Today we’d like to introduce you to Sol Est.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was younger, I’d write silly songs about random things around the house, lucky numbers, seasons, and winning the Summer swim team meet. During the Covid lockdown, I was writing songs a lot and started taking it more seriously. I realized it was almost a sixth sense and it came very naturally to me. Then I just started messing around on Garageband, playing around with my lyrics and trying to learn the world of production as a beginner. In 2024, I started recording my first single at The Music Space, Water Towers & Submarines, which I had written the previous summer about the fear in having big dreams and goals. The feeling of not wanting to let yourself down. After that, the ball was rolling and I started writing almost every day, thinking about how cool it would be to create a full length album eventually. As of now, I’ve released 5 singles and am working on my debut album. My most recent single, Prettyboy, is inspired by Prettyboy dam in Maryland, a spot that I hold close to my heart and was influential throughout recent years. Writing songs is a part of me, and I’ve realized through this process so far that it is essential to who I am and I am so excited to see what happens next.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This journey has been the furthest thing from a smooth road. Up until about 6 months ago, I’ve been very hesitant about sharing my musical progress in the fear that people would actually start paying attention and think “oh she’s not that good.” No one really talks about how vulnerable it is, not only writing music in itself, but then having to promote it and be confident in it. It sometimes feels naive to think that people need to hear what I have to say, but it’s less about that and more that I just have something to say in the first place. Songwriting is like take a piece of your soul and leaving it on the ground for everyone to see, hear, walk past, step on. It’s a very vulnerable form of art, and that’s something I love most about it. But this is the biggest challenge I’ve had in my process. The fear of having your soul open and exposed and completely disregarded, or even sometimes ridiculed. It’s something I’ve come to accept about making any kind of art. And it’s not like anything will make me stop writing or singing, so I might as well keep doing it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Sol Est is my singer, songwriter, and artist project that encompasses more than just songs. My main goal with this project, is to make people feel. Something. I’ve always dreamed of giving someone that feeling my favorite songs gave me that I could never describe to anyone. More than just chills down your spine or tears down your face, or a warm light in your chest. Sol Est is the auditory manifestation of my creative mind and everything that’s crossed it. She is her own being, in a way. She embodies the beauty of nature in her ethereal sound and captures nuances of life that often go unnoticed. I’ve never been able to define Sol Est into a set genre because I don’t want to limit her or listeners from experiencing things that might not fit inside a box. I call it coastal indie, but that’s a simple term for someone who needs a label. Eventually, I’d like her to be recognized as her own genre, and no genre at the same time. My most proud accomplishment with Sol Est doesn’t fully exist yet. This album I’ve been recording for the past several months, is coming to life with a story I couldn’t even see in the beginning. It’s piecing itself together and becoming it’s own entity and I already couldn’t be more proud that this is something I get to be a part of.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I’d say the most important lesson I’ve learned along this journey so far is that sometimes you have to tune back into your roots, think about why you started doing what you’re doing in the first place. This is something I’ve struggled with more recently as I’ve been acting as all members of an artist team. Independent artists have to have a kind of resilience and dedication that takes a lot of energy, and sometimes you can get lost in that. Lately, I’ve been trying to make sure I remember how fulfilled I feel to create and have freedom in my own artistry. Surprisingly, it can be easily taken for granted. Having freedom to create whatever you choose. It’s such a blessing, and I often remind myself that many big artists under major labels or even any label, don’t have as much freedom as I do. Wherever I am along this journey, this lesson is something I’ve found to be very inspirational and helpful to relight my spark whenever it gets dull.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://solest.myportfolio.com/work
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solestmusic/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@solestmusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sol-est-450257783
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3TsNiZ625q2TqoNvWTyFbR?si=iqqqK8weTnS35PmlTjsUDA
