We were lucky to catch up with Incognita recently and have shared our conversation below.
Incognita, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I think at my core, i feel that we are all put on earth to serve a purpose, a calling a need. Our goal in however many years we have in this life, is to find that purpose. Or rather, to have the courage to find that purpose, despite obstacles that may impede our progress, vision or goals. My optimism comes from knowing that every setback and disappointment is there to serve a purpose, to provide further clarity in my vision and in the way forward. I’m always searching for the silver-lining in any situation. Don’t get me wrong, during the moment or even week when something disappointing happens, I may wallow for a bit, but as i’ve gotten older, or rather more convinced that disappointments are there to serve a purpose, the length of time i spend in my own feelings has reduced dramatically. Now, i may sigh a bit about it, but my mind is already moving on to the next solution, the next option i can take. I don’t take it personal as much as i did, i just move on. if it didn’t work out, then it wasn’t the path for me at this present time. Acceptance, letting go actually creates new opportunities or avenues you would never had considered previously, but you have to be open to it.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I never thought of “my story” as bold, it was just something you do, coming from an immigrant from Nigeria, you had 3 career choices for a guaranteed succesful life: Doctor, Engineer, and in a pinch, Lawyer. Any other option, sure, but (at your own risk) you would kind of be on your own…and would have no one to blame if life didn’t work out for you. Of course now we would add: Computer Science, Data-Science, etc to that list, any profession based on creating technology. So I followed those rules, I was good in math, stem, reasonably, but always calling to me was music, particularly the lyrics. I used to write down lyrics of my favorite singers and practice singing them, I think unconsciously I was studying song structure. I went to school, became a mechanical engineer and my family totally surprised me by giving me a Yamaha keyboard as my graduation gift. I was ecstatic by their silent approval and shocked that they knew about my musical aspirations. I practiced for a while, took lessons but one day in a music store I picked up a guitar, a Yamaha guitar and once I did, I never really went back to the keyboard. Fast forward to today, I kept on playing and writing songs and getting ready to release my first new single this March as Incognita, it has been almost 10 years. I’m excited about getting back in the studio! Please follow me on my social as production starts picking up speed.
Along the way, I’ve made new friends and collaborators; It was in Austin that I’ve felt I’ve really grown as a performer and musician. The open-mic scene is so dynamic and available that I’ve had great opportunities to grow and connect with others. In one of the bands, Polite $ociety, we re-imagined famous songs like Cranberries Zombie and put our own twist on it, but we struggled to find venues to perform. Part of the challenge in having a very active music scene as Austin has is there are so many musicians who want to play . Last October, we got our first break at Carousel Lounge in ATX and it was so amazing to be able to play a set longer than 2 songs, that I wanted to create the same opportunity for others from the open-mic circuit. So I started this music showcase called “One World Artist Showcase” in the Austin area because I saw that there seems to be a lack of opportunities for artists that were not well connected with the local scene. Artist that had good material but not enough opportunities to get better in their performance. I was one of those artists.
The One World Artist Showcase is a presentation of really good, emerging and diverse talent in the Austin area. The focus is on singer-songwriters with live instruments performing 30 minute sets of their originals and covers. It’s One World because music is a connector of worlds, the showcase seeks to showcase artists from different “worlds” and genres. Bringing us all together for that night as a single community. We’ve had as many as 7 music acts in one night and we just finished our 3rd showcase bringing in 4 more new artists with a total of 11 artists alumni! It has been a bit of work, but so rewarding, last week we launched a YouTube channel to promote the artists and also to provide an avenue for others not in the Austin area to enjoy the showcase. With your help and interest, we are hoping to continue to provide this window into interesting and talented new music in the Austin area.
So no, I never thought of my story as bold but as I look back, it has taken some courage to continue in this space. By day an engineer and by night a musician. I was told that I could really only do one or the other, but I never believed that, something in me wouldn’t let go of music, and I would be too bored doing anything but engineering, my mind is always looking for a challenge. I’m glad I listened to my spirit. Sure, there have been sacrifices made along the way, but by-and-by, it has been worth it to do what you truly want to do in life. And I like both. Using my brain to solve complex engineering problems and then being in another moment struck with inspiration on how the hook for a song should go. I feel truly blessed to be able to pursue both “life tracks” that may at first glance seem disconnected, but are so very intertwined with my very being.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As cliche as it sounds, you do have to have a vision. You also need ambition and as I have recently been discovering a healthy blend of self-confidence and self-awareness goes a long way. Breakthroughs in your life happen when all these things are in a good balance.
I see my journey as a series of breakthroughs that occurred to shift me into a different state where I was getting closer towards my goals. The thing about breakthroughs is that you can go on for years and still never get one because you haven’t changed anything in your life, your thought patterns are the same and you can’t get to the next level without this shift. It’s like Einstein said: ” Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results..” If you’re doing the same things, talking to same people, going to same tired night-club and nothing has happened for some time, maybe its time to change, mix things up a little. But I digress…
The most important quality is self-awareness – “Know Thyself” – You have to know who you are, what you want in life and your strengths and weakness. The next for me is Courage. I’m a big daydreamer, imagining all kinds of possibilities, but what I lacked for the longest time was a will to act. I used to call it having “a lack of conviction”, but now I know it was having a “lack of courage,” I was too afraid to take action. Scared about what others would think of me, afraid to fail, to look stupid. I still am afraid, but today, I’m actively working against my irrational fears. Also, have the courage to let yourself dream big and boldly. The third bit of knowledge that I have recently discovered is: getting help from others is the difference between success and failure. You may be smart, clever, talented, etc, but you cannot do everything, certainly not all at once, so don’t. Shifting my mindset from trying to do it all to trying to find the right people to help me do it all was one of the biggest breakthroughs in my life and I only learned that by first, having enough self-awareness and humility to acknowledge my own weak areas, then having the courage to dream and pursue my goal, despite my known weaknesses; and finally actively seeking help from others and letting them help.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The main obstacle facing me right now is about staying relevant, the last time I put new music out was almost 10 years ago, and the landscape has changed, rather than an EP, its going to be a single launched on Spotify, etc. But the main obstacle has always been how to get the music heard by the right audiences. The audience that will appreciate and support the music. So in some ways, it’s not about being relevant, it’s more about being useful or beneficial to as many people as possible. I’m super excited and proud to be re-releasing Dawn Today (the Polite $ociety version) in the first week of March and I’m hoping this new take is more “relevant” today than it was when the original was released. More importantly, I hoping someone can take some kind of inspiration from the message which is about leaning in on hope even in the midsts of uncertainty.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.incognitamusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/incognitarocks/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCASkbdyCXGs1oDwNWd9Jggg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/incognitamusic/sets/quick-silver-diary
- Other: Spotify Music Link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Qxup7HnrhxbippA8yvesK
Image Credits
Arthur Bryan Marroquin. Daniel McDonald. for all the performing images except the really wide angle shot showing the whole performance, this one was by David Corby.
