Foggieraw finished up 2023 with a handful of unforgettable moments and experiences under his belt, but if it’s up to him, it’s easy to say the best is yet to come. And, with his latest musical offering, the single “Destiny”, what a strong start for the year it is. A star on the rise, Foggieraw establishes himself as an A-class storyteller, standing out as a force of his generation, merging his soulful lyrics with an extremely polished eye for his visual creations.

“Destiny” inaugurates a new chapter in his artistry, exploring a confident and funky strut that sets the tempo anchored by head-nodding 808s. Last year, Foggieraw broke personal records with the release of his two-pack singles, “The Foggie Pound 3”. One of the two tracks, “Psalm 62”, even made history as the first song to get Alicia Keys’ approval for a sample usage of her iconic “You Don’t Know My Name”. Right out of the gate, the hit amassed over 6 million streams and counting.

To dive deep into this new chapter, we caught up with Foggieraw to discuss all things “Destiny”, the impacts of being co-signed by big names such as Alicia Keys, SZA, Stormzy, and more, and what 2024 holds for listeners.

Listen to “Destiny”…

And read the full interview…

Congratulations on the release of your new single, “Destiny”! Can you share a bit about the inspiration behind the song?
The inspiration behind “Destiny” was me just making a song about where I felt like life was taking me, where I was in the moment, the expectations on me, the expectations I put on myself even and feeling like I was prepared for it all.

How was your artistic upbringing, and who were some of your earliest influences?
My artistic upbringing was being younger and expressing myself through a lot of clothes. I played piano and I also played the saxophone early on – I used to sell CD’s so I would always listen to records that way. I think I started rapping when I was about 18 and some of my earliest influences are MF Doom, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye, Lil Wayne, and overall Michael Jackson.

How do you approach the visual aspect of your music, especially on the upcoming release?
My approach on visuals is always to capture my life and try to be as authentic and as natural as I can and story tell a little bit.

How does this new track differ from your previous work, and what excites you most about it?
I feel like this differs from my previous music because it is obviously a little bit of a different tempo than what a lot of people know me for, but I made this in a different day than when I made other songs, so that alone is different. It’s unique and it’s telling a different story of a different day – I feel like that’s what makes it unique, that’s what makes it different.

How has your diverse cultural background influenced your music?
I always say my diverse cultural background has been everything to my music because it forms everything about my music. Everything that you are or everything that you’ve been through makes who you are as an artist or as a person, so I feel like I’m my exact unique self because of everything that I’ve experienced even culturally.

“Fogtavious Vandross” and “The Foggie Pound 2 EP” have both been well-received. How does “Destiny” fit into the narrative of your musical evolution, and what growth can listeners expect?
I don’t know what the listeners can expect, but I know that I want “Destiny” to be a symbol of growth and progression and a journey and determination, all that.

Alicia Keys has publicly cosigned you and cleared a sample for “Psalm 62,” a track that went viral. How did this collaboration come about, and how has her support impacted your artistic journey?
Her support has been something I can’t even use words to describe. So much validation, so much encouragement. It came about because she was already kind of thinking about it and I put a little pressure on her with a tweet and then Swizz Beats came in and added that little extra pillow talk in it, so it means everything to me.

You’ve worked with a diverse range of artists. How do these collaborations contribute to the overall sound and vibe of your music?
I feel like everytime I do something it is a little bit out of my wheelhouse or something that an artist like me is not supposed to do. It just adds another infinity stone to my collection and you just get more talent and more power.

Looking ahead, where do you see yourself taking your artistry?
I always see myself in the future, challenging myself, taking on projects, conquering new things that I feel like I haven’t conquered. That’s always my goal.

Any projects in the pipeline for 2024 that you can share with us?
Nothing at this time that I can share, but stay tuned!