An Interview with sogroovy

Dami: What was your first introduction to music?

sogroovy: Music has been a part of my entire life. Even when I was a toddler, I'd listen to the music my dad would show me, and I'd build drum kits out of random things found around the house (like pots, cups, wooden spoons for sticks), etc. I've always had and will always have a lifelong passion for music, no matter what. For the last 17 years, music has consistently been the thing I'm most passionate about, whether that's creating, listening, analyzing, talking about it to other people, anything at all.

Dami: What then inspired you to start making music professionally?

sogroovy: For the longest time, I had been put in various band programs through the private music school I was attending. And I slowly realized overtime that that field of music never really spoke to me. I was born a drummer no doubt, but performing as part of a band playing instruments was never what grabbed me about music. What hooked me was the ability to express whatever you can possibly think of. Literally anything. It doesn't matter what genre you wanna make, or anything like that. If you can convey a message through music to another listener, that is something so special to me. There was no clear catalyst for me starting to create music professionally, if I'm being honest. I think it just eventually got to a point where I realized it was what I ACTUALLY wanted to do, and almost 4 years later I haven't looked back. I wasn't exactly fed up with playing in a band, but it was something that I feel guided me slowly towards what it was that I genuinely had a passion for, rather than playing in a band. And after only a few sold beats eclipsed the amount I made from bands in almost 3 years, I realized I had made a good choice, not gonna lie.

Dami: How would you describe your sound?

sogroovy: In terms of producing over the years, my sound has changed a lot, mainly because of the difference in genres. Back in 2022 and 2023, I produced alot of aesthetic rap beats (rappers like 1nonly, shady moon, lilbubblegum, that whole scene). But after realising it was a generally dead genre, I moved over to pluggnb. After that change, I took alot of inspiration from Lil Shine, Xangang, Jalen #vlm, and others for my beats, aswell as a producer named 609Fredo who I believe was the person who popularized pop pluggnb mashups back in 2022. He was one of the biggest initial inspirations for my pluggnb sound. Since I began rapping in 2023, I try to blend various aspects about certain artists together to create something that sounds refreshing, yet familiar at the same time. I've been told many times that I sound similar to Lil Shine, in my delivery or melody. And no, I'm not trying to bite his sound, that's just kinda what happens when I open my mouth and sing. Overall, I would say my sound is bright, catchy, melodic, and takes inspiration from people like Lil Uzi Vert, Bladee, Lil Shine, and really just depends on what I feel like making that day. If I had to put it in a word, I'd simply say melodic.

Dami: Since your debut 4 years ago, how much would you say you’ve grown as an artist and producer?

sogroovy: A lot. Not just in terms of sound, but overall skill aswell. I'd say my career that I want within the music industry is to become a music engineer. Someone who works in studios with a bunch of artists, listening to their visions and being able to achieve exactly what they want for them in terms of mixing, mastering, composing, etc. I would also say that my sound has definitely evolved overtime too, in terms of rapping. I'm finding myself wanting to spread my wings now more than ever before, exploring different areas of melodic trap, rnb, pop, dance, everything. Whatever gets the people moving, whatever gets them singing, I love all of that. So much.

Dami: When you make music or even a beat, is there anywhere you grab inspiration from?

sogroovy: Not usually when I rap. When I'm making my own song, I like to just see where my mind goes, what I'm writing down, and singing tends to just be inspired by whatever's on my mind at that point in time. But with beats, absolutely. As mentioned before, alot of my inspirations for pluggnb are producers, not rappers. People like Xangang, Jalen, Goyxrd, 1kkyoto, Malice/Solxmn, and so many others. They all are incredibly talented producers whose creations I could listen to forever. And they're definitely huge inspirations when it comes to the beats I make. Whether it's a specific song or just a general sound, it's usually those people amongst many others as well who inspire my production sound.

Dami: You’re dropping a new single next month, can you tell us more about it?

sogroovy: “The Effect” is the first song I'm dropping that isn't produced by me. The beat is made by a good friend of mine Corbino (@prodcorbino on ig). The vibe of the song brings back a nostalgic feel for that 2021 pluggnb era, and the beat sounds right at home on something like Nothing more Nothing LESS by Summrs. Again, you'll hear the various inspirations throughout the track as it goes on, and you'll see I tried to go for the catchy melodic feel with this one. If you like pluggnb, this is a return to form, no bullshit or anything like that. It's just straight, classic, good old pluggnb. If that sounds good to you, it's coming out on the 9th of May, so be ready for it!

