Sonja on adapting, resetting and becoming a global artist
Sonja is a is DJ, writer, and musician who runs her own independent music label, Biblioteka Records, founded in Toronto, Canada and now based in Daegu, South Korea. We sat down with Sonja at the beginning of this year to talk about her career and how she was managing the pandemic’s new regulations.
Images from Sonja’s Instagram.
It is no secret that the nightlife industry has been one of the most affected by the norms imposed due to COVID-19. Being a performer, Sonja experienced first hand the abrupt closure of clubs and the cancelled gigs that left her in a tough situation like many other artists.
She had to deal with feelings of uncertainty about her career not only as a DJ but as the head of Biblioteka Records; the significant independent record label she had founded to support experimental electronic music made by less-known creators and that by that time had already worked with over 10 artists worldwide, representing musicians from Philadelphia, Atlanta, Toronto, Latvia, Edmonton, London, and more.
Trying to see things from a broader perspective, she realized that this was a moment for adaption and a good time to check in with her creative goals.
As creative people you have to come up with solutions, you have to adjust and adapt to whatever the situation is or you're going to be left behind. Right now I think it's an in between phase, people are still kind of figuring things out but give it four or five years and it's going to be a brand new world… You can't be afraid of technology in this day and age, and I think a lot of people still are.
Although she missed the energy of the crowd at the club and she faced many challenges along the way, she was able to find new ways to keep going whether it was live streams, creating content for her social platforms or focusing on producing new music. But perhaps more importantly, she started to value this time as a moment to find new ways to express herself creatively, to experiment with different instruments and sounds and to recalibrate her creative journey.
Images from Sonja’s Instagram.
Sonja told us that the pandemic really changed her as a creator, and that as time goes on she hopes to keep finding her creative path and figuring out the best way to go about her practice. For instance, she started to question what it actually means to be a global artist in today’s context and found new insights about her audience and community.
Going forward, I don't think I’ll ever be thinking in just the perspective of Toronto, local, I think I’m going to be thinking more globally in terms of audience reach and how the work can be translated to digital... It (the pandemic) just made me rethink, or I guess realize again, how connected and how easy it is to talk to anyone from around the world living in this day and age.
Some time after we had this interview she moved to South Korea and we are always happy to read about her journey on her social media platforms or her newsletter Sonjaland. We are excited to see what the future holds for her and wanted to share with you some of her latest music releases in the meantime. Check them below!
