The War and Treaty Artistfacts

2014-
Michael Trotter Jr
Tanya Trotter
The War and Treaty are a Michigan husband-and-wife duo comprising singer-songwriters Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter. The War and Treaty's music draws inspiration from a wide range of genres, including Americana, roots, soul, gospel, R&B, and country.
Michael Trotter Jr. served in the US Army's 6th Infantry Regiment from 2003 to 2007, winning repeated commendations. In Iraq, he stumbled upon an extraordinary discovery: a piano once owned by Saddam Hussein. This unlikely companion became his solace during his nearly two-year service in the Iraq War.
After Trotter returned home, he met Tanya Blount at a music festival. The two started working on songs together, got married and had a child.
Michael and Tanya Trotter released their debut studio album, Love Affair, in 2016 as Trotter and Blount.
Their sophomore album, Healing Tide, was their first LP released under the name of The War and Treaty. The name emerged from a debate about changing their band name for the seventh time.

"We were getting pretty heated. I emphatically wanted to change the name," Michael Trotter recalled to Jazz.FM. "She emphatically wanted to keep the name we had, and felt that it was unprofessional to keep changing the name. In the heat of the battle, she said, 'OK, Michael, this is not a war. Let's come to some sort of treaty here.' And I immediately said, 'Wait a minute. I think that's the name.'"
In 2022, they signed to UMG Nashville. War and Treaty released their major label debut, Lover's Game, the following year.
They became the first Black duo to be nominated for the Country Music Association Award for Vocal Duo of the Year and the Academy of Country Music Award for Duo of the Year.
The War and Treaty collaborated with American country star Zach Bryan on his track "Hey Driver" from his 2023 self-titled studio album. The song debuted at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the duo's first appearance on the chart.
Michael Trotter developed post-traumatic stress disorder while serving in Iraq. Their 2020 ballad "Five More Minutes," recounts how Tanya's love brought him back from the abyss when he was contemplating suicide.
When she was a teenager, Tanya Trotter was part of the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, where she played a character also named Tanya. She has a breakout moment in the film when she sings "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" alongside another future star, Lauryn Hill. The duet appears on the soundtrack to the movie, which reached #74 in the US.
Michael Trotter Jr. has studied legends like James Brown and Ray Charles, but his biggest inspiration was Margie Hendricks, one of Ray's background singers. He imagined what would happen if Margie had stepped out of the background and stood beside Ray. In that vision, War and Treaty were born.
Every time War and Treaty step on stage, they start with a private prayer: "God, please let people see you and not see us. Let them feel your love." That intention fuels their powerhouse performances, making each show feel like a spiritual experience for their audiences.

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