Interview: Toshin

[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="125460"] What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

I started to sing when my mum forced me to be in the church choir at the young age of 10. To be honest it was the best thing she could have done for me because it opened my mind and soul for my love of music and I have been obsessed with music since. If I wasn’t into music I would definitely be working with children or in the catering industry for sure.

  What do you like to do when you're not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

This might be a crazy answer, but I watch an unholy amount of RuPaul’s drag race which influences and enhances my writing and performance by like 90 percent! Apart from that, I think just generally living large and being present really informs my creativity.

  How long has your band been around?

Toshín will be 5 years old in November which is so crazy to say out loud! It’s been such an amazing journey so far, here’s to the next 5!

  Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We’re a Dublin band, and the influence the city has had on our music is absolutely huge. We really owe everything we have to the city! We met in university here, almost of our shows have been in mall Dublin venues, and we’ve got a really really cool community of fans here who we’re super grateful for. He scene is so small here, but more welcoming and warm than you could ever ask for.

  How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you.

The name Toshín itself doesn’t have any meaning but Toshín is Tosin’s (my actual name) alter ego. Toshín (Toe-sheen) came from Tosin (Toe-sin), mainly because when I came to callege everyone kept mispronouncing it. It kinda stuck, and here we are 5 years later!

  Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.

The best show we played was definitely the 2nd show from our Irish tour last year in County Cork. We were playing in one of Cork’s best music venues which was packed out with people and everyone in the crowd were so engaging and really enjoyed our music! What else would you want?

The worst gig we’ve played was in a field at a college event, the stage was very very shaky and it was a very windy day , and you could count the audience on one hand. Not a whole lot of fun, but it didn’t stop us!

Tell me about your favourite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you haven't already?

My favourite venue would be Whelan’s in Dublin City. It was the first venue I played my very first headline show and prior to COVID we would have played there at least 2 or 3 times a month.

I’ve always wanted to play at Madison square garden since I was like 12 so I am sticking with that dream! Please God one day.

  If you could play any show with any lineup who would be on the ticket?

Easy! It would be:

Toshín

Tank and the Bangas

Thundercat

Anderson .Paak

With a big huge collab between all 4 at the end!

  What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band?

Start! I think lots of bands never get going because of a fear that people won’t come to the shows, or they won’t get a million streams on their debut single. It’s so important to remember that you’re doing it because you love it. Also, don’t be afraid to write bad songs among the good ones. They happen too!

  If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

I suppose I’d tell myself to be more confident in my art and also to believe in myself way more. Believe it or not, confidence is something that doesn’t always come very naturally to me, and it took me a while to really be able to express myself and to feel comfortable sharing my art. I feel that led me to put myself on a leash mentally, which wasn’t great. So yeah, I’d tell myself to trust my intuition and believe in myself!

  Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Because the songs we’ve released span over a few years now, they really resonate with different parts of my life. I’ll always have a soft spot for the older ones like Boy Listen and Love and Defeat, but I really think our new tunes are our best yet! We’ve recently undergone a bit of a lane change with the way we write, and we’re loving what’s coming out of it!

  Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Our fans seem to really like the older songs that we’ve been playing for years. We have absolutely no problem playing them, they’ve all stood the test of time for us and they just don’t seem to want to get old!

  What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that a song idea can come from anywhere in the band. It used to be that we had a core writing group of two or three of us, but now it’s really been opened up that anyone can send in a progression or verse or beat and we’ll run with it! Because of this, inspiration can come from anywhere. That said, I really think we work at our best when we’re in a room together making noise, which hasn’t happened for a while with everything being shut down recently!

  What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Lots of the stuff I write comes directly from my own experiences and emotions. Whether it’s a relationship gone sour or getting overwhelmed by my own thoughts, I tend to preach what I’ve already practiced. I guess I try to put across that these things are totally human and okay! Now more than ever, it’s important to feel connected to the wider world, and I hope our music helps some people do that.

  Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Of course! We’re a si-piece band, it’d be a miracle if we never disagreed on anything. We’re all really comfortable with each other though, which I think is really important. We’re quick to bring up any issues we have, and we find problems are never as big once they’re out in the open.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that's coming up?

We’re working on a cool collaboration with some really talented friends of ours at the moment. I can’t say any more right now, but we’re mega excited! Follow us online so you don’t miss it.