Protege – Artist Bio

Composer, Musician, Lyricist and Vocalist; need we say more? Indeed with the emergence of 'Motivation', the debut gospel album from Israel Tutson, we are introduced to a floodgate of talent and an artist with the potential to create some major waves in the gospel industry both in the very near future and in the years to come! Utilizing his rare compilation of skills, Israel has handcrafted the perfect debut project; a versatile and heartfelt album with a fresh sound that naturally captivates the listener from beginning to end. 

Originally from Illinois, Israel's family moved to California where in LA and surrounding areas he began to gain notice as a natural performer with clear God-given talents. As a young child he initially learned to play the piano by ear, however, years later his family relocated back to the mid-west where he received professional training in various aspects of music including theory, sight-reading, conducting, jazz Improvisation, and composition. In the college town of Iowa City, IA, Israel began to become very popular for his musical talents. He won several talent competitions, recorded multiple EP's, and performed in musicals and concerts all over the city and abroad. He also sang with or played for several choirs and singing groups and performed his original songs at weddings, banquets, concerts and several fraternity and sorority events.

After high school Israel received a full four year scholarship to attend the University of Iowa as a Vocal Performance major. It was there that he says he began to realize his purpose in life. "I have always loved and created music for as far back as I can remember but it wasn't until my first year of college that God began to really deal with me and let me know clearly that He didn't give me these gifts and talents to use for my own selfish reasons but for His glory" Israel explains. "That's when I decided to become solely a gospel artist." Now several years later and following the release of his first full-length album, Israel maintains that same humility and focus. "At this time God just seems to be opening the doors for me. There's been many times where I've had opportunities to pursue music as a career but for some reason I always decided against it, but I believe God allowed everything to happen for a reason. At this point I don't care about becoming famous, I just want to utilize the gifts God has given me to fulfill my purpose for being on this earth." That purpose, in Israel's words is "...to help spread the gospel through song" and as the album title suggests he's got what it takes to do it. 

The Motivation Project, as he sometimes refers to it, is an album unlike any that we've heard! In the day where the masses seem content to follow whatever trends are popular, Israel dares to strike out his own musical path and takes the listener on a unique journey from symphonic pop, to mellow grooves, from hip hop style drum beats, to rock and roll, to praise, worship and back again! His creative melodies and tight background harmonies stand out as the telltale signs of a musician turned vocalist; and with over an hour's worth of material all written, performed, and produced by himself, we have a transparent view of who Israel Tutson is in his purest musical form. In March of 2012 he and his wife started the company: Protege Productions. 'Motivation' is their first release."I'm really proud of this project, not only because it's my first full length gospel album but because I was able to personally manage every aspect of the recording of the album from start to finish!" Israel explains.  "I poured my blood, sweat and tears into this album" Israel recalls. "I had so much material built up that it was hard for us to narrow the song list down to only fourteen tracks but, overall I think we're happy with the end product." 

In addition to the release of the Motivation album Israel is also publishing his beats and instrumentals online through Protege Productions LLC. "We've got a good team and a great chemistry right now! When it comes down to purely instrumental music we can cover a lot of genres." Israel intends to make his mark in a big way by being a dual threat music artist and producer, and as we understand it the recording of the second album to be released by Protege is already underway! The Motivation album release date is July 9th 2012. To the gospel world and music lovers across all genres, prepare your ears for a treat and join us in welcoming to the industry newcomer Israel Tutson; Composer, Musician, Lyricist and Vocalist.