Today we’d like to introduce you to Soche.
Hi Soche, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
2020 was undoubtedly a year of change and reinvention. Quarantine left me no choice but to reflect on myself and how my daily choices were amounting to a monotonous life. A very regular existence. I had currency left on the table in the form of my creative identity and potential, so in that sense, I was really selling myself short. Something was missing. For me, that was music. My relationship with music began during high school when I was living across the world in Dubai. In eleventh grade, I got my first MacBook, opened GarageBand and fell in love with music production. I began to hone my voice during undergrad in Toronto, where I’m originally from. When I was inspired, I found I could express myself through music over anything else. Music was my home away from home in a sense, which I kept hidden from the world to preserve that accessible honesty.
As I matured, my musical intuition and capabilities grew alongside me. It took about 11 years of on and off practice to prepare me for this serious go at it. Between 2010 and now, music has admittedly taken a backseat to a life in film, but that time away only made the longing grow stronger. I have worked in the film industry as a line producer, and most recently a producer, for the past ten years. I moved to California to pursue a life in filmmaking. I am still very invested in my film producing career: I currently have two feature films in post-production now and a few short films playing in the film festival circuit. The magic of producing a film from script to screen has been a thrilling ride so far. That being said, the reality of this industry is that your fate is almost always in the hands of someone else, and that unpredictability creeps up on you. This was something that was starting to dawn on me but really hit home last year during quarantine. There were a number of projects I was in discussion on that ended up being postponed indefinitely, a result of 2020 spooking investors and executives into not proceeding with production while COVID continues to run rampant in Los Angeles.
I had a come-to-Jesus moment with myself. Do I continue to sit here, waiting for opportunities to come to me, at the will of what a future employer decides? Or do I do the work to access my potential and finally get the chance to let that piece of myself thrive? I subconsciously made the decision to just go for it. I stopped drinking in March, started eating clean on the keto diet in June, and for the first time in years I had no doubt of who I was becoming when I looked in the mirror. It came down to consistency in practicing these new habits, which gave me focus to complete my first EP “Loose Fiction” (released this past October on all major streaming platforms). I am so grateful for the response it has received from press, but most importantly, from friends and family. Their understanding of my capability affirms that I’m embarking on a potentially impactful journey.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since this is a fairly new endeavor, I’ve really just turned onto the path. I’m in the thick of the beginning stage in gaining awareness of my music and brand. Who knows what lies ahead? I’m sure new artists share the struggle of gaining a sustainable following and converting that following into a loyal fanbase. My mixtape has been out for two months now, and I’m lucky to have enjoyed a relatively great turnout in listeners and feedback. I’m confident that my music appeals to a much wider audience, but accessing those ears in an organic sense has been a struggle for sure. Since concerts aren’t a thing this year, mainstream artists backed by major labels have been occupying the digital space, making it even more difficult for new artists to breakthrough. On a grassroots level, promoting my music locally is tough since everyone is inside now. The college market is going to be a key demo for my music, but local universities are currently shut down for in person classes due to COVID, so who’s going to see a flyer or sticker? Obstacles like that. The silver lining is that I’ll have even more music to promote once we’re out of this. I’ve been channeling setbacks into energy, into making more music and content, so this story can continue to be written.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I pride myself on being a producer of different flavors in both film and music, which hold equal parts of my identity. Tangible evidence of my produced work lies the most in film at this moment. It’s been my mantra to get involved in projects that go against the grain, and I tend to see this happen when diversity is as prevalent behind the camera as well as in front. I’m grateful to have been involved in so many exciting projects from underserved voices. Perhaps that energy challenged me to want that for myself in music. Something I love about film producing is reading a script and imagining what could be. Who would be the best candidate for each department? What parameters do we have to work within in schedule and budget? I am often the first person hired onto a film, so I am responsible for building it from the ground up. This is half logistics, half creative. I have always been a logistical, realistic person who doesn’t evade honesty when it comes to work. I love the collaborative process, intimate relationships that evolve from spending more than 12 hours a day with a film crew, and the mutual respect that comes with a healthy film set.
I also love imagining what could be when I chew on a song idea. They often come to me in the most unlikely of settings, often when I’m working on a film. My best songs have originated from my life in film. “Rich Quick” was written in a half-hour session on a Saturday when I was completely burnt out from an overworked, underappreciated assistant job. The sound of “Tiptoes” was conceived on constant train commutes back and forth from the OC to LA, rushing from the train to the subway, to three or four film meetings, then catching the last train back to the OC. Living life through producing films has given me some of my best music, and listening to my music on the way to set builds my confidence to lead a film to the best of my ability. These careers balance each other out. A perfect fit. I’m proud of my growing ability to translate my ideas in an authentic way, so I can continue to live out the feeling that inspired me to write it in the first place. Nothing gets my energy on 1000% like music.
In reference to the recent Pixar movie “Soul”, you know “the zone” magical realm where the characters go when their passion consumes them into a trance? That’s what I’m constantly striving to obtain in my production. I need to feel some semblance of that before I even consider releasing my music. With consistency, I’m hopeful I can get my listeners to that place too. What sets me apart from others, and I believe is my greatest strength, is my otherness. I can’t immediately think of someone in my lane, someone who looks like me, doing this right now: A self-made songwriter/artist/beatmaker, meshing hip hop and electronic genres to create something fresh. I strive to be at the forefront of a new wave, and I believe the music industry is becoming more accepting of something like this. I hope I’m ultimately known for making the most out of what I’m working with and succeeding with it.
Any big plans?
My immediate and long term plans revolve around the consistent release of my music and content repertoire that feels true to my brand and to stop second-guessing what intuitively feels right in doing so. On a personal level, I am set on refraining from the regular, abstaining from what feels comfortable in the present moment. I am set on making decisions that will benefit my musical pursuit in the long term. I’m reveling in the self-discipline, self-awareness and notion of being present as I continue to evolve and build on this journey. Hopefully in the process, I will inspire others and continue to meet like-minded creative powerhouses who want to collaborate in raising the bar for creatives and the industry.
I have a lot of catch up to do to get to where I want to be, which motivates me every day. It all comes down to this – The question of validation we ask ourselves when we take that risk in doing something out of the ordinary. It’s something I ask myself in times of doubt, and the answer pushes me to keep going.
“If it’s not me, who’s it gonna be?”
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.playsoche.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoche
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlaySoche
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/playsoche
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIt41FXEkGRWh8dCvsBH18A
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/playsoche
