KATHERINE LI: INTERVIEW

December 23, 2022

by alex grainger

Katherine Li recently released her debut EP Crush(ed). Self-proclaimed sad girl, Katherine Li takes listeners through the shattering experience of a “crush that stayed a crush.” From the first encounter to the last stage of acceptance, the EP explores polarizing sounds to either “sob uncontrollably to, or have a dance party to.” Being a bit of a Tik Tok sensation, Li turned to her digital community of hopeless romantics during the creation of Crush(ed). Her followers not only heard the original snippets of songs which would turn into the EP, but also helped her decide which tracks were best to tell the story of Crush(ed). Read more about Katherine Li and Crush(ed) below!

Can you tell us what your debut EP Crush(ed) is about? Are you telling a story through the EP?

Katherine: “Crush(ed) takes listeners on a journey of unrequited love. The crush that stayed a crush. The EP outlines the 5 stages of having a crush: 1.) The Encounter 2.) Realization 3.) Denial 4.) Hate 5.) Acceptance. In other words, my love life [laughs].”

What’s the meaning behind the EP title, Crush(ed)?

Katherine: “The EP title is suggesting the ‘double-meaning’ behind having a crush. A crush can be seen as exciting, fun, but more often than not (in least in my experiences), you learn that it’s called a ‘crush’ because you get crushed by them.”

What was the creative process behind the EP?

Katherine: “This EP consists of the very first songs I’ve ever made, so finding ‘my sound’ was a huge part of the creative process. I was lucky enough to work with (the very very very talented) Joe Avio, who produced all the songs on Crush(ed). I feel like him and I were on the same wavelength while making these songs [laughs], I think they all turned out amazing and I’m in love with every single track.”

How would you describe your sound? Since this is your debut EP, how important was it for you to develop a sound that represented who you are as an artist?

Katherine: “My sound definitely lives in the ‘sad girl’ space, BUT it’s also spiced up a bit with very cool instrumentals and other elements (thanks Joe!!!). I think most of my songs are ones that you can either sob uncontrollably to, or have a dance party to [laughs]. With Crush(ed) being my debut EP, it was super important for me to find the perfect sound. After the process of finding the sonic space of my first single, ‘We Didn’t Even Date,’ the sound for the rest of the EP quickly followed!”

The EP takes listeners through the stages of having a crush. Was there a specific stage in this journey which was most difficult to articulate? One which was the easiest?

Katherine: “The most difficult stage to articulate was ‘Hate.’ For me, the ‘Hate’ stage of a crush happens very quick, so I had to dig up ALL the negativity I had in me and spill it into three minutes worth of song. The easiest stage to write about was ‘Realization.’ This is when you realize you never had a chance with your crush. Most of my time is spent in this stage so there’s A LOT for me to talk about, maybe even an ENTIRE EP’s worth of songs…”

Is there a song off Crush(ed) you are most proud of? One that was the most challenging to create? One that was the most fun to create?

Katherine: “I’m proud of the entire EP, I don’t think I could choose just one song! Every track means so much to me. The most challenging song to create was ‘I Don’t Care,’ more specifically writing it. It was a bit more difficult for me to write openly about how I felt about watching everyone around me fall in love. The most fun song to create was ‘Happening Again.’ This was the first track that Joe and I made together in the same room! I loved watching the whole song come together piece-by-piece, it makes the final product super interesting to listen to.”

How have you grown as an artist through the release of Crush(ed)?

Katherine: “I always thought that the songs I wrote would mainly be slow piano ballads, but the release of Crush(ed) has pushed me outside the usual ‘sad girl Katherine’ comfort zone. There are some tracks that are more on the upbeat vibe which is different from the sound I usually fall back on. But I’ve fallen in love with trying new things and I’ve been keeping that in my back pocket for the new songs that I make!”

What role did TikTok play in the creation and release of Crush(ed)? Did any of the EP tracks originate as a simple TikTok video?

Katherine: “TikTok played a huge role in the creation and release of Crush(ed). I’m quite the indecisive person [laughs], so I turned to TikTok to figure out which songs would make the EP. Four of the six songs from Crush(ed) started out as short clips from TikTok videos. It’s crazy how 15-second snippets of songs can eventually turn into a fully produced project!”

What are you most proud of upon the release of Crush(ed)?

Katherine: “I’m most proud and thankful to have started to build a little community of fellow people going through unrequited love, and get heartbroken over crushes. It’s been surreal and comforting reading messages from everyone who can relate to the songs on Crush(ed) and going through the same thing as me. HOPELESS ROMANTICS UNITE!!”

