Michael Trotter Jr, second half of War and Treaty, taught himself to play piano on Saddam Hussein's piano. What?!
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Many know that the country star is a military veteran who served in Iraq, but may not know that his dreams and ambitions in the music industry started while on deployment. In fact, he even learned how to play piano while deployed. I suppose you really do learn lots of skills in the military.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Trotter Jr shared about how he bizarrely learned to play the piano.
As the outlet relays, Trotter Jr's unit was encamped in one of Hussein's private palaces. In the basement of the palace was a piano. His commanding officer, Captain Robert Scheetz, encouraged him to play the piano as he knew Trotter Jr had a knack for singing.
And strangely enough, it was tinkering with one of Saddam Hussein's piano while deployed in Iraq that taught the singer to play the instrument. That's quite the origin story.
Unfortunately, Scheetz wouldn't make it back home. While out on a mission, he was K.I.A. Trotter Jr wrote his first song in Scheetz's honor, and sang it at his memorial. He would go on to perform at other services for his dead brothers-in-arms.
His musical career is steeped in his military background, and he's not one to forget where he came from.
Michael Trotter Jr Faced Old Demons When Touring Military Installations
In the interview, the outlet also goes over how Michael Trotter Jr felt when revisiting military installations for his USO Tour.
War and Treaty, with USO, performed at three U.S. military bases in Korea and one in Guam in December. There, all the memories of his service came flooding back.
"I had anxiety coming back — all those memories came rushing in. The uniforms, the jargon — it dredged up so many memories, good and bad," he told the outlet.
Despite facing his traumatic past in the face, he still wanted to pump up the soldiers he performed for.
"My message for them is to hold on: You are not your circumstances," he said. "You are the toughest of the tough. You are our nation's finest."
