Introducing The Emerging RnB and Hip Hop Artist…SoLonely
SoLonely is an emerging talent that’s on the verge of an exciting new chapter. Growing up in Sweden, the rising star mastered the art of rapping and singing, but before his 18th birthday his mother tragically passed away. Rather than pursuing a traditional route of grieving, SoLonely found solace in music – channelling his emotions within his songs. After a few years of releasing records on YouTube and Soundcloud, the talented artist soon found himself amassing fans that related to his feelings of loneliness and isolation. Fast forward to 2020 and the singer/songwriter is ready to bring in a new era of music with his latest single ‘Miles Away’. With each release, SoLonely is stripping away his emotive layers to create a vulnerable and welcoming space for music listeners everywhere.
We got to chat with SoLonely about everything from his latest single, his music plans in a COVID-19 world, and more…
Which artist or album first got you interested in hip hop?
I used to listen a lot to Bow Wow when I was younger but also OGs like A Tribe Called Quest and Notorious B.I.G got me interested in hip hop.
Do you remember the first rap you ever wrote?
It was probably a Swedish one. I used to rap a lot as a kid with the local homies when I lived in Stockholm.
What inspired your name ‘SoLonely’?
This is probably my most received question ever, and honestly, I got it from the sheer realization that I was okay even though I felt very lonely. Through my teens, I had so many different groups of friends but I never felt fully understood and eventually, most of the friendships just faded. I made a handful of friends that I still love to this day but having a small circle of people who understand you is so much better than having many who you talk to just to talk.
How has music helped you through times of strife?
Coming home to my microphone in my dead silent and darkroom felt like heaven. It sounds sad cause people are so dependent of other energies but being able to create and vibe on your own just hits differently. Me not being able to voice my feelings to anybody cause it felt weird or just not knowing how to explain how I felt sucked. Being alone and making music about it has helped me in life.
When you first entered the scene you stuck to an anonymous identity. Why did you want to keep your identity private in the beginning? What inspired you to take that step into the spotlight?
I wanted my music to speak for itself, not having a huge persona to it, no gimmicks, purely feelings on beats for people to relate to. I knew there were others like me who felt a lot but couldn’t voice it and music always helped me out when I related to it so why not give people my take on the world.
Revealing my face more just came naturally, it wasn’t really that planned for.
Let’s talk about your latest single ‘Miles Away’ – absolutely fantastic! Can you take us through the creative process for the record?
Thank you! It came about when I sat down with Jeff Roman one of my favourite producers. We had one of our casual sessions and I instantly fell in love with the beat that he started making and I wrote my lyrics to it. It became ”Miles Away”.
We need to talk about the incredible visual. What elements did you want to explore in the video?
We wanted it to be kind of adventurous and mysterious, a search for something. Shot in places that had you wondering where I was at, it was great to go through the whole process and see the outcome of it. We had a great team with us.
What do you want music listeners to take away after listening to the track and watching the video?
I want the listeners to see the track as a ‘’leave town and pursue your dreams’’ kind of track, the same goes for the video. I made it with an open mind and since I did move to my old town to pursue my dreams I felt like it hit home. Many people feel like they are stuck in life but I want them to know that nothing is permanent, everything fades eventually and all we can do is the best with the time we have. If you wanna do something, do it.
What can fans expect from SoLonely for the rest of 2020? How have your plans adapted in regards to the current COVID-19 situation?
I’m going to shift into sports-mode and work even harder. I want to keep making great music with the producers I’m blessed to be working with. I also want to keep giving my awesome listeners music that they can relate to. The feeling of my music helping people out there is worth everything to me. COVID-19 obviously struck the music industry as many other industries, I’m definitely following the rules and precautions but I’m going to do everything I can to release music as usual.
Make sure to watch SoLonely’s video for his latest single ‘Miles Away’
