Michael Trotter First Wrote Songs in Saddam Hussein's Palace in the War. Now He's Healing from PTSD Through Music (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr. in 2024.Photo:Sophia Matinazad

Sophia Matinazad

The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. knows just how intertwined his musical origin story is with histime in the U.S. Army. But he also knows just how music turned out to be the saving grace he needed upon returning home.

Michael, who is one half of theGrammy-winning country duoalongside wife Tanya Trotter, has come a long way since leaving the military in 2011. He and Tanya tied the knot in 2011 after meeting the year prior at a music festival, and they’ve launched a successful career as a duo (Their latest album,Plus One, is out on Feb. 14).

But the PTSD from his days overseas still lingers. The 2020 War and Treaty song “Five More Minutes” even recalls a moment Tanya had to pull him from the brink of suicide.

Being able to channel his feelings into music has made all the difference.

“It’s not just about fun for me,” Michael tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue of music’s deeper meaning. “Now I’m connecting with a tormented soul, and I’m creating something to free myself. I’m learning how to steal away. I call it ‘SAM’ moments: steal away moments. Steal away minutes to try to be normal and to try to remember that I’ve got a gift. I’ve got goals and plans with this.”

Michael Trotter Jr.’s military photo from 2003.Courtesy of Michael Trotter Jr.

Courtesy of Michael Trotter Jr.

“I had no other choice,” he says. “The war was a detour I needed to do because I had f—ed my life up so bad. I wasn’t patriotic. I didn’t give a s— what was going on in this world. I just was like, ‘I need a dollar fast and I need to get it legally.’ And so I signed up in the time of war. I had no idea.”

He continues, “You sign up and you think you’re going to go play [fictional Marine] Gomer Pyle and just be OK. And then you end up going and doing aSaving Private Ryanmission. You’re like, ‘What the hell? I’m a singer! Wait, wait. Don’t shoot!’”

Before long, he was dreaming big. The lights on the helipad outside became the lights of Nashville’s revered Ryman Auditorium, which he’d seen in the movieWalk the Line. A broomstick became his microphone.

Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter of The War And Treaty attend The 58th Annual CMA Awards at Music City Center on November 20, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.Jason Kempin/Getty

Jason Kempin/Getty

“I’d sweep and sing and make these songs up in my head. I’d spin around. At 2 a.m, I’m yelling and singing at the top of my lungs and I’m hearing every instrument. I’m dreaming,” he recalls. “The war provided that dream.”

Still, the war stayed with him upon returning home.

“People wonder how a soldier can come home trapped in the war. Well, let’s take away the bombs, take away the shooting. If you get issued a U.S. blanket in the Army, it has the U.S. emblem. If you make your bed up with that emblem facing up, that means you’re dead,” he explains. “So, psychologically, you’re walking through your bay and you’re seeing your battle buddies who just sat on that bunk and ate with you. And now that bunk is made with the U.S. side facing up.”

While Michael expresses frustration with the way his time in the army “overshadows the purity” of his musical journey (“It takes over,” he says), he understands that progress requires struggle.

“Losses create the opportunity. When we lose, it also helps build character and to build grace,” he says. “All that I went through, I’ll be the first person to say, it didn’t create me. All that I’ve gone through, the things that I’ve seen, did not make me who I am. It’s the aftermath. It’s what comes next. It helps my entire life make sense. And that’s Tanya. She will always be my plus one.”

In support of their new album, Michael and Tanya, 52, will hit the road on their Plus One tour starting in March.

Tanya describes the album as “an invitation” for “people that are just trying to have a good time.”

For more on The War and Treaty, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.

source: people.com