This has been quite the year for Phora with his Youtube success shooting through the roof. Every music video he has released (outside of his newest one that just dropped last week) has been viewed over one million times. These are some huge numbers and that can only mean that a tour is in sight. Phora has been on the road for his "Yours Truly Forever" tour and he made a stop in Indianapolis where I was able to come through and chop it up with the young talented artist about everything that is going on in this new crazy life he lives.
How was Indy looking compared to some of the other cities you have performed in?
Indy was crazy! I honestly wasn't expecting so much love and energy out here for my music since this was my first time out here but I loved it.
Nice man, so enough about the tour. I noticed that back in 2011 you started your own label and now you are officially signed to Warner Brothers. Can you talk a little bit about the transition from being independent to being on a major label?
It is a super long story man but basically Yours Truly Records is still in full effect. It is really just me and the producers I work with so we are in an agreement that we are all in this label/movement/family thing together and that is what Yours Truly Records is about. We are maneuvering through this music thing as a team professionally. But the deal with Warner Brothers just felt so right for me. They are such an artist friendly label, they are such a dope label, they aren't this label where they think of all of this crazy shit like shelves and bad publicity, they are always vouching for their artists. I just feel like it was the right move for me and that they provided the right resources for me and the vibe was just right. Warner Brothers was just the right place for me.
With your debut album Yours Truly Forever coming out on August 18, how has the feedback been so far as far as pre-orders or just hype for the album in general?
Man, it's crazy. I have never experienced anything like it. We are getting a lot of little things in motion, the pre-orders have been great, the singles we have dropped from the album have done really well. Not only has the feedback from the fans been amazing but also on the industry side of things. We are working on little things that I have never really been able to grasp on my own. For instance, I am having the album release show/party at The Novo in Los Angeles which has a 2,300 cap room and we are also getting a billboard to help do everything to promote the album.
Your song "Sinner Pt.2" was released earlier this year and fans were able to see a deep side of your life that you may not always share with them. This song has so much passion and meaning behind it so can you walk me through how it was to make it?
So "Sinner Pt. 2" the beat was actually made in 2015 and I sat on the beat for a year. I wrote it in 2016 and finalized it, mixed it, mastered it, everything myself in 2017. I actually put it on my upcoming album because it is one of my favorite songs I have ever written. When I first heard the beat in 2015, I felt like I didn't have the right words for it. I felt like this beat, the vocals inside it, and just the overall production was so powerful that I had to bring something just as powerful to help bring it to life. When I was writing it, I felt that this time right now in my life, this is powerful for me. It needs to be the right thing and I ended up going through a lot of personal things that helped me find the right words to say. I wrote it at like five in the morning and ended up finishing it at like six p.m. I look at both of the "Sinner" songs as my stamp and is what I am known for. I feel like to compare anyone's music to those songs, you are gonna have to look at the top.
Be sure to check out Phora's debut album on Warner Brothers coming on August, 18 and you can still catch him in your city on tour. Purchase tickets here and you can pre-order the album here.
Connect with Phora: Twitter | Website |/ Spotify
