Interview: Trenton, NJ Rap Artist/Producer Solo Star Talks About His Debut Album "SOLO": The Ballad of Solo Star"
/
“I forced myself to explore who I am and how I got here. Attempting to be more vocally introspective, which isn’t an easy thing for an introvert like me.”
Congratulations on the completion and release of your debut album "SOLO": The Ballad of Solo Star"; tell us about your creative process for its nine songs, and who provided production.
Thanks. I wanted my debut to be a proper introduction to the world. So going in, my #1 goal was to be as honest as I possibly could not only with them, but with myself as well.
I forced myself to explore who I am and how I got here. Attempting to be more vocally introspective, which isn't an easy thing for an introvert like me. I aimed to produce the whole project myself, but I'm a firm believer in creative fluidity.
You write however many songs and then you sit back and pick the ones you like the best. So I ended up having six of the nine production credits; Baghira has two and jangO has the last song to make the cut, “Highdrate”.
Would you say that the album has an overarching theme or concept to it?
Authenticity. Whether it makes you look cool or not. A vast majority of hip-hop artists only allow themselves to be authentic with the socially acceptable parts of themselves. I wanted to give listeners unfiltered access and I feel like I accomplished that.
Do you plan on releasing music videos for any of the tracks on the album? If not, what song from it will you be dropping next?
I am actually in the middle of producing a short film to accompany the album. That will most likely be the only visual aid this project will get. This album was a passion project, so I just want to execute my vision and then let it speak for itself.
It's not the most "commercial" body of work, so I won't treat it as such. However, I will be editing and releasing cuts of individual tracks as music video substitutes.
Were there songs that you recorded for the album that you decided not to include on the final track list? If so, why did they not make it?
The track list was originally set for eight songs and I ended up writing around 22. I had songs with collaborations that didn't get completed on time and some that I couldn't get the instrumentation to sound the way I wanted. So when I finally narrowed it down to nine, I just added an extra song so I could be done with it.
What can you tell us about your media company, The Independent Superstar Network? What are your goals with the company?
The Independent Superstar Network is a media conglomerate dedicated to educating, empowering and broadcasting independent creators in the arts and entertainment fields.
The goal is to provide a viable platform for artists of various concentrations to showcase their genius. From art and music to film and TV; independent creators need a place to display it all and that's what we hope to give them.
I'm currently developing a small lineup of original shows for our online channel, IndieStarTV™ and my short film will be released exclusively through that imprint. I am the President; the sole creative director; and the main source of talent for our upcoming slate of programming.
Hopefully this will only be temporary as I'm actively vetting potential sponsors and collaborators to assist with increasing the reach of the platform.
With "SOLO": The Ballad of Solo Star" now released, what are some of your goals musically for the rest of the year?
PERFORM! PERFORM! PERFORM!
That's all I really want to start doing. Honing and perfecting my live show is the most important thing for me to start doing. Preferably as soon as humanly possible and without killing myself in the process.
I'll most likely start live-streaming until the pandemic situation resolves itself. Then you'll find me anywhere and everywhere that I'm legally allowed to perform.
Stream and Share “SOLO: The Ballad Of Solo Star”
Connect with Solo Star: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | YouTube