Dami: What was the creative process for it like?

sogroovy: One morning a few weeks back, I was just going through a bunch of shit on Spotify. I was having a really nice breakfast at a cafe and the sky looked gorgeous. Then, What We Have by Summrs came on in my airpods, (like the song not the EP) and I realized like, holy shit these Goyxrd beats are fucking gorgeous. For whatever reason, the scenery plus the music really resonated with me. One thing led to another and I asked Corbino if he had any beats like that that were ready to go. Knowing him, this was his shit, and I knew he'd have some hard shit to give me. Sure enough, he sends through 6 or 7 beats, and every last one of them was incredible. They were all so good, I considered, and still am considering making a pure pluggnb EP with just all of those beats. Once I began writing, it all just came to me and the flows and melodies started forming.

Dami: What are 3 words you’ll use to describe “The Effect”

sogroovy: Nostalgic, Druggy, Melodic.

Dami: Any visuals for the single?

sogroovy: Not at this stage, no.

Dami: Do you find producing or making music easier?

sogroovy: Both require creative energy to be done well and without it, neither can really be achieved to your fullest extent. Making music is a lot more fun for me, so I'd say I have an easier time finding the motivation, energy, inspiration, and meaning for a new song I'm making. Plus I've been making beats for a lot longer, so it feels a tad more mundane at this point several years down the road. But to be honest, that's just because I haven't switched genres majorly in a long time, and I'm more so tweaking the sound I have right now for my beats to be as perfect as possible. But overall, making music is what I want my future in this industry to primarily focus on, with making beats as more of a side hustle, as well as self producing my own work, and all of that kinda stuff. So making music is easier for me.

Dami: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

sogroovy: Hopefully a known melodic rapper who dabbles in a bunch of different genres either attending music university, or working in studios with artists from all around the world.

Dami: How is it trying to push your music to a global audience from Australia?

sogroovy: Honestly, I'm still in the process of getting my feet on the ground and establishing some momentum first. I imagine it's no easy feat but it's been done before, so it can be done again. I know that with talent, persistence, and maybe a little luck, I'll be able to get my sound truly out there.

Dami: Are there any artists you’ll love to collaborate with in the nearest future?

sogroovy: Some artists I’d love the chance to work with are people like Lil Shine, Wokeups, Jssr, and some of the more underground names that are of a smaller size, like Moncler3k, Jovan, Yung Frendi, and Kynlary. The dream feature is definitely Lil Uzi Vert, though I'm trying to keep my selection to semi-realistic picks.

Dami: How do you deal with writers block?

sogroovy: I don't force it. Simple as that. It will go away eventually, just keep finding inspiration, and keep thinking of new ideas. It's a difficult topic obviously, some people including myself struggle alot with it, and that's totally normal. You just can't let it kill you.

Dami: What was the first track you ever produced and how do you feel about it now?

sogroovy: My first experience with producing goes back to June 2021. I sampled a song from Sailor Moon and put a soundboard drum kit loop over it in Audacity. No mixing, no grid snap, no nothing. Safe to say I've come a long way since those days, but then again I was also only 13 back then, just messing about and seeing what I could create. Although it's obviously awfully produced, I'm still glad I did it as it put me on this path that I'm still walking now, and I love every second of it.

Dami: What makes your production style unique?

sogroovy: I'd say the wide use of instruments and effects I use on my beats are what gives it their sound. Also the combination of alot of different styles of drums, whether it's classic pluggnb drums, hard hitting trap drums, R&B drums, it all culminates together with the melodies I create to form a sound that I like to think is quite original and "me sounding" for a lack of a better term.

Dami: Where do you see your sound evolving in the nearest future?

sogroovy: For me it's one of two ways: a more R&B and pop focused sound, with more of a dance feel for everybody to get into or a more mainstream melodic trap sound, something like Lil Uzi Vert, for example. But if something pops up along the way, I'm more than happy to try new things.

Presave his upcoming single here