Eric Penn brings his voice to finding records — a singer-songwriter from Virginia Beach, now based in Harlem, treating music as a spiritual experience with no limits.

introduce yourself please.

i'm Eric Penn born and raised in Virginia Beach, now based in Harlem, NY. i represent black culture because i believe everything is derived from it. i create anything that feels right at the moment, so i don't want to box myself in by saying that i have a specific genre that i create. i think music is a spiritual experience so however i'm led to make music is how it happens.

if you had to describe your music as a scent, what would it be like?

i'll describe it as a specific cologne. Tom Ford Noir Extreme. it's warm, rich, and sophisticated. sweet and spicy and it's long lasting with a timeless aura.

who inspired your journey into music?

there isn't just one person who inspired my music journey. it's like a smorgasbord of different people and experiences. my mom was my music teacher in elementary school so i got a chance to just be a sponge. i would listen to Bach and Beethoven when she was doing her lesson plans or listen to John P. Kee or Kirk Franklin before choir rehearsal. i was a church kid, so everything about the musicianship of church influences me still. i also got a chance to be a kid when Pharrell and Chad Hugo started N.E.R.D., so the alternative punk rock and rap music merger was such a big deal to me. it allowed me to understand that music had no real limits.

could you describe the community you grew up in and share with us any unique traditions?

Virginia Beach is a relatively diverse place when it comes to Southern cities so i got a chance to be introduced to a lot of different customs. Filipino culture was huge in Virginia Beach so a lot of the dishes that i had growing up (pancit and lumpia) were from cultures different from mine. 757 (my area code) is a huge sports town and many notable superstars come from there. also i got the opportunity to grow up during the rising of Missy Elliot, Timbaland and The Neptunes. It was a lot of fun.

if you could only listen to one song on repeat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

SOONER OR LATER by N.E.R.D.

if you were given a chance to borrow the voice of any artist, living or dead, to make a song, who would you choose?

Luther Vandross.

any closing words?

my goal is to be the greatest artist ever, by my terms. i want to create the best music i've ever heard and continue to grow as a musician. the only person i'm in competition with is myself, so i get to determine those standards. comparison is the thief of joy so anytime i start looking at someone else's journey it takes me off track of mine. i'll be touring next year guaranteed. i feel like i've made the best music i've ever created with my upcoming project and i'm ready for the world to hear it. i don't want to talk about it too much but it's coming soon. Buckle Up. Pure.

Photography by @sohyunimages. Full finding records performance on the goyo club YouTube channel.