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Samaria by Jonny B Great
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As the Bay Area continues to grow as an R&B hotspot, singer-songwriter Samaria seems to have aligned her silent trajectory right alongside it. The 23-year-old has been quietly dropping tracks with the region's most prolific artists occupying the R&B scene —
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Gregory: I first wanted to talk about your project that I just listened to too Broken Kids Club. The first thing I took from it is that this is very vulnerable music. I'm wondering when you are making music in the emo genre, which is dark and deep the feelings people don't want broadcasted to the world what do you feel? What do you feel like when you release it? Do you get nervous or selfconscience that people are going to misinterpret your art?
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Craig: oh yeah, I was terrified man because it’s so vulnerable. I think my aggressive heavier music is my shell, it’s my protection, it’s my safe place, but going into making more vulnerable music and exploring a softer side I knew what it would be. I sense that a lot of people don’t want to feel those feelings. I don’t necessarily blame them. For some people those things don’t resonate, but a lot of responses from certain people have told me you released this because it brought up the emotions that I’ve been dissociating with from a long time, and I really needed to hear this. As much as it was for me it was a release for them. Gregory: That’s real and I say that because I was really fucking with it. It’s different when you feel music, I like to dance, that’s a different style of music. I had to sit down and think when I listened to “Broken Kids Club.” Craig: Yeah man that’s what I wanted to do man. Gregory: Well you did a hell of a job man. Is it an album, ep, mixtape, or project? I don’t know what things are called in hip-hop nowadays. Craig: Yeah so, an album is typically I don’t know how many tracks, but an ep is an extended play. Back in the day originally an ep would revolve around a single, a remix of the song, and one other song. Then we have kind of grown to where, to me, less than 10 songs are an ep. Whenever I see more than 10 songs, I guess that could be considered an album.
Gregory: Today, with some of these albums, I get turned off when I see 17, 18, 19 songs. I want digestible music. Craig: Absolutely and it is hard when we have been programmed through the media, and how music has changes over time it is so hard to sit through a 22 songs top to bottom and be taken on that journey. I feel like for my full length I’m shooting for 15-16 song with an intro, outro, and interlude that’s an album to me. Gregory: Let me ask you something, who would be your dream producer that no one would think you'd work with? cause when you dropped, I knew the sounds I’d get. I’d get that guitar, and those banging beats that make me want to burn my room down. Would you ever rap on a Kanye soulsample beat? Craig: Absolutely. I’ve just recently really been studying Kanye as a person and creative. I love his older work, “College Dropout”. I would totally be up for that. I really like to work with him and watch the creative process, it would do a lot. Gregory: Flying lotus? Craig: Dude Flylo, Death Grips, I would love to watch a session of Death Grips, and definitely Kanye. Gregory: That would be sick, I feel you. I would love to be a fly on the wall in a Flying Lotus, Death Grips session. I wouldn’t want to say anything, just study. I feel like that’s important for artists nowadays. Craig: Exactly I wouldn’t want to interfere with the creative process. I just want to observe.
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Gregory: Absolutely my man. It is weird because I’ve heard your music and it is good. You’ve made music with some of the most talented people of our generation, but I still feel like there is a level of mystic to you, which isn’t bad like for instance where are you from? Craig: I’m from Houston Texas. To the mystic and mysterious, it was intentional it wasn’t a marketing strategy. Over the past year, specifically every year before this past year I was making music with my friends and it was cool. I was making show money, traveling, I didn’t care to be known or want to be known to the masses I just wanted to have friends that felt the same way, and we did experience life and grown together. We would make music and it put it out. If People fucked with it cool, and if they didn’t cool. What changed a year ago was I took into consideration; I looked at the scale to see how many people I 24 was helping. Whether it was from a DM, or people coming to my shows and saying my music inspired and saved them and got them through tough times. Selfishly, I could be content with being comfortable, but so many people need me. They need the service I provide. I am going to intentionally make an attempt to grow and to expand my mind, and the place I've created for people to escape to as an artist. Gregory: I feel that Craig: For sure yeah it was a conscience thing. This is my first actual EP that I sat down and put together, dropping visuals there are no visuals out yet.
