Rock Monsters Romania

Portraits of an Outcast is the latest solo project that caught our attention. But what you should know about this project?

Portraits of an Outcast is the grunge-indie-melancolic folk solo project of Sorina Asofronie and we can already say that it is a really promising one. On the 9th of October, she released her first single, “Gone AWOL”, a really special song that reminds us of the tough times we are living in.

We tried to find out more about this single and special project, and this what we learnt about it.

[English Version can be found after the Romanian version]

Cum a apărut ideea acestui proiect solo?

Ideea exista de foarte mult timp, inca din adolescenta, insa nu credeam vreodata ca se poate aplica si ca va fi un vis devenit realitate. Mi-am dorit mereu sa fiu muzician, dar, ca oricarui copil de parinti mai traditionali, mi s-a sugerat sa fac altceva ce-mi place, dar aduce si stabilitate. Si am ales ingineria. Acum simt ca imi permit sa-mi urmez visul linistita.

Pentru mulţi numele proiectului a fost un element care le-a sărit în ochi. De unde a venit inspiraţia pentru el?

E amuzant ca fix la numele proiectului nu gaseam ceva relevant, ceva sa-mi placa, si apoi it hit me: cine sunt eu si ce reprezinta piesele mele? Practic, ele sunt diverse instante ale persoanei mele si ale experientelor mele. Iar eu mereu am fost cumva pe dos, ciudata, diferita si practic un outcast. De fapt, ideea mi-a venit si pentru ca am folosit constructia asta in descrierea unei poze de pe IG acum vreo 4 ani si am zis ca asta e si nu mai e nimeni cu numele asta.

În Octombrie 2022 ai lansat şi primul single, “Gone AWOL”. Cât de greu este pentru un artist solo să scoată prima melodie? Cum se simte realizarea acestui prim pas uriaş?

Sper sa nu sune ciudat, dar nu am intentionat niciodata sa “scot prima melodie”. Piesa asta a luat nastere din greseala, in timp ce eu si Madalin Duca eram la studioul trupei lui si ne jucam efectiv la instrumente. Totul a inceput de la o linie melodica inventata spontan intr-o zi de aprilie si de acolo a scris Madalin mai departe instrumentalul. Apoi am zis sa incercam sa punem versuri, asa ca eu m-am apucat de scris si in jumatate de ora au fost gata. Am inceput sa tragem vocea si sa improvizez cu linia molodica vocala pana am stabilit una care-mi place. All in all, a durat vreo saptamana cumulat sa facem piesa. Dintr-o data. Si am zis sa mergem mai departe sa o facem profi. Eu inca nu aveam sperante sau vise, dar Madalin a avut cumva mare incredere si in mine si in ce am facut amandoi, asa ca el m-a incurajat sa continui. Pentru mine din fericire n-a fost greu sa scot prima piesa. Pentru ca partea artistica e destul de plina de inspiratie la momentul actual, am multe piese scrise care asteapta sa fie trase in studio practic, deci nu e foarte greu. Partea de PR si marketing e ceva strain pentru mine si Madalin ma ajuta mult aici si, mai ales, pe partea de productie.

Care este povestea din spatele muzicii şi a versurilor?

Mhmm, am scris piesa in perioada de inceput a razboiului din Ucraina si, in paralel, exista si un razboi launtric pe care-l duceam de cativa ani. Versurile cam asta descriu, si sunt cumva mai…dark decat par. E o calatorie descrisa de la constientizarea durerii la…a renunta la o astfel de viata chinuita. 🙂 Muzica, cum am povestit si mai sus, a fost total spontana si nu avea o traiectorie anume cand am compus-o. Versurile i-au dat sens.

Să ne aşteptăm şi la alte lansări în curând?

Pai da, am cam finalizat piesa 2, am inceput sa lucram la a 3-a. S-ar putea sa surprinda, s-ar putea sa ridice niste semne de intrebare in legatura cu stabilitatea mea mentala. Dar, ca sa dau un sneak peak, vor urma piese destul de incarcate emotional si care sunt extrem de personale. Sincer, scrisul a fost un coping mecanism pentru mine si nu ma asteptam sa public vreodata, insa acum vreo 4-5 ani mi-am facut un wordpress cu poezii si poeme de tot felul si o pagina de facebook si am incercat sa arat lumii. Nu am avut prea mare reach sau interes, asa ca de asta nu prea aveam sperante in general cu talentul meu, desi mie si catorva fani apropriati ne placeau mult poeziile pe care le scriam.

