JADE HASSOUNÉ: INTERVIEW

June 17, 2019

INTRO BY KAT VISTI

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

Jade Hassouné, born in Montreal, Quebec, found his love of acting at just 10 years old. Jade’s first big break came when he got casted to star alongside former Hannah Montana Star Emily Osment in ABC family’s CYBERBULLY. After that Jade went on to star as Prince Ahmed for two seasons in CBC’s television series Heartland. His life changed when he was casted as Meliorn in Shadowhunters. Aside from being onscreen, Jade also is the voice of Mason Rana in the video game Starlink: Battle for Atlas. Jade also has a love for music stemming from his mother, inspiring him to release his debut EP entitled Love Letter to a Fandom.

When was the moment that you realized you wanted to pursue acting?

JADE: “It was when I was 10 years old and I stepped on stage to do a scene. I felt my heart open and fill with a feeling of joy, of ‘right place, right time’ like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. And I knew that’s what I was supposed to do. Later I realized that what I felt was the feeling of joy that connection brings. And so I decided that this was what I wanted to feel forever.”

You starred as Meliorn on Shadowhunters, which recently aired its last season. What are some of your favorite memories from working on the show?

JADE: “My favorite part is spending time with my friends and laughing. It is really fun that we get to reenact an epic fantasy story too!! I loved it when we were a big group all interacting as the characters. The finally episodes are a great example of that.”

What has been your favorite part about being Meliorn on the show?

JADE: “Playing a character that is over a hundred years old, who has a broader vision of life than the rest of them, who is somewhat of a prince and feels superior to humans. That was fun!”

What has been the hardest thing to say goodbye to from working on the show?

JADE: “To know that we wouldn’t be working together in this way again. But we are going to be seeing each other for the summer conventions tour, so it’s not like it was the end of our adventures. Only in one sense.”

In addition to acting, you’re also working on your debut EP Love Letters to a Fandom. What can we expect from the EP?

JADE: “Yes! You can expect some pop music, filled with some of my deepest feelings and emotions that I don’t normally share. I have written some songs about the experiences my life has had since the ‘Shadowhunters’ fans helped change my life. And how it feels to be on tour and meet amazing people, at conventions and also in a personal way, and how it is to have to say goodbye to them. Falling in love, feeling heartbreak, but feeling love from the shadowfam regardless of the hardships of my life.”

Where do you find most inspiration when writing music?

JADE: “Love and heartbreak but also from my self-confidence and inner guidance to follow my own path, to do me and remind everyone that what you dream of and how you feel is what is most important, not what people say to you or expect from you.”

Is there anything else we can expect from you in the near future?

JADE: “Yes! I am creating a platform where I will be connecting with the fans on a more personal level, where we will be collaborating on art projects and where they will be able to share their ideas as to what I should create next. I want to bring people together and create a community for us to continue what we all started. To go with my EP launch, I have created a behind-the-scenes series where they will get to experience my transition from actor to musician, where they will join my inner circle and become part of my life like never before. Stay tuned for the launch of my Patreon page!!!”

