SonReal Opens Up About Artistry & Breaking Out of Canada
Interview & Words by Annette Hansen
Photos by Cara Bahniuk
Vancouver-based rapper SonReal has made a name for himself over the years with some outrageous music videos and his own unique brand of hip-hop. After signing with Capitol Records last year, 2016 seems to be SonReal’s biggest year yet. From his current tour with Jon Bellion to his upcoming EP, The Name, SonReal has big plans this year, and it looks like fans are taking notice. We got the opportunity to talk with the rapper about his new his new music, breaking out of Canada’s music scene and his continuous strive to better his art.
Not too long ago you signed with Capitol Records. What was it like for you reaching that milestone?
I’ve always done stuff independently my whole career. I’ve always been an independent artist. You’re always trying to get from point A to point B no matter what, either by yourself or signed with a major [label]. We were getting a lot bigger in Canada. I had some videos that started going viral. It just seemed like a natural progression to sign with [Capitol].
What is it about Capitol that makes it feel like a good fit for you?
The thing is there’s like no rappers over at Capitol; there’s no hip-hop music or urban stuff. I actually really like that because my music is different from everybody else, and I always kind of want to take a different path with everything I do. I thought it was kind of a cool label for me. I just love the label [Laughs]. I just love Capitol. I love the record label.
You’ve been gearing up to release a new EP, and you’ve said that this is some of the most genuine songwriting you’ve done. How do you feel like these new songs showcase your growth as a songwriter?
I think as you continue to go through things in life, you start to find yourself, and you start to find your sound and therefore, you become more genuine with your music.
I just try to write better songs. I was working with different producers. I just kind of challenged myself to write better songs, writing more simple songs, just trying to dig deeper and give my audience a bigger piece of me. That’s what I tried to do on this EP.
You’ve also said that writing some of these songs scared you. What was it that sparked you to dig deeper into yourself on these upcoming tracks?
I was always like ‘oh I’m a rapper, I don’t want to do pop, or I don’t want to do anything too soulful.’ I kind of put a box on myself. I used to do that. I think I’ve kind of lost that. I lost all boxes. I lost all genres. Then I just kind of dug inside and just tried to make the best music I could make. One of the things that I did on this album that I’m really proud of is just writing a few really simple songs, very simple, not much to it, but those are some of my favorite songs on the album. I have a lot easier time writing more technical songs, technical raps with the A and the B section chorus with live instruments all over the place and more bass and more guitar and more piano. Sometimes it’s really hard to just strip a song down and let it be really simple. I think we wrote some really great simple songs on this album, so I’m really proud of that.
“Can I Get A Witness” is your current single and the first for the upcoming EP. How do you feel that this song in particular displays the new direction you were going for with these new songs?
It was the first song that we were immediately like ‘that needs to be the new single.’ I don’t think it’s the best song on the album, but it’s the best first single. It’s just undeniably me. It’s kind of wacky. It’s kind of weird. The singing on it, the rapping, is just kind of bizarre. I did some weird things with it. I think the beat’s really weird. I’ve kind of got an Atlanta rap going that’s mixed with this dance beat that’s weird. It’s got keys that are in this weird time signature. It’s just a weird song. I can’t compare it to anything else.
One thing I strived to do when I started making this EP was, when I started making my album, I strived to just have my own sound and not sound like anybody else. It’s so easy to be influenced by things these days. I just wanted to have something that was raw and authentic. I wanted to do something that was going to be able to be played on the radio, songs that would be able to be played in clubs, at a grocery store. It’s doing really well in Canada. It’s one of the most Shazamed songs in the country right now. I’m really proud of it.
You also put out a really entertaining video for the track. Making creative and fun music videos for YouTube has played a big role in your career. What is it about this medium that has really worked for you as a creative outlet?
It’s kind of one of those things that…people listen with their eyes now. If you can’t make a music video that’s as good as your music, then, to me, that’s a failure. Even with some of my favorite artists, I’ll listen to a song and the video will be bad, and it will make me not understand the song as much. There are songs that I didn’t like as much, but the video’s so rad that I fell in love with the song. So I really think it’s just as important as the music.
