EDITORIAL INTERVIEW: Meet Toga Doin' Work
Toga Doin’ Work started paying close attention to the melodies and lyrics in songs during high school and as we see his diligence is paying off.
In 2017, Toga released an eight-track EP “I’m Goin Up” which featured a mix of songs for the ladies, something for the club, and lots of motivation.
One of the standout tracks on his EP “Benihana”, which was later released features Grammy Award Nominated artist Shy Glizzy and in rotation on the airwaves.
The release of the EP “Benihana” ft. Shy Glizzy made Toga Doin Work a household name in his community after he was featured on one of Washington, DC hottest radio stations WPGC 95.5 on CBS radio.
In addition to his EP, Toga also released 8 singles along with visuals a few months later including his top streaming track, “Good Morning” which racked up over 50,000 streams on Spotify and over 250,000 view on his Facebook channel on the first month.
On the rise, Toga’s goal is to become a household name worldwide, providing records in which you will remember where you were when you first heard them stating... “No matter the vibe, I want you to walk away feeling what I was saying and relating it to your everyday experiences.”
With his mind fully creating what will last, Toga’s message through his music is sure to transcend time.
TMP: What has Toga Doin' Work been up to since we last spoke?
TDW: A lot, besides the obvious which is the music, I been just trying to grow my fanbase and build my brand "Im Goin Up". I threw a couple of my own shows and had DMV artists in the area open up, had DMV business come out and create brand awareness for their products, and also introduce my own products. I also made it my purpose to try to also create a presence outside of the DMV and US. Thru marketing I was able to connect with people in Canada, UK, France, and many more countries and they have come to like not only my music but what I represent as far as my "Im Goin Up" Brand. I have also been dedicating more and more time to learn about this music business which I have come to learn is in a lot of case bigger than the music you create. Building myself up mentally all the way around the board to thrive in this industry because there are always things that are always going on and being sharp and on point is a must. And most importantly I have been working on creating the best music possible for the world to embrace.
TMP: What are you learning about yourself as an artist?
TDW: Honestly, thru interacting with my fans and supporters, I am learning that I can do a lot more than just music and they also want to see other sides of me such as when I workout or just give them insight to how I create my music. My team and I are always coming up with ideas around the music I create and trying to find different way to market our content whether it may be a funny skit, a movie theme, or curating a dope music video around the music. My guys Red Dot Tem and Miguel YS work very closely with me in making sure we push the envelope as much as we can to put our best work out each and every release. The most important lesson is that I am nothing without my team. WE ALL GOIN UP.
TMP: Creatively what space are you in?
TDW: Creatively I am in a space where you never know what can happen because I am open to the process of creating. I don't force anything and I have an understanding that art imitates life, as long as I'm living I will have something to talk about. No matter the beat or the melody, I am always fully confident that what I will create will be epic, furthermore the connection that I have when I take my ideas to my engineer Captain CMoore is next level, he is a GENIUS and musical ARCHITECT in the studio and every artist needs that when trying to create great music. He does not just sit there and hit record and just let me do anything, we both have an expectation to create the best possible body of work every time and find great comfort in that.
TMP: We are now in a new decade, what can we expect from you going forward?
TDW: I CAN PROMISE YOU that can expect GREATNESS because the standard that I set for myself is second to none. I know how great I am and I know how great my team is. I will be delivering more incredible music but also introducing other sides of my creativity, 10 years is a long time and my focus is on what I can do today, but I am sure that by the time 2030 comes, it will be clear I did incredible things for not only myself but my people who are on this journey with me. EITHER YOU ARE GOIN DOWN OR YOU GOIN UP, YOU CAN'T STAY STILL, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, AND WE GOIN UP!!!
TMP: Epic photo shoot by the way, are you always ready when the cameras come out?
TDW: For sure, as I said before I am fully confident in myself, I would say that in my everyday I am very reserved and I just want to get my work done, but when its SHOWTIME, IT'S GO TIME. I just want to enjoy myself even though its a business aspect what we do, it should be fun as well.
TMP: Being a vet at your craft now, what advice would you have gave younger Toga who was just starting out?
TDW: I would have told my younger self pay attention to the little things, the details that people tend to miss, and understand that you are as never as good as they say you are and as never as bad as they say you are. Take the good with the bad because things fan flip in a min. Stay even keel. Can't get too excited about anything cuz everything is not what it seems.
TMP: How do you think your experiences have helped mold the artist you are today?
TDW: My experience has molded me into knowing what my purpose is on earth which is an incredible thing. People live their whole life not knowing what they were sent here to do and for me I know I was sent here to tell stories thru music based on life experiences of mine or the world around me. Furthermore, help you walk away with an emotion no matter if it is happy, sad, pain, or triumph. You have to feel what im saying.
TMP: Now you have a new single that is out, tell us about it and the inspiration, because it feels like a new vibe.
TDW: Yeah man, my new single "Words Can't Explain" is OUT NOW along with the music video shot by my guy RED DOT TEM, as I said we work closely together anhe has done mostly all of my videos. The inspiration of the song was me just thinking back on a feeling of when you meet a woman and you somehow find yourself doing things outside of what you normally do for a woman and it's so obvious that you are acting different, your homies can tell and now you don't want to spend time with the homies no more. Then when your friends are trying to find out about why and how this girl has you head over heals, YOU CANT COME UP WITH THE WORDS, hence WORDS CAN'T EXPLAIN. That was the emotion that I was goin for with this record and I think it came out great. Big shoutout to Snakewolf beats who is the producer of the track and he is in the United Kingdom. As soon as I heard the beat I knew that this was a different type of vibe and it would be a big record and my guy Cmoore made it sound like just that. I'm proud of what we created.
TMP: Where can people follow you and check out your music?
TDW: People can check out my music on all streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Google Play, etc. There on all major platforms.
TMP: Before we go, what is one motto you live by?
TDW: "IM GOIN UP!" That's all I know. I eat, sleep, and breathe IM GOIN UP!!! Anything less is mediocrity to me and I won't stand for it.
Twitter- https://twitter.com/togadoinwork/
Spotify- https://spoti.fi/2DTaUSc
YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/togadoinwork