FIND KATHERINE ONLINE

TWITTER INSTAGRAM

VARA: INTERVIEW

December 20, 2022

by lauren kovolenko

Looking for someone interesting to read about this week? Meet Vara, an up-and-coming music artist with a cool sound. We got to chat about all types of subjects, leading to a great interview. Check out Vara's music and YouTube channel when you're done!

You grew up on the internet, how did this influence what you wanted to do when you got older?

Vara: “It definitely reaffirmed that I wanted to do something in the entertainment industry. Growing up, watching YouTubers become established and respected in their fields, it inspired me to take matters into my own hands and pursue my dreams.”

As a YouTuber from a young age, what was your favorite part about this experience? Did you learn anything then to help you now?

Vara: “My favorite part was getting connected with people from parts of the world I’d otherwise not have. I remember some of my subscribers (which became friends) were from Australia and that blew my mind. Knowing that we were only aware of each other’s existences because of a screen is crazy to process. Being only 13 with a platform that big, it definitely taught me the importance and consequences of a digital footprint. When you’re that young, mistakes are bound to be made, it’s all very confusing and it’s definitely a huge developmental stage and knowing that the internet is forever is scary.”

When did your music interest peak? How did you know that's what you wanted to do next?

Vara: “Between ages 5-10 music was my entire life. I started playing violin at 5 and piano and singing lessons at 8. I annoyed the shit out of my parents with my god-awful practicing but it was all I wanted to do. As I got older, I pursued more interests but music was still my priority. My senior year of high school I decided to take it more seriously and released a couple of covers. Immediately after graduating, I started writing and writing and writing and basically haven’t stopped since.”

What influences you to write? How does songwriting help you in your daily life?

Vara: “I like to think I’m a writer before I’m a singer. 99% of my songs stem from poems I’ve written, 99% of which are written about circumstances in my life where people have let me down. Whether that be a romantic situation that went south, politicians and their responses to current issues, or even when I let myself down. Songwriting helps significantly because I don’t go to therapy, I don’t journal, and I don’t particularly vent in any other form than writing. It’s basically how I process events that are deeply bothering me.”

"Paranoia" is a bop! How did you write it?

Vara: “Thank you! It was written summer of 2021, so I’ve been sitting on it for a while but I always knew that I wanted it as the first single. We wrote it at an Airbnb like 20 minutes from where I live in Clearwater, FL and I think the song was done in like 20 minutes. The verses and pre’s were a little tricky because we played around different lyric variations for a bit but it was one of those that flowered really nicely. I love the song and I’m so happy I finally can share it with the world.”

What's next for yourself? Any more singles coming out soon?

Vara: “Since you ask, yes, single number two will be announced very soon. I’m so excited because I think it’s even more vulnerable than ‘Paranoia’ (if that was possible) but I don’t wanna give too much away.”

Being a small artist is simultaneously the most challenging and rewarding. What do you find the most challenging right now? Rewarding?

Vara: “What I would consider the most challenging as a small artist right now would be the ‘business’ end of the music industry. I am very much a creative and like to spend as much time in the studio writing or recording as possible. Spending so much time, love, and energy on making the music and then worrying about if it’s ‘TikTok worthy’ or if anyone will hear it is not fun for me. The most rewarding thought is when someone listens to my music and relates or connects with it; it makes me feel seen and literally heard.”

Do you plan on bridging the gap between your YouTube and music careers? Will your audience see more of both?

Vara: “I really hope to find a way to bridge that gap at some point. I think a lot of fans don’t know much about their favorite musician’s personality, and if I’m gonna continue writing intimate and vulnerable material I definitely want the people listening to know who I am as a person too.”

When you aren't online, what can we find you doing?

Vara: “I am a huge film bro so you’d definitely find me watching a movie or TV show. I wish more people respected it as a hobby because it’s very exhausting work. I also love to read; I’m currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Most of my free time is spent ensuring that I’m so distracted it’s impossible for a thought to form in my brain.”

What's one piece of advice you have kept with you since the beginning of your career?

Vara: “Trust your gut. I like to think I have a very keenly intuitive instinct and bullshit detector. I have a bad habit of convincing myself that I’m wrong or overthinking and ignore my gut, and every time I am reminded why it is so important to trust it. There are always a lot of different people throwing their own advice and opinions around, but you have to stick to you. The music industry is definitely one that people like to exploit and if you have a bad feeling about a situation, don’t push it down (yes, I referenced my own song, I’m not sorry).”

