Q&A: Introducing sdoku: Your Next Music Obsession
WRITTEN BY FAITH LUEVANOS
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Through vivid soundscapes that feel as if you’re slipping away into a dream, 16-year-old artist sdoku has harnessed this feeling in his debut album, infinite moments. Describing his music as songs for the dreamers, overthinkers, and nightwalkers, sdoku blends genres effortlessly with a sound reminiscent of The 1975, Coldplay, and JVKE.
His more recent release, “gambling,” dives into the concept of emotional risk and the fear that ensues when you realize you’re beginning to fall for someone. Hard. For sdoku, “gambling” is about “the tension between losing control and finding freedom in it.”
Life On Jupiter received the opportunity to chat with sdoku about his debut album, his musical inspirations, and his intentions as a new artist on the scene.
LIFE ON JUPITER: Earlier this year, you released your debut album, infinite moments. What inspired you to start your music career, and what did it feel like to jump headfirst into an album?
SDOKU: I never really decided to start making music – it just kind of happened. I was writing stuff just for myself, and at some point, all those songs started to feel connected, like they were talking to each other. That's when I realized it could actually be an album. It felt huge and a bit scary, but also really natural, and I'm really happy about it.
The album opens with "what we stay alive for." How does this opening track set the stage for the rest of the album?
SDOKU: That track is the first breath of the album. It's calm, kind of fragile – like when you wake up and the world's still quiet (maybe that's because I wrote and produced it in a two-hour session at 2 AM). It's small, but it sets the tone for everything that comes after.
The sound for the remainder of the album is full of pop influences. Who or what were some sources of inspiration for the album's sound?
SDOKU: I take bits from everything I listen to – from Paul McCartney's songwriting to the modern textures of The 1975, to the funky side of Cody Fry and Charlie Puth. I love when music feels wide and intimate at the same time, so my goal was to make mainstream pop feel spontaneous.
More recently, you released your single "gambling." Can you dive deeper into your intention behind the song?
SDOKU: It's about risk, emotional risk. That strange mix of fear and excitement when you let yourself fall for someone. Love often feels like a bet nowadays: you don’t know what's going to happen, but you do it anyway. "gambling" is about that: the tension between losing control and finding freedom in it.
What does your production process look like to get such a polished sound?
SDOKU: I do everything alone, so I end up spending way too much time on the smallest details – I'll fix something for hours and then realize no one will ever notice it. But that's part of it. Nevertheless, as I grow up, I'm starting to like when things sound slightly imperfect. It makes the whole thing more human – and in an age where AI music is everywhere, I think that really matters.
What are some of your main goals for your music career?
SDOKU: Honestly, I just want to keep making music that means something to me first. Everything else comes and goes – numbers, algorithms, all of that. I don't think too much about where it'll take me, but I do care about building something real over time. I'd rather have a small group of people who really connect with my songs than millions who just skip through them.
Do you have any particular lines within the album that stand out the most to you? Why?
SDOKU: There are two lines in "i'll fly away" – "I'm chasing empty dreams of moments left unmade" and “I feel it turn away, slipping time” – that have an important value for me. The lyrics of this song may seem like the end of a relationship, but they're actually about the moment someone decides they can't stay anymore. The whole song hides that double meaning – love and loss, life and death – and that’s what makes it special to me. It’s not meant to be dark, just honest about how close those two feelings can sometimes be.
As a newer artist, what are some things you'd like to share with listeners who may be discovering you for the first time through this interview?
SDOKU: If you're hearing my music for the first time, I just hope it feels honest. That's all I ever try to do. And if it makes you feel something, even something small, then I've already done my job.