Joseph Somers-Morales, better known by his stage name SoMo, began lighting up the R&B scene in 2013 with his successful single “Ride.”
SoMo, who has been singing since he was a child, launched his career through YouTube, where he regularly uploads cover videos of popular R&B hits. SoMo hasn’t forgotten about his online fan base, either. He still uploads cover videos almost every Sunday in a video series he calls “SoMo Sundays.”
His latest project, the mixtape “My Life II,” released in September 2015. The singer will perform tracks from the tape among other hits this Saturday, April 16 at Varsity Theatre.
The Daily Reveille sat down with him to discuss his early career, touring and his upcoming Baton Rouge performance.

The Daily Reveille: Let’s start at the beginning. You’ve been singing since you were a little kid, right?
SoMo: Yeah, off and on.
TDR: What influenced you to start uploading your covers to YouTube?
SoMo: Really just the hobby of making music. I decided to start a channel just for fun, and people really latched on and showed support. Eventually, I ended up writing my own original songs, and those took off even bigger. It was a whirlwind of fate, I like to say.
TDR: What made you want to start writing your own original songs?
SoMo: The reaction from my cover videos was so strong. I’ve always known that I wanted to try to write music, and I just got with my co-writer and he made the music and I wrote the words and melodies. We took it from there. It just blew up.
TDR: Can you explain why you chose to take the R&B route?
SoMo: I’ve always been influenced really heavily by R&B and I just love the genre. It wasn’t really a personal choice more as that’s just kind of what the songs turned out to be, so I just kind of kept going with it. You know, I venture off into the pop world and I even feel like I could write some country songs, but R&B is just where I’m rooted.
TDR: Are you going to continue releasing SoMo Sunday videos throughout your tour?
SoMo: I am. I’m going to try my best. I usually record them on the bus, and I’m definitely going to do my best to keep them going. Obviously, tour life can be grueling, but I like to keep the fans happy so I’ll probably keep going.
TDR: What was it like to work with Trey Songz on “Hide & Freak?”
SoMo: Oh, that was crazy. We actually did a show together in Arizona and we just kicked it, and he was a cool ass dude. I wrote the song and I sent it to him, and he remotely did it. I got his verse and it sounded dope, so that was it. It was a pretty simple process.
TDR: Your spring tour starts tomorrow, right? Are you excited?
SoMo: Right. I’m so stoked. I’m actually doing a college show [April 12] in Texas to kind of kick it off and then I hit San Antonio [April 13] and a whole bunch of other cities for the rest of the spring.
TDR: What can we expect to see at your upcoming show at Varsity Theatre?
SoMo: I would come prepared to, as I say, romantically rage. You know, I do sing R&B, but I know how to party and it’s going to be a good night.
TDR: What has been the most memorable performance of your career so far?
SoMo: That is kind of hard. Probably my first TV performance. I sang “Ride,” of course, on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” His show came back for a brief moment and it was cool to be able to be a part of that.
TDR: What has been your favorite city to perform in when you’re on tour?
SoMo: Honestly, I just enjoy going all over. Obviously, I love Louisiana. Every time I come to Louisiana, it’s always a turned-up party. You know how you go different places and there’s different kinds of people? Louisiana definitely knows how to get down, so I’m excited.
TDR: Other than music, what are some of the things you enjoy doing in your free time?
SoMo: I really like watching movies and doing outdoor stuff like camping and going to the lake. Really just normal guy stuff.
TDR: What can you tell me about your upcoming sophomore album?
SoMo: I’ve been in the studio working with some big legends. You know, it’s kind of under wraps right now but I’m excited. It’s some of the best music I’ve ever made. I’m not really sure on a projection date for when it’s going to come out, but I’m finishing up and finalizing all of the different songs and putting it together so I’d be expecting it in 2016.