When I first discovered Sunde she was on the stage at Subterranean in Wicker Park, about fifteen minutes into her set I leaned over to my friend I was with and said “I’m going to interview her soon.” About a week or two later I set up an interview with the young Chicago native and quickly discovered that there was more here than just raw talent, she is simply just a star in the making. I know that’s a big title to put on someone who is new to the game, but I am confident that Sunde is about to blossom into Chicago’s next big thing over the next few years. Don’t take my word for it though, learn a thing or two about her below & be sure to follow her on Twitter here!
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EM: Before we dive into the questions, give our readers who may not be familiar with you a brief introduction of yourself.
SU: I was born in the Dem Rep of Congo and due to rising war in the country my mother and a few family members lived in a refugee camp in Cameroon for about 7 months until arriving to America. Rockford, IL is where i was raised and burgeoned. When it comes to the arts i started off writing poetry in late elementary early middle school which evolved into matching them with intended beats. My passion for music began flourishing during 5th & 6th grade when id make music with my childhood friend Tiffany in our ‘Garden Basement’ (we lived in a complex with multiple families and shared a basement were we’d both link up and cultivate ourselves in; hence garden basement). The zeal and infatuation for music that my uncle Patrick carried and instilled in me also brightly reflects on me till this day.I got fully immersed in creating during highschool but the lack of events in the town at the time hindered the arts community so i started an open mic at16 in Rockford,IL to create a place for artist of all ages to showcase and be themselves (Silience Slams).
After graduating high school in 2016 i moved to Chicago to begin establishing my New Age Hip Hop
sound aaannnnddddd now we’re here.
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EM: Where are you from?
SU: I was born in Congo, Africa The Democratic republic and then my family moved to America.
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EM: What is your earliest memory of music?
SU: My uncle Patrick played the guitar and shit, that’s the earliest memory that I can think of. RIP to an OG
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EM: Do you remember the first album you ever purchased?
SU: This is a horrible thing, but me and my sisters would go to the library and stealing CD’s
EM: What was the first album you stole, way more interesting.
SU: First one I stole was by a singer named Duffy
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EM: When did you first start creating music?
SU: I Started off writing poetry in late elementary early middle school which evolved into matching them with beats
During 5th & 6th grade id make music with my childhood friend Tiffany in our ‘Garden Basement’ (we lived in a complex with multiple families and shared a basement were we’d both link up and cultivate ourselves in; hence garden basement).
A few years later I started an open mic at 16 in Rockford, IL to create a place for artist of all ages to showcase and be themselves (Silience Slams)
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EM: Who/what inspired you to start creating music?
SU: Listening to the the artists I was into at the time, being a young fifth grader who was just trying to find my voice.
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EM: Who are some of your biggest influences musically?
SU: Amy Winehouse, Sister Nancy, Missy Elliot, Andre 3000,
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EM: What are your top five favorite albums of all time?
SU: Missy Elliot Under Construction, Tribe Called Quest Low End Theory/Midnight Marauders, Sister Nancy One Two, Frank Ocean Channel Orange/Blonde, M.I.A. Arular 5) Every Amy Winehouse project ever, Late Registration
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EM: If you could collaborate with one person who would it be?
SU: Pharrell
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EM: Who are some of the local Chicago artists that you have been listening to?
SU: Smino, Noname, Chance, Jean Deaux, Ric Wilson, Chief Keef, Kanye, Lucki,
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EM: Who are some bigger name Chicago acts that you want to work with in the future?
SU: Chance, Noname, really all of the people from the last question,
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EM: What’s your relationship with Pivot Gang like?
SU: I did a show opening for Kami, MFnMelo & Squeak also played at that show and afterwards we just chopped it up and hit the studio together.
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EM: What’s your favorite quote?
SU: The line from ATL when TI says:
“aye be clear, this my daddy house. I been running things around here since i was 15”
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EM: What is your favorite book?
SU: Tuesday with Morrie
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EM: You recently released a project titled “Eureka”, what was the process of making that like?
SU: Okay well we started Eureka in March, and we didn’t finish until late June. We were in the studio more than we were even outside, all we did was lock in & record for weeks. That was my first time saying I’m going to sit down and create this project, and I view it as my debut project on a professional
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EM: One quote that stuck out to me was “Sorry If i’ve been distant, living through concentration”, can you explain what you mean by living through concentration?
SU: When I write music it’s like timelines of life type shit, every song is kind of like an update if that makes sense. There hasn’t really been subjects to songs, this is was consists of me at this moment in time, I just hear a beat and melt into that. I recorded that during a time where I moved to Chicago in October of 2016, and when I made this song this was the time we were going fucking crazy on focusing on the project. I had just left my family shit, I didn’t really have a real plan. I was going to school for my moms sake, but I knew that I was always gonna fuck it up with the music. At that point in time, everybody who was in my life at that point was starting to fade away, then I started to think “are they fading away or have I been fading away”, so that’s where that quote came from.
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EM: The National Anthem or The International Players Anthem?
SU: The International Players Anthem!!!
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EM: What is your favorite word
SU: Kitoko
EM: What can our readers expect from you in 2018?
SU: I’m at a place where I’m trying to form organic relationships with other artists, a lot more vibration collabs, more music
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EM: Last question, where do you see yourself in five years?
SU: Creating music in an evolved way, definitely see myself playing a huge role in helping organizations in Africa
& out here coolin’ like a mother fucker smoking big dope!
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