Sonic Verse is a music and community platform built around discovery, connection, and shared experiences. What started with a small group of people in Nsukka has grown into a community of over 500, expanding to Lagos and attracting interest from creative communities across other Nigerian cities. Through its weekly episodes, Sonic Verse creates a space where people can discover new sounds, connect with others, and experience music beyond just listening.
In this conversation, Eric Ugochukwu, founder of Sonic Verse, takes us through the story behind the platform, its evolution from Nsukka to Lagos, the challenges of building a community driven by music, and what comes next for the Verse.
Who started Sonic Verse, and what’s the backstory?
I had the whole idea, but I’d say my friend Chidera and I started it. I had gone back to school to retake a course I was having issues with, and there wasn’t much going on at the time. No classes, no assignments. I was bored and needed something to keep me busy and give me something to look forward to. I thought about creating a space where I could bring my friends together, and we could put each other on gems we had discovered or songs that didn’t get as much credit. After thinking about how we could start, Chidera and I just went for it. We did Episode 1, reached out to our friends and other cool people in Nsukka, and everyone who came understood the idea. I knew I was onto something, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was yet. As the episodes went on, it became clearer and clearer, and it’s still evolving. We’ve done about 10 episodes across two seasons and a finale in Nsukka, and four episodes across one season and a finale in Lagos.
Why the name “Sonic Verse,” and what does the just-concluded “Finale” mean for this run? Is it ending or evolving into something else?
Before we arrived at Sonic Verse, I tried PMO (Put Me On) Sessions, Sound Universe, and Sound World. We eventually settled on Sonic Verse, basically meaning a universe with multiple sounds. We welcome all genres as long as they sound good. The community is open-minded. The Finale doesn’t mean the end. It’s a wrap-up of the weekly episodes from that particular season, celebrating the friends we made, the songs we put each other onto, and the community we built. It also helps us get more eyes on the Verse ahead of the next season and gives us room to make it better with new faces, new creatives, new songs, and a completely fresh experience.
What’s been the hardest part of running Sonic Verse consistently?
Funding has been the biggest challenge, but I think that’s part of what the early stage is meant to feel like. The weekly episodes are free to attend, and I spend a lot to make them happen, especially in Lagos. The whole idea is community building. We want people to experience the community for free, understand what it’s about, and connect with the idea before investing in the bigger experiences we create.
What has changed in the crowd or culture around Sonic Verse since it started?
The crowd has grown significantly. What started with just 20 people coming together to share music has now grown into a community of over 500 people. We’re also seeing creative communities from other cities showing interest in the culture, including Abuja, Akure, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and Enugu. What started in Nsukka has now grown to Lagos. We used to celebrate hitting 10,000 profile views on Instagram, and now we’re over 250,000. That’s a solid change for us.
We’re also now a registered brand offering services across music marketing, listening party production, and lifestyle interviews. We’ve also developed a new vision and mission from where we started.
What’s next after the Finale?
“Next up is the Nsukka Season 2 Finale and Sonic Verse Enugu. But for now, I just need to recover from this madness I curated.”
