Roger K

Interview With Roger K

SBS:  Hello and welcome to ya!  It’s always best to start off with some kind of introduction to who you are and what kind of music you make, isn’t it?  Tell us a bit about yourself & the history of your music, and give the people out there reading a couple of concrete reasons as to why they should be listening!

Roger K:  I’m an independent pop artist blending smooth R&B textures with modern, feel-good production.  I spent years performing live across Australia’s eastern seaboard before stepping into this solo project, so this phase feels like a natural evolution.  I’ve taken everything I’ve learned on stage and been translating it into records that connect instantly.

What I focus on now is creating music that feels effortless on first listen but has enough depth to keep people coming back.  If you’re into polished Pop, RnB, Afrobeats with a bit of Latin edge and emotion behind it, there’s something here for you.

SBS:  While we’re still getting to know you and quite possibly introducing you to these pages of ours, what would you say is the newest and/or most exciting thing you’ve got going on with your music right now?  Is there anything you’ve been working on that just got released, or something happening behind the scenes that you haven’t mentioned yet?  What should your fans be looking forward to this year?

Roger K:  So I ALWAYS have something in the works.  The way I like to work is to plan out my catalogue of music 3 or 4 months ahead, before working on visuals.  It does feel somewhat disjointed because when I release music now it’s like “oh yeah, that was three months ago.”  So my timeline and other people’s timelines are pretty different.

Right now at this moment I have a song out called “Mona Lisa” (link to my Spotify is at the end of the article, so you can see everything there 😊)

It’s a pretty exciting release for me as there is a fair bit of creativity in the vibe and the sound design in my eyes, along with the lyrics and the story.  I was fascinated with why people get hung up on this painting so I had to do a little research, and then was inspired to craft a story that runs deeper than what the portrait shows.

On the back of this song though I’ve got my next release in May called “Streetlight,” my first real dip into Melodic House music that’s really just about dancing with whoever you want to, whether it’s in a crowd, or it’s just you and me.  And then I’ve got a banger summer vibe set up for June and a few other tunes that are deeper and more introspective in the following months.  So I always have a constant catalogue of work, and something to connect to.

SBS:  So far to-date, what do you feel like is the song of yours that listeners respond to the most?  Do you feel like you knew they’d like it when you first created it, or was it just another song to you at the time?  Sometimes it takes a few spins and a bit of time before we realize how special a song truly is.  What is it about this particular track that you feel people connect to?  If someone was to ask you to play one of your songs to get them interested in your music, would you choose the same one that listeners seem to enjoy the most, or would you risk it and choose something different from your catalog instead?

Roger K:  Every time I show someone my work, or I talk to someone about my music, without fail people gravitate to “Smile At Fear.”  It’s the first track in my catalogue and it’s super relatable, but also a classic old style Reggae groove that you just don’t get anymore – and no shade on Reggaeton or Afrobeats but there is something missing from that Classic Bob Marley style groove in most of today’s popular music, and that song definitely delivers.  If I’m ever having a bad day or I’m feeling scared of something coming up, that song is a great reset for me.  Another song “Lately” hits instantly when people listen, it’s again a classic 90s RnB vibe that when people hear it, they just lock in, and it’s drowning in repeat plays.

A song that takes a few spins I would say is “Ghost Mode,” it’s actually my favourite song, but it’s a bit lowkey for the Pop scene.  A bit of an anthem I would say, especially being an artist in today’s world and everyone telling you what to do, what to buy, how to master; learning to filter out the good with the bad but also back yourself in, that’s exactly what it’s about.

“Smile at Fear” is the one I definitely ask people to play; it’s easy listening and easy to catch onto lately if you like 90’s RnB.  “Ghost Mode” is probably the closest I’ll ever get to rapping! But there are bunch of others like “Plastic Heart,” “Freedom” etc.  Someone heard my song “Fruit Salad” and actually wrote to me that they “want to run into the streets naked with this music playing because it would end all wars because Roger K decided to get adventurous with his music” and that was definitely the wildest feedback I’ve had!

