Exposed Vocals Interviews “I”
I’m 17 years old and I was born in Goma, Congo. I moved to Perth, Australia in 2004 with my family. I’m the youngest son and I have 4 older brothers and 2 younger sisters.
Not to be cliché but I’ve always been surrounded by music. I grew up in a Christian household and my mum is a choir leader and writes some of their music. Music is an important part of my culture.
I’m an ambivert and depending on my mood and the environment, I’m either loud and outgoing or quiet and reserved. I’ve been writing songs since year 6 when I also started playing guitar after being encouraged to by my oldest brother.
At my core I’m really just a creative. I create in different forms like music, literature, film and design. Before 2014 I was always torn between becoming a professional soccer player as my second oldest brother had done or using all of my creative talents to pursue a career in music which would hopefully also lead to other opportunities and provide a platform for my other mediums of expression.
In the last couple of years everything has gone right with music and wrong with soccer so being aware of that I decided that this was the path I was supposed to go down. I realised that although I love soccer my ambition to play pro was not completely my own and came from not fully understanding myself and also seeing it work for my older brother and the soccer-enthusiast environment that I grew up in. It’s always been easier to tell people that you want to be a soccer player than an artist. It’s something I struggled to tell myself. Until recently not too many people knew about what I do because I kept it to myself and waited until I had something to show for it.
Over the last few years I’ve just become further and further immersed in music and art. Over these last few years I’ve vigorously studied and explored different areas of music including producing, mixing, mastering and the business side of things too so that I could be autonomous and build this with my friends and family.
One of my closest friends is also my close collaborator. We think about music in the same way and he is a great producer. We both are talented but we’ve built off of that in these last few years. It’s always about the art and we don’t know exactly where it’ll take us but we want our music to reach as many people as possible and to have a positive effect on people’s lives.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
I: I’m 17. I was born in Goma, Congo. My family moved to Perth, Australia in 2004 and although we’ve been in this city ever since, we’ve moved around quite a bit. I don’t feel like I really decided to become an artist. I was compelled to because I’ve been obsessed with music for all of my life and I’m generally extremely creative. I wake up and go to sleep thinking about this and I dream about this too. Nothing satisfies my soul and mind more than creating. Being an artist is really just me being myself and listening to God and everything that is telling me to do this such as my interactions with people and the opportunities that come from me doing this. On my way home from Kosmic earlier this year when I was buying equipment, my Uber driver happened to be this extremely interesting and intuitive guy. He told me his story and without me saying anything, he had a sense of my aspirations and he said that he wished me every success in life and told me that he was sure that I’d be very successful. Without ever hearing a lyric or sound, and it wasn’t the first time that something like that had happened. I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I exude artistry and creativity because it is my very essence.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
I: It started out as an ad-lib and then in 2015 I wrote this song called “I” that will be on my debut project “While You Wait” and the hook is “I put the work in it I/ I put the, I put the work in it I”. I then felt like “I” being the first letter of my name and me always wanting to stay true to myself I thought it’d be appropriate and it would always remind me that it started with me. So in the future when I have to make certain decisions or I’m unsure about something, I’ll always know to listen to myself and what I want. It’s part of the reason that for the most part I can’t imagine anyone else managing my life and career apart from me because I don’t believe that anyone else will work for me like I will. “I” encapsulates me at my core and at my best.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
I: There’s no way around it and I think that it is something that has to be embraced in the right way. Of course as an artist I understand why people fear it but there are always going to be ways to monetize your value as an artist. I’m always thinking and developing methods for doing that. I think that online music sharing is important and extremely beneficial to artists of all kinds and the world. The interconnected world that we live in will cater to great things. Yeah, I’m releasing my first few project for free. Up until a year or so ago I really couldn’t afford every artists’ album or to go to every show. There are other ways to make money and I do this because I enjoy it and I always want as many people as possible to listen to my music. It would be a disservice to myself and Bonsu (my close collaborator) and the music that we make to not make it accessible. That doesn’t mean that we don’t want to be able to be financially secure and creating great music but I want to create value in the music and make up for the loss of profit from shows, merchandise and exclusive content and engagement for fans.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
