‘Grow With Me’: Eau Claire Native’s Music Career Blooms With New Single
Spencer Douglas’s latest track is the first on the label he co-founded, the 480 Collective
Time can change you for the better or for worse, but years of refining have only done wonders for Spencer Rhoten’s music.
The soon-to-be University of St. Thomas senior, who goes by the stage name Spencer Douglas, recently released his first single in three years. “Grow With Me” is Rhoten’s ode to getting older but finding the beauty in it.
“Time moves really quickly, and I was feeling a bit scared of that,” said Rhoten, a Memorial High School grad. “Growth comes with that, as well. I don’t think I’m the same person I was three years ago when I wrote this song, but I think that’s a good thing in this case. I’m a better person than I was back then, and this song captures that.”
The new track features a dream-pop style akin to modern artists such as BØRNS or Harry Styles, with the deep vocal register Rhoten is known for. And while the single is billed under his name, it’s a part of a larger effort that is pushing his music career forward.
“Grow With Me,” is part of the collaborative album The Collection, Vol.1, which features 11 St. Thomas students on the record label they co-founded, the 480 Collective. Rhoten and other students launched the record label a way of pushing themselves in their music business degree journeys, as well as giving their classmates a leg up in their careers. In addition to writing and performing on the album, he also produced a number of the songs for other artists on the project.
“The album is a showcase of the talent we have in the St. Thomas music community,” Rhoten said. “We wanted to give these great musicians (what) they needed to push themselves and their careers forward, which I think we’ve done.”
As the Eau Claire native continues his studies at St. Thomas, he said he hopes to continue to pepper in new music and live performances during his final year of college. After that, it’s open season for the young musical savant.
“Grow With Me” is available to stream now on Spotify and Apple Music. Visit the 480 Collective’s website for more information on the full album. Learn more about Spencer at linktr.ee/spencerdouglas.
