UTOPIA is a five track collaboration project by Shola, a London based music producer which explores distinct sounds. Her African roots motivate her thus, creating a musical sanctuary which captivates listeners in her unique world. She had musical roots arising from a music-oriented family and college teachers who encouraged her to producer despite of many male dominated production.
Shola’s musical progression ranges from rap beats to African inspired sounds which draw inspiration from retro eras and animation. This shows her willingness to experiment. Her creativity comes with different inspirations which come into play while crafting authenticity with every song and channeling emotions in its molding. However, her struggle for fair recognition within a male-oriented domain poses a challenge in this male oriented field.
In the future, Shola intends on visual releases as well as other collaborations, going above and beyond music. This shows that she recognizes those who supported to her journey into making music, where true creativity of oneself is what matters. listade education system.
Audiences are led into an emotional and life weaved tapestry exploring “sonic UTOPIA”. Thus, it becomes a sanctuary of diversity expressing true music. Her artistry is a continuous voyage in creating a paradise for those who will plunge into many stories and feelings.
Listen to Utopia below
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What is your stage name
Shola
Is there a story behind your stage name?
It’s just my first name to be honest.
Where do you find inspiration?
From life, the weather, art and listening to a lot of different genres.
What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
I was always surrounded by it from an early age. I was always interested in how something is put together musically as a child.
Are you from a musical or artistic family?
Yes, my mum and sister are both singers. My sister also plays guitar.
Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
I think I was naturally influenced being from a musical family but I would also say my lecturers at uni and college. They really pushed me to get into production especially as there wasn’t much mainstream representation at the time when it came to girls who are into that.
When did you start to produce
I started to produce whilst at college. We had spaces for that luckily so I’d spend a lot of time on Logic and also tried Reason but stick with Logic on the end.
What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
The first concert I went to was in 2017 to watch Wizkid perform. I was so overwhelmed maybe because our seats were so high lol. But I enjoyed it.
How could you describe your music?
I don’t really like to put myself in a box so I just say Afro-inspired but I love experimenting especially when I’m co-producing my sister’s music because she’s an alternative artist.
Describe your creative process.
I don’t play any instruments professionally, I just play by ear mostly on my keyboard. I love drums so I usually try to make sure my drum patterns and FX are distinctive. I like audio processing too when it comes to the instruments. If I’m working with samples, I make sure I tweak stuff make it sound original.
What is your main inspiration?
My main inspiration is a lot of old school stuff and also anime lol. I really love anime and art in general. I also love music from the 50s to early 2000s mainly. I especially love the rawness of music during the 70s, how there is often a heavy focus on an instrumental breaks. It’s so authentic to me so I get inspired to replicate this in a lot of songs I work on.
What musician do you admire most and why?
James Brown. He’s definitely in my top 3. He was definitely a stand out act of his generation. He put 1 million percent into each performance. From his charisma, to his moves and how he interacted with the band The J.B.’s.
Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
Yes definitely, I started off making a lot of rap beats. I was really into Rick Ross, Lol Wayne back then. The shift definitely came at uni because I was exposed to so many different genes of music like Bossa Nova, Jazz, Rock etc. So a lot of these sounds inspired my musical journey over the years.
Who do you see as your main competitor?
I don’t believe in competition.
What are your interests outside of music?
Anime again, drawing and seeing my friends. Not much.
If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
Errmm, no clue. Maybe working in an art gallery lol.
What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Definitely respect/recognition like my male counterparts. I think sometimes people think I’m incapable of doing certain things maybe because I’m a girl but I’ve gotten used to it over the years.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
Only 1? Lol. Errmm, I think the idea of having to do certain things to get certain results. I know people make music for different reasons but to those who are genuinely passionate about it, I think we should remember the reasons why we make music.
Whether it’s a coping mechanism or we just enjoy it. We should always be ourselves when expressing our art instead of trying to please an audience or doing things that aren’t natural for us.
Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
I think naturally I’ve always loved trying to find forms of escapism. Keeps me grounded. So UTOPIA is defined as an imagined place of perfection but I didn’t want to focus on having everything perfect but rather having a set of different realities, situations and feelings that would make my imagined place ideal to me. It’s not always positive but there’s always something to learn, feel and get inspiration from in my world.
What are your plans for the coming months?
I want to focus on putting out more visuals next year so watch this space!
Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
Yes I do 😊
What message would you like to give to your fans?
Fans is a weird word to me I don’t know why lol. But to those that have always followed and supported my music, much love to you always. I really do appreciate all of you.
