When it comes to their artistry, THEBROSFRESH takes a thoughtful, meticulous approach to both the creative and business side of their music. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, twin brothers Torrence and Thurman Thomas have made Austin their home, dazzling audiences with their soulful R&B and country-fused sounds.
Having grown up in Louisiana, music was the heartbeat of THEBROSFRESH’s everyday life. As they began to plot their global takeover, the two needed to find a second city that would embrace them just as their hometown did. Upon thorough research, they landed on Austin.
“It’s not always the seed, but sometimes it’s the soil that it’s in,” says Torrence. “We knew we had a sound that could stick. But moving here to Austin, Texas has been absolutely instrumental to us scaling and building the business that we have now.”
Since moving to Austin in 2022, THEBROSFRESH has performed at all the essential Austin festivals and conferences — Austin City Limits, SXSW, and more. They’ve also launched the Lagniappe Lounge, a musical showcase platforming artists from Baton Rouge who have either moved to Austin, or are performing in Austin on tour stops.
With the love they’ve received from their community, one might imagine a bidding war between the major labels, each of them wanting to sign THEBROSFRESH. But the brothers have remained independent throughout the course of their musical career. In addition to festival slots and the multiple EPs under their belt, THEBROSFRESH has landed some coveted brand partnerships among the likes of Jack Daniels, Nike, and Google Pixel. Recently, they’ve partnered with Austin-favorite pizza joint Sammataro to continue building community in creative ways.
Both brothers emphasize that while there is still money to be made in music, partnering with the right brands can take an artist to the next level.
“The brands have the money,” Torrence says. “And we’re in a phase right now where the music industry is shrinking. However, marketing can’t shrink. It has to continue to spend and spend. I see plenty of opportunities in the future with more creative brand partnerships in ways that can service, you know, musical acts, as well as the brands that they’re partnering with.”
The brothers are grateful for the outpouring of love from fans, both near and far, and also committed to giving back to the community. In 2011, they founded Tankproof, a non-profit organization committed to providing swim lessons to children and fighting food insecurity. To date, Tankproof has served over 2,350 individuals across Austin, Louisiana, and San Francisco, and is continuing to expand. “As the music brand continues to grow, so do the eyes of the people interested in Tankproof,” says Torrence. “We can continue to expand the organization, grow it, and create even more of an impact.”
In an ever-evolving musical landscape, avenues for music discovery continue to change every day. But through building community with content creators like Austin-based Weird Forever and maintaining relationships with those who were there since day one, THEBROSFRESH has been able to expand their reach and maintain an impact. For THEBROSFRESH, thriving as artists and entrepreneurs comes down to one thing: discipline.
“You’re gonna have to learn how to book yourself, manage yourself, build your brand by yourself to a certain point,” says Thurman. “But there have never been so many tools to help you to do that. So if you can be organized and focused enough to do those things, the right help will eventually come.”
Great work has no guidelines.
CREDITS
Video & Photography: Julian Muñoz and Tony Ramos