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JAMILA WOODS: ON TOUR

June 17, 2019

BY TÉA VAN ACKEN

Jamila Woods is changing the face of poetry, soul music, and music itself with her every word. Woods stands with her shoulders back to stand up for what she believes in. Born and raised in Chicago, her words expand much farther than that with themes of feminism and identity. Woods’ gift with words brought her to publish a poetry book, The Truth About Dolls, as well as the gift of organizing a community of Young Chicago Authors, where she is the Associate Artist Director, holding and participating in workshops for poetry creation. Her voice brings communities empowerment as she is educating and mentoring for those who feel silenced, and building a foundation of strength for “unapologetic blackness, intersectionality, and self-definition” as an editor for “Black Girl Magic”, publications of poetry through The Breakbeats Poetry Volume II. She is also widely known for her voice alongside other artists such as Chance The Rapper, as she can be heard in “Sunday Candy” in the album Surf, and “Blessings” from Coloring Book. Not only is it music but poetry as well, Woods makes her authenticity evident as she appears she pours her entire being into her works. Her first soul and hip-hop mixed debut, HEAVN, showcased her unique upbringing in Chicago and the memories of which shaped her into the artist she has become, bringing feelings of nostalgia to the surface and as well were alongside her Chicago fellows NoName, Chance The Rapper, and Saba. Her newest pieces embodied in the new album Legacy! Legacy! allows for herself to shine through and highlight other black artists, honoring the songwriters, poets, musicians and more through titling her songs after them. Not only is Woods honoring these artists, but she is also giving them a voice as she arises the legacies of those who inspired her throughout her journey of organizing communities, publishing her own poetry, and striving through music. The album demonstrated frustration and changes for the white-knuckle fight against racism, inspired by the history of which Woods creates a voice for today’s fight and aspirations. Her soul songs are pieces of her, but also tells the stories of many black artists whose voices were quieted, actively putting her frustrations with inequality and white privilege in the beautiful, fight-song lyrics to music. Jamila Woods does a fine job of keeping these voices alive, recording her melodies to bring sound and justice to our world. Leave it up to the lovely Jamila Woods, honor her fight and her voice, sing alongside one who believes we can make changes on the following dates:

JUN 17 MON

@ Valley Bar

Phoenix, Arizona

JUN 18 TUE

@ Casbah

San Diego, California

JUN 19 WED

@ Constellation Room

Santa Ana, California

JUN 21 FRI

@ El Rey Theatre

Los Angeles, California

JUN 22 SAT

@ Great American Music Hall

San Francisco, California

JUN 23 SUN

@ Cornerstone Brewery

Berkeley, California

JUN 25 TUE

@ Star Theater

Portland, Oregon

JUN 26 WED

@ The Crocodile

Seattle, Washington

JUN 27 THU

@ Biltmore Cabaret

Vancouver, Canada

LUCIANA ZOGBI: INTERVIEW

June 15, 2019

For those who don’t know about you yet, what would you tell them about yourself and your music as a bit of an introduction?

LUCIANA: “My name is Luciana Zogbi, I’m a singer, composer and YouTuber. I started my musical career creating my own version of popular songs on YouTube and recently started releasing my own original songs.”

You recently released your latest song “Down By The River.” What was the process like creating the song?

LUCIANA: “I was inspired to write ‘Down by The River’ after a trip to Greece, where I first heard about the Greek legend of Charon. I was visiting a museum when I saw a painting that depicted a burial scene where a man was putting a coin on a dead persons mouth. I asked a guide to explain the meaning behind that ritual and she taught me that in ancient Greece, people believed the coin would be used by the dead to pay Charon for passage to the next life. I then asked, ‘Who’s Charon?’ And she explained that according to Greek mythology, Charon is a ferryman that carries the souls of the newly deceased across the river that divides the world of the living and the dead. He demands payment for that passage and that’s why people were buried with a coin. If they were buried without one, they were doomed to roam the river shore for 100 years.

When I returned from my trip, I decided to write a song about one of these unfortunate souls who got buried without a coin and had to stay in ‘limbo’.”

You also released a music video for the song. How did you ensure that the video would really make the song come to life?

LUCIANA: “I wanted the video to portray a sense of loneliness that ties in well with the idea of being stuck in limbo. To do that, we decided to have only one character in the video, that roams in solitude through some different landscapes. We also decided to insert drone shots that capture the immensity of the landscape, especially when juxtaposed to our ‘small’ subject.”

What inspires you while writing music?

LUCIANA: “Inspiration can come from so many different sources. Sometimes it’s a conversation you had, or a book you read, or a moment you lived. In the case of my new song ‘Down By The River’, it was a painting.”

Is there anything else we can expect from you in the near future?

LUCIANA: “Yes! I have many new songs coming up and I hope to release a full album next year!”

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RAINNE: INTERVIEW

June 14, 2019

How did you two first come together and start making music?

