Trey McLaughlin might not be a household name, but he and his musical arrangements have received a lot of attention over the past few years.
McLaughlin, a singer, composer, arranger and director of several ensembles, has more than 250,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, and several of his videos have more than 1 million hits; a few have more than 4 million.
“I started posting on YouTube my versions of other people’s songs,” said McLaughlin.
It wasn’t long, however, before people were interested in hearing McLaughlin’s own music.
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McLaughlin has always had music in him.
He graduated from John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School in 2002. While in high school, he joined a group called Creative Impressions, which features young people between the ages of 11 and 18. Each Christmas, they present their original production of “Behold the Star.”
He attended Columbus State University, where he received his degree in in musical performance with an emphasis in vocal pedagogy. After he graduated, Evelyn Ellis, who founded Creative Impressions, turned the reins over to him. Not only does he direct that group, but he’s also the worship and arts pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church.
“I love directing choirs,” he said.
One of his choral groups is called The Sounds of Zamar. The group has traveled the country performing at colleges and universities. Videos of their rehearsals and impromptu songs have garnered millions of YouTube views. The group’s rendition of “Better Is One Day” was posted in February 2014 and has been watched more than 6 million times; “Let Praise Rise” has been watched more than 4.6 million times since July 2015.
“It started with me asking friends to come sing with me. I was kind of shy and didn’t want to go alone,” he said.
McLaughlin can’t be shy now. A lot of people have noticed his work. He’s worked with artists such as Jordin Sparks. He and the Sounds of Zamar premiered a song with her at last year’s Unicef Won’t Stop event.
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He and the Sounds of Zamar have performed with gospel singers William McDowell, Kierra “Kiki” Sheard and Brian Courtney Wilson. They were featured on Grammy-nominated artist Vashawn Mitchell’s “Triumphant” DVD.
One of Creative Impressions’ alums is Jamal Moore, another Davidson grad, who sang in the series “The Sing-Off” with his college group, The YellowJackets, in season 3 and again with The Exchange in season 5. McLaughlin arranged some of the pieces for “The Sing-Off.”
While McLaughlin’s work takes him out of the Augusta area on a regular basis, the 36-year-old likes to keep the Garden City as his home base.
“We’ve had a lot of really successful people from Augusta, and they leave,” he said. “I want to uplift my community. I have the opportunity to travel all over the world. I don’t see why I can’t stay here.”
McLaughlin has several projects in the works.
“I have a virtual project that I hope to release soon. I also have a solo project, and I’ve already released three music videos for it,” he said. “The Zamar Experience will be released soon on DVD.”
To learn more about McLaughlin and the Sounds of Zamar, visit www.treymclaughlin.com.
Read our article on the Sounds of Zamar at https://theaugustapress.com/sounds-of-zamar-to-perform-in-aiken-feb-9/
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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