SoMo’s second studio album, The Answers, is now available today via Republic Records. The 13-track LP, which follows his 2014 self-titled debut album, takes listeners on a musical ride that explores love, sex and manhood.
Rated R&B recently interviewed SoMo about The Answers, where he discussed the creative process, collaborators and more. Here are five things we learned about his new project:
1. It took two years to create the album.
“[The process took] a little over two years of songwriting and experimenting with different production styles, and really just trying to find the right words that I wanted to put together. For me as an artist, I feel like I just tried to piece together the songs that tells my story the best way possible. My sound is commercial but through that I like my art to shine through and my lyrics and whatnot.”
2. He freestyled the intro.
“The track I finished the quickest was probably the intro because it’s a freestyle. It really ended up being the special intro that I was going for. I’m curious about what y’all think.”
3. “Just A Man” was the first song he wrote for the album — and it was his most challenging song.
“‘Just A Man’ was one of the first songs that I wrote for the album. It was just in a time where I was realizing, as a man, all the ways I might have made mistakes. That song is really personal. I really wrote all those words. I sat there for two hours with the melodies in place and really thought I what I wanted to say. It’s cool that it’s been so well-received, especially since it’s like an old school ballad.”
4. He worked with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart (although the song didn’t make the cut).
“I worked with some amazing people on this album. Before I was working primarily with one producer but I opened up to a bunch of different producers for this one. I’m proud to say I got to work with Tricky Stewart and the team over there. I did a couple songs with The-Dream that didn’t actually make the album but it was just an honor to just to be able to say that I worked with them. I’ve been working a lot with this kid named K-Major, who’s coming up as a writer. I also worked with Captain Cuts, Cody Tarpley (who has been there since day one) and Mick Shultz (who did most of my first album).”
5. There are some songs like “Want It” that have a double meaning.
“‘Want It’ is kind of up for interpretation for a lot of people. I definitely don’t want to give my direct interpretation but it’s my allusion to kind of going past the point of wanting someone so much physically that you just want them completely and you love the way they want you back.”
BONUS: If you buy a ticket to his The Answers Tour, you’ll automatically get a copy of the album.
“I’m trying to get the word to my fans that if they buy tickets to my tour, they actually get a digital copy of my album. So if they plan on buying my album, if they just buy a ticket, they will get an email with a link just like everyone else who pre-ordered it.”
Stream The Answers below.
