- Words Isabelle Cassidy
- Photos sona blue
Meet sona blue, an artist reflecting on his adolescence in dreamy new EP ‘saint’.
At 21, for his latest project, sona blue has chosen a musical topic he knows best: youth. Now based in Hackney, the rising artist’s new EP tells a coming-of-age story conceived during lockdown. Moving from the soft guitar in opener “hermès”, to the Sade reimagining “by your side”, before the aching “saint” and “no better”, the songs trace a capturing tale of adolescence.
sona’s musical path wasn’t always certain. Studying maths and physicals at school, the summer of ’17 saw a musical awakening for the artist – evoked partially by Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Flower Boy’. Improving his basic piano and guitar skills through YouTube tutorials, sona saw the opportunity to create his own artistic universe, where arts including music, photography, film and graphics could meet.
Around four years later, ‘saint’ was born. Collaborating over Zoom with close friend and producer JoeyEighty to realise the creative vision, his debut EP merges R&B elements with neo-soul leanings. sona’s 18-year-old brother became another source of inspiration, through watching him experience the same rites of passage and growing pains shared by the artist himself. In your youth, according to sona, “You want everyone to like you, you have good intentions – but no one can live up to that. It doesn’t always work out.” About his brother: “But to me, he’s perfect. He’s a saint.”
As part of our Fresh Face series, we posed sona blue some quick-fire questions. Find out his party trick, favourite song, and why he wishes Dev Hynes could be his friend. Dive in!
What daily routine are you obsessed with?
I always get outside as much as I can. London is so warm at the moment, it’s good for biking around and exploring.
What was your last impulse buy?
I haven’t bought any yet but I’ve had my eye on a few modular synths for the past couple months that I’m dying to get.
What is your favourite song at the moment?
“WISH U PICKED ME…” by Saya Gray, I found her album last week and the production is gorgeous!
Which celebrity would you love to be friends with?
Dev Hynes, I would love to watch him compose some of the movie scores he makes.
If there was a film made about your life, what would it be called?
I’d name it after my EP, ‘saint’, because it’s basically what my life has been like up to this point.
What’s your go-to party trick?
Wearing the widest trousers in the room.
If you could be part of any musical era, which would it be?
It would be cool to go back to the 70’s. Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Rolling Stones. There were so many musicians that I could’ve seen live.
Favourite song you’ve made so far?
I think “no better” is my favourite song on the project, the strings on the outro are sick.
Apple or Android?
Apple for sure
Festival you’d love to play?
Camp Flog Gnaw!
What is your main goal for the next year?
I’m gonna be doing a lot more live stuff. I really want to try to make my shows into something different.