JK: “It’s actually a fun story! RAINNE has been an official band for about 2 years now, but we’ve been playing together since college.”

AD: “We met at GRAMMY CAMP before we started college at USC (University of Southern California). We lived in the same dorm and had the same class schedule so quickly became inseparable. We’ve always had a strong friendship and worked really well together which definitely helps in a band situation.”

JK: “Deciding to become a band has been one of the most fulfilling decisions of our careers!”

You recently released your single “Psycho Killer”. Can you tell us a little about the song and how it came about?

AD: “‘Psycho Killer’ was a whirlwind to create. I met Petie Pizarro and PLAYDED (Patrick Ridgen) at a writing camp and we were put into a room together to write. Patrick pulled up this grungy bass synth on his computer, and almost instantly melody and lyric for the first verse came to me. Luckily Petie and Patrick weren’t scarred off by the crazy concept and we ended up having a blast writing ‘Psycho Killer’. We have a mutual love for Sia and Evanescence and decided to throw a bit of those references into the bridge for fun. We had a lot of fun running away with this crazy character we were creating. I love psychological thrillers and crime stories so that influenced the lyric quite a bit.”

JK: “I love that when we play shows now, Annie prefaces the performance of ‘Psycho Killer’ by mentioning that the song is not autobiographical. “

AD: “We just want to make it clear that we are not, in fact, psycho killers.”

You also released a music video for the song. How did you ensure that the video would really make the song come to life?

JK: “We really wanted a music video that would compliment the atmosphere of the song. We took inspiration from other dark-pop artists like Billie Eilish and Bishop Briggs. I feel like maintaining a dark color scheme and playing with effects really played off of the intense bass line that drives the groove of the song.”

Do you have any favorite memories from filming the video?

JK: “I just loved how DIY it was. We’re an independent band, and filming some of the scenes in Annie’s garage just gave it such a cool vibe. Working our way around various hurdles made us so proud of the video we were able to deliver!”

Where do you find most inspiration when writing?

AD: “There are tons of moments throughout the day that inspire song ideas. Sometimes it’s something someone said mid-conversation, or a poem, or a tumblr post, or a tv show. I love reading, and in books people often say things in a way that you wouldn’t in real life and that always sparks ideas for me. I love getting a new perspective on a common situation and writing from there.”

What can you tell us about your latest single, “Dirty Little Dream”?

AD: “We’re really excited to release ‘Dirty Little Dream’. It’s a dark pop song about lust and fantasy and where that might go too far. We had so much fun working with Petie and PLAYDED again on this production.”

JK: “I can tell you that I get a nice sax solo during the song! This is the first official song we’ve put out that will have a featured solo in it and I’m pretty stoked about that.”

Is there anything else that we can expect from you in the near future?

JK: “Definitely more touring! We thrive on stage, and we want get more tour dates in the books ASAP!”

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RYAN WARNICK: INTERVIEW

June 12, 2019

BY BRE CURA

Ryan Warnick brings a new wave of sound to listeners with his soulful mix of pop, acoustic folk and R&B. The 21-year-old from Tupelo, Mississippi is currently an Interpersonal Communications Major at Mississippi College. His unique phrasing and melody combined with vulnerable lyricism has produced tunes that perfectly capture his technique. Well versed in guitar, piano and drums, Ryan not only plays most of the music you hear within his tracks, he also writes his own lyrics as well. Inspired by artists such as James Bay, Ben Rector, Chance the Rapper and Drew Holcomb, Ryan’s methodology is evidence of an eager readiness to produce original content.

How did your journey in the music industry get started?

Ryan: “I grew up in church and have led worship at my home church in Tupelo since I was young... that’s when I got my first opportunities to play music and I played whatever was needed from drums to bass to even banjo. I rarely played music outside of church in high school other than an occasional talent show, but once I came to college I started to get opportunities to play music at different events on campus. I started writing my own songs and started recording them in my friend’s dorm room for fun. One day he introduced me to Distrokid and said he thought I should put them out, so we decided to! They started to do really well and get lots of streams and that’s really where we are now! Since I put the music out I’ve had a few awesome opportunities to play locally in Jackson and am in the process of recording my first studio album!”

