Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 10/18/2020 – New York-based singer/songwriter, David Sosa, album Journey To Love, is captivating where it captures the joys of love, but then takes the listener to heartache in “Complicated,” a duet with Ramona Montanez.
You were introduced at a young age to opera, jazz standards, and Broadway. How have they influenced your music?
Opera taught me to check in with my body and my mind while singing. There’s a technical element to singing correctly that requires you to take note of your body and how it feels when you are singing. Jazz taught me improvisation and utilizing different aspects of my voice. Broadway tunes taught me how to sing to the back of the room, with or without being mic’d, and the importance of emoting to the lyrics and melody as you are creating a mood/vibe.
“Singing is never just pretty sounds, it’s the sound of our connection with something higher.” Expound on this philosophy.
I started singing at Celebration Spiritual Center in Brooklyn and during Sunday services I noticed people would cry or had clear visceral reactions to the music in conjunction with my voice. This would later be confirmed after service when people would tell me they felt a shift in their spirit/mood and felt healed or soothed. Some admitted they felt on the road to wanting to do or get better from where they were when they walked through the doors. I knew then my gift was that of ministry and no longer just something I was technically gifted at. The gift was more, is more. If hearing something can do that much, that’s God/spirit manifested in sound.
Who are your musical influences?
Mariah Carey influenced me immensely. She is the reason I write my own music and wished to pursue singing in the first place. However, Patti Labelle, Rachelle Ferrell, David Peaston, Phoebe Snow, Phil Perry, Tata Vega, Luther Vandross, and Donny Hathaway all gave me a little something when I listened to them.
Tell us about your new album, Journey To Love.
The majority of Journey to Love was written over 10 yrs ago during a toxic relationship I was in. The songs were my feelings written on paper that was pretty much my journal set to melodies. It was so telling to later read out loud my words. I saw through my writing that I was failing in love because I had no concept of Self.. or the love therein. Having a skewed notion of what love was supposed to look or feel like, allowed me to accept anything for the sake of not being alone or to feel an inkling of acceptance and affection. That’s not loving. I know that now.
The story of Journey of Love is captivating where it captures the joys of love, but then takes the listener to heartache in “Complicated,” a duet with Ramona Montanez. How emotional was the album to create for you? Do you have a favorite song?
Two songs you can really hear the ‘cry’ in my voice or the hysteria, are Falling to pieces and All I need. I decided to keep that imperfection in there because it was real and captured the emotional turmoil I relived as I pulled out these 10+ years songs and sang them back into life. A lot of stirring up and processing happened during the making of this album. My favorite song though is Complicated with Ramona. She is a friend of 23 years and a vocal and lyrical powerhouse whose artistry I admire greatly. We wrote something great together and were able to bring it to life. It will always be a favorite for that reason as well as it musically represents the nostalgic vibe of music that I love.
Tell us about your songs, Laugh and Let Me Know feat rapper Lyteral.
Laugh was written due to an altercation I had with an ex. Imagine being confronted nose to nose, screamed at, and insulted repeatedly only for laughter to be your only reaction. At that moment I knew Two integral things. 1) I was above the presented nonsense. It had no power over me, to affect me and/or bring me down. 2) That power was a choice. I could choose laughter and joy in the face of adversity in order to protect and maintain my peace.
Let Me Know was written this past year. I started dating someone I really began to develop strong feelings for. We had great chemistry, great convo, laughs, and intimacy. I started to wonder if we would date forever or was it able to lead somewhere more ‘cemented’. I feared bringing it up but I knew that the feeling of uncertainty drove me nuts.. but what really is certainty in an exchange with two living, growing people? Does verbal commitment, a label, really cement anything?
How have you become a teacher of life, love, and spirit?
I’m a teacher because I’ve survived in my own way. I believe survival teaches invaluable lessons of self on multiple levels of life, love, & spirit. There’s a certain experience and perspective one gains when surviving a trauma of any kind. It in turn teaches others willing to be observant or who desire to intentionally learn from another’s story. We are all capable of teaching the next person because of our shared human experience. While in many instances I can teach, I’m very aware I’m still a student of life, love, and spirit.
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