Don Toliver’s Rise to Stardom
The Houston artist Don Toliver, has been intentional in his journey to where he is today. His significant breakthrough came about on Travis Scott’s Astroworld album in 2018, and since then, he has continued to fine-tune his sound to stand out. Each project has shown growth, with commercial success to match it. In 2020, he had his first top ten hit and the last two albums ranked in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Critics are all over his latest release, Hardstone Psycho, with good reason: it is proving to be his most successful release yet.
Considering Don Toliver’s second album “Life of a Don” debuted at number two this makes “Hardstone Psycho” number three on Billboard 200, technically one place lower than his second album. However, when it comes to sales figures for this body of music, there is no comparison. The first week sales for “Hardstone Psycho” were an impressive 77K copies, making it the highest selling debut for any Don Toliver album so far. By way of contrast
“Life of a Don” sold off fewer units during its initial micro period, totaling up to about sixty eight thousand copies while “Love Sick” sold only forty thousand units within one week.
Don Toliver’s trajectory can be seen as a steady climb towards superstardom. Every new release cements him more into the industry and brings him closer to wide acclaim. His improvement being consistent as well as commercial accomplishments underscores his commitment and skillfulness. The rave reviews given by people concerning Hardstone Psycho which also breaks own personal records shows that Don Toliver is formidable force.
Combatting Superstardom Over Time
One might see it taking long but not for Don Toliver who clearly intends staying put. Doing so much work and evolving as an artist will eventually have a lasting impact on the music scene. As he inches closer to super stardom, fans and critics alike can look forward to witnessing his continued rise and the innovative music he will undoubtedly continue to produce.
In an interview with GQ in 2023, Don Toliver shared about his musical journey and how different influences contributed towards his unique sound. He owed this to his parents who it seems had an eclectic taste of music. However, in the early stages of his career there were many assumptions on him from popular artists. “They say I sound like Akon or T-Pain,” he remembered. “But I believe that I sound like myself.” These comparisons served as compliments but never defined him; they prompted him to create his own brand within the field.
A gradual increase in popularity allowed Don Toliver to make mistakes and perfect his artistry according to himself. This slow growth has given him confidence to understand what he is doing musically. “I know how to do everything,” said Toliver with pride. “Any beat you play, I can tell you how a person should sound or how I could sound.” His confidence comes through in the music itself as well as during performances where it is evident that he is versatile in nature with a strong artistic vision.
The Evolution of Hardstone Psycho
Toliver’s new album, “Hardstone Psycho” is an affirmation of his regained confidence and growth as an artist. The album has a wide variety of sounds, ranging from sample heavy hip-hop to dance-like party numbers and rock infused anthems. Toliver’s interest in experimenting with different types of music manifests his commitment to destroy musical barriers. He looks up to some avant-garde musicians who he wants to draw inspiration from when making timeless music.
Don Toliver aspires that his music will be evergreen like those by Marvin Gaye, Sade, Jay-Z and others. In his 2022 GQ interview, he said he wanted people to place him in the same breath with these legends when it comes to listening to his music. “I want people to listen to my music and think it’s timeless,” he said .“To think about Marvin Gaye, Sade, Jay-Z, and just listen again.” All I strive for is to be in the conversation with some of the greatest of all time. His ambition and dedication towards his craft indicate that he is on track towards achieving this target.
Conclusion
Don Toliver’s metamorphosis from being compared with other singer-songwriters into establishing a unique sound of his own speaks volumes about their development and resilience. “Hardstone Psycho,” his latest album reveals how flexible Don can be with the type of songs that he produces. Certainly , Toliver is not far away from coming out as one of the biggest names in the industry as he continues on his artistic journey.