It’s the visual representation of the music. It’s the same way as when you write a great script for a short or a movie, and then the cinematography wasn’t great; it was such a great script, but the cinematography was so bad that the movie never got to do anything. It’s kind of like that. I really think that my songs are the script, and my music videos are the movie. We really put everything into these. My videos are all directed by two guys: Peter Huang and a guy named Jordan Barber. They both understand each other really well, and they both understand me. We were friends before all the music and business and that kind of stuff. These guys really get me as a person. I think that’s why the video was so funky and kind of different.
How has making these videos kept you inspired as an artist and benefitted you in your career?
I think it’s low key my favorite thing to do. I like making videos. I love it. It’s so inspiring. I love acting. I love getting into different characters and trying a shot at acting. My sister’s an actress; she does theater and all that kind of stuff. She really inspired me with getting out of my comfort zone and being like ‘hey, you should dress up as somebody. Have some fun. It’s your world, you can bring people into your world, whatever that is, whether it’s you being you or you being some version of you. Just do something fun.’ Music videos are probably my favorite part of my whole job. That and live shows, but I’d say music videos take the cake.
Right now you’re on a pretty massive tour through the U.S. Having branched out into the U.S. more recently, how have these shows been for you so far and what’s been the most exciting part about it all?
All the shows are sold out. We’ve got people who know my music, but we’re making tons of new fans every single night. One thing I never forget and one thing I hold close is that I’m from a different country. I’m from Canada, and so we’re very far away from Florida and I’m in Florida. It’s just crazy to be out here. I’m super blessed. I feel really, really grateful that I’m able to do this as a job. We’re out here doing what we love. I literally do this with all my best friends. My manager’s my best friend from 15 or 16 years old. I’ve been best friends with my videographer, my DJ, my merchandise guy…my tour manager I skateboarded with when I was 11. It’s crazy to be out here doing the tour around America.
How has it been watching your audience grow from Canada to the U.S. and beyond?
It’s been amazing. Anyone from Canada knows that coming from Canada and breaking out of Canada is really hard. It’s a different country, and what goes on in Canada nobody really knows about other than Canada. It’s been huge for me.
You certainly have a lot of big things on the horizon with your music. What is it you’re anticipating most moving forward?
The thing I’m anticipating the most is putting out this EP. It’s my best music yet that I’m about to put out. Following that, I’m putting out my debut album, which is called One Long Dream. I’m really excited to put out this music that we’ve been working on for the last 16 months.
What would you say has been the most difficult part of your career for you?
I would say that it was just trying to one-up myself. I’m always kind of competing with myself, to be honest. I’d say, yeah, just trying to out-do my last work and just trying to be a better artist, trying to put on a better show than I put on the night before, trying to make a better song than I made the month before and just trying to get better and stronger at my craft.
How did you, or do you continue to, overcome these struggles?
I think just practicing, being around the right people. I have a lot of good friends that I do this music thing with, and they give me honest critique. They really try to help me out with everything I do, try and better me. And I think just listening to more music, being around it more, touring more. My songs are all about my life and my music is all about my life, so I live life. I get better because I learn more about life.
What is the ‘highlight’ of your career so far?
I got a letter one time from a fan and she said ‘you saved my life.’ To me, that was the ultimate accomplishment. I’ve gotten other letters from fans that are kind of similar to that. Even just a fan hitting me up saying, ‘I had a bad day and I listened to your music, now I feel good’, to me, is everything. That’s why I do music. I started doing music because I wanted to make people feel some sort of way because music always made me feel some sort of way, whether it’s happy, sad, mad, whatever. I just wanted people to feel something. When people give me messages, when people give me paintings or whatever backstage, to me, that shows that I did my job. That’s one of the most important things to me.
What is the one dream the moment at which point you would be able to say yes I’ve achieved this, I’m living my dreams?
For me, when I was kid the ultimate goal was to get nominated for a Juno award, which is like our Canadian Grammy’s. Then I got nominated for a Juno award, and I was like ‘what’s next?’. You’re always just going for the next thing.