I: Networking isn’t everything but it is important. I think that surrounding yourself with like minded people and attending other artists’ shows and engaging with people in the industry is important. Playing free shows, offering incentive for brands and businesses to work with you and building an image and value for your brand is important. Your attitude is important too, for your music and your career. I don’t think that anyone enjoys working with a pretentious or self-important individual. Awareness with humility, sincerity and gratitude goes a long way.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
I: I want to have create music for every significant moment or emotion I ever have or feel in my life. I’m inspired by the people around me, myself and the world in general. I think a lot, more than anything and I write about the things that are on my mind and it usually involves introspection, observation and my relationship with myself and my relationships with others. When I started and I didn’t know how to produce I would write over other people’s instrumentals or songs that I listened to. I can write to music that I imagine or produce. I’m fine either way. I write really fast. I wrote over one-hundred thousand words in lyrics in 2015 going into 2016. I normally write the hook or an important line that comes to me first and build off of that. I normally finish a draft on the night that I start and then I like to come back to it the next day and edit. If I’m satisfied with it after a few days I leave it and come back to it in a week or so while my subconscious works away at it, rephrasing and rehashing the lyrics. I know a song is finished – lyrically – when I can perform it without wanting to change anything.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
I: My website will be up in a week from now. I’m currently using Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to share and promote my music. I use these specific platforms because I use them frequently and understand them the most.
https://www.facebook.com/I_Official
https://soundcloud.com/i_0fficial
https://www.instagram.com/i_0fficial/
https://twitter.com/i_0fficial
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
I: *Laughter* Interesting question. I would probably build the studios that I’m going to build in the future, invest in some property and people and then go on a 3-month trip to specific places with my family after finishing my debut album. I would probably save well over 70% of it. I don’t really want to ever take anywhere close to a whole year off but it is a nice thought.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
I: I think as a consumer, because fundamentally, I’m a fan of music. I will always try to create engaging and exciting releases and promote my music creatively. The social media networks that I use frequently are the best avenues for promotion broadly but reaching out to specific people goes a long way. I always update my closest friends and fans on where I’m at and on new music.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
I: Yes! “While You Wait” is my debut mixtape which will be out later this year. I want to have a great audience for my debut album and have such a surplus of quality music that It wouldn’t make sense to me to not release some of it. “While You Wait” serves as a precursor to “Dreams” my debut album. I really focused on creating a narrative surrounding my experience in 2015 going into 2016. I wanted to summarise some things that I experienced and to create a sense of things that are to come with this project. “While You Wait: is a very special project and there are songs on there that I want to perform when this is all over. I’m also handling several other projects for several different artists and looking to collaborate with artists like Jack Seah and Morgan Fraser on projects. Jack is predominantly a producer who recently released an instrumental album that is sonically ahead of so many people. Morgan is one of the most talented vocalists that I have heard in my life. Period. They are both very gifted professionals who will be on everybody’s radar in the near future.
https://soundcloud.com/jackseah
https://www.facebook.com/morgan.fraser.54
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
I: I’m in year 12 and anticipating graduation. I always want to be creating, If I hadn’t decided to solely focus on music I would’ve probably finished a novel or two by now and an anthology of poems. Or finished a screenplay or designed a collection. I can’t imagine myself consistently and fervently doing anything apart from creating in those mediums. I am most likely going to study a commerce and arts double major undergrad and then study law. So If I wasn’t or didn’t do this I’d become a lawyer.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
I: I’m 2/3rds through year 12. I do 5 ATAR subjects and have to maintain my grades, friendships and relationships while doing this. I need to be a good son to my parents and a good brother to my brothers and sisters. There’s a lot on my plate but I’m a very organized and focused person. I try and devote the right amount of energy to each of my priorities continuously. It’s a lot of work but without the rest of my responsibilities and commitments I think I’d be a little miserable. It’s important to stay relatively busy and to have different things happening in life.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
I: 2016 is all about the Lucid take over. It’s all about introducing myself to the world and it’s a special year that I know I’ll look back on with fondness. Fans should look forward to all of the music that is finally coming out. The special experiences that we will have together and the continuation of the journey that we’ve began. I’m really excited about what is to come and I hope they are too.
Thank you for doing this interview with me and I really appreciate you guys for believing in my talent and my work.