Sinical puts distance between pain
in his new empowering new single
It Don’t Hurt Me
1883 Music
March 6, 2023
Sinical is much more than a mere artist — he’s a mastermind at lyricism and unique storytelling through every single one of his tracks. His latest track is the embodiment of that ethos — an empowering, positive, upbeat track called It Don’t Hurt Me. Pulled from his own life, It Don’t Hurt Me explores the struggles he faced growing up and how he triumphed against them. 1883 Magazine chats with Sinical about his new release, his musical story, and more.
You’re from Weymouth. How has the city shaped you as an artist and influenced your sound?
There is a bit of a misconception on where I’m from. I was born on the South Shore in Weymouth, Massachusetts. However, I moved a handful of times before the age of twelve. During my teenage years I was kicked out of my home on four separate occasions by sixteen. It was this period of my life where I gravitated toward writing in my notebook. It’s been a journey to put it light. What I will say is that my upbringing is the one constant for my sound.
How would you describe the way you’ve grown as an artist since first choosing to be one?
My growth as an artist is parallel to how I have evolved as a person. If you listen to my catalog when I was younger you can hear the aggression and immaturity in my voice of how I chose my words. Just like when having a conversation with a High School aged person, you’re able to sense their uncertainty of the world around them. I believe that every five years we transform into a different person. We can choose to shed the darkness and move toward the light or we let that darkness consume us and live in a cycle of perpetual hatred.
Your new single “It Don’t Hurt Me” touches on dark and painful times, but there is a positive, empowering message through the entire track.
What was the writing process like for this song?
When writing this song I had to take down a lot of walls and be honest with myself. There are people in my life who I have made amends with and for that reason I need to be cautions on how I choose my wording and message. Just like with all songs that I write, I never go into the process with a topic. I pull emotion from the beat and that dictates how I set the song up. There is an internal struggle between my past and present where I’m contradicting both worlds, but somehow these two collide.
Did writing it feel like a cathartic experience?
Simply put, yes. Writing has been therapy for me since I started. This song in particular had been a long time coming. I’ve always experienced an internal struggle on my relationship with God. He made me in his image, but as a human I’m flawed. I’ve done things that I look down upon, but at the time I rationalized, even blamed him for my circumstances. As a man I understand there were alternative paths for me to walk and I ignored them.
Was there anything that you did differently while recording “It Don’t Hurt Me” that you hadn’t done prior?
My recording process has become rather standard in my opinion. I like to record the verses multiple times and choose the best version. Somehow, I always land on my first take. The raw emotion that I intend to convey comes out rather naturally.
Production-wise, it sounds like one of your biggest to date. Who did you work on this song with?
Personally, this may be the dopest beat I’ve used to date. If not, definitely top five. My business partner, Rockwood is the brains behind the boards. I heard the template version first and then he and I sat down in our studio and created several versions of the chorus. Once the song had been recorded him and I let the sound marinate for several weeks before going back into the studio to finalize. This is where we adjusted and arranged vocal chops, minor tweaks to the vocals, the intro and outro.
Was there something in particular that surprised you about writing and/or recording the song?
Yes. Rock and I weren’t sure of the hook I laid. We liked the words and how it captivated the entire song, but we were unsure of how I rapped it. At first, we thought my voice may have been too powerful to blend with verse one and two. Once we went into the mix, he and I were able to bounce ideas off each other on how to make the song a cohesive unit.
Your sound is unrestrictive and your tongue-in-cheek songwriting is infectious. Has it always been important to not be confined to a specific genre or type of music, in addition to crafting lyrics that both move the listener while also inspiring them?
Since day one my lyrics have been pulled directly from my life. I look at my songs as mini novels or short documentaries that offer a flash of insight. I pride myself on the wording I choose and how to articulate those words into rhyme. I’d like to think of myself as an artist and not a rapper. I’m automatically categorized into the boom bap genre for the style of production. I hear the phrase Golden Era a lot from listeners when describing my sound. I feel like that’s a catch-22 in some respects. When releasing a single you’re casting a wide net in hopes of reaching a large audience. To some, they love my style, while others think I refuse to adapt to modern the era and to those people I would say, you haven’t done your homework on Hip Hop.
What 3 songs would you choose to soundtrack your perfect day?
Ben E. King – Stand By Me. In my opinion this is the best song ever made. Ironically, we were never meant to hear this song. He originally wrote it for his former group, The Drifters in 1960, but they passed on it. This is the only song I would put in my top three. It doesn’t matter if I’m having the greatest day or the worst, Stand By Me hits my soul every time.
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What next can fans expect from you?
I’m releasing the music video to “It Don’t Hurt Me” soon. I’d like to think this is cinematic driven with short clips depicting the song itself. I’m also in the process of the beginning stages of my album. I haven’t set a release date, but you can expect it to be reflective of the last four singles I’ve dropped.
Lastly, if you could manifest something for yourself this year, what would it be?
For my team to be noticed. I have an incredible producer who understands how difficult it can be to work with me. I’m very particular, maybe even a borderline O.C.D. perfectionist. But he allows me that creative freedom that would likely drive other people nuts. He believes in my sound and sees my vision and for that, I’m grateful. My video director as well. From the outside looking in you would think we constantly bump heads on set. However, we’re both very passionate about the work we do and always strive for to put out a great product. Both of them deserve their shine.