in with music and professional mixing via GruStudios in Gdansk. There are still tracks being made, with the most recent release being Melodie Nocturne. We’ll have more songs with Ele Dona’s vocals out soon. I’m also working a bit with Polish artist Black Kay, but going more a country and pop direction with her. Having this project is helping me get over the challenges of doing everything alone, and is resulting in the setlist I was aiming for.

The best lesson I’ve learned so far: persistence and professionalism work wonders. Treating your artists fairly, compensating them on time for the contributions they make, and keeping contact with them between jobs helps develop a kind of family, where I think more good can come.

Even though AoS is just one product of my overall brand, I’d like people to see that they can succeed when they branch out. Break down the obstacles and boundaries that are keeping you from putting out your best work. Blend genres, bend genres, whatever it takes to express yourself efficiently.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m pretty familiar with a lot of the DFW, having been an office supply delivery driver for a bit. But there’s is still so much to see and experience. Depending on the friend, I’d likely take them to eateries in Plano like Taste of Poland, or in McKinney like The Celt. While in the eastern portion of the DFW, we’d have a drive out to Lake Levon. Seeing the treetops coming out of the lake was trippy for me when I first saw it. Next day, we’d explore the Arboretum, possibly hit the Zoo, depending on the time of year. A visit to the Stockyards and some BBQ places is definitely on the list. We’d try out the Reunion Tower, catch some rock shows in Deep Ellum, and hit the Square in Denton. Maybe even another good country drive, from Denton west to Runaway Bay and back, if there’s time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my Shoutout to my Polish brothers Grucha, Pajo and Czopper, without whom, I would not have had this experience, and without whose continued contributions, I’d not still be making professional quality music music. Also, thanks to all the artists around the world who have and continue to contribute to Architecture of Sound! Finally, thanks to Canada’s Glenn Fricker, for the awesome YouTube tutorials and product reviews pertaining to home recording. He’s helped me come a long way n a short time!

Website: https://allmylinks.com/troyboleyn

Instagram: @TroyBoleyn

Youtube: www.youtube.com/tgboleyn

Image Credits
Troy Boleyn K Dhamani