There’s a certain honesty you only get from musicians who’ve lived a few lives. Tony Kamel fits squarely in that camp.
Tony writes and performs songs for a living. Some people even listen. He’s toured, recorded, chased the dream, and done the unglamorous work that keeps the lights on. Now, he’s also a dad navigating a very different kind of stage.
Tony lives in the Austin, Texas area with his wife and their four-year-old daughter. Their second child is arriving this February. When asked what the hardest part of parenting has been, he doesn’t romanticize it.
Everything is hard. Once you accept that hard is the baseline, it oddly gets easier. That mindset shift matters, especially in the early years. Sleep deprivation, he admits, is a real personality test.
Finding Meaning in the Small Stuff
For Tony, the most rewarding part of fatherhood isn’t the big milestones. It’s the small moments that show up quietly and disappear just as fast.
Right now, he’s his daughter’s favorite person in the world. He knows that season has an expiration date, and instead of fighting it or brushing past it, he’s choosing to enjoy it fully.
That awareness runs through how he approaches both parenting and work.
How Fatherhood Changed His Career
Before becoming a dad, Tony didn’t realize how much parenting would reshape his relationship with touring. It didn’t end his career, but it did change how it feels.
He still tours, just less. Not because he can’t do it, but because he doesn’t love it the same way anymore. There’s more guilt now. More awareness of what he’s missing. In his words, it’s a total blessing, even if it comes with tradeoffs. He also notes, with dry humor, that the middle-class touring world has mostly disappeared anyway.
Fatherhood didn’t shrink his ambition. It refined it.
The Best Advice He Ever Got
The advice that stuck with Tony is short and absolute.
Never go against your wife’s motherly instincts. Ever. Not even a little.
It’s a reminder that partnership matters, and that parenting works best when trust runs both ways.
A Typical Dad Day
Tony describes his days as suburban bliss. Early mornings, coffee and breakfast, school drop-off, yoga if he’s lucky, then work. It’s not flashy. It’s steady.
When work, life, and family all collide, he admits he doesn’t juggle it gracefully. Balls get dropped. Chaos shows up. The key is getting better at picking things back up and riding the wave instead of fighting it. His wife, who he describes as wildly organized, is the anchor. Without her, the operation falls apart.
Yoga and meditation help too, but he’s clear about what really keeps things moving. Teamwork.
Dad Life Non-Negotiables
Tony’s non-negotiable is one every parent recognizes instantly. If his daughter wants a song repeated, he repeats it. Even when it’s annoying.
He remembers what it felt like to be obsessed with a song as a kid. That joy, that sense of wonder, matters more than convenience.
When he gets time alone, his guilty pleasure isn’t glamorous. He paints houses. It’s a survival job. Not very rock-and-roll. Extremely relaxing. Especially the part where he’s not broke.
Playing the Long Game
Tony’s story is a reminder that fatherhood doesn’t end creative ambition. It reframes it. The wins get quieter. The priorities shift. The meaning deepens.
He’s still writing songs. Still performing. Still building a life that works for this season.
You can follow Tony at @tonykamelmusic.