Ce alte planuri ai pentru ultimele luni din 2022? Dar pentru 2023?

Sper sa lansez piesa 2 in decembrie 2022, am vrea sa facem videoclip, dar vedem, e o perioada incarcata si eu am un job destul de stresant in viata de zi cu zi, Madalin are si el trupa si jobul lui, deci va trebui sa fiu laser-focus ca sa imi lasa ce trebuie in intervalul propus.

Ce obiective ai pe termen lung, să zicem pentru următorii 5-10 ani?

Sincer, nu stiu, just want to go with the flow. Vreau sa-mi lansez toate piesele pe care le-am compus, sa le vad acolo ca produs finit. Sa le auda lumea, cativa, nu stiu. Am scris mult in engleza si as vrea sa depaseasca granitele romanesti, cred ca va fi posibil. Mi-as dori sa am deja primul album lansat si poate trupa in urmatorii 5 ani ca sa pot canta live. In 10…ce-o da Universul. Probabil o sa primesc cat o sa muncesc si investesc, deci…sa speram ca va fi asa.

Ca artist la început de carieră, dacă ai avea şansa să colaborezi pentru două melodii cu un artist din România şi unul din străinătate, pe cine alegi şi de ce?

Okay, hmmm…tough choice. Din Romania as alege Coma cred, pentru ca imi place mult stilul poetic al versurilor lor si instrumentale care transmit acelasi mesaj puternic, simt ca ma identific prin faptul ca asa as vrea sa-mi construiesc si eu materialul, desi nu-s singurii de acest fel. Din strainatate mi-e foarte greu sa aleg 1 asa ca am sa spun 3:)): Pearl Jam (a classic mammoth in country/grunge) si Mild Orange (niste newcomeri din NZ cu un sound atat de dulce si soothing care mi-a incantat inima de la prima piesa). Ahh, ar mai fi un artist pe care il ador, Warhaus din Belgia…n-am cuvinte, pur si simplu extraordinar si cred ca ne-am potrivi ca stil. Si GATA!:))

Ce mesaj ai pentru cei care te-au susţinut cu acest proiect de dinainte să fie lansat oficial?

Pentru familia mea, pentru Madalin, Alina, Alex, Claudia si alti prieteni foarte dragi and for my ex-work mates and all my friends in England, I love you all and thanks for your constant encouragement and support, you made me.

Ai vreun mesaj şi pentru cei care te-au descoperit după lansarea primului single, inclusiv cei care citesc acest interviu?

Pregatiti-va sa nu intelegeti cine sunt si ce stil reprezint. Si pentru faptul ca sunt un outcast (ro: paria) in viata reala, asa va fi si muzica mea, nedefinita si neincadrata intr-un stil anume. Nu-mi pasa prea mult de stil pentru ca fiecare piesa va avea un sound potrivit starilor si mesajului. Vreau ca lumea sa fie patrunsa de mesaj, dincolo de cat de bun e sau nu instrumentalul si vocea mea.

[EN]

How did the idea for this solo project come about?

The idea has existed for a very long time, since adolescence, but I never thought that it could be applied and that it would be a dream come true. I have always wanted to be a musician, but, like any child of traditional parents, I was suggested to do something else that I like, something that also brings stability. And I chose engineering. Now I feel that I can follow my dream peacefully.

For many, the name of the project was an element that caught their eye. Where did the inspiration for it come from?

It’s funny that right at the name of the project I couldn’t find anything relevant, something that I liked, and then it hit me: who am I and what do my songs represent? Practically, they are different instances of my person and my experiences. And I have always been somehow upside down, strange, different and practically an outcast. In fact, the idea also came to me because I used this construction in the description of a picture on IG about 4 years ago and I said that this is it and that there is no one else with this name.

