Interview with sombr.
Written and Interviewed by: Sarah Evangelista
As mentioned in his Spotify bio, “[sombr’s] goal is to make songs that evoke that special feeling”, but what is that specific emotion? It’s indescribable. It’s melancholic. It’s beautiful.
sombr is a seventeen year old, and used to be enrolled at New York’s LaGuardia High. Shane started creating music in his bedroom (and still does), and would skip nights out to focus on his craft. His hard work and dedication landed him a deal with Warner Records.
When “caroline” was gearing to release, teasers posted on TikTok quickly caught the algorithms’s eye. The track currently has over 11,000,000 streams. Following up on the single, sombr recently released a new single titled “willow”, and we got to interview him.
What is your fondest musical memory?
I’d say my fondest musical memory would be the reaction to my recent single, “Caroline”. This song really changed my life for the better. It exploded on TikTok overnight. And maybe it seems like an accident or luck, but it was really the result of me working my ass off day and night, losing sleep, and failing in school trying to follow my dreams. This is my fondest memory in general because it proved that everything that I had been working towards for my entire life was finally coming together.
Do you remember the very first time you wrote a song? What was that feeling like?
Yes, the song was pretty bad… kind of funny. It goes a little like “my girl likes to sing about flowers, oh yeah…” I was around the age of seven when I wrote it.
Your Spotify bio mentions you want to "evoke that special feeling", which your music does. Where do you find inspiration to spark that specific emotion?
When I wrote that, I think back to the records that made me feel, the records that changed my life. I was actually talking about this today with Tony Berg, a producer I’ve been working with recently. I find it incredible that a piece of art such as a song or movie can give you chills or emotions that nothing else can. This is one of the main reasons I make music. The power a song or lyrics can have over your emotions is incredible.
Some records that gave me this feeling include:
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Slowdive - Souvlaki
Frank Ocean - Blonde
"willow" was released the same day as Taylor Swift's Midnights. Have you listened to the album yet? If so, what is your favorite song off of the record?
I have not had the chance to listen to Taylor’s new project. But I will say, I listened to the beginning of the first song on the record “Lavender Haze” and it sounded dope. I have a lot of love for Taylor.
The track ["willow"] is breathtaking. What musical element was added first to the track? (a specific lyric, melody, guitar, feeling, etc...)
Thank you! “Willow” started with a chord progression on my guitar and the words “don’t wanna be alone, my willow”.
Which artists/bands are you currently listening to?
Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers, Slowdive, Frank Ocean, Cigarettes After Sex, Ethel Cain, Maude Latour, Yeat, beabadoobe, Sonder, Genevieve Stokes.