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This week, we have the esteemed Hopeadope sitting down with us to chat about her style of music, mental health during the pandemic and what she has cooking up in the studio. I had the pleasure of meeting Hope during the beginning of the global pandemic. It was absolutely enthralling to hear her story about moving from Detroit over to NYC and settling down in the big city.
Hopeadope's style is unique and stand's out as its own. Compared to the style that fills my playlists and recommended lists, it was exciting to fall into a new sound and be enveloped by it. I highly recommend anybody interested in the House and Techno genre's to take a gander at what Hopeadope has within her discography. With that being said, let's hop into the interview:
Hey there Hope! Can you tell everybody a bit about who you are and your style of music?
Yes, so my music is a collection of dance/pop, hip-hop, r&b. I love fusing genres in unconventional ways. My music gets the party going or will have you in your feelings.
I focus a lot on mental health with Stay Vibrant, especially in relation to creatives. These are unprecedented times, how have you been managing mental health wise? Any tips/tricks you've been using?
Having to social distance from friends and art peers; which usually kept me distracted, forced me to address the problems within myself. I also broke up with my ex and moved to NYC. My mental health suffered. I couldn’t eat because I was broke, couldn’t sleep, barely created, and was crying all the time. It was a very rough time for me the beginning of quarantine.
It wasn’t until, I faced myself and recognized my strength that I got the courage to heal myself. I meditated, walked, sang, wrote; anything that allowed me to let out my stresses and replace it with positive affirmations. Through positivity, gratefulness, and being persistent about it I became cognizant of the people and mindset that was affecting me spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
It was a non-stop repetition of delivering happiness and good energy to me and the people around me that made me realize my worth.
Being grounded mentally is a choice and a constant battle. I suggest anyone who wants to start, to completely separate themselves from people, social media, and other distractions. Read self help books and pay attention to your dreams. It gets better the more you work on bettering yourself and pushing that energy towards the people around you. Wishing people well and wishing yourself well. You come first though!
You have a very versatile sound, the variety in your music is incredible. Where do you pull your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from everything and anything. I love all genres of music and I love life and the people in it. I draw inspiration from all of it and I soak things up like a sponge so that; it resonates in my music.
You moved to New York from Detroit, MI -- Detroit is one of the first cities with House/Techno roots in the US and has a heavy queer history. Do the House/Techno roots resonate with you and your sound?
House and techno will always be found in most of my songs. I absolutely love it and it brings me back to my 18 and early 20s stage of life. It helps me to remember the wild- hippie spirit that still resides in me. I relate both sounds to being carefree and happy with life. It was that phase of my life when I found my tribe which is the lgbtq+ community. So every time you hear those 808’s and old school synths, it’s my ode to the community that helped me become the woman I am today. My songs “VIBE” and “Cheekbones” are a prime example. I make music for everyone, but specifically for the queers.
What, in your words, would you say has been a defining part of your music journey so far?
This could just be me being hard on myself, but I truly don’t believe that I’ve reached that definitive moment just yet. I will say that I’ve had a lot of revelations over the years; or phenomenons that have propelled my belief in myself. Most recently, October 4th, I celebrated the anniversary of my sisters death. On that day she reminded me that she is with me always. I had work that day and spent my day getting ready and my commute listening to her favorite music and channeling her energy. At the end of my shift, I went to this corner bar alone. It was there where I felt a sense of belonging and triumph. Here I was in NYC, something her and I used to dream about as kids. That for me, solidified that everything I had went through was meant to happen to give me the push I needed to focus on my goals. I truly believe Faith is my guardian angel and she helped turn my narrative around.
Your website says that you represent "every brown skin[ned] person, everybody who's ever been bullied and the LGBTQ+ community" -- identifying as parts of these communities, what is it like in the music industry? Do you find yourself jumping over more hurdles, that maybe other people in the industry do not?
I am naturally an over thinker which in my case, hurts me more than helps. While I am aware of adversities I face, I am far more focused on helping others to recognize their power through it. I’ve realized that some look to me as an example and for hope. I work very hard on my strength, so I can pass it along to others. Hurdles are there to make us indestructible and unstoppable, we must embrace that part of life to get to our destiny.
Just for fun: If 2020 had a slogan, what do you think it would be and why?
2020, the year of revelation and renewal.
The most important question: what do you have coming up? Anything new you are working on or would like to share?
Right now, I am in the studio as much as I can. I am building up my music portfolio so that I can put out an album. I really want to put together a cohesive project that allows listeners to have a complete body of work to jam to. Also, it’ll put a stamp on my sound. I’ve released a few snippets on my socials and will continue to do so.
Follow Hopeadope on her Instagram to keep up with all the incredible things she has coming up!
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