Now based in Brooklyn, but born in Texas and raised in Florida and Alabama, So Brown has found their refuge in music and the natural world for most of their life. This upbringing has given their new single, ‘All Roads’ its weight, and while the song at first seems simple in its piano and vocal treatment, it’s not long before the listener realises it’s so much more.
‘All Roads’ grew alongside the realisation that So Brown had to give up a wild place in the mountains of upstate New York, causing them much grief and heavy emotions. The music video which accompanies the song serves as a final love letter to that place.
So Brown grew up surrounded by music; so much so that it predates even their memories, and there are photos of them sitting at the piano, before they could even talk. Brown’s mother played classical piano, with Chopin a favourite, and by the time they were in the third grade, Brown was dressing like John Lennon, writing songs, and conjuring up bands. They then followed this by learning drums and guitar during their teenage years in Miami, playing in hardcore bands, while at the same time studying classical percussion, and performing in orchestras. A friendship with a blues musician in the Florida Panhandle led to spending five years learning and playing the Delta Blues; and yet, none of these directions felt the right way to go.
Gender non-conformity and social outcasting meant that So Brown spent a lot of time by themselves, often times outside. Buffalo Bayou, the beach on Dauphin Island, and other natural settings became places Brown repeatedly returned to, and music became, in Brown’s words, “profoundly spiritual” and, “more important than food to me, more essential to my survival”.
‘All Roads’ started over a decade ago, on a friend’s grand piano. The song is strongly influenced by Portuguese guitarist Carlos Paredes, whose organic approach to timing changed how Brown thought about rhythm, and, having come from a background in drumming and American music, Brown found freedom in music without a fixed tempo.
‘All Roads’ moves with the breath, changing every time it’s played, the lyrics mirroring that loosened sense of division.
The music video saw Brown bringing in Irving Gadoury as sound engineer, and Eric Durkin on camera, recording the performance live in a single take with no edits or overdubs. Later, Brown and Eric filmed additional footage around the property: a morning walk to see the horses (Honey, Pokey, and Apple), a visit to the church where Brown sometimes meditated, and time outside among the things Brown wanted to remember before leaving.
Watch the music video for ‘All Roads’ below, and find out more about So Brown and their music online on their official website, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.
