Shoko is an emerging Danish recording artist with a unique sound, ambition, and empowering personality. As she elevates from obscurity to the mainstream landscape, she inspires the amasses with her well-blended new single, titled “Loser.” The unapologetically bold and transformative track that displays an amazing performance by the new star.
SHOKO shows a rare star power only seen in superstars like Adele, Lizzo, Doja Cat, and Rihanna. Her music creates infectious anthems and irresistible dance floor fillers. The new star’s authenticity encourages listeners to embrace their worth and radiate confidence, transcending the curated façade of social media.
While promoting the new single, SHOKO took some time to chat about the inspiration behind the new hit, creating an empowering sound, evolving as an artist, and so much more in this Substream exclusive. After you listen to SHOKO’s new song below, feel free to read the full interview afterward.
Read the full interview below.
What inspired your new single “Loser” and what message do you want people to get from it?
I truly try to live by the saying: “when others go low, you go high”, and writing music is my form of therapy. This song is about a romantic short lived but impactful relation with a guy, and I had all these bottled up emotions. What happened was, I was at the gym, and he was there. I had not seen him or talked to him after he treated me the way he did. He was working out with his friend and he saw me, and he literally puts his cap and hoodie on, and tries to hide, like I hadn’t seen him, and he hadn’t seen me. My friend was with me, I tried to ignore him, and his friend he was working out with kept looking over, and it was obvious they were talking about me, anyway… I went home, and that evening I could sense myself being so angry, because of the way he had treated me, and the “incident” at the gym left me feeling so uncomfortable, and I just had to get it out! So I just started writing, and the words poured out of me like a waterfall. It was very therapeutic. I was really unsure if I should release the song or not, because I feel like it wouldn’t be the high road if I released it, but at the same time, I am only human. My feelings are valid, and in order to heal from experiences you need to go a little low, to defend yourself, to protect yourself from being disrespected. Sometimes people are truly idiots, and in scenarios where you really have been trying to take the high road every time they were mistreating you, then it is (in my opinion) okay not to find a reason to defend their behavior, or try to understand their behavior, and just be a little petty. But i will always be advocating to take the high road, I think my friends hates me a little bit for it haha.
Being true to yourself is a recurring theme in your music. How do you stay authentic in an industry that often focuses on image and social media?
That is a great question, because being authentic means to be original in its naturally form basically, and that creates thrust worthiness and reliability. So for me it is being true to yourself, your boundaries and your truth. It can be hard and create anxiety, especially if you’re a people pleaser. But I don’t think it is that hard in an industry that is focused on image and social media, and the way to do that is not to lie, just be honest. It doesn’t mean that you have to share the truth all the time as well because there are some things that are private, but I believe in sharing our stories, and sharing our truths. Our narratives is what makes us.
You blend different genres like urban pop, soulful vocals, and Persian influences. What made you want to mix these styles, and what do they mean to you?
Urban pop on its own is a very big part of my personality, and what I listen to as well. The same goes for my Persian background. I do not consider myself as the greatest vocalist in the world, but I wear my heart on my sleeve, and when I sing I am in my own world, because for me it is all about expression, so to answer the question the blending comes very much natural to me, because I am literally just being myself haha.
How does your music stand out from other hip-hop/rap trap artists? How would you describe your unique style?
First of all I do not consider myself a rapper, and I think it would be an insult to true rappers to put me in the same category as them haha but I would describe my unique style as bold, in your face, raw but also vulnerable because of its honesty. It is easy to put on a facade, it is easy to sing about money, hoe’s, and kinda write no brainer music… the hard and brave thing to do is to show emotions, and put into words how you feel, what your truth is, and my music stands out by being very direct in its lyrics. When you listen to my songs it is like having a conversation with me.
You’ve mentioned being inspired by artists like Destiny’s Child, Adele, and Rihanna. How have they influenced your music and songwriting?
There are many traits that these artists have that have been inspiring me. Regarding to the songwriting, destiny’s child’s way of layering vocals and harmonize is something I like to play with when writing my songs, to really elevate the whole vibe, and create the girl power I am such a sucker for. Regarding vocal delivery I love how you really can feel the emotions when Adele is singing, she is truly unmatched, and she inspires me to deliver such raw emotions in my songs, no matter what style of music it is. It creates authenticity. And Rihanna, do I even need to explain myself? Haha her whole attitude, being unapologetic, being confident, she is such a force of nature and I am here for it. I will forever love the iconic clip of her saying “why my tits bother you” when wearing the swarovski crystal dress during an interview.
Your performances are described as captivating. How do you prepare for your shows, and what can fans expect from your stage presence?
I am all about wanting people to be seen and heard, and that comes through in my performances. I am very analytical, so for preparations I brainstorm the performance style for each song. I think through how I want to interact with the audience, the choreo, how I can make them feel entertained, and what I would appreciate when going to see an artist live. Performing is not just singing. It is making people forget about their life problems for a while and being able to be present and enjoy the here and now. Fans can expect me to be very present, and very honest. So let’s say I go on stage and I feel anxiety – I would not hesitate to share it with them, because I know there are people out there feeling the same, and then we can be in it together. They can also expect that I will interact with them, so they should be ready if I come and hand them the mic.
Your music promotes female empowerment and resilience. Can you talk about why this is important to you and how it influences your songs?
As an artist, promoting female empowerment and resilience through my music holds deep significance to me. Growing up I witnessed the struggles and challenges faced by women in various aspects of life. I saw the limitations placed on their dreams, the biases they encountered, and the societal pressures to conform to narrow expectations. When someone listens to my music and finds solace, motivation, or empowerment, it brings me immense joy and fulfillment. I want my songs to be an anthem, striving to break barriers, reclaim the individual power, and live authentically. By spreading messages of female empowerment and resilience, I hope to contribute to a world where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality.
