The Sinical Story & Interview
SINICAL is an American Hip Hop Recording Artist from Fall River, MA. Raised by a single mother and his grandparents, he struggled to maintain a relationship with his father at an early age. After being expelled in tenth grade and homeless for periods of time he began to focus on his future. The music Sinical creates is a reflection of self and the struggles he has overcome
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
INTERVIEW
1.At what age did you know that you wanted to be an artist and how did you get started in the first place?
My love for music is because of my mother. She always had a song playing, whether she was cleaning the house or driving in the car. Wherever she went, I went, I was her little side kick. I started writing in middle school as a way to vent. The summer before High School I was kicked out of my home and I moved in with my grandparents. From there I l learned the basics of how to record myself.
2. Who has been your biggest support throughout your journey as an artist?
Myself. I wish I could tell you that my family has been my crutch, but I would be lying. The type of music I make is very personal and reflective of my life. I experienced a turbulent childhood, which followed me into my teenage and early adult years. From my family’s perspective I can understand why they were never fully able to get behind me.
When you see a young kid being expelled from High School, associating with the wrong crowd and making poor decisions, creating Hip Hop music seems to be fueling that fire.I think if I had been your average teenager who got decent grades, surrounded himself with good people and didn’t show signs of aggressive behaviors, my family would have been more supportive.
This in turn could have likely altered the message I convey through lyrics and my music may have been perceived different.
3.How do you prepare mentally before each and every show?
I practice. I take into consideration the venue, location and potential crowd size. I envision myself on stage and anticipate all scenarios throughout my performance. I also need to ground myself and understand my fans point of view. Which songs do they want to hear live? Which emotional strings do I want to pull? From there, I create my set list.
4. What song of yours has been the most personal to you and why?
Lay Your Head Down. I wrote this song during a dark period in my life. The first verse explains the troubling dynamic between my mother, father and myself. My father is in my life now and has been for some time, therefore I don’t wish to speak any negativity on that situation.
However, the lyrics provide a brief glimpse into my home life. The second verse details my thought process. I had been expelled for the second and final time. I was drinking, smoking and watching myself spiral out of control. The opening line, “I drink till I see my face at the bottom of the bottle, looking in the mirror everyday is hard for me to swallow”.
I freestyled that while I was working. People my age were in school, doing the right thing and living. I was working in a rundown warehouse, surrounded by grown men on parole. I hated myself and what I had become.
The third verse is a letter my younger brother who was four years old. I truly thought my time in this world was coming to an end and fast. I wrote this to him, hoping that when he was old enough, he would understand who his big brother was.
5.what do you like most about the music making process and what discourages you the most?
Writing. When I sit down and listen to the beat for the first time, my mind instantly begins creating words and patterns. I never map out the topic of the song, instead I let the emotion in the beat dictate how my pen moves. Typically, I struggle in the beginning and end of each verse, while the middle takes form rather easily. I feel what can only be described as a high, but for those who understand frequency and vibration, my mind transforms into a higher level of consciousness.
6.How did your collaboration with Slaine and Termanology come about?
Both scenarios were rather organic. I had been working with a producer who knew Term and I floated the idea by him of us making a joint together. He then connected those dots for me. During this time, I was also researching recording studios to work out of and I discovered, The Bridge Sound and Stage. Little did I know, Term and the owner, The Arcitype knew one another.
He set up the recording session for us and that’s how “Dreams” was made.
From there I developed a relationship with Arc and found out that Slaine
was signed to his label, AR Classic Records. I reached out to Slaine, Arc spoke highly of me and I think that’s what helped seal the collaboration.
7.what are some things you have learned throughout your music career that has been very beneficial to your career as an artist?
Looking back on how I started and where I’m at now is mind blowing. See, when you’re just getting into this game, you don’t know anything, literally. I thought that if I made good music that I would be discovered, get a record deal, become rich and famous. How naive my younger self was. I would hear the word industry get thrown around so often that the meaning lost all value. However, that is exactly what this is, an industry. You can make the most incredible music and will go unnoticed for a lifetime if you don’t approach this as a business.
8.In a video you talk about going back to school to get your business degree. Explain why that was very important for you to do so as an artist?
At the time I thought that it was important. Growing up we’re indoctrinated into believing that the only chance of success is with higher education. However, there are many paths and not each person has the same definition of success. What I will say is that it was important to my character building. I was very unsure of who I was for a period of time and most often uncomfortable in my own skin. As someone who had performed poorly in school, I approached College as a second chance.
9.Where do you see yourself in 5 years and what do you hope to accomplish?
I see myself on an upward trajectory. I believe that every five years, we become a different person. Just five years ago I was living in a studio apartment and now I have a house. If you were to look at my life on a line graph and interpret the slopes, you would see a series of crashes, followed by exponential growth. As I’m saying this, I’m at a pivotal moment and the decisions I make now will dictate the outcome.
10. How do you want to be remembered at the end of your career?
That I never gave up. That no matter how many roadblocks and forks in the road I traveled across, I circumvented my own reality. I want people to understand that once I was able to find a balance within, even in chaos, that I was able to drown out the noise. My hope is that I have inspired others through music and story.
11. What artists would you like to work with in the future and why?
An artist I would like to work with is Jessie Reyez. Her is music is so raw and filled with emotion. She allows the listener an inside experience into her life in real time. Her power with words and the way she delivers her message, resonates with me on a deep level. When she is in pain, I feel it in my soul. Her voice is magnetic in a way that I feel connected to her.
12.What was the inspiration behind your latest project ""Under Pressure?"
All too often I find myself with my back against the wall, a position I’m familiar with. My emotions were running high and I felt boxed in. The production was out of my comfort zone and I think I needed that. At times I fall into a trap where the beats, lyrics and story are similar. By recording “Under Pressure” it allowed me to shift into a new sound.
13.What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career in music?
Fully understand what you are committing to. Fans only see the outcome, not the sacrifice. Without balance, you’ll find yourself time and time again alone and confused. The 9 to 5 life has already been established and a blueprint laid out in front of you. You work hard, you save your money, settle down, buy a home and have children. A music career is not that simple. You’re going to make decision that the average person will not agree with and this can cause turmoil in relationships.
Never lose that feeling you had when you first started creating music. Understand that you are a brand, just like Coke and Pepsi. Do your best to keep your personal life and music career separate. When you’re in the studio, think like an artist. When you release music, think like a business.
14. What has been one of the most toughest challenges throughout your career, and how did you overcome it?
Time. To pursue a career in music I had to surrender to time. This can be a double edge sword. I found myself neglecting those closest to me because I’m in the studio, or writing, or creating a marketing strategy and so forth. On the flip side, I’ve abandoned creating music to immerse myself in the lives of those I care for. One of the two will likely always take precedent over the other. Prioritizing has allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds, however at times they still collide.
15. What are some of your goals you are looking forward to accomplish in 2023?
An album. I’ve been sitting on this idea for my album for three years. I prefer to keep the details to myself until I have an expected release date. Aside from that, I would like to continue learning in all aspects of life and music and how I can incorporate the two to coexist in harmony.
Comments
Post a Comment