Hoox Has Built A Community Through Music in NYC
A great artist is authentic and pure in their sound which attracts those who enjoy and relate to the music. This is the type of artist Hoox continuously strives to be. Managing to create his own unique sound, he has also helped create a space where new talent can find theirs. Background, culture, truth and hard work are only a few traits that allowed Hoox to build community in New York City for his music and for others.
Where an artist is from and the place they live can have an impact on their music. For Hoox, his two biggest influences are his Zambian roots, and New York City. His culture and upbringing play a role in how he writes and produces his music. It helps him determine how far he can go with parts like being explicit, because he knows that his mother might listen to his songs at some point.
Photo Credit: Kerby Jean Photography
For his sound, Hoox tries to highlight traditional African sounds and instruments, combining with other styles of music like reggae, house music, and more to create his own unique sound which he calls Afrofusion. Hoox includes his native language, Ichibemba, into his music in hopes that people will become interested and take the initiative to learn more. “I try to throw that in there from time to time, just so the world can understand what we’re saying. Maybe at some point, I can have the whole world Google our language,” he said.
Being a New Yorker has impacted his music as well. The City not only is a melting pot of cultures but of music as well. “We get introduced to a lot of things on a daily basis, so that definitely pours into the music,” he said. It is something that makes him love New York City. Hoox’s music is a fusion and definitely reflects every aspect of who he is, both where he is from and where he lives.
While his music has created a community of its own, Hoox also co-founded Organic Jam Sessions. A weekly event hosted in the Harlem area where singers and musicians have a safe space to showcase their talent and network themselves into different opportunities. “It’s a pretty cool spot and we’ve been doing it for a while so now it’s more of a community-based thing,” Hoox said. “And seeing the same people every week, a lot of people feel like they have a family.”
Hoox shared that being an artist in New York City can feel isolating as everyone is chasing their dreams. He helped create the Organic Jam Sessions platform to not only bring artists together, but also be able to meet music producers, recording studio owners, music video directors, and even songwriters all in one place. “Now it is bigger than me because initially, it was about me being an artist too and my band. But then it just became bigger than us,” he said. Hoox and the Africanos have performed at the sessions and it has definitely grown since they started.
Photo Credit: Federico Ferrari
Not only has the event grown but artists who have performed there grow as well. “You can see the growth. Some of them come in where they’ve never recorded any song in a music studio, and then they build confidence up and they network to where they actually have a song on all platforms,” Hoox said. It is also a great place to showcase new work; last week Hoox premiered a new single titled “It’s A Go,” where everyone was able to listen and stream the music immediately. Hoox assisted to create a space that not only benefits the music community of New York City but also helps build himself up as an artist too.
Hoox can be described as a pure, authentic artist. It is what he thinks makes an artist thrive in the music industry today. He feels if you are being “pure authentic,” you will never run out of material to create. Gaining inspiration from his life story, close friends, and family, it provides a wide range of topics to talk about in music.
Photo Credit: Federico Ferrari
Finding a way to connect with listeners is important too. Hoox says that party music is the easiest way of connecting with people at the moment, but he still remains true to himself in it. Adding emotions into music is something that Hoox does to stay authentic in what he does. Hoox advises other upcoming artists to be authentically, purely themselves, “because everybody else is already taken.” Doing this can be a way for listeners to connect with the artist themselves and their music. He says that making music with good intent can even help people.
“I feel like it’s very important for artists to really not look at other people as to be more special than them, or more talented than them...it’s very important to be true to yourself, and see the value in yourself,” Hoox said. He also advises artists to be more like Africa. Hoox uses this example because mines in Africa never run out, same with artists who dig within themselves to create their music will never run out of material to work with. “And of course, work hard, be consistent, take your music serious and be humble,” he added.
Along with the release of his new single “It’s A Go,” Hoox has more projects coming soon. With his popular song “Pull Up” a new futuristic rendition of the music video will be released of Hoox pulling up on Mars! It is soon to be out in the next couple of weeks. Another single to look forward to is “Do Me Like That,” which will have a music video coming out alongside soon. Hoox is proud of all of his work and is a talented artist worth checking out. Those interested in Hoox’s Afrofusion beats can follow him on Instagram for more updates and will be supporting an incredible artist.