Solostar
9:35pm 9/04/21 St. Paul at Schmidt Artist Lofts #006
1. What inspires you as a musician?
Life, relationships, different things I experience, yea sometimes other artists, more so things that I go through.
2. If you could work with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
Hov (Jay-Z) for sure, Erykah (Erykah Badu), 3 Stacks (Andre 3000), you know this is probably fucked up to say, but I feel like 3k is probably the only person I feel who could really kill me (lyrically). But I’d be so comfortable with that because he’s him.
3. What do you think about our local hip-hop scene?
This question is always funny, we get asked this question a lot. I pretty much mind my business, there are some artists that I fuck with heavy. I feel like the last year I’ve been more open to getting to know people. For the most part I stay in my bubble and I fuck with who I fuck with. So maybe my view on the scene is a little skewed. I think right now we’re in a really good place. We have some artists who are really providing amazing content and seem really motivated. I think we have the opportunity to really make some noise in Minneapolis.
4. How has covid impacted you this last year? What did you learn?
I feel like Covid has made me more creative. I wrote a journal/book, I did that during covid due to not being able to perform. Reflecting, reflecting on the amount of grief everyone was experiencing not just from death but from people losing jobs, losing themselves, having to be quarantined. There’s just so many levels to grief. It was also a good opportunity to lock in and be a mom. It gave me even more space to just be home and to be comfortable with doing that. I was just able to tap in to different mediums of expression.
5. Got any new projects that you can speak on coming up?
Yeah, I’m dropping Love Hangover 2, I’m super geeked about it! I dropped the first one in 2018, so its been a minute. I had a listening party for it recently that went over pretty well. We had like seven-teen tracks to choose from and narrowed it down to ten. Love Hangover 2 is probably dropping sometime in October, twelve tracks. Fall release for sure.
I have an upcoming event called ‘The Vibe’. I’m super geeked about The Vibe. Sole2Dotz (The Vibe curator) is my DJ, I was around when he has experimenting with the early stages of ‘The Vibe’. I’ve been able to see it grow, so to now be a featured artist is perfect timing with my album release, and I also love performing with a live band.
6. Besides you, who do you think is putting out solid work in the Twin Cities?
You know there’s actually more cold artists of substance that we don’t shine light on. Maya Marchelle she’s like a renaissance artist, she does it all. Juice Lord of course, talking crazy. Sham Rose, her EP is juicy. Destiny Roberts is raw. Bdot Roc is sitting on some heat.
7. What is your music making process?
I get in crazy zones, writing moods. The littlest things can trigger me or inspire me. A lot of times the lyrics come before the beat, and then I’ll go back like “oh I got a beat that could compliment this”. I prefer to memorize things but lately my output has been different. So I’m going into the studio reading more than I like, but that’s okay.
8. What are you go to sneakers?
I’m not really a sneakerhead but I like dope kicks, I really like dunks and I like vans. If I want to wear sneakers I want to be comfortable.
9. Where does the name Solostar derive from?
Solostar came from being a loner. Shining regardless of my circumstances. I went through a lot as a kid, dealing with homelessness, identity issues, and struggling with who I am and where I fit. No matter how awkward I felt, people recognized that there was something special about me even when I didn’t. Getting comfortable with shining by myself.
10. What’s next?
October 16th is ‘The Vibe'. Love Hangover 2 dropping this Fall, fingers crossed for October. Checkout my website. Also, check out my journal ‘"7 Day Grief Journal for Hip-hop Lovers' available via Amazon. Follow me on all platforms. I’m traveling, I got shows coming up in Cali. Stream Love Hangover for now!
Stream: #Lovehangover