Gregory: In my opinion music video are just as popular as they were in the 90s, when artists were blowing up off videos. You need those videos to accompany an album are you coming with visuals? Craig: Yeah, I have a visual for "Run It Back" that's going to be released before summer is over and “Cry Baby Cell 17." Both of those visuals are in the works, they are going to be out before summer is over. I believe that visuals are important for multiple reasons, people can put a face with a name, and it helps them consume the package as a whole. I feel like they can gravitate and feel closer to you when they realize you are a real person, not just an idea. I also feel that as an artist if you are trying to reach more people it's important to have a presence on YouTube because everybody and their mom knows about YouTube. Not everybody knows about Soundcloud. Gregory: That's actually crazy because I've been on SoundCloud for such a long time, then I realized I'm one of the only people in my area on it. Craig: A lot of people don't know about the SoundCloud culture where it started. Members Only, Suicide Boys, Pouya that whole culture that I've always been a part of. Gregory: Speaking of that culture have you ever had the chance to meet Bones? Craig: It's so crazy you mention that! We've spoken on the phone a few times So, he does exist?! Craig: He does exist! Gregory: I didn't believe that he was a real human. I've seen interviews, but I'm still like nope not him. Craig: I think he prefers his privacy. He just loves to create and perform his music, and be there for his fans sonically and visually. I feel like that's as much as he wants to with the industry. That what I've learned from his music, he didn't want to be a part of the industry or the machine; he perceived it one way and its works for him. I feel like we don't see a lot of Bones because he doesn't want to be seen you what I mean?
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If there’s a new ep/album coming how much can you tell me about it. Along with how much can you describe the growth of it music wise from your last? I pretty much play every instrument, and on my album I'm going to let people hear that. I've been working really hard and collaborating with a lot of tremendously talented people to put my first full-length album together. I want it to be a masterpiece and I know its getting there. Some of the album records are songs I think the world needs.
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Your visuals are really amazing! What inspires them all. I always want my videos to give you a different perspective as to how to view the song. I never want it to be a down the middle representation. My team knows how my brain works and we all collaborate to make the videos special. How has your direction grown sense the start and do you feel you’ve figured it out yet ? Or still room to grow ? For me I think this answer is probably a little different than most since I'm not a kid. I'm 27 and I couldn't be happier with my life and the person I've become. There's always room to grow and improve, but I honestly feel like tough times are behind me and its only up from here.
Is there something or someone who inspired your first ep/album? 45 I ask because of the titles to me seem to be about the lost of love ? I wrote Volume 1 from an airbnb couch in LA. It was the first time I had gone out there to really make my rounds in the songwriting circuit and I was doing sessions everyday. When you're in a new place meeting new people its easy to be inspired. I wouldn't say there was one person that inspired Volume 1, just a lot of new people in my life that gave me a different perspective. What is something you would want your fans to know about you. Maybe no one knows ?
I tell people this during my shows, but I never write anything down. I'm a freestyle writer, so when I get in the booth its more of a stream of conciseness than anything. It usually only takes me a few takes to nail down a full verse or chorus. I remember when I was writing 'Body Aint Me' with by guy Doc Daniel, he started playing that guitar riff and we recorded the entire first verse and chorus all in the first take.
Where are y up bringing
I was born in New Jers to move to years old.
What was th brought? Tha
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I don’t r bought, but cassette ta named g.o.d. the most i inspired by and how it styles and one.
What inspire and how did ?
I think my reading nov in my alon times wher something i aloneness. own kind of
you from ? And describe your ?
in South Korea, and grew up sey after my family decided the US when I was about 10
he first album or music you at inspired you the most?
remember the first one I t I do remember having a ape of this Korean group . The album that inspired me is NxWorries; I was really y the newness of the music, blended different kinds of brought them together as
es you to start making music d you discover your direction
solitude inspires me. I love vels and listening to music ne time, and those are the re I feel connected to in this world - through my It inspires me to find my way to express myself.
born in South Korea, and grew up in New Jersey
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Describe your creative direction is it a team ? Or all you ? If so what’s that process like ? I have an awesome team supporting me, mainly of four people, including myself. They are some of the greatest people to work with from different domains: art, fashion, design, music - they have so many ideas. We do have a creative producer as well, but we gather ideas and creative directions and pave the path towards making them happen. I am really lucky and grateful for the team because they are the most intelligent and creative people I’ve met. But more than that, they have great hearts, filled with passion, empathy, patience, and kindness. I don’t know much outside of music, so it’s really critical that I am supported by these people with different expertise to lead and challenge me in new ways to express myself. What’s the greatest memory of working with Ty dolla ? Did you learn any thing creatively by working with him ? I was very surprised by his humility. Our conversations on set were so pleasant and easygoing. Seeing him dance to "Remember" showed me how much he really enjoyed my music, and he genuinely wished me good luck on my future. Seeing this huge artist, with so much success, that has such a great heart and energy -- he earned another fan in myself. Your visuals are really amazing! What inspires them all. For example Thinking bout you ? Thank you. When I spoke with the music video director about the concept of the song, he suggested kind of a dark mood to express deeper emotions. I loved it. I wasn't quite able to see myself doing something light-hearted at the time, so I instantly connected with the vibe he envisioned.
my solitu de inspir es me. I love readin g novels and listen ing to music in my alone time
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