In October 2022 you also released the first single, “Gone AWOL”. How hard is it for a solo artist to get their first song out? How does it feel to take this huge first step?

I hope it doesn’t sound strange, but I never intended to “release the first song”. This song was born by mistake, while Madalin Duca and I were playing the instruments at his band’s studio. It all started with a melodic line invented spontaneously on an April day and from there Madalin wrote the instrumental further. Then we said let’s try to put lyrics, so I started writing and in half an hour they were ready. We started to record the voice and improvise with the melodic vocal line until we established one that I liked. All in all, it took about a week to make the song. Suddenly. And I said let’s go ahead and do it professionally. I still had no hopes or dreams, but somehow Madalin really believed in me and in what we both did, so he encouraged me to continue. Fortunately for me, it was not difficult to release the first single. Because the artistic part is quite full of inspiration at the moment, I have many written songs waiting to be recorded in the studio, so it’s not very difficult. The PR and marketing part is something foreign for me, and Madalin helps me a lot here and especially on the production side.

What is the story behind the music and lyrics?

Mhmm, I wrote the song at the beginning of the war in Ukraine and, in parallel, there was also an inner war that I had been fighting for several years. This is what the lyrics describe, and they are somehow darker than they seem. It’s a journey described from the awareness of pain to…giving up such a tormented life. The music, as I mentioned above, was totally spontaneous and didn’t have a particular trajectory when I composed it. The lyrics made it meaningful.

Should we expect other releases soon?

Well yes, we have almost completed the second song, we have started working on the third one. It might surprise you, it might raise some question marks about my mental stability.) But, to give a sneak peak, there will be songs that are quite emotionally charged and that are extremely personal. Honestly, writing was a coping mechanism for me and I didn’t expect to ever publish, but about 4-5 years ago I made a WordPress with all kinds of poetry and a Facebook page and I tried to show them to the world. I didn’t have much reach or interest, so that’s why I didn’t have much hope in general with my talent, although a few close fans and I liked the poems I wrote.

What other plans do you have for the last months of 2022? But for 2023?

I hope to release track 2 in December 2022, we would like to make a video, but we’ll see, it’s a busy period and I have a pretty stressful job in my everyday life, Madalin also has his band and his job, so I’ll have to be laser-focus to get what I want on time.

What are your long-term goals, let’s say for the next 5-10 years?

Honestly, I don’t know, I just want to go with the flow. I want to release all the song I composed, to see them as a finished product. I want the world to hear them, a few, I don’t know. I wrote a lot in English and I would like it to go beyond the Romanian borders, I think it would be possible. I would like to have the first album released and maybe the band in the next 5 years so I can sing live. In 10… whatever the Universe has for me. I will probably get as much as I work and invest, so…let’s hope it will be like that.

As an artist at the beginning of his career, if you had the chance to collaborate for two songs with a Romanian artist and one from abroad, who would you choose and why?

Okay, hmmm…tough choice. From Romania I would choose Coma, I think, because I really like the poetic style of their lyrics and the instrumentals that convey the same strong message, I feel that I identify with the fact that this is how I would like to build my material as well, although they are not the only ones of this kind. From abroad, it’s very difficult for me to choose one, so I’ll say three): Pearl Jam (a classic mammoth in country/grunge) and Mild Orange (some newcomers from NZ with such a sweet and soothing sound that stweetened my heart from the first song). Ahh, there would be another artist I adore, Warhaus from Belgium…I have no words, simply extraordinary and I think the style would match. And that’s it!

What message do you have for those who had supported you with this project before it was officially launched?

For my family, for Madalin, Alina, Alex, Claudia and other very dear friends and for my ex-work mates and all my friends in England, I love you all and thanks for your constant encouragement and support, you made me.

Do you have any message for those who discovered you after the release of the first single, including those reading this interview?

Prepare not to understand who I am and what style I represent. And for the fact that I am an outcast in real life, so will my music be, undefined and not framed in a particular style. I don’t care too much about the style, because each song will have a sound suitable for the mood and the message. I want the world to feel the message, beyond how good or not the instrumental and my voice are.

Interview by Radu Mihai

Translation by Loredana Stangaciu