SBS:  Is there a concert you’ve been to that…maybe it was the best you’ve seen, maybe it wasn’t, but it was a completely unforgettable moment in time that you might not even see from the same band or artist again if you saw them play in the future?  Know what I mean?  Like, maybe a band you saw was touring a certain album and they never played those songs again…or like, maybe an artist climbed up the frame of the stage like Eddie Vedder did, and of course he’s probably not doin’ that now as an older dude…there are countless examples of amazing shows from the artists & bands we love most that we will never see happen twice.  Tell us all the details you can remember about an unforgettable show you saw, and why you don’t think that if you saw that same artist/band today that it could all happen again.

Roger K:  I’ve been gigging myself for 15 years in Australia, right across the eastern seaboard with my band Mystery.  Got to play at the Adelaide oval, play at the MCG, and plenty of venues, probably have over 100, possibly 200 gigs under my belt.  In terms of gigs that have influenced me, my band has heavily influenced me.  A lot of my music has percussive notes and slightly more complex Latin vibes, that has been greatly influenced by them.  Some amazing muscians.  My cousin Bathiya is also part of the world famous duo Bathiya and Santhush, originating from Sri Lanka he has literally toured the world and performed sold out shows.  He made music in Sri Lanka that went to the national top 100 in Turkey!  Like it’s amazing what he has been able to do, and seeing how he performs has always stuck with me.

When it comes to English artists I haven’t seen many or been influenced by many, and I think that does set me apart in some ways.  I saw MJ when I was very very young at the MCG but don’t remember much from that night, think I was sick!  But when you pay $100 per ticket back in the 90s…well brother, you are going, and to see MJ!

SBS:  I’ve heard it said many times that it’s harder to write a song in a happy mood than to write one when you’re feeling down.  Of course, for some folks, the opposite is just as true…I guess maybe that’s a reflection of who we are on the inside perhaps?  From YOUR perspective, what’s the particular emotion you associate with the most, or connect to the strongest when you’re creating your music?  How does it play a role in what you write & why do you feel like that specific emotion gets the best songs out of you?

Roger K:  There was a quote that Bono said about the way music makes you feel that you could be looking outside your window on a rainy day but a good song will totally change your mood from your environment.  I think that’s like our minds too when it comes to writing, it could be a beautiful day outside but if we aren’t feeling anything, it’s hard to write.  Having a young family, there is always something happening in my life, and most of the time to help write it’s taking time out of my day to decompress and analyse what’s happened, and very often there is a story there to tell through music.  It kinda doesn’t come from happy or sad for me, just life experience or just what I’m feeling in the moment.  If anything, I think it’s less about sad or happy and more about those other emotions, like anger, like fear, like trepidation, worry, guilt etc.  When I was having some fear in my life and I wanted to uplift myself out of it, almost like whatever will be will be, I wrote “Smile At Fear.”  When I was in that “f the world” kind of mindset, I went with “Ghost Mode.”  When I thought AI is gonna take over everything even love, I wrote “Plastic Hearts.”

SBS:  Let’s ask ya this…would you rather create a massive hit song that the whole world knows and sings along with, or risk toiling in obscurity for the length of your career to fully keep your artistic integrity intact?  Is it really that much better to be one of those artists or bands that are only known for one song, or is it better to build a whole catalog you can proudly stand behind that might not be known at all?  One-hit wonders tend to get judged pretty harshly and are often crushed under the weight of constantly trying to find that second hit – but the flipside of that coin is the right hit song can be so financially lucrative that it can often be enough to build a whole career around.  Still…I have to wonder whether or not that would suck all the joy right outta the craft…maybe it’s really better to have no hits than one hit – what do you think you’d prefer and why?  Do you feel like creating a hit song is truly crucial to a music career?  If it’s not, what’s the alternative?  Can you still have a career without really becoming known?

Roger K:  What a great question!  Maybe explaining my philosophy going into music would help answer this question.  When I was gigging in my band, it was a side hustle, something I would do while I had a steady nine to five.  So as you can imagine, I did music to a deficit.  A big deficit.  And starting on my own career path was really a reflection of my teen years where I wrote and produced SO MUCH MUSIC I can’t even catalogue, and I was starting to lose the art.  When I took some long service leave I got back into it, and was really surprised at how much the industry had progressed.  Accessibility is now easier than ever, opportunities are plenty, but with that, the pool to stand out is much harder.  So I think I’ve acknowledged that making that hit song would be amazing, but if I’m not making music for it to be fun and to connect with someone, then there isn’t much point to it.  I would much rather receive some awesome feedback from one person than get 1000 streams, and I would much rather have someone want to share or write up one of my songs than get 10,000 streams.  I’m not gonna pretend money and some fame, and lifetime royalties wouldn’t be great.  But like what Bono said, if you can connect to someone’s mood with your music, whether it’s to amplify it or to flip it completely, that’s the really good stuff.  That’s what I crave to know and here, because that is art to me, and the definition of an artist.  And that absolutely anyone can do, money or no money, famous or not famous.

