Having already followed up his highly-praised 2022 studio album 'All In The Mind' with a wealth of dynamic efforts these last few months, emerging artist HJ Soul is continuing his prolific streak once again on the energetic new single 'Get What I Want'.
Harnessing a bright and shimmering 2-step-inspired aesthetic for his newest outing, 'Get What I Want' makes for an incredibly fresh and exciting listen. With its bold and inventive approach to production perfectly set to his vibrant vocals throughout, he is returning to the fold with one of his most impactful cuts to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most lately.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The first instrument that I fell for if you like has got to be the Piano. There was something very special about just sitting down on that seat and taking yourself to another dimension when you started to play those keys that you felt were satisfying for the soul, and then improvising with those soulful chords on the piano to create music that I envisioned I always wanted to make and sound like.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I've been influenced by the charm of the 90s RnB era of music, and my music including my EPs and album have been inspired by the sound of that era with a more contemporary RnB style to sound relevant for the music of today. I have an EP out later this summer in August called ‘Illusions’ and the songs have a soothing sound where you can tell the inspiration is from that 90s RnB era. My musical influences include many singer songwriters from around that era which include Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Musiq Soulchild, D'Angelo, India Arie and Alicia Keys. I also enjoy listening to the classic soul from the 70s as well, including many of those wonderful soul groups. These singers inspired me to create the musical sounds that I've improvised to convey the soulfulness to my songs that derive from me having, what I think, an old soul as well which complements the kind of music that I produce.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I didn't really own any album as I was a person who appreciates a lot of music and songs from different styles, so I was more of a person who would go to a song that I liked instead of a whole album. I think individual songs have a more independent message to enlighten civilization within whatever message that was implied, and these songs along with also their smooth sound would be the components that would make me want to listen to a song. For me I would like to go to a song with a feel to it and meaning.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
The answer to this question about a song that I wished that I could’ve written myself is quite simply none. This is because the words of that song have the creativity and originality from that particular artist, and I feel that it wouldn’t mean anything to me as I was not the artist who produced those words and meaning for the songs. I do like to be as original as I can, as I want to produce music with a sound and meaning that people would hear and think that its sounds like a song by HJ Soul. Although, saying that, a modern song ''Get You' by Daniel Cesar is a song that sounds awesome with its words that sound like musical art at its finest.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
When writing new music, what I tend to do is listen to the tempo and the melody of the track initially, and then see what sort of melodious sounds when humming or riffing at these parts of the track would sound fantastic at these different parts. It doesn't have to be in order from the start until the end of the song, it can be anywhere in the song where I think of something to write and then think, ‘that’s it’ and then use that as the melody as well for that part of the song and then complete this for the whole song as well. I create a story and then write the words for the song, and this can be from perhaps my emotions most aligned at that time and the sound of the song as well. It is really all art music and thinking of it in that way will help produce the best music that I could possibly make.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
My favourite artists I like listening to at the moment would be H.E.R, Raveena Aurora, Daniel Cesar and Saleka. Love their soulful and spiritual sounds.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
I would love to open for either the Tiny Desk Concert or the Soul Train Music Awards show. This would be the day where I feel I am going places with this.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The most rewarding part about being a musician is the feeling that I am doing what was spiritually meant for me in this life, and it’s rewarding to know that I am now taking this path of alignment to fulfil what I think is destined for me in life and that faith is needed to pursue this until fruition. What I find rewarding is that I can then talk about this like a story within my songs themselves, and write meaningful words about this spirituality to get an affirmative message across to my fans from my songs. I feel like it's important to help people through philanthropic words in my songs, to help people to take that journey in their life of fulfilment and that is most aligned to them. And to make music with this style of artistry is the most rewarding.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The most frustrating part, well, there's not many as I love music and when I am working on something to do with music it just feels awesome like I am not even working. The only thing is, when I get writers block when I am writing a song, that can be frustrating as I sometimes feel like I need to get a particular project done although I can’t because I am missing a few words in any part of the song to be able to complete it fully. Although, this can sometimes end up being a blessing in disguise as when I go back to the project at a later time, I think that the writer's block was necessary to help me take a breather away from the song and when I go back to the song later, there was actually even another part of the song that needed an edit that would not have been known if I completed the song at the time of the writer's block. So, it's important to not take setbacks too seriously and think of how they can benefit yourself and enhance yourself as an artist.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
The best advice I have been given as a musician is to invest. To invest in your career and not be worried about anything else, and to also have faith and consistency with yourself and with your music to perfect the art of the music. It is important to know that there could be moments where you start to lack the faith in your vision, take no notice and continue to pursue your dreams and envision that only you can do this if you take control of your destiny. I know for myself that I have enough faith to continue doing what I love.
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HJ Soul's new single 'Get What I Want' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.