One of the most exciting aspects of metaverse performance is the ability to create immersive experiences that go beyond what is possible in the physical world. In this blog post, we will dive deeper in getting to know Soultry Dubs. A Decentraland Native and artist making soulful creations.
The metaverse has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for performers, allowing them to showcase their talents in virtual spaces like never before. As a metaverse performer, you have the ability to engage with audiences from all over the world, in environments that are limited only by your imagination. In Decentraland, i have had many opportunities to perform and collaborate with talented artists, from musicians, content creators, and wearable creators. Soultry Dubs is one of the very few female performers in Decentraland creating a brand for herself and sharing her gifts with this new technology. in this blog we get to know her more and see what she is working and how she ended up in such a unique space in web3.
Soultry, give us a little bit on your backstory, How did you get started in music and how did you discover decentraland ?
"Growing up we always had an organ and piano in our home but it wasn’t until I started playing keys in a 8 piece Reggae Soul Dub Rock band that I really had to learn to understand how to play with structure. After playing in a couple bands I ended up starting a Dub Sound System Style Crew with a few female singers then eventually I went on to do solo Dj gigs. I discovered Decentraland around Jan 2021 after Stoney discovered it first through an article trying to find galleries to display art and at the time I only jumped in here and there but I didn’t really become intrigued until late 2021. "
We noticed you have your own sense of style when it comes to genre, what drew you to your particular medium or style?
"Growing up we took a lot of road trips my father was a stoner/grower so on our long drives he would play a mix of really trippy ambient, spiritual, dub like tunes and also a ton of reggae and the classics like Led Zeppelin, Santana, Jimi Hendrix etc as well as sultry music like Sade, so that is where my first inspiration and why I gravitate towards the sound that I have comes from. Later I became fully immersed in the reggae scene and The Scientist who is a pioneer in Dub music was a close friend of ours so I got to see how he works in the studio and live a lot."
Who are some of your biggest artistic influences, and how have they impacted your work?
"Well I really love Nattali Rize Jah9 and Hempress Sativa. I love music that has a message and empowers the listener and these three women embody wisdom, strength and knowledge of self. I love music that elevates me and brings me to a higher frequency energetically. Also Stoney Eye has been one of my biggest musical influences. Watching his mastery in the studio and live has had an impact on me artistically throughout the years. I don’t always gravitate toward strictly conscious music though sometimes it’s just a banging beat that I’m drawn to or the tone of someone's voice that will move me and sometimes I jam to straight thug vibes lol."
Can you walk us through your creative process, from idea to finished piece?
"When it comes to the wearables it usually happens with a vision. I’ll start to imagine something I want to wear or a pattern will pop in my head or a color scheme. I get these visions a lot but only when I start to obsess on something and I can’t stop thinking about it will I then know I have to start to manifest it."
We love what you are doing in Decentraland as a female artist, what do you think would help you to further your career as an independent artist ?
"Well I would have to say Time. I’m a mother to a 2 year old and I don’t have a ton of time to really charge full force and focus on building myself as an artist especially in this new web3 space like I would have pre motherhood. Being a mother has shifted my priorities in the best way possible. It's my greatest blessing and honestly I just love focusing on raising my lil king right now. "
Have you ever faced any challenges or barriers as a female artist/Performer, and if so, how have you overcome them?
"There were times when I would show up to a gig with my full Dub set up and the sound engineer wouldn’t understand what I needed to do my live set and would basically find every way to try and tell me it wasn’t possible even after I would explain how to route my set up. I don’t know if it was because I was a female or not that they would hassle me like that. I guess I had to overcome those challenges by challenging them into doing the extra work to set me up how I needed."
What advice would you give to other women who are interested in pursuing a career in the performing arts?
"My advice would be to face your fears. Just say yes to yourself and plunge into whatever it is you are seeking creatively. I have had to face so many fears by just throwing myself out there. My first live show was in front of 2000 people at a beach fest and believe me when I tell you I was so incredibly beyond nervous but the feeling you get after you face your fears is what’s the most rewarding. It doesn’t matter if you're not coming with perfection, what matters is that we challenge ourselves and evolve in this life. Otherwise we stay stagnant and we are not meant to be stagnant beings but moving, growing, elevating as we navigate this precious life we have. Just like our bodies we have to keep it moving mentally and spiritually too. We all have something unique to bring into this world that no other can."
What has been your proudest artistic achievement so far in Decentraland, and why?
"I think being featured in this year's MVFW Community Fashion Show was pretty amazing. I admire all these creators in this space and to be alongside them was really an honor. Also winning the Ladies Choice award last year from the DCL Babydolls was one of my personal highlights."
Can you tell us about your wearable collections and what drew the inspiration ?
"I have a few collections now and each one is pulling from different times in my life that have influenced me like street art and graffiti, bellydancing, and pin ups to name a few. My newest collection Soultry and Sweet is featuring some IRL paintings that I used in the design so this is probably the most special one to me so far."
Thank you so much soultry for sharing your time with us. If anyone reading the blog would like to collaborate with you or want to reach you for work, where is the best place to reach you ?
Make sure you checkout our other blogs about the Metaverse Creators.
Also, like comment or share content. If you are interested in a collaboration, dont hesitate to DM me on twitter or Discord. Check out links below.
Serena Elis - Founder, of Daydream X Sea
Serena Elis is a Singer, Multi-Performer, 3D Artist, Blogger, and Music Producer. She is one of the First singers in Decentraland which is one of the first Metaverse on the Ethereum Blockchain. starting her journey in web 3 back in 2020, She's been featured on NBC news, and Mashable Magazine for her collaborations, and innovation in Space. You can find her in the Metaverse Performing weekly and working in the Entertainment World of Web3. She's also a digital native working remotely while traveling and with a devotion to creating engaging content with resources and helping other artists.