Singer Tino Coury visited the J-14 offices to chat about his debut single, "Diary," why he had to pick music over football, and his search for Ms. Right (hint -- it could be one of the celebs from Dancing With The Stars!).
J-14: What's the story behind "Diary"?
TIno: I thought that everyone could relate to it because in today's world, nobody picks up the phone anymore. Everything's in writing -- somebody always sees something that you don't want them to see, whether it's a text or on Facebook.
J-14: What are your biggest inspirations when it comes to writing?
Tino: Real life situations and emotions. If I feel something, it will come out. If I don't feel it, I can't force it. I definitely have to feel it to write it.
J-14: Which song off your upcoming album are you most excited about?
Tino: "Miss America" because I think everyone's searching for Ms. Right.
J-14: When did you know you wanted to go into music as a career?
Tino: It was always in me, since day one. I got my first guitar in 7th grade, and it just progressed naturally. Sports was my number one passion, and it was definitely a turning point senior year for me to say that I wanted to be an artist full-time. I was planning on going away to college for football. You can see all the scars on my wrists -- I was going in for a tackle, and two helmets came on both sides of the ball [and hit me]. That was mentally and physically draining. I still could have gone away to school, but it would have been hard to have meetings in a dorm room. So I decided to stay local, set up a studio, and focus on my music.
J-14: Did music help you get through the injury?
Tino: One-hundred percent. It sucked, and sports was my passion, but music helped me.
J-14: What's the sweetest thing you've done for a girl?
Tino: My last girlfriend and I had a saying -- "Always and Forever," and I wrote a song about that to her and recorded it.
J-14: Who is your celeb crush?
Tino: Debby Nova or Nicole [Scherzinger] from Pussycat Dolls.
Check out this shout-out Tino gave to J-14 readers when he visited the mag's offices:
