Unfiltered Africa is BACK with another episode featuring singer, rapper, entertainer and songwriter, Steph Ocho! 🔊🔥 With this video series, we chat with some amazing Symphonic artists and get a closer look at everything they’re working on, personal stories, passion projects and so much more. Read the full interview below…
Unfiltered Africa: Full Interview with Steph Ocho
Steph Ocho (SO):
“It’s your boy Steph Ocho. You’re now seeing me now for Unfiltered: Africa…”
Daphne Barquin (DB):
“Welcome! Let’s dive in. Do you think your music as a Haitian artist making Afro beats helps showcase Haitian culture and it’s many voices to a wider audience? And how do you blend Afro beats with your Haitian roots to create something new and represent your culture globally?”
(SO):
“Yes, as a Haitian person, I’m very proud to be Haitian, and we try our best in the music world, especially in Afrobeats. There are different elements, different instruments that we’re trying to incorporate into Afrobeats to kind of put a blend into the music world globally. And you know, being Haitian it helps discover other different artists, other Haitian artists who are doing the same thing in all different languages. So, at the end of the day, we just strive to make good music, you know? So I think this in itself helps our culture, and helps other artists like myself to be discovered as well.”
(DB):
“Amazing, yeah, doing songs in different languages appeals to a bigger crowd too. What do you prefer singing in?”
(SO):
“Because I was heavily influenced by Afrobeats in school and I had a lot of African friends and French speaking friends as well. So although I’m not super comfortable with it per say, I can do it. I’m well versed in writing lyrics in all those different languages. French, Creole, English. I can do all of them.”
(DB):
“Nice. Collaborations can spark amazing creativity. Who is one dream artist you’d love to work with and why do they resonate with you?”
(SO):
“Oh, that’s an amazing question. Well, there’s a lot of different artists, but growing up, the main two artists I would’ve liked to collaborate are Davido and WizKid. They’re the ones who gave me that dream. Those are two people that definitely I would love to collaborate hopefully in the future. But there are a lot of different Afrobeats artists now that are amazing, so collaborating with them would also be a dream come true.”
(DB):
“I love Afrobeat music, it’s so good. Beyond music, are there other creative pursuits you’re passionate about?”
(SO):
“Hmm. Maybe in a production world. In that creative world, what would interest me would be to probably sign artists, to give them all the platform that they need to get to the space that they dream of. That’s one of the things that interests me very much, because of being independent myself. Doing all this to get known and all that stuff that goes with it, you start to learn different things. And there’s a lot of different obstacles that you’re going to have, so being able to navigate around them and through them, you know, that’s something that interests me.”
(DB):
“What advice would you give to aspiring artists or young people chasing their dreams?”
(SO):
“To young people and artists who are chasing their dreams, the first thing I advise them to do is have a plan. A lot of times you want to achieve something, but you don’t have a plan to do it. I advise them to start pushing where they are.”
“Start doing something where you are NOW. Don’t wait for the sun and the moon to be the exact aligning space and to start doing something. Just start where you are because once you do it, someone’s going to see it and they’re going to enjoy it. They’re going to see your talent. And then you’ll see in no time, now you have a team. So never be afraid to start where you are, to start with what you have, and then things will take shape. Then, when you look behind you you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come.”
(DB):
“That’s amazing advice. So now, looking ahead, where do you see yourself and your music evolving in the next few years? Are there any new projects or ventures on the horizon?”
(SO):
“In the next few years, I’m trying to leave a mark, help out, and guide the journey of Afrobeats, you know, doing good music globally. Leaving a mark there for sure, especially this year. We are almost ready to start launching our new project. It’s gonna be a lot of different songs, a lot hits… We’re looking to showcase what we can do. And in the next few years, we intend to establish that and be globally recognized.”
(DB):
“That’s amazing. Let me ask you… which of all of your songs is your favorite?”
(SO):
“Out of all my songs, people expect me to say Omogi because that’s the song that kind of like, I was discovered because of it, but to me, the song that gravitated to me the most was, “Control”. I like the vibe.”
“I also like “Whoa”. That was one of the good songs where I was trying to give people a different aspect of what I can do, but every song is like having a child. You love them the same, you know, but maybe you can have a little bit of preference here and there. But it’s still I have the same love for all of them.”
(DB):
“I think one of my favorites is ‘Bad and Bougie’. I love the beat of it.”
(SO):
“Thank you!”
(DB):
“Where do you see the future of Afrobeats music heading? What role do you want to play in its evolution?”
(SO):
“Well, Afrobeats, it’s ever evolving. Nowadays, you have amapiano there too. Afrobeats is gonna become, from the movement right now, it’s gonna become one of the top genres in the world. And then what I love about it is that it’s not in a box, because it evolves every time. The way Afrobeats was a decade ago, it’s not the same as now. Everything has evolved. The delivery has evolved. The beats have evolved. Then there’s different genres from Afrobeats evolving. So it has no box, and when there is no box, you’re starting to see all the artists from different genres doing collaborat
ions. You know, I just saw one from OneRepublic who just did a collaboration with Afrobeats, so it’s just amazing to know it is being identified with other cultures. At the end of the day, it’s good music. People gravitate to it.”
(DB):
“I love this question… If you could give your younger self one piece of advice about pursuing music, what would it be?”
(SO):
“To not be afraid of taking risks. In my younger years, one of the main things I would tell myself was to take calculated risks. Not to be afraid to do certain things, and then to believe in myself a little bit more, because that goes a long way. If you don’t believe in yourself, how will someone else believe in you. Believe in yourself more, take more risks, and just believe that anything is possible.”
(DB):
“Now, I’m inspired! All right, last question… What can your fans expect from you this year?”
(SO):
“Well, this year I’m grateful to have my fans to support me. I’m so grateful of that and how they keep listening to the music. They’re obsessed with the music. And then this year, it’s my honor to give you guys more and more music. I think this year you guys are gonna receive way more songs than you ever received in the previous years. Different projects, different genres, more content, more video, more of me personality. I want to let them a little more into my world, because I’m a very private person. But this year they will get a little bit more of me and in a lot, a lot of different music. So, I hope they’re gonna like it.”
“Lastly, I want to say to all my friends that I love you guys! Follow me on on all my social media platforms. I’m coming with force this year, and we’ll be releasing music very very soon within a month or two. I’m giving you guys my best… Stay tuned!”
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