Hey Hugo Oak, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Could you tell us a little known fact about yourself?

Hi there, and thanks for having me! Something people don’t know is that I pick up every sound around me. It’s a gift in music, but a curse when I try to relax. I often can’t finish a film because I get pulled into the background music, I start building harmonies or arrangements in my head. Sometimes the movie ends, and I genuinely have no idea what I just watched.

‘Sold My Soul to the Devil’ is such a striking, almost provocative title. What’s the story behind it?

The song is about self-betrayal, about losing yourself by giving in to outside expectations. ‘The devil’ is a symbol for everything that slowly pulls you away from your true self. I wrote it mid-flight during a heavy tour stretch with Satori & the band from space, living on autopilot, disconnected from what I felt. It wasn’t until my father passed that I truly came back down to earth. That loss made it painfully clear how much of myself I had sacrificed. In hindsight, this song became both a confession and the beginning of coming home.

It’s a sonically rich compilation of gospel choirs, bold hooks, and cinematic textures. What was your process for layering those elements?

It usually starts at the piano. I press one key at a time and wait for the one that speaks to me, something that gives me a color or emotion. In this case, it was red. It felt like an intense battle with myself. I had already written most of the lyrics, so I knew which direction it needed to go. From there I started building the vocals, because I think the voice is the most powerful tool for expressing drama. I love theatrical music, and the human voice plays a central role in that for me. Once those layers were in place, I started pairing elements. Pads and synths always form a couple with the choirs. They’re the bed of the track. Drums and bass are the other pair. In the end, I merge the two and season it, like a margherita pizza with pepperoni on top. Strange metaphor maybe, but it fits how I work. Then I close my eyes and listen back endlessly, trying to picture it in a film.

With this one, it really felt like it worked. But the more I listened, the more I realized the vocals sounded too polished, almost too perfect. It didn’t fit the story I was trying to tell, because I was emotional and it wasn’t coming through. So I re-recorded everything: the choirs, the full lyrics in a more narrative, spoken tone. To me, singing is really just talking but with longer endings. And that’s when it finally felt right.

Do you think taking charge of your own production helps you to further express yourself creatively?

Absolutely. I don’t need to explain what I feel to anyone. I just build it. The production becomes an extension of the emotion.

Were there any production techniques or sound design choices you experimented with on this track that felt especially bold or new for you?

Definitely. One of the boldest choices was re-recording all vocal parts, the choirs, the lead vocals, because the first version sounded too polished, like I said. I wanted it to feel more raw, more narrative,
more theatrical. Not perfect singing, but pure expression. That felt risky, but right. I also love when a track dares to be minimal. I like music that leaves space for emotion, for interpretation. What’s there should speak for itself. I don’t believe in overfilling things. It only distracts from the message. I’d rather give the listener a choice: hear my story, or create your own from it.

After years performing with Satori & The Band From Space, what pulled you back into solo work at this particular moment?

Even before he passed, my father used to tell me I was playing small. He’d say: ‘You weren’t made for a supporting role m, it’s time for your own story!’ He actually got a bit frustrated with me, especially because I kept putting it off. But the more I sang, the bigger the stages got, the more creative influence I had, and the more I started producing for the band, the more I realized he was right. There was more in me. After he passed away two years ago, and I went through a really tough period, everything suddenly became quiet, and clear. That’s when I finally understood what he meant: it was time to tell my story.

What’s next for you?

Like I said: it’s time for my story. ‘S.M.S.tt.D.’ is just the beginning. In the coming months, I’ll be releasing a series of new tracks, each one a chapter in something deeper. One of them is called Painting Colours Again. That title says it all. The colour, the direction, the fire, it’s all back. This is the moment it clicks. I’m also working on a new electronic act with El Mundo, a different side of me. Our first release is set for this summer. So yeh, there’s a lot more on the way.

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