What would you say your style is?

Ryan: “I’m not exactly sure…. somewhere in between soul-pop and acoustic folk singer-songwriter stuff. I feel like the easy thing to do would be to just say folk because I write my own songs and play an acoustic guitar most of the time, but I think my music isn’t just that. I love soul, jazz, and R&B and it definitely shows up in the newer music I’ve been writing.”

How does your songwriting process work?

Ryan: “I have pulled inspiration from everything from books, conversations with my mom, documentaries on Netflix, to things my professors have said in class. The notes app on my phone is outrageous and overflowing with random song ideas that I write down throughout the day. Most of them never turn into anything substantial, but you have to take every opportunity to write a song and tell a story well. All of the songs I have released so far I wrote in my dorm room, and a lot of the songs about to be released I wrote in my car... I wrote down a song idea and then sang it into existence while I drove from Tupelo to Jackson which is about a three hour drive. During those drives I wrote significant parts of six of the songs on the new album. Probably not the safest route, but it’s how we’ve gotten here and I wouldn’t change anything haha.”

Have any of your songs really stood out to you, some you’re proud of?

Ryan: “There are a few songs off of my new album that I’m extremely proud of. Lyrically, a song called ‘A Letter To Myself’ is a song about self-awareness that came out of a situation where I was mad at one of my friends about being super narrow-minded, and I realized I was the one who needed to chill out and listen better. Musically, a song I wrote called ‘Slow’ uses some jazzy chord progressions that have pushed me and helped me grow in my songwriting.”

Can you tell us the story behind your song “To Be Honest”?

Ryan: “I dated one of my best friends in high school for almost two years, and right before I left for college we broke up and it hurt so bad. I went to school for a year and started to move on but every time I got to a point where my friends thought I was moved on, I couldn’t shake the feelings I had for her. She came to the same school a year later. In April, I finally mustered up the courage to tell her that I still had feelings for her and it was so awkward and we were so uncomfortable, and her boyfriend was mad and I had it coming haha. We went the whole summer and when last fall finally arrived we were both single again and decided to get back together, and we’re still together today.

It’s crazy and it doesn’t always work out like that, but it did. The first half of the song is how I felt for the year we saw each other all the time, and the second half is about the conversation we had. And then the end rap-thing is me trying to process through everything that had just happened in dealing with people’s opinions, perceptions and seeing my personal growth through the whole situation.”

Have you played any live shows?

Ryan: “I played in Jackson at a house show with a band named Oh Jeremiah, at Duling Hall with another songwriter named Sam Mooney, and at two different benefit shows. This spring I opened for Jordy Searcy which was definitely a huge highlight of making / playing music so far!”

Is it hard to be a full time college student while pursuing a career in music?

Ryan: “Yes. This has been incredibly difficult. I live in a dorm room, and have a meal plan, and eat in a cafeteria 14 times a week. I have little to no money and I can’t practice music super late at night because of quiet hours in the dorms. I have tons of other commitments related to school that also take up a lot of time, so I have to work practicing around that and other lessons for my music minor. I know I’m not the only one, but it’s so difficult to balance all of this and try to be a musician. Especially with trying to play shows and find time to record songs.”

Have music streaming services impacted your journey in the industry — like your success on Spotify?

Ryan: “It’s definitely opened some doors and helped me make some connections with a few people who have been making music longer and have given me a lot of good advice. I’ve been able to open for a few artists when they have come to Jackson and play a few more shows which has definitely helped! Also, I’ve been encouraged by the amount of listeners and feedback to make more music and keep trying to make this a career, so every listen has definitely been encouraging!”

Can listeners expect new music soon?

Ryan: “I have my first studio album coming out in the fall (hoping for an August release date!) I have 6-8 other songs ready to record and will hopefully start working on those at some point once I wrap up college next spring!”

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