Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Qamil Wright. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Qamil, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The project that I’m currently working on is the most meaningful for me. In the last two years, I’ve gone through some major life changes including losing both of my maternal grandparents, turning 40, surviving a horrible case of Covid 19 coupled with double pneumonia and having a baby. Between grief and postpartum depression, it’s been difficult for me to find inspiration and feel motivated to be creative. I’m taking my time with this body of work and am finally excited to get back to the music. I’m pouring a lot of love into this and people will definitely hear that when I’m ready to share it.
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 back background and context?
I am an entrepreneur, recording artist, vocalist, songwriter and published author. I’ve been obsessed with R&B music since I was a child. I figured out that I could sing when I was around 5/6 years old when my family put me in front of my grandfather’s church to sing my first solo. I’ve always been around music and had a love for creative writing. I started song writing and learning to record music when I was a student at Denison University. It took a few more years for me to decide to pursue music seriously and I’ve been going strong for over a decade.
In addition to performing and making music, I own an arts and entertainment company, Soul Dope Entertainment. Soul Dope is a multimedia and live entertainment production company. Our mission is to build community by supporting and promoting independent artists through various high quality events and media platforms. This year I added a R&B label, Soul Dope Records. I am very excited to get that off the ground and see my vision come to life.
I am proud of the work that I have done in the community. I appreciate the relationships I’ve developed with other Indie artists over the years. I have always been passionate about supporting US and creating safe spaces where we can share or art and be appreciated for what we contribute to the culture.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to connect with people through my art. I will never forget the first time I performed a song and watched someone in the audience cry. The ability to create music that people can relate to and FEEL is a precious gift.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
When I first started my career, the main place to build an audience was Facebook. Artists were also using Soundcloud and Reverberation. I wasn’t really focusing on using Facebook to build an audience back then. I was just there for the interactions. As I began making more music and performing, I would share info and people started coming to shows. We would be laughing and debating online then seeing each other at events. I would also meet people when I was out and about and have them add me as a friend. My lack of strategy turned out to be my best strategy. I network, engaging and connecting with people constantly. Over the years, this has allowed them to get to know the real me in addition to my work. That is what makes people stick around and support you for years. If people connect with you, they will be apart of your audience for life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.souldopeentertainment.com/Qamil
- Instagram: @qamilsouldope
- Facebook: @qamilsouldope
- Twitter: @qamilsouldope
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/Qamil
Image Credits
Images (4 and 7) – Love57 Image 8- Gabrielle Solange