SBS:  Alright.  Personal taste.  It’s a weird thing right?  Impossible to predict, isn’t it?  We always talk about A-sides and B-sides when it comes to making music, and I like to believe that albums are generally put together with the artist or band bringing their best (theoretically, the A-sides) to an official release.  But once a song has been put out there into the world, it takes on all kinds of different meanings to every set of individual ears listening, doesn’t it?  For example – I’ve heard plenty of songs on what are considered to be B-side albums, or second songs that came along with a single that I might like even more than an A-side.  On the same side of that coin, just about every artist and band I know of tends to like certain songs they release much more than the ones their fans respond to the most.  So…I guess the question is…is there really such a thing as an A-side or a B-side to begin with?  What’s the point in worrying too much if everyone out there will draw to their own conclusions about what they like anyhow?  Should we just put absolutely everything we make out there online & let people be the judge?  When we label something as an A-side or a B-side, doesn’t that somewhat limit the listener’s objective ability to assess how they feel about a song on their own?  Who really decides what’s an A-side or a B?

Roger K:  I think there DEFINITELY is an A side and a B side, but it is subjective to a number of things.  Commercial understanding of the listener, marketability, media (both coverage and content).

I think the higher up you go in this business, when your interests align to that of producers, mixers, record labels etc., you will inevitably lose most of your B-sides.  The B-side is the stuff that fills you up, gives you joy, makes you want to dip back in the well.  I think most people would be chasing that stuff, myself included, but I think it’s really unlikely you can carve out that B-side in the Pop scene; maybe you can in Broadway or another niche sort of setting, but not in the standard commercial setting.  That being said, A side stuff is very, very necessary to bring the ears to your music.  You need to be able to show people what you can do, so they can appreciate what is possible.

My advice would be to always put yourself out there, in every record.  Life is too short to wonder.  If you have an A-side record, making millions and collecting royalties, congratulations.  Let it do its work.  If you become a Jennifer Paige one hit wonder, so what.  That’s one more hit than 99% of people out there, and you can live your best life and do what you wanna do with your life.  So make those unique, quirky, weird and wonderful records, there is always an audience out there ready to hear it.  

SBS:  Who’s someone you would be able to pinpoint as an influence on your music, or who you are as an artist, that even your fan-base might not have expected?  How has that person affected the way you make your music, and do you really feel like the influence ends up showing up in your sound, or not?  Maybe it’s something they said, maybe it’s something they did, maybe it’s something they accomplished that you hope to as well someday…maybe they’re simply iconic, or have become legendary.  Tell us why this particular inspiration matters to you & how they made an impact on how you view the art of music.

Roger K:  My father was an immense influence on my early childhood growing up and appreciating music.  Every time we had a “dinner party” the night will be filled with guitar and music, but they would also come and ask me to sing some English songs, which usually felt embarrassing for me.  Now I’m not so shy, but I think those regular sessions with kids and fun and laughter, and the feedback you get, really opens your eyes to music.  My father put me into playing the keys but he also taught me guitar at an early age.  He really molded my music experience, and I owe a lot to him.  He is a giant in my mind, and he is still on my mind every time I pick up a guitar or I sit to play at a set of keys.

And as I said my band Mystery has really influenced my musical style now, a lot more Latin percussive sounds shaping my groove.  I used to be pretty Hip-Hop/RnB, but I think my sound has really evolved now.

SBS:  I’m going with a motto of being unafraid to fail this year, because I think even though I’ve failed in so many things that I’ve tried, maybe I still haven’t failed enough to have learned to not be so afraid of it yet, you know what I mean?  We can learn so much by failing…by trying different things…by stretching outside of our comfort zones – and heck, we don’t even know if we can find success at all unless we’re really willing to see what we’re capable of, right?  So let’s ask you this – what do you consider to be your biggest failure with your music to-date, and ultimately, how did that experience actually end up helping you later on?  What did you learn from whatever mistake you made & how did it assist your evolution?