FIND VARA ONLINE

WEBSITE TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

NOAH IN THE OPEN: INTERVIEW

December 17, 2022

by martina rexrode

Noah in the Open is an up-and-coming alternative-indie artist based in Boston who should be on your radar. After touring with Noah Kahan as his guitar player for the past couple months, he is ready to make his unique perspective in music known through his newest single "Mission Failed" which features a minimal, raw production style different from anything he's released prior. To keep up with Noah in the Open, be sure to follow him on social media (@noahintheopen) and look out for his next release.

You’ve toured with Noah Kahan as his lead guitarist for a couple months this year, give or take. How has that experience been?

Noah: “It’s honestly been the most amazing and pivotal experience in my life to date. As my own artist project is obviously growing at a much different rate than Noah Kahan’s, I had never played for a crowd larger than a couple hundred people. To go from that, straight into music halls filled with 5000+ people has truly been the experience of a lifetime. Not to mention that NK and his entire band/crew/team have been the most welcoming and genuinely kind people to someone jumping into this at such a young age.”

Has being in a touring band impacted the way you view or work on your personal music at all?

Noah: “I won’t lie, before I came on board with this, I had my worries that touring like this would cause me to neglect my own artistry. But honestly, I’ve felt that this whole experience has only elevated it in almost all aspects. I regard Noah Kahan as truly one of the best songwriters I’ve come across in this industry and to be able to take inspiration from him every day into my own music is a privilege in itself. Additionally, aside from the value of getting a true touring experience to really see how things actually work at this level, the consistency of new surroundings and copious amounts of free time have allowed me to write more music than I ever have before.”

Your recent single “Mission Failed” is such a raw, stripped down song compared to your other releases that feature more layers of production. What inspired you to explore this style for this specific single?

Noah: “I wasn’t initially inspired to make something like this. The song underwent three completely different production styles before I landed on the final version. All three of them just didn’t tell the story how I wanted it to, and I wasn’t a fan of just playing it on an acoustic guitar, so I called up a dear friend, songwriter, and musician whom I admire so much. I asked Cameron Thistle (1/2 of The Thistle Bros) to let me use his upright piano in his Boston apartment to have him play the piano part for me. We set up 4 microphones around the room and took a couple passes through the song, and eventually landed on this stripped piano and vocal version. The simplicity of the production, I felt, elevated the songwriting to a level that additional production would only distract from.”

How has the release of “Mission Failed” been different from other singles you’ve put out?

Noah: “Aside from the difference in the typical upbeat alt-pop production I usually have on display, this specific release has managed to gain a whole new fanbase supporting and cheering me on. Ever since I joined Noah Kahan on the road, a select number of his fans have found me and started to follow my music and my journey. After the first leg of the fall tour, I was surprised and extremely grateful to see that my numbers/followers had nearly tripled, ‘Mission Failed’ was organically climbing in listeners after every show, and I all of a sudden have been receiving demand to play solo shows in cities I’d never been before.”

I saw that you wrote this song in 30 minutes! Is this the first time you’ve gotten lyrics on a page so quickly? Do you think the specific circumstance behind the song helped to allow the lyrics to flow so freely, almost like a journal entry?

Noah: “I actually think that’s pretty on the nose. I don’t typically write a song that fast, but when it’s a situation where I’m writing a song because I need to write it for my own way of coping, the words spill out almost instantly, coming a lot easier than if I sat down to write a song just to write a song.”

Is there anything you can say about what listeners should expect from the eventual concept album this single is introducing?

Noah: “I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ll say this. This song is the start to a collection of work that will tell one huge cohesive story. It speaks about death, the different ways I’ve perceived it as I grow up, and the pivotal relationships in my life that have led me to where I am now. Very excited to eventually have this out for the world.”

Will future singles follow the same stripped down style, or will they showcase a mix of styles?

Noah: “As I am 20 years old and constantly changing as I grow, I think it’s safe to say that my music will follow suit. The only promise I can make is I will always continue to make the music that makes me happy.”

FIND NOAH ONLINE

TWITTER INSTAGRAM

MICHAL LEAH: INTERVIEW

December 16, 2022

by emma schoors

With the upcoming arrival of her debut EP, Michal Leah has graciously opened a door to being further understood and embraced by her fans. “I feel like I’m finally getting a chance to introduce myself to the world for who I really am and who I want to become,” Leah says. We had the pleasure of catching up with the songstress to dive into her upcoming debut EP, her reaction to “The Way I Love You”s widespread resonance, and more.

