Interview with SOJA
We had the pleasure of interviewing SOJA over Zoom video!
SOJA\u2019s new album, Beauty In The Silence (their first in four years), was released on September 24th via ATO Records. Earlier this summer, the band released the album\u2019s first three singles, \u201cSomething To Believe In\u201d ft. Stick Figure, \u201cPress Rewind\u201d ft. Collie Buddz + J Boog and \u201cThe Day You Came\u201d ft. UB40 + Rebelution which have racked up millions of streams across DSPs in the weeks since their debut.
Fueled by the sheer force of the band\u2019s connection and chemistry, Beauty in the Silence makes for a much-needed antidote to fractured times, infusing so much warmth and wisdom and unstoppable joy into each and every track. Like 2014\u2019s acclaimed Amid the Noise and Haste (a GRAMMY nominee for Best Reggae Album), the title to Beauty in the Silence references the opening lines of Max Ehrmann\u2019s beloved poem \u201cDesiderata\u201d: Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. \u201cMy dad had that poem memorized, and before I\u2019d go out on tour he\u2019d sort of whisper it in my ear,\u201d said Hemphill. \u201cTo me, it\u2019s a reminder of what we lose when we get caught up in the distractions all around us. You get so used to life being loud and fast and goal-oriented, but then you go out in nature and hear the silence and realize, \u2018Damn, I got tricked.\u2019 Life doesn\u2019t have to be all go, go, go. The real key to life is in being still.\u201d
SOJA deliberately took their time in creating Beauty in the Silence as they explored new sonic terrain\u2014recording in such iconic spots as Miami\u2019s Circle House Studios and Dave Matthews Band\u2019s Haunted Hollow, and teaming up with producers like Niko Marzouca (Pharrell, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, Damian Marley), Mariano Aponte, and Johnny Cosmic\u2014the band eventually phased into working remotely as stay-at-home orders set in across the country. In that process, lead guitarist Trevor Young (formerly SOJA\u2019s guitar tech) took on a much greater role in the band\u2019s creative direction, co-producing alongside Hemphill and carefully shaping the album\u2019s hypnotic sound.
\u201cI really love that this record is a mix of all of us together in a room and all of us far apart,\u201d said Hemphill. \u201cIt\u2019s something that I\u2019d love to keep doing in the future: let\u2019s get together, let\u2019s get the vibe and the groove, and then let\u2019s go off into our own worlds and discover what\u2019s there.\u201d SOJA deepens that communal spirit by collaborating with some of the biggest names from all corners of the reggae world including: UB40, Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Common Kings, Mihali, Nanpa Ba\u0301sico, Eli Mac and more. And while each artist brings their own distinct sensibilities to the mix, all of the guest musicians are deeply aligned with the band\u2019s mission of uplifting the masses.
For more than two decades, SOJA has elated audiences across the globe with their fresh yet timeless take on roots reggae, a sound born from their shared passion for making music that transports and inspires. The band was originally formed by a group of friends while still in middle school and has since built a massive, dedicated global fan base. In the years following, SOJA has headlined shows in over 30 countries around the world, generated 7 million social media fans and more than 1 billion streams.
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