Somna Isn’t Leaving Trance Behind - He’s Just Opening New Doors

For more than a decade, Somna has quietly built a reputation as one of Trance music’s most emotionally resonant storytellers.

Whether through soaring vocal collaborations, late-night progressive records, or euphoric festival moments, the Canadian producer has always had a way of making dance music feel deeply human. That sincerity has earned him millions of streams, support from scene giants like Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, and Ferry Corsten, and a loyal global following that has grown alongside him over the years. As co-owner of AVA Recordings with Andy Moor, Somna has also helped shape the sound of modern melodic trance from both behind the scenes and center stage.

But ‘Pathways’, his upcoming third artist album, feels different. More personal. More fearless.

Instead of delivering a single body of work confined to one sound, Somna decided to turn Pathways into an evolving musical journey split across three interconnected EPs: ‘Path Of Light’, ‘Path Of Shadows’, and ‘Path Of Echoes’. Over the past year, he has been unveiling the project one EP at a time, slowly revealing the bigger picture behind the music.

Each EP explores a different side of his artistry. ‘Path Of Light’ leans into the emotional trance and progressive sound that longtime fans instantly recognize, filled with uplifting melodies, cinematic songwriting, and heartfelt vocal collaborations. ‘Path Of Shadows’ dives into the harder, more uncompromising energy of his revived Rodi Style alias, channeling rave influences, hard dance, and darker club-focused production. Meanwhile, ‘Path Of Echoes’ pushes furtheroutside Somna’s traditional boundaries, exploring melodic bass, crossover songwriting, and more pop-leaning textures. Inspired by the evolution of his recent sets and creative mindset, Pathways embraces the idea that emotion matters more than genre boundaries.

Q: You’ve said ‘Pathways’ is about breaking away from genre limitations. Was there a specific moment where you realized, “I don’t want to box myself into one sound anymore”?

A: I think it was more of a slow burn, actually. When I began doing DJ streams on Twitch during the pandemic, I realized that I was finding immense enjoyment playing other styles of music and exploring other genres. With the community's encouragement as well, it helped me realize that I shouldn't limit myself to writing only music that I felt was what others wanted to hear from me, but to write whatever is in my heart. As I slowly started incorporating a bit more variety into my live sets, I realized just how much joy I felt in surprising the audience with a switch-up and it's all led me to this point.

Q: Pathways feels like three different versions of you in one project-emotional trance Somna, rave-mode Rodi Style, and the melodic/pop side. Which one has been the most fun to explore lately?

A: I think it is the melodic / pop side for sure! As a producer, it was incredibly fun and challenging to push myself beyond my comfort zone to produce that style and I think the music within that genre also encapsulates why I loved writing Trance from the start, as they both share a lot of melodic similarities and feelings.

Q: Bringing back Rodi Style honestly caught a lot of people off guard, in a good way. Did stepping back into that harder sound feel nostalgic, or were you surprised by how natural it felt again?

A: It felt like a struggle at first, as I didn't want to return to the Rodi Style alias and write the same thing I did 20 years ago. I was also being pressured to return to the old Rodi Sound, which turned me off, but it was something I wanted to do. I'm quite satisfied with the work I've done so far.

Q: Every EP has some huge collaborations on it. Which collab ended up meaning the most to you personally, and why?

A: Oh, that is such a tough one. I am incredibly blessed to have worked with some amazing artists on collaborations on my album, all of which have brought something exciting to our songs! I suppose if I had to pick one song that is really special to me, it would be "Turn Off The World" with Kepik and Casey Cook. 

The journey of how that song came together is really interesting because I didn't know Kepik at first but I made a mashup with one of his songs that I incorporated into my live sets about 2 years ago and then we started chatting shortly after. I also really wanted to work with Casey Cook as well and had the pleasure of running into her at ADE randomly! So as fate would have it, we ended up working on a collaboration together, and it's amazing how life can be sometimes and how friendships and partnerships can form when you least expect them. All 3 of us also got to perform together in San Francisco, which was just the icing on the cake.

Q: If someone listens to Pathways from start to finish, what’s the one thing you hope they understand about Somna?

A: Whether they enjoy the album or not, I hope they can understand that the music they're listening to is written from the heart by a dreamer :)