Name: Samuel Lonnelee Davis aka Seven Davis Jr.

Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, producer
Current release: The new Seven Davis Jr. EP savedbythebell is out via Secret Angels.

If you enjoyed this interview with Seven Davis Jr and would like to find out more about his music, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and Soundcloud. He also has an artist page on the website of the Ninjatune label.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you?

The impulses come both out of nowhere and everywhere. Like, if I watch a good or even a bad movie (for example) … an impulse could come from there. Or when a good or even if a bad thing happens in my life.

Or …sometimes when I’m walking down the street or other regular activities. It’s random af.

What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

They all equally play a strong role in my process / growth. Even just as a person right, take the music out of the equation (only for a second), those things still would play a role in my life. I find guidance and knowledge from those sources in general.

Actually when I released Universes on Ninja Tune in 2014 (my “debut album”), I was trying to explain that exact thing to listeners. That’s why the sounds were a bit all over the place in during that entire era. My way of being like “yo I’m into all kinds of stuff and my tastes are random here’s a sampler while I figure things out”.



Wasn’t until now that I can put that into words.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I can sit down and start from scratch. Think that comes from years of working for / with others on their own music / projects. Including exploring what works and doesn’t for myself. It’s all pure instincts, intuition and occasionally chaos. And also worth noting, I’ve been studying, training in vocals, production, performing etc since I was a kid. So there doesn’t need to be balance or even chance, just need to be open and flexible.

My 2021 album I See The Future was a collection of pre-visualized works that started with a specific idea but wasn’t able to see their final form until later. Could hear / see where they were supposed to go but needed time to get them there.



But then there’s the song “Houze” that Honey Dijon and I collaborated on. We decided we wanted to record together period, didn’t have an idea in mind, went to the studio and just followed the vibe in the room. And listened, followed the energy, eventually what I call “the path” started to form and visualize. Then boom.



Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I may be the least needy artist that ever existed. Down to work in a fancy studio, at home, at a cafe on a laptop … it don’t matter. I prefer there to be good positive energy these days, that’s the only must. But even if the session gets negative, I could still work if important enough. Would just funnel the negativity into something useful.

Depending on the project yes I will research. For example, had the pleasure to work with John Cale on his upcoming 2023 album Mercy.



His ideas, sounds and history run so deep that I had to research the spectrum of his sounds. Also researched the era’s he has contributed to and his collaborative works / moments with his associates like David Bowie, Andy Warhol etc.

Also, a group called The Illustrious Blacks, finished a collab EP with them coming out on Soup Clap Records in 2023. For them I researched their works, but also brought in techniques that I learned during my own personal researches of Prince 80s and 90s era.

[Read our Soul Clap interview]

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Well I’ve had to overcome a lot of mental health challenges. Due to a very tricky and complex journey to be who I currently am and where I am now. So I make sure to take care of myself in general. Eating good, sleeping well, exercising etc that’s just mandatory for my general health.

But you know let’s say should I end up going on a bender and not taking the best care of myself, that doesn’t affect what I do with music. Might make the sounds darker lol.

But yeah I feel blessed to never get tired of creativity. It’s the one thing I enjoy extremely. Can stay up for hours alone or in sessions just creating and the productivity gives me a kind of natural high.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Honestly I just jump in. Not difficult at all when you let go and surrender to the moment. Start the idea, if it’s not working, change it, or go on to the next, and play that game. No big deal just have fun.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

Like all creatives do, I have a library of thoughts, moments, collection of quotes, interesting comments made in conversation etc. All stored for me to pull from when it’s time to write. Also I love to make concepts. Think that part comes from my love of film.

Like my two part EP Sev Was Here for example, the lyrics there came after the beats were made. And I just let whatever I was feeling come out onto the track. But that project was more about the beats not vocals.



But on My Favorite Flavour, a collab with Damn Swindle, there was a concept they were going for. So I just wrote for it as if I were writing a scene in a romantic film or something.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Not the type to think of lyrics in that way. It’s more like, do I relate to them or not. If not, then I assume it’s something that just doesn’t resonate with me. Or from a part of life that’s not for me.

