Meet 17 years old Thiago Rocha who is still at high-school but plans to do music and move back to the USA soon. Thiago grew up in New Jersey, but when he was 11 he moved to his native country of Brazil. He still lives in one of my favourite cities in South America, Rio de Janeiro but never lost touch with the English language even though Portuguese is spoken in the country. We caught up with Thiago for an exclusive interview with Camden Monthly.
What inspired you to get into music?
Since I was a little kid I loved music, I had a whole birthday party with The Beatles being the main theme. After my parents got me into The Beatles, listening to music was my favourite hobby. I didn’t know how to play any instruments and sang pretty badly but still loved to sing. I started playing the guitar when I was 12, but only started writing after being introduced to Damien Rice. The way he captivated emotion with only his voice and a guitar made me admire him incredibly, and that was when I started to write songs.
How would you describe your music?
My music is based on personal events and hard moments I’ve been through. I mainly write about mental health issues and how they affect me. Mental health disorders affect so many people around the world everyday and when I was struggling with depression, I loved to listen to sad music and relate to the sad lyrics just so I knew I wasn’t alone. So I guess I would describe my music as something people who struggle with depression and anxiety can relate to and not feel alone.
What would you say is your recording and song writing style?
I’m in a certain point in songwriting where I am still finding originality, I don’t have a specific genre yet but I would classify most of my music as indie pop or indie folk. My favourite songs of mine are ones I wrote on my guitar kind of in a pop folk style, but things change, who knows what I will be into in some time forward. My songs are usually sad because I find a lot of creativity in sadness and it is when I am sad that I write my best songs. This year I tried something new and made 2 songs which are a mix of pop and hip hop, but I don’t see myself making more songs like those anytime soon, they were 100% experimental.
Where would you like to see your music career in 5 years time?
I will hopefully begin music college next year and if all goes as planned will finish in 4 years. So, in 5 years time I envision myself finishing a Masters degree in music in an American college and commencing a triumphant full-time music career with a decent fan base and successful concerts.
Where can music fans listen your music?
People can listen to my music on all digital platforms!!!
To listen to on Spotify, Thiago Rocha click here
