Many icons come out of the Western coast of California and hailing all the way from Watts, SUMWHR is most certainly up next. As an up and coming independent melodic-songwriter, producer, engineer, and sound architect whose music can best be described as wave R&B or for a more specific term, 808 blues, he will for sure bring you into his music to a point of no escape. SUMWHR had a bright and impactful start as Novelle Vega on the hit reality show “Black Ink Crew” before transitioning into his newly crafted artistry. His melodic texture takes you on an absolute journey with his created sound full of endless ear candy, catchy lyrics, and melodic vibes. This is highly noticeable in many of his spotless singles he released this year including, “Can We”, “Enough”, and “1 on 1”.
When you listen to one of his songs, like the song “Fake S**t”, many draws emotions you can become familiarized with like rocky relationships, resentment, and uncertainty of commitment. After a recent collaboration on his hit “Handsome” with the artist, Mila J, SUMWHR has made a bold statement that he is here to stay!
Listen to SUMWHR here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic SUMWHR! Growing up, who would you consider some of your main inspirations and influences for your unique style?
Growing up I was introduced to a lot of music and took pieces from so many because of the longevity of each one. My main influences are Michael Jackson, K-Ci & JoJo, Tank, Jagged Edge, Usher, T-Pain, and Eric Bellinger. The charisma from these individuals is second to none in my eyes.
We listened to your singles you released this year and we loved each and every last one of them. It’s obvious you’ve had such a successful 2019. Out of all your releases, which has been your personal favorite and why?
See this question is always the hardest because as a songwriter, producer, artist, we always feel every song we do is our personal favorite. I mean if I have to choose one right now it would be my most recent Don’t Forget. This record I believe is a nice change-up from the songs I’ve done this year and shows the versatility and I don’t want to leave any box unchecked.
Which song was the most challenging for you during the creative process? What were some of the obstacles you stumbled upon?
The most challenging song for me was definitely 1 ON 1 because it centered around two people really delving into each other lives you know. I wanted to create a song that captured each of those moments we sometimes forget about from the beginning stages. The way the chorus turned out was completely different from how I started the song. I remember finishing both verses and I still felt like more could be done or at least some of the words could be altered. Being catchy comes at a price you know but we all tend to latch on to certain words that resonate with our cores. After a few minutes, I caught myself saying 1 on 1 and immediately pressed record to capture that moment, so sometimes you never know what works until you try it and in that situation, it was no turning back.
Tell us about the collaboration record with Mila J! How was it working with her?
The Mila J collaboration was actually something that happened out of nowhere. The production was actually a collaboration with me and a good friend of mine named CANVOS. One day I received a call from CANVOS about the song being picked up by Mila J for her project in August 2018. I was definitely honored and excited because she is a really dope artist with undeniable cadences. She actually recorded the song with her team, and we were notified that the song made the project so for me that was a win in my books.
Which song you released this year you feel best represents who you are as an artist and individual? Explain this to us!
Honestly, I hate to be one of those to say all of my songs from this year represent who I am as a person. I like to share stories because somebody somewhere is either going through what I’m going through or have somebody around them jumping over the same obstacles. One thing in life is the way we “connect” with others and by default, we try to filter out “fake S***”. Who doesn’t want “1 on 1” time with a special person and whose to gauge what’s “enough”. “Can we” be “confident” with decisions on who we keep in our lives but “don’t forget” the scars because that very thing is a reminder of who we are today.
What’s next for you in this upcoming year of 2020 SUMWHR?
Great question, this is something I have been rattling my brain with for a while now. I believe 2020 is the year I will be dropping an actual project but no date set at the moment. So many people around me ask about a project and I’ve been kind of holding off because I wanted to release content to show consistency. Now that 2019 is wrapping up I’ve definitely switched gears into project mode.