Enoch: Crafting Personal Narratives Through Music and the Art of Storytelling

by Ahshara C. & Jamisha R.

Music serves as a universal form of storytelling in which artist and listeners can transcend into a timeless realm where culture, stories, and experiences alike and different transpire. This universe is a vehicle for emotions and feelings unique to the artist, creating a place where listeners can enjoy and identify with the curated story.

Enoch, a 23 year old artist from South Jamaica, Queens, released his self-titled album which was directly derived from his appreciation of the art of storytelling The project was a reflection of the past and the different emotions surrounding pain and persistence.

"A lot of things were going on throughout the project. And what I would note, is that before I even put out that project, a lot of my music wasn't talking about me," Enoch said. "Being able to talk about myself, I didn't have a lot of restrictions. Whatever I felt was good to me, I put it in the project. I was talking about a lot of different experiences."

The songs on the album are inspired by real-life experiences like heartbreak and family passings.

" 'Missed Checks'- it was about a girl I had broken up with and it took a toll on me. But at that time, I had that perspective where I said, this was not going to be a heartbreak song but a 'level up' kind of vibe."

He explained that once he recorded ‘Missed Checks’ he actually held onto it for about a year before deciding to put it on “Enoch.”

"At the time I was developing the 'Enoch' concept, it fit right into the album sonically. Everything else besides that song was inspired by events that happened during COVID."

While COVID was a time of solitude for many, for Enoch this period was a creative awakening. He fought solitude with the embrace and expression of art through music. Amidst the loss of his grandmother, Enoch was determined to honor his grandmother's impact on his life by dedicating the heartfelt intro of his album to her.

"My engineer told me that I needed to have some of a story to tell and I needed an intro. And I said, 'damn it would be cool if I had some type of footage or something that we can put my grandma on. And then I looked and we had a video of me and my sister talking to my grandma on her birthday."

'Enoch' not only gave listeners insight into various events from his childhood, but it also gave listeners a peek into who he is as a person.

"I'm not an artist where you can expect to hear 'he's dropping a song' but you don't have to expect any type of substance or actually have to listen. I'm a real artist and I want to be here a lot longer than the typical artist that's coming out," he said.

"I want to be known as a real prolific kind of artist."

In reflecting on his past projects, Enoch also reflected on lessons he learned throughout life and how this impacted his recent EP titled "Muses."

The concept of Muses, he explained, was inspired by women he knew in real life.

The four women that are on the cover of his EP have all been in his life at different points between college and now. While they didn't have any parts in the story he created, they inspired the concept and the order in which the songs were put in.

He elaborated that, for "Muses", his objective was to further connect and target his female audience. With the insight, experience, and guidance of a close college friend, he was able to tap into the feminine essence, a theme he sought to encapsulate and embody throughout the entire project. The birth of the project was during Enoch's very own college years.

Thus the ideation and concept organically emerged of having the very women who inspired the music, as the cover.

"A lot of guys don't think cheating can happen to them and I was one of those people until it happened to me. It made me realize that insecurity in men is a real thing and I never thought I could be insecure until that moment."

"MUSES was supposed to tell the story of the male perspective that isn't often talked about. The first song "Facetime" was supposed to be, ‘Boy meets girl’ tale. You get to know her, you talk on the phone and you're learning about that person."

"After that was 'HML' (Hit my Line). So after the concept of ‘boy meets girl’, he gets the girl. But then, typically in most situations, sadly, guys usually f**k up. And then we typically think that we can f**k up and then just one apology will fix it. And the guy will do good for like a week and the girl is supposed to just accept them back into their inner circle immediately and just forget that any of that ever happened. But that's not how the real world works and that's not how real people work. And you shouldn't treat people or situations like that. You should let people go through things and let their minds and emotions work through things at their own pace."

"After HML is 'Until We Forget.' Which is the song where I'm apologizing and the hook is me telling her 'we could be dancing all night until we forget.' So, it's the first apology. The boy apologizes but you're not used to the resistance of you said you're sorry but she still doesn't want to deal with you. And so now, there are two options, a guy is either going to get angry at the situation or he'll try harder. That's where 'Sweet Lady' comes in."

"So, it's like, I sung you this song and it didn't work, so now I'm really going to sing my heart out. So, he's trying to get his girl back but it doesn't work. That's when Straggler and Cycle come in."

"It's still kind of an arrogant mindset. Most guys go through it where it's like, you f**k up, and you feel that even though you apologized a bunch of times and you put in a lot of effort to try and get them back, they still wouldn’t talk with to you. And then you get kind of resentful for it and you start to get angry. But it's apart of the growing pains and that's what inspired 'Cycle'."

All of this deeply resonates with Enoch's desire to weave his own personal narratives into each track.

Back in December of 2022, Enoch performed at Certified Vibe's (formerly known as 'PassDaAux Live) "Home for the Holidays" music event. Certified Vibe is a live musical event series hosted by DJ Nyla Symone, where upcoming and established music professionals and performers have the opportunity to be discovered, rediscovered, and even connect amongst each other.

"I'm really happy that I was there," he explained. "But I'm not happy with how I performed. I get in my head a lot and if you were good enough to get accepted, then you need to get out of this 'once you get on stage, you don't have the confidence' like you are talented enough to be there."

"But looking back on it, I'm really happy because that was probably one of the most interactive crowds. The room was packed and they were right in front of me and I've never had an environment that was that full."

Despite battling imposter syndrome, Enoch recognizes and embraces this moment as an opportunity for growth and as reassurance that this is what he was made for. His admiration for concerts and live performances have driven his aspiration to amplify and focus on the development of his stage presence. He embraces the potential of whether it's starting the newest TikTok trend or being more comfortable on stage as a performer.

As Enoch is consistently discovering himself and his talents as an artist through experimenting with new unique sounds to actively challenging himself, his projects up to date evidently showcase his undeniable talents through the blending of rap and R&B elements. While his love for both genres runs deep, they serve as vehicles for his initial passion for lyricism and the art of storytelling.

While his personal experiences serve as a source of inspiration, Enoch shares his newfound practice of producing has also greatly stimulated him in piecing together new projects. "A lot of the music I have coming up, I've been producing it. And so I'm starting off with the beat and then the beat inspires the lyrics."

Thankfully we will be able to tune into new music soon as Enoch teases a new snippet just a few days ago via his Instagram account. He exclusively shares we can be expecting a few more singles before he drops another large scale project later down the line.

If you haven't heard of Enoch yet, be sure to check out his music, Dive into his soundscapes and extraordinary stories available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. Stay connected through his instagram @iamenoch00 to keep up with his latest musical endeavors and his growth as an artist.