We were lucky to catch up with Stephen Voyce recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephen, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I was born into a household for which music was one of its pillar stones, and so it’s always been a part of who I am.

My mum was such a massive fan of Michael Jackson, and so naturally I gravitated towards his craft. I was compelled by the way he could evoke such powerful emotions, the way he could make people feel so deeply. And so I started to emulate him, to sing like him.

When my mum passed away, a few years ago now, I turned to music for the first time as a way to save myself from a darkness I found myself in, broken by her loss. I used it as a way to cope, and I shared those feelings with the world. It is then that I learned the really power it yielded, being able to not just share my emotions but help others, who like me were on painful journeys, know that they were not alone.

I think that was the hardest part of my journey, surviving her loss, but it also molded me into the creator I am today, one that is fueled by emotion and driven to never stop growing, to never shy away from being true to myself.

Stephen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I think I said just everything there is to know about how my journey began in my previous answer, but I’ll talk about what I’m most proud.

I’m proud of myself for pushing past the hardest moment in my life, for digging up the strength to keep moving forward, for finding my truest purpose in the midst of it all. That has become the pillar stone of my career, resilience. And through my music, my words, my thoughts, I try to share that message of hope, to remind others that there is always a light, even when things seems darkest.

And I am grateful to my listeners, for always allowing me to stay true to myself. In an industry where it is easy to fall into the traps of changing who you are to fit molds, I’ve stayed true to myself and it is thanks to the people to take the time to listen to music, who resonate with it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For me, I’ve learned that sometimes other people’s fears can become your own; that their hesitations can easily become yours as well. And while I do think it is important to listen to others, to hear their perspectives, you should always ask check in with yourself, to see what is worth holding on to and what isn’t, to see what is worth learning and what is worth unlearning.

In my journey, I’ve had people in this industry whisper into my ear, trying to tell me what kind of artist to be, what kind of music to make, what kind of image to uphold. And at the end of the day, all I can be is me, and trying to be anything that doesn’t align with what I see for myself isn’t serving me, but would weigh me down. So now, I’m very careful with who I surround myself with, not to say that I only want people who agree with me in my circle, far from it, I want to be surrounded by people who like me, keep an open mind, who will challenge me positively and not try to force their wills on me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want my platform to serve as a means to share a message of hope, to remind others of their omnipotence. In this world, it is so easy to forget ourselves, to feel alone, to feel like we don’t belong. As someone that has felt way, and sometimes still does, I want to be someone that helps illuminate the way when things get dark.

Contact Info:

• Website: stephenvoyce.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/stephenvoyce
• Facebook: facebook.com/stephenvoyceofficial
• Twitter: twitter.com/stephen_voyce
• Youtube: YouTube.com/stephenvoyce

Image Credits
Oro Marzo