Congratulations on the release of "Beside You," your first artist album! I know it's been a long journey for you. Can you tell us a little bit about what went in to the creation of this album?

Thank you :)!! It's been a long journey indeed and I'm so excited it's finally out!  I suppose like all albums, it started with an idea!  My idea was to create a collection of music that would resonate to me as a producer and I wanted to create an album comprised of music that could be "beside you" in all moments of the listener's life.  Think of it as a giant teddy bear that's comforting you in dark moments or a ray of sunlight on a happy day.  Emotions and feelings I suppose was the goal!

You feature so many amazing vocalists on this album. Are there any lyrics from your new album that stand out or mean the most to you?

Oh! What an interesting question!  There's lots to choose from but the line from "The First Year" that goes "And I know that time's a healer, Yet it's my greatest enemy, Cuz every new day takes you further, away from me." really hits deep.  I think it's such a powerful line about experiencing loss in your life no matter how big or small.

Is there any particular vocalist you hope to be able to work with on a future project?

SO MANY. I would absolutely love to work with Shy Martin, Astrid S or Skylar Grey! Adore their voices and writing!

What do hope your fans take away from this album?

I hope fans will be able to find a song or two they can relate to and feel connected to through the lyrics and music. If they can find some comfort or joy in it, then that at the end of the day is why us producer's write music.

What or who most influenced you to start creating trance music?

I suppose going way way back to when I got into the music scene, some of the earliest dance music I heard from Ayla, Safri Duo, Fragma etc. is what really got me hooked on melodies.  It would be quite some time before actually starting Somna as I began my musical journey in different styles of music early on but those kinds of euro / oldschool trance is what got me hooked on dance music to begin with.

I know you get a lot of new music from up and coming artists. Who are some that stand out the most to you and that we should be on the lookout for?

So many talented producers, I love hearing unique productions from people and an artist that has been really catching my eye lately would be Mark Bester.  Dem basslines be phat son!

What can we expect from you in the near future? Do you have any current plans for your next artist album?

Hopefully after this pandemic I would love to share my music in person to people again so certainly I would love to do some shows.  As far as music goes, I've been working really hard in the studio and I almost have enough material for a second album. I suppose being stuck at home isn't such a bad thing.

You've been in the industry for a while now. What is some advice you would give to an up and coming artist?

Be true to yourself.  I'm guilty for having chased trends before with some tracks but what's makes me happiest as an artist is writing music that is more "me" than trying to sound like someone else.  Also if you chase trends, you'll always be behind because you're not innovating.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today! Do you have anything else you'd like to say to your fans before we go?

My pleasure! Thanks for having me! Maybe a cheeky plug about my twitch.tv/somnamusic channel :)!  I've been doing lots of streaming and it's super fun doing 5+ hour sets.  There's so much fantastic music out there and it really allows me a chance to rediscover amazing music from years past.  I also have a funny shark costume...

For the tracklist and download 'Somna - Beside You' click here.