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Artist Spotlight: BTA
BTA (Before The Altar) is a hip-hop artist and producer creating calm, relationship-focused music. His latest single “Lonely Lately” explores feeling alone in a relationship while still holding onto hope, blending atmospheric production with honest, vulnerable lyrics.
With a background in church and the Air Force, BTA brings a strong sense of structure and purpose to his music, while still valuing emotional connection and creativity. Though no longer a Christian rapper, his faith continues to shape his values, as he aims to make relatable music that spreads positivity, love, and understanding.
In this exclusive Q&A, BTA opens up about the stories behind the music, lessons learned along the way, and what keeps their passion alive.
TheLoudMagazine: Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics and melodies?
BTA: I feel like everyone, and everything has a cadence, and I try to tap into that cadence and use melodies and lyrics to highlight themes like love and even sadness. So, when I sit down to come up with a song, I like to listen to other songs about what I'm going to make a song about so that I can get into that mood. Then I just zone out and let my subconscious do the rest. It's like automatic writing. It's a phenomenon where you just automatically write. I used to second-guess my lyrics a lot and spend a lot of time trying to come up with better ones. Now, I just go with the first set of lyrics that pops into my mind and that I write down.
TheLoudMagazine: Have you ever had a dream to inspire a song or an album?
BTA: I have dreamed of inspiring music about being held back by people with limiting beliefs. I have been experimenting with some topics in music where the listener can zone out and imagine things as a motion picture. The topic of being held back and expressing how horrible that feels would be a great album for people to connect with. Maybe even a song about mental health and how it changes your reality and affects your behavior. Also, an album about ending poverty. Just some good vibes and melodies, and on top of vocals, about a better life for people. Better jobs, better politics, better relationships. Something like What's Going On by Marvin Gaye.
TheLoudMagazine: Have you experimented with different genres or styles in your music?
BTA: I did. I experimented with electronic music a bit. I did a song called Nobody to Blame, and it has an electronic beat, and I just did auto-tune and harmonized some lyrics. It was highly experimental, and I really enjoyed making the song. I imagined fans really enjoying the song as well. It's a great song to jump up and down to and just let out all of your stress. The song is about not having anyone to blame for being lonely. The song focuses on egotistical things as a way to drown out the feelings of blaming myself for being all alone. But then I say a line about her eyes being captivating, and that burns because I still can't take my mind off of her. It's a really good song.
TheLoudMagazine: How do you blend different musical influences in your work?
BTA: I listen to them all, and I don't prefer one over the other. I believe in all genres of music as we create history. Some of us may create a bigger footprint in history, but we are all creating history as musicians, and I think we are living in the greatest moment in the history of music. Technology is super advanced, and we have awesome streaming technology. It's so easy to blend U2 with hip-hop because all the music sounds amazing. Even in the 80's and 90's. The music sounded amazing. The early 2000's and beyond. I love to listen to soundtrack music as well, and I really love to create raps over those orchestral songs for fun.
TheLoudMagazine: How do you stay motivated to keep creating music?
BTA: I just can't stop making music. I have been making music since I was a freshman in high school, and that was 23 years ago. I started playing the guitar and learned how to do chords, and I learned scales. I learned the blues scale and the C Major scale. I also learned to play the piano, and I learned triads and thirds, and that's about as far as I got. I am now 37, so I just can't stop. It's like music is in my heartbeat. All of those memories of making music and learning to make music give me a boost. It's so important to work hard and train and study hard at the beginning so that you can coast on the feeling of achievement.
TheLoudMagazine: What’s your philosophy on failure and success?
BTA:I believe that all people with good hearts succeed. I don't believe in failure for us. I believe that we put our egos aside and just learn from situations. Make learning a powerful experience. More powerful than anything else because we have to continue to grow as a civilization. Past hatred and past violence. So, if things don't work out in music the way you predicted, just do a personal inventory and ask what did you learn? Because whatever you learned, I'm sure you can make money, streams, or even just a better quality of life from it. Maybe you learned how to market yourself better. Just keep learning.
TheLoudMagazine: What’s the most technically challenging song you’ve worked on?
BTA: I worked on a song about religion, and it was super difficult to get the flow right. I had to listen to the rough draft a few times in order to get the flow right. I usually go into the studio and lay my vocals down in one or two takes, but I had to keep working on this one. It's unreleased, but I'll release it someday. I try to switch up my flow a lot more because I got some feedback on Groover about it. I submitted a song, and one of the curators said he would have loved to hear my flow switch up more. So, I was like ok! I'll do that more. It was a bit challenging changing the way I was rapping so much in one verse, but I managed to do it.
TheLoudMagazine: Are there any upcoming projects or releases you’re excited about?
BTA: I'm really excited about my next song because I'm going to do some professional vocal training beforehand. I will sing a lot more in the future as well because I am very fond of singing. Everyone is. Everyone loves to sing, and I was gifted with a voice, and I want to use it. I'm thinking about moving more towards Dream Pop and Synth Pop. I really love those genres, and the soundscapes create the perfect background for storytelling.
TheLoudMagazine: What inspired the concept behind your latest project?
BTA: My latest project Lonely Lately was inspired by Missing by Everything but the Girl. I was listening to that song over and over because I was missing someone that I loved, and I wanted to do a song about it as well. So, I chose the theme of loneliness, and I put lately in front of it to emphasize that I had a recent breakup. So, it's like I'm Lonely Lately and I'm imagining getting back together with this woman in a different universe where things are better. The song is very deep, and I'm glad everyone enjoys the song.
TheLoudMagazine: What message or theme do you hope listeners take away from your latest work?