Roger K:  My biggest failure, by far, was not knowing what I was doing with my music early on.  I was not understanding how this age of independent distribution works and the pitfalls, and being too naïve walking into it.  My first artist account I just chased streams, didn’t read too many blogs, thought I knew what was up.  All the botting, clickbait, click farms, greenlight countries etc. etc., there is so much to learn on the promotion end I ended up completely ruining my artist profile.  I had to rebuild, get smart, take some courses.  Now I’m constantly reviewing things, have equipped myself with the tools I need to ensure my account stays protected.  And I got a clear goal, to release music, to get it in front of ears so I can know my audience.  And I stay proactive on the socials when I can to help other young artists avoid as many pitfalls as I found.  No one told me these things, no one knew to ask.  We really gotta be looking out for each other, when there is this many people in the competition, it’s not really a competition.  And we can get further together.

SBS:  As I always like to remind people participating in our interviews, there is no such thing as an interview that has ever covered everything that someone would want to talk about, this one included.  We cover that here at sleepingbagstudios by offering you the ‘open floor’ at the end…a space where you can talk about anything else you want to.  You can mention anything we didn’t bring up.  You can talk politics if you want to.  You can swear.  You can tell us which websites we should go to in order to listen to your music.  You can tell us your favorite movie if you like.  Heck, you can full-on repeat yourself and say something you’ve already said if you feel so inclined – it’s YOUR space to say whatever YOU would want to say to the people out there, completely free of our influence on the conversation…all I suggest is that you take it for a ride and make good use out of it.  Thank you so much for talkin’ tunes with us!!!

Roger K:  Before I dive into my free range thoughts 😊

If you’re just discovering my music, this is a strong point to come in.  There’s a clear direction, a growing catalogue, and a lot more to come.

Everything I’m building right now is focused on longevity — creating something that lasts, rather than just chasing streams.  I’m always looking to build my audience so if you like my work, please follow along so I can show what I can do.

Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/41hkPBRM1scZzY6JEcoLxT

If you not ready and just wanna follow me light, hit me up on my socials, I use these pretty regularly:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575001594043

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kumarasingheroger/

Tik Tok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.kumarasinghe

You’ll also find me on the social app “UpNext.”  It’s not really well known, it does have a desktop version, but the phone version is the best.  It’s a great little place for us indie artists to learn from each other and I offer some freebies there when I have the time.

And I’ve just launched my new website!  So if you’d like to go to a one stop shop for all things about me, see rogerkmusic.com

I know if you are a musician, 99/100 of you got a good heart, cause you gotta be able to feel.  And I think the weight that a musician carries wherever they go is that there is always something around them that needs to be expressed through music.  For me I’ve been feeling particularly challenged this year beyond my normal faculties with numerous wars and children dying, people being shot in the streets.  Even though these happen in countries far away from me, I still feel it.

There is such an important role for music to play right now, and it’s to help BOTH the artist and the audience to transition through their day to day lives while the world figures out how to shape humanity again.  I think back to the 80s when all those bands played those endless shows, to resonate the values of peace in darkness, and there was so much great music there to amplify that message.  In today’s day and age that is the struggle, trying to amplify our message in a structure with amazing opportunities, but difficult to stand out amongst the monopolies.

So what I really wanted to use this platform for was of course was to tell you a little bit about me, but also to tell you to keep going.  As artists, I want you to keep going, keep making music that heals our souls and clears our mind and connects with hearts.

And to the audience of artists, search and find these artists, support independent artists.  I would seek out those other platforms because there are some really good ones out there, and understand how they can support them and how they fit into the world today, beyond just music.  Because we need to build competition in this business.  We need the world to show artists that they have a safe place elsewhere as their primary.

If you are interested in getting any advice, wanting to know any more about me, just hit me up through my socials.  I have a few interesting things in the pipelines including some future niche opportunities for independent artists so yeah, stay in touch.  And thanks SBS for this opportunity!

Ya ha!  This link right here is the key to being the next artist or band featured here at sleepingbagstudios, so instead of just ignoring it, click it instead!