We were lucky to catch up with Anthony Wilson Jr recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Anthony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Taking risks sometimes mean pain and failure will be involved. The only thing people are seeing is the outcome but not my process for getting it done. I’ve taken many risks stepping out of my comfort zone to pursue music. Many people told me I shouldn’t do it because I was already good at something else, including a few of my clients. What they didn’t know was, I’ve always wanted to be a singer since I was a little boy. It’s rooted in me! I’ve always looked up to Whitney Houston and Jazmine Sullivan for their unique skillset. Stepping away from a job I’ve been doing for over 15 years was something I didn’t want to do, but it’s something I had to do in order to pursue my passion and to be happy. At the beginning, I felt like people around me doubted me. Now that they see I’m getting recognition, they want to support. I will never lose sight on something I want to do for myself!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Hi, my name is Anthony Wilson Jr, also know as SoulJ. I’m a R&B singer currently based out of Atlanta, Ga (born and raised in Augusta, Ga). Singing has always been a burning desire deep down inside. I finally put my fear to the side and gave music a shot. Currently, I sing, write and produce my music with the help of my team as well. I feel like I came into the music industry at a good time! R&B is nothing like it use to be growing up. The music industry is saturated with people they just gave a chance based off their social status but not actual talent. It’s time to make music that matches the genres! I’m hoping I’ll have an impact on the R&B/Soul culture sometime soon.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being me! To know that my voice is unique and can’t be duplicated puts me ahead of the crowd. Having a jazzy, deep but distinct singing voice, lets people know it’s SoulJ before they know it’s me.
It exciting to see I can bring a new sound to the music industry. Being yourself, consistently, is also another rewarding thing I’ve found pleasure in. It opens doors no one believes can be opened. Today, we have so many people studying mainstream artist trying to be just like them, when all people want is just for them to be themselves.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My life changed about 4-5 years ago. There were some things I had to leave behind that kept me from evolving including friends and family. As an artist, I self reflect a lot to see what improvements can be made to be a better example for my current and future audience. Covid-19 has effected everyone around me including myself. For a moment, I started to lose my voice from catching Covid 3 times. If I were to ever lose my voice, it would crush me. My voice is my safe space to be myself and free my mind. With some time, breathing exercises, etc. my voice gradually came back.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drum.io/therealsoulj
- Instagram: souljofficial
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulJRecords
- Twitter: souljofficial
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC6bJVRpv_DW2ON4ViQeiAfg
Image Credits
Videographer: Styalistic & Zay’s Photographer