BTA: I hope listeners are able to understand what they are feeling a lot more now that they have listened to my latest project, "Lonely Lately". Also, that they are not alone. Relationships and marriages can end, and you can find yourself all alone, but I think that if you imagine what you want, you'll eventually attract it into your life. If you want love in your life, imagine what you want. It doesn't have to be a particular person. Imagine when you watch movies or listen to music. Imagine that's you who rides off into the sunset.
TheLoudMagazine: Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics and melodies?
BTA: I feel like everyone, and everything has a cadence, and I try to tap into that cadence and use melodies and lyrics to highlight themes like love and even sadness. So, when I sit down to come up with a song, I like to listen to other songs about what I'm going to make a song about so that I can get into that mood. Then I just zone out and let my subconscious do the rest. It's like automatic writing. It's a phenomenon where you just automatically write. I used to second-guess my lyrics a lot and spend a lot of time trying to come up with better ones. Now, I just go with the first set of lyrics that pops into my mind and that I write down.
TheLoudMagazine: Have you ever had a dream to inspire a song or an album?
BTA: I have dreamed of inspiring music about being held back by people with limiting beliefs. I have been experimenting with some topics in music where the listener can zone out and imagine things as a motion picture. The topic of being held back and expressing how horrible that feels would be a great album for people to connect with. Maybe even a song about mental health and how it changes your reality and affects your behavior. Also, an album about ending poverty. Just some good vibes and melodies, and on top of vocals, about a better life for people. Better jobs, better politics, better relationships. Something like What's Going On by Marvin Gaye.
TheLoudMagazine: Have you experimented with different genres or styles in your music?
BTA: I did. I experimented with electronic music a bit. I did a song called Nobody to Blame, and it has an electronic beat, and I just did auto-tune and harmonized some lyrics. It was highly experimental, and I really enjoyed making the song. I imagined fans really enjoying the song as well. It's a great song to jump up and down to and just let out all of your stress. The song is about not having anyone to blame for being lonely. The song focuses on egotistical things as a way to drown out the feelings of blaming myself for being all alone. But then I say a line about her eyes being captivating, and that burns because I still can't take my mind off of her. It's a really good song.
TheLoudMagazine: How do you blend different musical influences in your work?
BTA: I listen to them all, and I don't prefer one over the other. I believe in all genres of music as we create history. Some of us may create a bigger footprint in history, but we are all creating history as musicians, and I think we are living in the greatest moment in the history of music. Technology is super advanced, and we have awesome streaming technology. It's so easy to blend U2 with hip-hop because all the music sounds amazing. Even in the 80's and 90's. The music sounded amazing. The early 2000's and beyond. I love to listen to soundtrack music as well, and I really love to create raps over those orchestral songs for fun.
TheLoudMagazine: How do you stay motivated to keep creating music?
BTA: I just can't stop making music. I have been making music since I was a freshman in high school, and that was 23 years ago. I started playing the guitar and learned how to do chords, and I learned scales. I learned the blues scale and the C Major scale. I also learned to play the piano, and I learned triads and thirds, and that's about as far as I got. I am now 37, so I just can't stop. It's like music is in my heartbeat. All of those memories of making music and learning to make music give me a boost. It's so important to work hard and train and study hard at the beginning so that you can coast on the feeling of achievement.
TheLoudMagazine: What’s your philosophy on failure and success?
BTA:I believe that all people with good hearts succeed. I don't believe in failure for us. I believe that we put our egos aside and just learn from situations. Make learning a powerful experience. More powerful than anything else because we have to continue to grow as a civilization. Past hatred and past violence. So, if things don't work out in music the way you predicted, just do a personal inventory and ask what did you learn? Because whatever you learned, I'm sure you can make money, streams, or even just a better quality of life from it. Maybe you learned how to market yourself better. Just keep learning.
TheLoudMagazine: What’s the most technically challenging song you’ve worked on?
BTA: I worked on a song about religion, and it was super difficult to get the flow right. I had to listen to the rough draft a few times in order to get the flow right. I usually go into the studio and lay my vocals down in one or two takes, but I had to keep working on this one. It's unreleased, but I'll release it someday. I try to switch up my flow a lot more because I got some feedback on Groover about it. I submitted a song, and one of the curators said he would have loved to hear my flow switch up more. So, I was like ok! I'll do that more. It was a bit challenging changing the way I was rapping so much in one verse, but I managed to do it.
TheLoudMagazine: Are there any upcoming projects or releases you’re excited about?
BTA: I'm really excited about my next song because I'm going to do some professional vocal training beforehand. I will sing a lot more in the future as well because I am very fond of singing. Everyone is. Everyone loves to sing, and I was gifted with a voice, and I want to use it. I'm thinking about moving more towards Dream Pop and Synth Pop. I really love those genres, and the soundscapes create the perfect background for storytelling.
TheLoudMagazine: What inspired the concept behind your latest project?
BTA: My latest project Lonely Lately was inspired by Missing by Everything but the Girl. I was listening to that song over and over because I was missing someone that I loved, and I wanted to do a song about it as well. So, I chose the theme of loneliness, and I put lately in front of it to emphasize that I had a recent breakup. So, it's like I'm Lonely Lately and I'm imagining getting back together with this woman in a different universe where things are better. The song is very deep, and I'm glad everyone enjoys the song.
TheLoudMagazine: What message or theme do you hope listeners take away from your latest work?
BTA: I hope listeners are able to understand what they are feeling a lot more now that they have listened to my latest project, "Lonely Lately". Also, that they are not alone. Relationships and marriages can end, and you can find yourself all alone, but I think that if you imagine what you want, you'll eventually attract it into your life. If you want love in your life, imagine what you want. It doesn't have to be a particular person. Imagine when you watch movies or listen to music. Imagine that's you who rides off into the sunset.
