Hey friends,

(Note: Read to the bottom for a pretty cool announcement. Excited to share this with you.)

I've always had this feeling that my "big break" wouldn't happen until my mid-40s.

The thought used to weigh me down—knowing that a long road lay ahead.

But it forced me to rethink what success really means.

People ask if I’m gonna make it. And I would say, “Well yesterday I made a song. So yes I made it.”

That perspective has changed me.

Instead of being angry at the industry, I started focusing more on what brings me joy.

It made me realize something: My music isn’t just about being good or fitting some sort of mold.

It’s about creating something that genuinely reflects who I am. Something that brings me, and hopefully you, joy.

Before January 4, 2020, things were tough.

I had an album ready, loaded with passion and effort from many talented people.

Yet, it sat on the shelf for 1.5 years. Its release during COVID went unnoticed.

No reviews, no buzz. It was as if it never existed. I started to question my path in music.

Then came the phone call that changed everything.

Jimmy Fallon had stumbled upon my song in a hardware store. He’d been listening to it throughout the lockdown.

It was a stark reminder that you never know who’s listening or how your art might touch someone’s life.

On national television, Jimmy shared my story, breathing life into an album that had been pronounced dead.

That surreal moment of watching my music come alive again is still hard to wrap my head around.

Two days later, on the Today Show, that same song hit number one.

And you know what? It wasn't about the money or fame.

It was the realization that I wasn’t crazy for believing in my music.

I believe the world is hungry for new stories, and to tell them, we need to live them.

There’s something extraordinary about late success.

It’s a beacon of hope, a reminder that the best is yet to come.

Your best songs, your deepest love, they’re all ahead of you.

I want to encourage you to find joy in whatever you do.

To be enjoyed, to bring pleasure to someone’s life—be it as a friend, a spouse, or even an artist—is a powerful thing.

That’s why I felt so honored when my friends at Stout Productions reached out and asked to do a short film about me.

I’ll admit, I was reluctant.

After seeing and hearing their vision, my reluctance turned to “Why the hell not?” They did such a beautiful job.

Thank you to everyone who worked on To Be Enjoyed. I hope you get to watch it with your friends and loved ones over the holidays.

Click here to watch it now.

Here’s to finding joy, to late success, and to the unexpected turns that make life beautiful.

Let’s enjoy it.

-Thad

P.S. Click here to watch the full length film.