Hi sora – thank you for talking with me today. I’m such a fan of your music and your image. When did you break into the music industry?
sora: Hey imaai! Thank you so much for having me, and for your kind words! So my unofficial debut date was November 1st, 2011. I say this because this was the day I wrote my first full-length song, “Hello, November”, but I didn’t release it until the next April. Of course though, it’s easier to remember 11/1/11 as a date *laughs*. But then when you think about it, I’ve been working on and releasing my own music for over ten years now, which is wild to me.
Where are you from? Do you still live there and either way does your hometown have an effect on your music?
s: I was born in Taichung, Taiwan, but I moved to New Orleans when I was 3 and have been here ever since. Of course, New Orleans is known for being the birthplace of jazz music, but the creative output here is so much more than just that. I studied classical vocal performance with a music industry minor at Loyola New Orleans, and I still sing with the New Orleans Opera chorus to this day, which is great complementary vocal training for me despite being in a different genre than my usual writing.
Being Asian and specifically Taiwanese also affects my music; in a literal way, I’ve recorded quite a few of my tracks last year while I was back in Taiwan visiting family (I brought my recording equipment with me, and there were times when I would just take the night to myself and wail at my mic). I’ve also started writing a few songs in Mandarin, which is my first language but also one I strive to practice more; growing up in America despite me not being born here has resulted in me being in a weird “not really Taiwanese but also not fully American” mindset? Always fun to maneuver. But in general, I try to write as authentically as possible to who I am and who I want to be as an artist and as a person.
Tell us about your latest release and the inspiration behind it.
s: I’m currently working on my latest musical project, VOL.24, which is a single-a-month release project versus a packaged album deal. VOL.24 originally was supposed to be an album, but I ended up getting to a point where I was working on the songs and focused too much on making them perfect that I lost the focus for the project as a whole. I also talked with some other friends who are in the industry, and they all agreed that for where I am in my career, it would be better to release as much as possible rather than working on one big project. On top of that, by then it had been two years since my first full-length album, PARAMOUNT, was released, and I was getting antsy for more content. And thus, the current iteration of VOL.24 was born.
“Love Devil” is the most recent single released for VOL.24, and it’s definitely a different release for me. The sound is a lot darker, more brooding and even a little sexy (shoutout to Elliot Lakefield for helping bring my sonic vision to life with this production), and the lyrics follow suit, talking about having feelings for someone. Are they not good for you? Is it that you simply don’t want to feel? As the song progresses, you end up delving more and more into the spell that’s been cast. I’m really proud of how it came out as a whole.
Aside from your own – what has been your favorite song released so far this year?
s: Oh man, this is a tough one. We’re only into the third month of the year and there’s already a lot of good music out lately. I think my current favorite has to be Taeyeon’s “INVU”. The smooth house production, the stunning music video, the nuances in the choreography, and the sheer emotion behind it all really gets to me. I’ve definitely driven down the interstate belting alongside the song on my stereo and just feeling my oats.
Where can fans connect with you?
s: “stop the dream” and the rest of the VOL.24 singles are out now on all major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, YouTube, and many more). You can also hit me up at @soracalling on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Keep in touch, can’t wait to hear from you!
End of Interview