SONGER is an up and coming rapper from the UK who has put up tremendous numerical feats in his short career. Recently, he sold out his entire “The Story So Far” in under two hours, eventually adding on a second date at London Omeara.
His rap style relies heavily on his lyricism, which he has previously pointed out. When he’s not dropping bombs into your earbuds, he’s making crowds jump so violently you’d think the floor would give out. If you don’t believe us, just watch his Instagram stories.
SONGER had some time in-between his busy schedule to tell us about his rise in music, his latest tour and what he can’t stop listening to right now.
My man SONGER! Firstly, tell me about your beginnings in the music game.
To be honest with you, for the earliest period of releasing music it never felt like I was any kind of ‘music game’ at all. Growing up in my early teens I used to obsess over freestyle series such as f64’s, warm up sessions and fire in the booths, and after some peer pressure and self acceptance of my ability, I did a succession of freestyles on the music platform ‘BL@CKBOX’. They performed well and I developed a relationship with the team there. Due to the success of the videos and a series of instagram freestyles and communication, there was already a fanbase there that I had a relationship with by the time I started releasing on DSP’s. The fanbase was growing weekly and after a few singles, I recorded my debut project ‘Dream Workz’ at Lotes’ (the founder of Blackbox) house. It was at that point I was convinced I’d stay in my lane, be as honest as i can about my mind, and be a rapper.
Following this, who were some of your biggest influences whilst breaking into the scene? Did you always know that a musical path was one you wanted to take?
Probably the most influential factor on me to take the path I did (other than freestyle series) was J. Cole. I saw him supporting Tinie Tempah in bournemouth when i was about 10/11 and he’s been my favourite rapper since. Ever since i was tiny i’ve always felt different and as if i was born to do something different, I could just feel it in me, and still do. But it wasn’t until i was i about 14 I thought I could make that difference through music, and started properly manifesting that.
Massive congratulations on selling out your tour! What was your initial reaction to finding out that it has sold out?
Thank you I appreciate it. That morning was chaos. Every date sold out almost instantly bar Dublin and Glasgow, and the only messages I could see were people saying they couldn’t get tickets because of the website. So i was ridiculously stressed, while being told by my manager that it’s because they’d sold out instantly. So it was a mixture of emotions at the time as i didn’t know what to think, but definitely one i’ll remember forever.
What city are you most excited to perform in and why?
All of them hold a place in my heart. But Dublin is one I’m already desperate to return to, that’s was magical.
Your discography has grown tremendously in 2022. What has been your favourite track to produce?
6. To be honest I’ve barely released at all this year. Balling has been the most successful i’ve been a part of, but only releasing one solo track has got me itching to release the new project.
You decided to name your tour “The Story So Far.” Has your story so far been all that you’ve imagined it could be?
Despite being difficult at times to balance my own life and my career, it actually has been exactly how I expected it would be. I’ve never once worried about whether it would happen, I’ve known it since I was small. I’ve just been terrified of what it’d be like when I got there. We’re a long way off yet, but year after year i’ll continue building, improving and letting the process happen naturally.
When I see clips from your shows, only one word comes to mind: Movie. How do you spark such intense energy during your shows?
Haha thank you bro. I genuinely think it’s because there’s such a connection between me and the family that listen, and we’re similar in so many ways. They’re favourite songs are usually my favourite songs too. And because i’d never toured before, the excitement in the rooms just builds and builds and we all get to release it together when a song comes on that has so many memories for both of us.
Your tour spans across some major cities in the UK. What are a few destinations that you’d love to perform at in the future?
First thing that comes to mind is Australia and New Zealand. The love they show me is relentless and I just can’t wait to see them. A hometown show in Reading is going to be beautiful too. I also would’ve loved to have gone up north a bit more, next time we’ll definitely reach all parts of the UK.
For a lot of people, their introduction to rappers comes in the form of ‘Mixtape Madness’ or ‘Daily Duppy’s’. How do you expand your horizons and discover new music?
Firstly I have huge respect for these series and platforms, similar series play a huge part in why I started in the first place. But at the same time, I’ve just never wanted to rush into these things or kind of crave that validation. The feeling of doing things my own way has been so fulfilling and rewarding that I’m in no rush to change the formula. But I’ve spoken to a lot of the platforms and they’ve always shown love, so big up all the tastemakers and UK music platforms, I’m sure it’ll happen at some point.
Let’s say you and your mates are chilling in the crib or going for a drive at night. What are the five tracks that you’d put on to summarise your listening tendencies?
This Can’t Be Life – Beanie Sigal and Jay Z, Kismet – Hybrid Minds, Victory Lap – Nipsey Hussle, Maybe Tomorrow – Stereophonics, Gonna Love Me – Teyana Taylor
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