This is the twelfth edition of JTPL Stories: a series of interviews with library patrons, staff, and partners. Continue below to meet the faces of JTPL with our Outreach Coordinator, Aliya! Click Here to read the entire series.
Whether he’s in the Makerspace assisting patrons or setting up the recording studio for a new producer, Vincent has been a crucial part of our Jeffersonville staff since 2021. But did you know our Makerspace training specialist is also an artist?
Vincent grew up surrounded by music. His dad DJ’d and many of his grandparents, aunts, and uncles sang in the church choir. At every family gathering, he told me: “there’s always gotta be music there in the background; it’s very important.”
“But I really got my love of music from my Papaw, my dad’s father, Clarence Thomas Sr.” he continued. “He had a music room full of records that he would play front to back. We would sit in there for hours and just listen.”
Vincent says his musical influences come from artists like Brandy, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, and Usher.
In 2016, after singing in the church choir for years, Vincent started recording his own music and soon graduated with a degree in Music Business from IU. In 2022, he released his own R&B singles under the name VNCNT.
“It has been a journey,” he told me. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs. I guess I needed to believe in myself as a musician. And I was just unaware of how much money goes into fully funding an independent career.”
To record and release a record, artists typically have to rent out time in a studio and pay a producer to work with them. Finishing even one song can cost hundreds, and that’s if they already know how to use the equipment required. Through his work at JTPL, Vincent wants to change all that for artists in Southern Indiana.
At the library, patrons can use our recording studio for free and are encouraged to ask Vincent for support if they don’t know where to start. He’s played a major role in simplifying the process and equipment so that anyone can walk in and start recording from scratch. The studio has saved local artists thousands of dollars over the last five years.
Just this last year, Vincent cut the ribbon on our new Multimedia Studio full of video recording and editing equipment as well. But Vincent’s goals for building musical community go beyond providing equipment and expertise.
“What I appreciate I can do for other artists is be that voice for them that I wish I would have had that would have, you know, propelled me into releasing music earlier. As a musician, or a creative, period, you’re constantly doubting yourself. Is my work good enough? Will people appreciate it?
Rather than simply providing technical support, Vincent enjoys giving encouragement to artists who come in to use the library. He knows first hand how difficult making music can be.
“What I tell people is that what you have is unique and nobody else can do what you do. The point is, we don’t need to conform to what everybody else is doing. Because in art it’s all about what sets you apart. What makes you distinct. So I love that I can encourage other creators to not hide their art like I did for so many years.”
Recently, Vincent has been working with his cousin, Young Judah, and they’ve had big opportunities to collaborate with major recording artists and producers such as Bow Wow and DJ Drama. Vincent has local friends who have worked on Bryson Tiller, Jack Harlow, and Doja Cat albums.
The local music community is tight, but Vincent hopes it will be more intentional in the coming years. He plans to continue to contribute through his work and his own art. This year, he’s creating a series at the library that will feature local artists in our studio akin to NPR’s Tiny Desk. “If there are local musicians who might be interested in joining the series,” he said, “come see me at the library in the Makerspace.”
I’m excited to see what other opportunities he’ll create.
You can find Vincent’s music on Spotify and YouTube under the artist name VNCNT. He plans to release a new EP in 2026!