“Creativity definitely goes on for generations in my family,” Leah says. “As a kid, my mom sent both me and my brother to a music preschool, so it was all around us.” Constant exposure to song undoubtedly inspired her pursuit of musicianship, but it’s also provided her with fond memories to look back on. “I remember sitting in the piano room with my fellow preschoolers and sitting on the round rug on the floor,” she recollects. “We were singing ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles. That song will forever give me a cozy, comforting feeling.” Music isn’t Leah’s only passion, however. While the emotional response music elicits is her calling, the wonders of wildlife and nature have also piqued her curiosity.

Marine biology sparked Leah’s interest from an early age. “I mean, 95% of the ocean is undiscovered,” she says, joking that the percentage may not be totally accurate. “I always wanted to be able to care for and understand marine animals. Maybe I still can someday!” Leah emphasizes her current focus on music: “Right now I adore being a musician and wouldn’t want to be pursuing anything else,” but the future could pull her back towards the waves. “The ocean has always fascinated me, and is still something I love to learn about.”

On standout single “The Way I Love You,” written about someone special to her, Leah’s innermost tenderness is laid to bare. “It was such an amazing process to be able to express the way I feel about him in words,” she says. “I was also super excited about this song because I couldn’t wait to see if people felt the way I did about their significant others.” Since its release, the song has soundtracked thousands of relationships via social media. “I don’t know if you’ve seen all the videos people are posting using the song, but it’s the most heartwarming content I’ve ever seen,” she beams. The response has been “truly magical” for the singer. “It’s a big honor to be a part of something that had such a positive impact on the internet even just for a quick moment,” she says. “It also made me so happy that people felt good in their relationship, whether it be a significant other, a friend, or their little puppy Richard.”

Most recently Leah released her debut EP’s lead single “Used To It,” in which the singer is more artistically immersive than ever. “You don't always have to get over someone, there's no map or blueprint or step by step process. It's important to just be okay with that,” she says. If it feels like Leah is singing directly to your situation, or uncovering feelings you thought previously inaccessible, there’s a good reason why: “With this song I wanted to paint a picture of heartbreak — I wanted people to hear this and be able to see themselves inside their own story.”

“Pretending,” another heartwrenching song on the tracklist, arose from Leah’s experience adjusting to adulthood. “Graduating high school last year was a tougher transition than I anticipated and came with a lot of change,” she says. “I think growing out of friendships and relationships is a big part of learning about who you are and who you want to be. For me, this song feels like a marker on the timeline of my teen years.” Stylistically, Leah takes inspiration from Frank Sinatra, Daniel Caeser, Brandi Carlile, Adele, Billie Eilish, and Etta James, reaffirming her musical versatility. “I also really admire the energy that Coldplay has in their live shows and can’t wait to play stadiums one day,” she says.

Leah’s lyrics are a centerpoint of her work, and a line that sticks out to her as personally relevant is “I’ll tell the whole world, top of my lungs,” from “The Way I Love You.” “For a few reasons. One being that I’m a big sap and I’m super in love with my super sweet boyfriend,” she laughs. Every song she’s released as of yet has dug its way into listener’s hearts and minds, and though Leah’s work has always been laser-focused on the many facets of love and heartache, this EP is her truly breaking out of her shell. “I’m just grateful that anyone on the internet cares enough to come on this journey with me,” she concludes. “This feels like the very beginning.”

FIND MICHAL ONLINE

TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

'TWIN SIZED BED' / THAVORON: REVIEW

December 15, 2022

by mariah estran

Thavoron’s divine and moving vocals drift through succinct guitar strings as you descend into his childhood solitude on “Twin Sized Bed.” The Seattle-based artist’s latest single to join the collection of vulnerably raw depictions.

The looping simplicity of guitar strums and soul-piercing lyricism hold a hint of nostalgic, emo-tinged balladry. Singing, “Loving you gets harder – when the only thing I know’s alone.” Blunt truthfulness that concludes softly through bright, heavenly-like tones.

Thavoron brings you into the headspace he once felt – the constant battle with understanding his loneliness. He shares, “Ever since I was a kid, my parents made sure I never, ever had to sleep on a twin-sized bed.” Further elaborating, “I was always fed and protected, yet I felt alone for basically my entire childhood.”

“Twin Sized Bed” is a self-reflective journey. The bare production delivers listeners an opportunity to feel each minute as if it’s in their bones.

Loneliness is not exclusive to one person or one specific circumstance. Thavoron allows the time to dissect that feeling through another alluringly unfeigned composition.