Step into the retrofuturistic world of Solarrio, as he combines the legendary sounds of the eighties with a modern twist in his latest single, “NLF.” In this exclusive interview with CelebMix, Solarrio shares the inspirations behind his music, the influence of classic artists like Prince and Rick James, and the collaboration with Holland Izz that brought a unique flavor to the song. Solarrio also offers a glimpse into his upcoming debut album, “All The Wrong Places,” set to release in spring 2024, promising a fun and groovy record. Get ready to groove to the tunes of Solarrio and experience a blast from the past with a contemporary touch.
Hey Solarrio, welcome to CelebMix! Your latest single ‘NLF’ is described as a fusion of Popfunk, Dancepop, and Funk, paying homage to the legendary sounds of the eighties. What inspired you to create a song with such a nostalgic yet modern vibe?
That’s pretty much my formula. Retrofuturistic. I love eighties music, I feel they perfected the art of pop songwriting. I’m heavily influenced by Prince, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Phil Collins and people from that era. There’s plenty more of those vibes on my upcoming debut album.
Growing up in a household of classical musicians, you eventually transitioned into music production and your own music. How did your classical background influence your current style, especially in ‘NLF’?
I don’t think my classical background had any influence on this song, to be honest. I know that having that foundation helps and subconsciously I’m sure there’s a lot going on but my music is mostly influenced by the sounds of my childhood in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Whatever was on the radio, TV, film. The first album I ever bought was “We can’t dance” by Genesis.
Can you tell us about your collaboration with Holland Izz on ‘NLF’? How did you decide to work together, and what do you feel he brought to the song?
Holland is a close friend and frequent collaborator. I’m exexutive producing one of his upcoming projects, we have a lot of songs. As far as collaborating together on this song…I knew I wanted him on my album, we share a love for vintage RNB and funk music and his personality and style are so unique and a perfect fit for my music. I made the beat and wrote the song with Alhassan Sakho and we immediately knew this was the one we wanted to get him on.
You mentioned that ‘NLF’ is an homage to artists like Prince and Rick James. What specific elements of their music did you incorporate into this track?
The overall groove and synth stabs definitely remind me of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis or early 80’s Prince productions. Minneapolis funk. They’re a huge influence and inspiration, this song just happened to come out that way. I didn’t set out to make it sound like that but all the pieces came together so effortlessly. It’s definitely one of my favorites.
Your debut album, ‘All The Wrong Places,’ is set to release in spring 2024. Could you give us a glimpse of what listeners can expect from the album, and how ‘NLF’ fits into the overall theme or concept of the album?
We’ve released 2 songs so far (“B the 1” and “NLF”). I would say everything on the album is somewhere between those two soundwise/stylistically. Lots of synths and knocking drums. It was important to me to make a fun, groovy record. Nothing too heavy or depressive thematically. Although most of the song inspirations come from personal experiences I try to write in a way that everyone can interpret it how they want. The long title would be “Looking for love in all the wrong places” which I feel sums up the album theme perfectly.
In the press release, you mentioned using a vocal sample from another Holland Izz song for ‘NLF.’ Can you share more about your creative process when working with samples and how it contributed to the track?
I spent the majority of my career producing rap records so sampling has always played a big role. As far as my own music, I usually try to stay away from samples but in this case it was from a song I co-produced with Eddie Deuce called “Do it on the concrete”.
I had the hook written out but it was missing the last line; I thought of using that line because I mentioned nasty little freak in my verse.
Holland Izz is known for his distinctive style in contemporary hip-hop. How did your collaboration with him on ‘NLF’ come about, and how did your shared love for classics influence the song?
We had tried working on another song for my project, it was cool but nothing groundbreaking so I kept trying to come up with the right song to feature him on. As soon as that beat came together it was obvious that this would be the one. Especially because I know he’s a huge fan of that type of music.
Could you elaborate on the concept behind the Release Party and Showcase for ‘NLF’ at Badehaus in Berlin? What can fans expect from this event, and how does it tie into the single’s release?
That was a fun night, I brought Holland to Berlin. He did a 15 minute set and I got to play a few unreleased songs from the album. The response was mind blowing! I can’t wait for the world to hear this project. But yeah, legendary night, I hope everyone that came out had a good time cause we sure did!
As someone who has transitioned from being a top hip-hop producer to focusing on your own music, what has been the most significant change in your creative approach, and how has it influenced your sound?
It took a while for me to really find my sound and musical identity. But the biggest challenge was finding my voice and recording technique. I had toured a lot as a background vocalist/hypeman so I was used to performing but recording is a different beast. A lot of trial and error, a lot of experimenting with different genres/sounds. But now i feel really confident and very proud of this record.
Looking ahead, what are your future plans and aspirations in the music industry? Are there any specific collaborations or projects you’d like to pursue, or is there a particular direction you want to take your music in the future?
Establish the Solarrio sound/brand. Build out our record company (Playel Records). Find new artists to work with/mentor and hopefully get to collaborate with some of my musical heroes. I’d say that’s a good start.