SOSUPERSAM Debuts EP, ‘GARDEN’ + Talks DJing, Influences & More

The debut EP, GARDEN, from DJ SOSUPERSAM has finally arrived! This 6-track EP includes the lead single, “So (prod. by ESTA),” featuring P-Lo, and so five other amazing tracks. Lover of R&B music, LA native, SOSUPERSAM decided to do things differently. Instead of spinning music for everyone else at parties and big industry events, she is creating her own tunes. RESPECT. Mag caught up with SOSUPERSAM to get a better understanding of why she went from DJing to becoming a recording artist and how she grew during that process.

Tune in below and be sure to listen to her EP here: sosupersam.com. To purchase the EP, hit this link.

SOSUPERSAM: I hit a creative wall where I felt empty for playing other people’s music, not creating, and wanting the next step. I thought that i needed to learn how to make beats since that was the general trajectory for a DJ, all the while dismissing my past singing experience as a possible next step. It clicked one day that hey maybe I could just do what i already know how to do. I pushed and the Universe gave me the tools and the team of friends to guide me, enlighten, and show me the way. I just want to sing again and do the best job of presenting it.

The theme is simple a statement of progress. I’ve grown so much and so much life has happened during the process.  It’s called GARDEN because my writing partner Dana would always refer to my various passions as gardens and often ask me how my singing garden was growing.  My response was always frustrated, and after awhile she said “hey you should meet my friend Rose.”  Dana was the soil, Rose was the water, and the garden grew immediately.  We went to work.  After so many hours writing, laughing, crying, sharing stories,  it dawned on me one day, as I was driving from the studio to my home on Garden Avenue, that we had coincidentally dubbed Rose’s house “The Garden.”  The Garden was real on so many levels. At that time we didn’t even have an EP or plans to make one, but as these synapses all clicked in my brain, I knew then that my first project would have to be called GARDEN.

“It’s Okay, I’ma do it anyway”

Well, I think the producers chose me. I was hungry for beats to write to and even though I have friends who are amazing producers it was pretty difficult to convince anyone that I sing and want to write to their music. I had no demos at the time. Jr Jarris, Ganan, KRNE, The Stereotypes, and Esta really took a chance on me. I ran with the opportunity.

We worked with a lot of beats that were already done; I’d feed off of the producer’s vibe. After writing, we’d send the rough cut back to the producer with ideas on arrangement, and we all collaborated to fine tune the top line to the beat.

The groove was pretty experimental.  Getting back into writing, we tried different things with my voice.  So the EP, in my opinion, has a lot of different vibes — acoustic moments, a belty ballad, softer purring falsettos.

Definitely. I think what ties this project together is the 90’s R&B feel. There are some bolder references, like Keith Sweat in “A Little Wrong,” Faith Evans in “Like.”  Then there are subtle references in the vocal producing and the way the background vocals were layered. I’m a big 90’s R&B girl. It’s my favorite genre of music.

I’m no stranger to the stage, but I was definitely really nervous getting into the vocal booth. Rose and, my engineer, David Kim really guided me to my comfort zone. I sat with them behind the mic recording until I wasn’t nervous anymore, and now I love being in the studio.

I would love to work with Jeremih. I would love to write with Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Miguel, Salaam Remi, The-Dream, Kelela, Drake, Mr. Carmack, Kingdom, Shlohmo. I mean the list goes on.