We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Seos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

SEOS, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Although I largely consider myself an artist and creative, my background and main source of income comes from working as a registered nurse. Because of the difference in the two fields, there used to feel like there was a huge disconnect from SEOS the singer-songwriter, and Siedmann Soltes the nurse. But as I’ve settled into my career, I’ve realized that there are many times when the two sides of myself overlap. There are plenty of times where I’ve had to be creative and adaptable in looking for solutions in the hospital setting, and I’ve been able to apply that same work ethic and discipline found through nursing in the work I do as an artist.

SEOS, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Siedmann Soltes, but I go by the artist name SEOS, and I’m a 26 year old singer-songwriter currently based in Charlotte, NC. Growing up as a Filipino-American, music was a big part of my childhood as some of my earliest memories would be these large Filipino gatherings where singing karaoke were always a staple. I’d always loved singing and since the 5th grade when my dad bought me my first guitar, anytime there would be a party, I would always be asked to sing. In the moment, I was always so embarrassed and shy, but I’ve grown to appreciate those memories and experiences now that I’m older. As I went through school, I was always involved in school musicals, talent shows, a capella groups and chamber choir – if there was an activity that involved music and singing, I was probably a part of it. I would also make videos on YouTube and twitter at the time, and I think I’d always dreamed of having my own viral moment and be given the opportunity to perform on bigger stages with bigger audiences. And the dream hasn’t really changed apart from the going viral aspect. I’ve learned to be patient and have grown to enjoy the journey of creating. I began to take music seriously in 2021 and have been releasing music ever since.

I believe what sets me apart is largely my story and background as an Asian-American working in a creative space, as well as the fact that I’m heavily involved in all of the aspects of my work as an artist. I pretty much had to teach myself how to produce, record, mix and master my songs simply because I didn’t have the money at the time to pay someone how to do it. My love for photography, videography and design help with my brand image and I just really enjoy creating a world for every song I create to exist in.

Although I’ve been releasing music for three years now, I’m still learning so much and I believe I’m still in the infancy stages of my career. My primary focus is to increase the quality of the music I create and to grow a loyal audience that enjoys what I put out. But I can say that one thing I’m extremely proud of is that my music’s been featured on some of Spotify’s editorial playlists, with the main one being Fresh Finds Philippines. I still find it crazy they’ve featured five of my songs thus far, but I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to reach new listeners.

One of the main things I would want for my audience to see is how much work and passion goes into the projects I put out. I also want to serve as an inspiration for future Asian-American creatives to carve space in fields that may not have as much representation. Growing up, it was difficult to feel like my dreams were something worth pursuing as there wasn’t anybody I could look up to that looked like me and were also successful in the space. I think now it’s changed so much as there are many minority groups and artists that come from those groups that have begun to shine a light on their background and culture, and to prove that there’s a spot at the table for them as well. I think it’s a beautiful thing to witness and it’s an honor to be a part of that movement.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m not sure if it’s a “lesson” in the traditional sense, but I used to believe perfection is what gets results. I used to agonize and be a stickler over the tiniest of details, and if a song wasn’t “perfect” to my standards then I wouldn’t release it. I realized over time that people don’t care about perfection because art is largely subjective anyways. There are plenty of songs out right now that may not be absolutely perfect but have still profoundly affected many people’s lives simply because they enjoy how the final song sounds. One moment where I really had to take a step back from this belief was with my song ‘Waste My Time.’ I’d been working on for almost a year and although I didn’t think it was a horrible song, my ears had just grown naturally weary to it after listening to it for so long and I almost chose not to put it out. I was convinced to release it anyways, and surprisingly, it became the first song of mine to be featured on a Spotify curated editorial playlist. In the end, it didn’t matter what I thought about whether it was the perfect song, as long as the right people enjoyed what they were listening to.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is having people align with the things you put out and to have people say they enjoy listening to you sing or enjoy the music you create. In the end, being a singer-songwriter can feel like such a selfish process because most of the time, I’m only thinking about my own experiences and feelings and translating that into music. So I feel like for other people who don’t know me personally to also resonate with something that was innately just part of my own world, I think is something really special.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seos.music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seosmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@seos