June 13th, 2026
Optics with Trill Manny
Trill Manny (TM), the sonic architect whose music masterfully bridges the gap between raw, street-level grit and sophisticated melodic textures, is carving out a singular space in the independent landscape. By blending an unwavering commitment to his "Trill" identity with a highly curated visual aesthetic, he has transformed his creative output into a multi-sensory experience that resonates far beyond the speakers. He recently sat down with Kevin Small Jr. (KSJ) to discuss the evolution of his sound and the lasting cultural legacy he intends to build.
KSJ: YOUR SOUND HAS A VERY DISTINCT GRIT THAT FEELS AUTHENTIC TO YOUR ROOTS, BUT WE'RE SEEING MORE POLISHED, MELODIC LAYERS IN YOUR RECENT WORK. HOW HAS YOUR APPROACH TO THE "TRILL" IDENTITY EVOLVED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED?
TM: Before, I was creating from a place of, like, I'm homeless and I don't really have access to the ability to record all the time. Any song I was recording in the past was going to come out because I didn't have time, resources, or anything like that--compared to now, I can take time and record things. Usually, I record a bunch of demos, I listen through them, and then whatever demos I feel like should become songs, I go through and fully make them out to be songs. I do the leads one day, the backgrounds another day, and then spend a whole day on layers. Then I live with the song, go back and re-listen to it all. I'm having access to create and have fun with creating, compared to before where it was really out of necessity.
KSJ: LOOKING AT YOUR (@OFFICIALTRILLMANNY), IT'S CLEAR THAT THE AESTHETIC IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE AUDIO. FROM THE FASHION TO THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IN YOUR VISUALS, WHAT HAS IMPACTED YOUR CREATIVE DIRECTION THE MOST?
TM: My creative direction, to be honest, always goes back to film. And I feel like even now a lot of people have not really seen it yet. But with this next project, a lot of people will. I just really love film, and I really like world-building. That’s one of my favorite aspects of being an artist: a story that's being told throughout everything that's being presented. And for me, a lot of it comes from Michael Jackson. A lot of it comes from Chris Brown. A lot of it comes from Tyler, The Creator; Charli XCX; the Darkoo; KWN One. I could go on and on…I think a lot of people aren't creative when it comes to anything outside of the booth. That's where I feel like mad creatives or artists be like, "I'm not creative no more." Like, people will start punking out. I ain't gonna lie. When it gets to the other part they're not used to being creative on, that's when they make bullshit and expect someone to come save their life.
KSJ: THE INDEPENDENT SCENE IS MORE CROWDED THAN EVER. WHAT IS ONE 'INDUSTRY TRUTH' YOU'VE LEARNED THE HARD WAY THAT YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU WERE FIRST DROPPING TRACKS ON SOUNDCLOUD?
TM: Uh, damn. I ain't really have no reality checks. Everything I was going into, I kind of knew. From the point of view of a student, I sat down and understood, "Oh, nah, people ain't gonna push me more than I'll push myself. Oh, shit--I have no one to do content. Let me record myself. Oh, damn--I don't know how to do this. Let me go learn how to engineer by watching my engineer record me this thing and that." I ain't really have no hard lessons. I just view a lot of the music industry and entertainment very common-sense, like, “you gotta be ready to work.” Like, “If you're not ready to work, that's just slow. No one about to come save you for nothing.”
KSJ: BEYOND THE STREAMS AND THE FOLLOWERS, WHEN PEOPLE LOOK BACK AT THE TRILL MANNY ERA TEN YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC IMPACT OR FEELING YOU WANT YOUR MUSIC TO HAVE LEFT ON THE CULTURE?
TM: I want the world to understand that they can all be One Way Trillion and that anything in this life is truly possible. I want to show music through my own lens, how I hear and experience music, and really to inspire hope in some people. Once you see the vision, you believe the vision; you can become One Way Trillion. So you gotta see it to believe and then you can ascend. You kind of use my journey as a prime example of that, for people that love me, people that hate me, people that are indifferent.