It may be the biggest cliché in the world, but sometimes in life it’s actually true: what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger.
Semiahmoo Peninsula-based singer-songwriter Richard Tichelman says he’s back to full swing after a motorcycle accident a month and a half ago – an accident he admits he was lucky to survive with only a broken collarbone.
And although an injury forced him to postpone the release date of his latest album, In love and no longer in loveUntil July 26 (he wanted to be recovered enough to play guitar at personal appearances in support of the release), he is taking a philosophical approach to everything.
Ironically, the accident occurred on Mother’s Day (May 12) just a block or two from Tichelman’s family home in South Surrey.
“It was one of the scariest things in my life,” he said during a recent visit to Peace Arch News.
“I had just finished filming two videos for the album and we were shooting the final shots. I was near my home, about the corner of 167th Street and 20th Avenue, when a woman in her SUV turned left right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and flew 90 feet into a ditch.”
His speed played no role in the accident, he said, although he later realized that if he had driven faster, “it would have been the end of me.”
As is typical of delayed reactions in such situations, Tichelman remembers getting out of the ditch and running back to where the other driver had stopped and where his motorcycle was. The woman was fine, although shaken, but the motorcycle – his prized white 2006 Yamaha – was “decrepit,” he said.
“It was my pride and joy, just like the bike my dad had when I was growing up,” he said. “I loved my bike, but at the end of the day, she gave her life so I could keep mine.”
It was only when he and the other driver were waiting for the police and an ambulance to arrive that he realized he was in pain – a lot, he added.
Things got a little unclear on the way to the hospital, but he remembers the support of his family, including his father and sister Elizabeth, and especially the calm, loving support of his mother Tracy.
“As much as I tried to be strong for her, she was strong for me,” he said.
Barely two weeks after the accident, he was back on his feet after an operation – but he had to realise at the time that months of physiotherapy still awaited him.
And when he wanted to pick up the guitar again, after half an hour he realized that he would have to wait for that too.
On one level, it’s a frustrating delay to a music career that began when he busked on the White Rock Pier as a young troubadour in his early teens, and has since evolved from some honorable country roots into a mainstream pop phenomenon, winning fans and attracting attention on both the national and international stages.
Tichelman’s rise has peaked, especially since the forced layoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His single from 2022 hands not only earned him a coveted spot at the prestigious CMW Showcase, but also won victories at top music competitions, including Jim Beam Bourbon’s Virtual National Talent Search.
His single from 2023 Red lights, Created during a stay in Nashville and benefiting from the production of Giordan Postorino (Alessia Cara) and the mixing talent of Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica), it became a chart-topper on radio and secured him a win at the 2024 USA Songwriting Competition.
A mentorship at Studio Bell in Calgary was the prelude to even more exciting developments, including a record deal with XOXO Entertainment Corp/Believe and the production of In love and no longer in love.
As the title suggests, life experience has given his musical work a greater emotional depth, especially on the new lead single Never be the same againwhich he co-wrote with Nashville heavyweights Jimmy Thow and Jamie Floyd and which deals with themes such as heartbreak with new-found maturity.
When the album is released later this month, it will be available to stream and download on all platforms at richardtichelman.com.
However long it takes to get back to where he wants to be, Tichelman said he is willing to take as much time as it takes.
“(Since the accident) I find that I like to slow down and take my time,” he said. “When I focus on the situation, I have to think about what it means to me and how I can be a part of it,” he said.
“This incident was out of my hands,” he said. “But I obviously have a score to settle.”
“I need to think about some of the things I need to do, including some of the things I don’t like doing, and think about how I can do them with joy.”
His passion for making music is unbroken and continues to drive him, he says.
“Music is the friend that never leaves me,” he said. “No matter what else happens in my life, music is a constant source of joy.”
“I will strive to go with the flow and try to stay in the eternal lane.”
