Terry Blade

Terry Blade is an American singer-songwriter based in the Chicago metropolitan area. He was the blues category winner of the American Songwriter 2023 Song Contest. He has also been nominated twice for Hollywood Music in Media Awards; in 2020 for his song "The Unloveable", and in 2023 for his song and music video "Won't Be Around".

Career
On April 3, 2020, Blade debuted his acoustic demo "The Unloveable". The release earned a singer-songwriter nomination at the 11th Hollywood Music in Media Awards. "The Unloveable" appeared as the opening track on Blade's six-track EP demo, Misery, which was released on May 8, 2020.

Also in 2020, Blade released his a cappella single "The 'Karen' Blues" which caught the attention of musician Adeem the Artist who described it as "witty and biting".

On February 5, 2021, Blade released his debut studio album American Descendant of Slavery, the Album. The album incorporated public domain audio recordings of formerly enslaved African-Americans. The album won a Summit Creative Award for Audio at the 2021 Summit Awards.

On January 14, 2022, Blade released his second studio album Neo Queer. The album featured tracks such as "The Silent Treatment" and "All Ways" which received national radio airplay on Amazing Radio. On January 24, 2022, Frankie Francis featured Blade on his Amazing Afternoons broadcast on Amazing Radio. Two months later, Blade released his soul single "For You".

On January 6, 2023, Blade released his blues single "Won't Be Around". The single won first place in the blues category of the American Songwriter 2023 Song Contest. In describing the single, Blade stated, "At its core, the song is about leaving an abusive relationship by having the will to speak it, the courage to do it, and the strength to never return to it." The single received a nomination at the inaugural Hollywood Independent Music Awards in the Americana/Roots category. The single and music video (which was directed by Blade) also received a nomination at the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards in the Music Video (Independent) category.

"Won't Be Around" appeared on Blade's third studio album, Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper, which was released a month later. The album's title refers to Blade having ancestors who were African-American sharecroppers in North Carolina. The album received a nomination for Best Folk/Americana Album at the 2023 Josie Music Awards.

On May 3, 2024, "Won't Be Around" appeared on New Music Weekly's Country Up & Coming Chart after receiving national radio airplay. The music video for "Won't Be Around" was officially selected for the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival where it won the award for Best Music Video USA. The music video was also officially selected for the Berlin Short Film Festival, the Castle Rock Film Festival, the LA Shorts Fest, the New Media Film Festival, the Regina International Film Festival, the Thin Line Fest, and the Tribeca Festival.

Personal life
Blade is originally from Washington, DC. He identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.