Meet Vinoj / Voice of Silence | Systems Engineer & Spoken Word/Hip-Hop Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vinoj / Voice of Silence and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vinoj / Voice of Silence, what are you inspired by?
My inspiration for my poetry and music comes from everyday life experiences. I really enjoy taking the sights we see and the sounds we hear from the aspects of life we consider “mundane” and flipping them into intricate and poetic stories that relate to everyone. An example of this is when I saw a littered bottle floating in a middle of a pond – I thought of a lost message in that bottle from someone who wanted to say something to someone but held back, and now this message is floating/drowning, stagnant in this water, never reaching its intended destination. Similarly, some of my older poetry were inspired from dreams I had but vaguely remember, and I used the imagery to create some kind of story around the emotions I felt during the dream. A lot of the imagery and personification styles I use throughout my poetry and music relate to nature – I’m in constant awe of the beauty and complexity of the natural world and draw a lot of parallels to it to illustrate the message of my art.

Music has always been a source of inspiration as it’s how I got brought into the world of creating poetry and music. I am always moved by the vulnerability and rawness artists express through their lyrics and beats, and this gave me permission to do the same through my art. Outside of the music realm, I’m not the best at expressing how I feel (it may be attributed to working in the technical and analytical field of engineering), yet somehow I find it easier to channel my emotions into my art and let it be a result of the moment I am experiencing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art evolved from traditional spoken word poetry to a fusion of poetry, hip-hop, and South Asian musical elements tapping into our everyday life experiences while being self-reflective, uplifting, and appreciative of the daily moments we all share.

Navigating through the spoken word community in Toronto was a rough start for me – I faced frequent rejections from spoken word mentorship programs and showcase auditions while not scoring well in poetry slams. Although discouraging at first, I had the constant reminder to write for myself first and edit for the audience later. Occasionally, I did slip into focusing more on what the audience may want to hear than what I really want to express, but these performances often felt unauthentic. I soon came to realize my style of poetry is unique and I had to yet find the platform and audience where my art will feel at home. Through some guidance from mentors in the community and touching as many stages as possible, I honed my writing and performing skills by adding music to the poetic experience and expanded my network of community creators.

I’m most proud of my first album, “Befriending Silence”, from 2017 which came together as a community effort – I got to collaborate with my friends, amazing artists from Toronto, and even with my favourite band, ¡MAYDAY!, all the way from Miami. The resulting lyrical, musical, and visual project was beyond my expectations and I cherish the journey I took to create it. My most successful song to-date, “Temple to Castle”, is my most vulnerable yet aggressive song I created and has achieved strong international reach, which further gives me validation that my unique approach to poetry and music does fill a niche.

I am very excited about the future of my art – I have slowly grown comfortable into expanding my style further, allowing for other emotions to be expressed through a more prominent hip-hop style. With my current affinity towards more soothing and melodic music, I’d like to explore more melodies and harmonies within my own music as well, tapping into my childhood where I enjoyed singing in choirs and playing the bass clarinet.

A major lesson that I learned is to continue to be authentic and genuine with your craft – there is a niche and an audience out there that will appreciate and respect you and your art, it is a matter of time, networking, and continuing to build that will get you there.

I want the world to know that Voice of Silence, my artist brand, is continuously evolving and its story is always being written. At its core, my art is when poetry, hip-hop, and my South Asian roots collide in a way that allows me to express my emotions, my dreams, and everyday life from a different perspective.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Toronto is quite a large city and it can get overwhelming with figuring out what to do. Some areas I’d go to is Rouge Park in the east for some beautiful hikes and nature views, and walking or biking along the Waterfront Trail in Scarborough and in downtown.

Restaurants I love are Fratelli Village Pizzeria and Ital Vital in Scarborough (east end Toronto), and Khao San Road, Fresh, and LOV in downtown. Laylow Brewery is a tucked-away 90’s hip-hop-themed bar which has such a great vibe as soon as you step in.

I’d definitely hit up few of the many poetry and hip-hop events that occur across the city, such as R.I.S.E. Mondays and Unity Charity drop-in community programs to get a feel for how talented and diverse art is within the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a huge shoutout to Unity Charity, a national hip-hop charity organization in Canada! When I was 16, they came to my high school to share hip-hop art forms as a tool to better ourselves and channel our emotions, and this was also my first introduction to spoken word poetry. I was hooked, inspired to pick up the pen and paper, joined their community programs, and the artist educators leveled me up to where I am today. I have the great pleasure of joining the roster as an artist educator myself and give back to the community that raised me by running spoken word workshops through their school and community programs.

Website: https://www.voiceofsilencemusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linernotesbyv/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinoj-suthakaran/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/linernotesbyv

Facebook: https://facebook.com/voiceofsilencemusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA2-rIk7YmClXpHFWEMzJ9w

Image Credits
Personal photo – Anil Hanasoge Outdoor performance photo – Unity Charity Indoor performance photo – OG Gallery Other two professional photos – Jungle Flower