#BlackAltBae: Shola Aurora of Breathe In

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#BlackAltBae: Shola Aurora 

 

Shola Aurora returns to our loving arms, now as the frontman of Breathe In. It was a pleasure to complete this interview with him February 3rd, 2026.

 

Shola!!! My beautiful, beautiful Shola! Your guitarist reached out to me and I'm sorry I took so long to get these questions out to you (had another subject ahead of you). But I am soooooo excited to do this again!

 

So you are now the new lead singer of Breathe In. How did that happen?

 

It’s funny how it happened. I believe back in June of last year Brian approached me about potentially joining the band. After my first band, Sol Ardour, broke up I had been extremely hesitant about joining another project that I didn’t have a fair amount of control over. I also expected a caliber quality with the musicians that I worked with going forward. What Brian and the rest of the guys brought to the table was extremely convincing. I could see the skill, passion and conviction in their work ethic. More importantly, I had a great rapport with both Brian and Rob as friends and fellow musicians prior to this.

 

I've been listening to the most recent tracks. Y'all. Go. HARD. The vocals, the guitars, even the marketing is tight. I literally got shivers. Can we expect more of the heavy metal or do you guys plan to diversify your sound?

Thank you for that glowing review. We really appreciate that. From the band's inception, Brian wanted to put an emphasis on that high octane sound and energy that Breathe In brings. The occurred releases have given off that same vibe, I promise you that that’s not all that we have to offer. The beauty of working with such diverse talent and skill sets is that we now get to combine all of our influences. So for now, I’ll just say expect the unexpected.

 

 

 

Will you be keeping the visual kei aspect?

100%. VK will never die!!! P.S. my outfits will continue to be flamboyant .

Your band seems to be like an extremely cohesive unit, a very well-oiled machine. How does your creative process work now that you're in Breathe In?

I can’t say joining didn’t come with some of its rough patches. I think learning how to work with people with different ways of operating was really a huge part of it. We’re all saying the same things, but in sort of a completely different language. Once we figured out how to translate each other’s thoughts everything started to click.

 

Over the past couple years, you personally underwent this major mind/body transformation. Not that I didn't love you before, but you look amazing! What triggered the change?

 

About two years ago, my life took a very drastic turn. I wasn’t happy where I was mentally, I had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and my heart was ripped out when my long-term relationship imploded. During this time, I really took a step back and deconstructed myself mentally and physically. I asked a lot of uncomfortable and ugly questions of myself through therapy. I made tough decisions and cut people and things out that I didn’t need. I focused on building the better version of me. In a way I had to relearn how to love myself. It’s still something that is constant work. I have my high low moments like anyone else. The damage done to me or something I know I’m going to carry for the rest of my life. But that’s OK. I’m fortunate  enough to have a great support system and people who believe in me. That more than anything fueled my transformation. That alongside chicken breast with broccoli twice a day, lol. If anything, I think some of the future songs will carry some of that weight in them.

So we've been gone a while; life sort of got in the way for both of us. That got me thinking... Do you have a day job or is music your full-time career? If you have a day job, how do you balance the creative with the corporate, so to speak? I've always been curious about this with musicians.

I do have a day job. I am currently an account executive for a well known tech company, though I have worked a ton of different jobs throughout my professional career. In my current role, I make sure to slot out time for the creative aspects of my life. During the weekend, I try to squeeze what I can out of that down time. I also have the support of my band-mates and my fellow musicians and close friends to get a lot done with the limited free time I do have. One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to funding these projects is having a steady income. 

 

Breathe In dropped the official video for "Fallujah". Absolutely love the sound, love the look. Brian is an absolute beast on that guitar! Tell me about the process that went into both song and video, especially the video because it looked so polished.

Thank you so much. So "Fallujah" was actually a song Topeng and I wrote for my solo project. I actually was sitting on this song for a few years. We ended up absorbing it into Breathe In. Brian and Paul really took the song and evolved it into this new masterpiece of a track. As for the video, all of that was handled by Paul and his video crew. He also edited the video. I did help find the location which is not too far from where I live in Brooklyn. Luckily, we got to shoot one of the last music videos ever before they shut down for good. I for sure reference a lot of video styles used by bands like The Gazette and Luna Sea.

In your band's interview with Blnk Tape, you talked about singing since kindergarten and how you listened to a lot of R&B at one point. You clearly have an eclectic taste and musical history. Do you deliberately draw from all these different influences or do you strictly distill which influences you incorporate into your artistry?

You know, when I am tackling a song, I like to approach it almost like I am playing a video game. I use specific styles of singing and writing almost like character classes. One song I may pull from a specific R&B artist like Usher because it feels right. Another section, I may take elements from Veil Of Maya. Similar to an MMORPG, you approach a battle with the kit that makes the most sense.

 

You're a gamer, lol. Geek to geek, tell me how long you've been playing and what you're currently into.

 

I am a huge gamer and have been playing since I was about seven or eight years old. Some of my favorites include Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 & 2, The Legend of Zelda series, Onimusha 3, Final Fantasy X & X-2, and Kingdom Hearts 2. Video game OSTs are actually a heavy part of my music rotation. 

 

Now, in that same interview, Paul, the drummer, explained how he came up with the band name. What about "Breathe In" appealed to you personally? 

I can only speak for myself in terms of how I interpret the name. A breath can be a powerful thing. Confirmation of life, a powerful pause that breaks the silence in a room, a warm reminder of how far we have come. All of that is what I think about with the name of the band.

 

The more I watched the interview, the more I got what you were saying about "rough patches". When listing your influences, each member seemed to have something very different to say. You also each have distinctively different energies, in a way. How do you overcome all that and find common ground?

Honestly, we have meetings frequently and grind through it together. We all want the same things, but we have different ways of going about getting them. I think over time we have learned to lean on each other's strengths while acknowledging our own weaknesses. That requires vulnerability, which isn't something most people share easily. So that took time too. 

On the other end of that, going through these growing pains has allowed us to grow stronger and closer as a band. This can be felt in our writing and playing too.

 

Since our last chat, Breathe In dropped "Misfortune's Hand", another excellent piece of work. Tell me about the song and creative decisions behind the video.

 

"Misfortune's Hand" was the brainchild of Brian and Paul; it was written before Topeng and I joined the band. Once we came on board, the song evolved, and I was able to incorporate my own vocals and lyrics. I wanted to tell a story about someone fighting immeasurable odds—someone who decides the best thing they can do is lean into the madness of the moment for the sake of a brighter future. I helped scout the location for the video, and Paul handled the production aspects of the shoot. 

 

 

 

All in all, it seems like joining this band has been a really good decision. What do fans have to look forward to in the near future? Who would Breathe In collab with if you had your pick?

 

It has been a hell of a ride thus far, and I am excited for what the future holds. We currently have a new single and a few B-sides in the works. I can’t speak for the whole band, but if I had my pick for a collaboration, it would definitely be Gackt!

 

Thank you SO much for your patience, Shola. I'm so happy I got to talk with you again.

 

It’s always a pleasure catching up with you as well. Thank you for taking the time to keep up with me and my journey.