And again it’s like a game, when writing as well. I listen and let the song tell me what lyrics should be there. And sort it out. Sometimes it comes quickly, other times it take a while. Never really know just have to flow with it.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

Yeah sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes over years. For example … my most popular track to date is “One”.



The beat was made years before the song was made. Couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Then years later the song came to me and I recorded it in one take. (Plus extra takes for background vocals). Took 30 minutes. Never know … just have tap into the creative flow and see what it wants.

Unless it’s like a, we must have a song by end of week situation. Then I switch to my more mainstream side and make a song. But again that came from years of studying under, being mentored, learning on the spot … that ability to “fast forward” the process.

But at the end of the day you never know what “the people” will like. You have to make what you like first.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

In the past when I first debuted as an artist and people first started hearing of me, it was definitely all about control. There was always a since of free spirit in there subconsciously but not as free as it may have seems. Had so much to prove then, to myself, to the world. So there was a desire to control the ship.

Now I completely surrender. I am not in control of the ship, I am a passenger on the ship. Not even a passenger, a crew mate. Sometimes I’m the water the ship sails on. Sometimes I’m the moon shining down on the ship. If you wanna really go into it lol.

Anyways now I’m making the music I had been trying to all these years and variants of myself. Because of surrendering.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

Yeah I’ve been told my music often is a fusion of things. And it is. From being open to these pathways or alternative roads.

Sometimes they go together, sometimes the roads run parallel, sometimes they go in opposite direction but still work. It’s like google maps, you try to get to one place but sometime it suggest a new route that may take shorter time or be a better experience … so yeah I total follow it.

But personally don’t think every song needs to have multiple pathways. Nothing wrong with songs that chill on the same atmosphere and savor it. Those are good too when you find them.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

It’s all spirituality mostly.

Then there’s an element of tapping into your raw emotions. Or I’ll dig into my darker side when it calls for it. For me it’s about just opening up. Give yourself completely. Don’t hide any emotions or thoughts. Use it all.

That puts me in almost a trance like state and is somewhat psychedelic even.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

When the song is done, leave it.  Artists, we could spend lifetimes adding layers etc. Learned from those before me that it’s good to know when to stop cooking the cake, if you will.

Often times coming up in music I would hear “There he is!” in sessions. This is something I say now. When you finally get all the pieces of the puzzle. It’s like, “ I found him”. Song finished.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

Yeah there is definitely a period of sitting with music before releasing. Listening to it in the car. Play it while I go about my regular day to day non exciting moments of life. Then I’ll play it out and not say what it is, see the reactions. And if I get a good feel from it after all that, I’ll release it.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

A lot of people don’t know this but I actually mix, co produce for artists in different scenes on the low.

Mixing is super important. Not in terms of does it sound like the radio. But in terms of, did you pull everything out of the song that’s in there. Did you bring out those harmonies that come in? Do you need the drums to be so loud? Maybe the bass can be panned this way or that way etc.

It’s like making sure all the scenes in a film have been edited properly and are in the right order for the storyboard. How I see it.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

After a release I have either gone into a period of not doing music for a week or two, maybe month. And I’ll let new ideas start their way to me. Sometimes I’ld jump back in on the next concept, if there is.

These days those I just create constantly and find out where it goes later. So now releasing doesn’t hold so much pressure. Because the new songs were just made on their own without any agenda. And now there’s a library of finished songs ready when needed.

It’s like curating now, less stress.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Yeah oddly it’s the same as making a coffee, making a grilled cheese sandwich, rolling a blunt etc. You know what taste you want, what high you want, so you go after it.

A lot of times in the past I’ve used music to express what I didn’t have the words for. But you know growing up and becoming your full self is beautiful, now I know how to use my words. Express my feelings.

Music has helped me learn how to communicate better in my real life. So music has made my actual life less mundane.