LISTEN MAG ISSUE 007 - CAUTIOUS CLAY

LISTEN MAG A NEW YORK–BASED ONLINE MUSIC-LIFESTYLE PUBLICATION THAT BRINGS YOUR NEW FAVORITE ARTIST TO THE SURFACE.

TEAM FOUNDER: CHRISTOPHER WALSH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: SIMRAN SHARMA ART DIRECTOR: SAM MORGAN DESIGNER: JOE CHONG SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: STEPHANIE RAMIREZ COPY EDITOR: CHLOE ANDERSON WRITER: AMANDA PERLSTIEN WRITER: CATHERINE FITZPATRICK

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CONTENTS

SNAPSHOT SEDONA NOAH GUY KYMIE HADJI GAVIOTA SAMARIA OLIVIA ESCUYOS CAUTIOUS CLAY PLAYLIST ALASKA REID ANNA SHOEMAKER TOBi

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Proud to present you all the seventh issue of LISTEN. We’d like to thank everybody who has bought a copy, followed us, or engaged in our content in any way. Your support allows us to grow and flourish, without everybody’s support we wouldn’t be here doing what we love. Here’s to more years together.

Until Next Time, Chris

SNAPSHOT PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

ARUBA

WITH LOVE FROM,

SEDoNA PHOTOS: @CAITFAIRBANKS

WORDS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Sedona’s sound emerges from the nostalgic dark undertow of hook-filled antics.

Conjuring up female leads like Stevie Nicks and Madonna, the LA-bred, Brooklynbased songstress seamlessly fuses elements from the 80s with modern-pop trends to create a bold, fresh, and unique sound that is unmatched. The ever-evolving Sedona, alongside her band, truly set themselves apart from the over-saturated indie-pop space.

On the group’s debut EP, Rearview Angel, the pop innovators mastered the art of creating a cathartic and immersive soundscape, shedding through different layers of vulnerability from the beginning, with the slow burning opener “Paper Moon.”

While closing the album with the extremely anthemic and empowering track, “Soft Machine.” The group ebbs and flows through different emotions using 80s inspired-synth-bops accompanied by beautifully written memories that just make you melt. In an immersive conversation, Sedona discusses her musical journey, songwriting process, the makings of Rearview Angel and more.

How did you guys meet/how did the band form?

We met through friends and fellow musician pals. I’ve always wanted to have a band involved with the writing, I think creating something with others is very powerful. I’m lucky to have found people who I enjoy being with both inside and outside creating songs together. Even as friends I adore them.

What is the creative process like amongst band members?

I’m still very much in the experimentation phase of writing music. I think I’ll always be. For Rearview Angel, I wrote half the songs with producer pals and half the songs with the band. I think the ebb and flow of writing with a producer and writing with a band creates a cool quilt of sounds.

I agree. It feels very diversified throughout the EP and some songs you can feel the live instrumentation. It feels very natural!

Thank you! I love being involved in a song every step of the way. I co-produce all the songs, and really love focusing on arrangement. I love allowing a song to take shape as naturally as possible. That’s how the EP came to be. Each song was made with collaborators I hold near and dear to my heart. I’m really happy with the evolution of the story and the sound throughout the EP itself.

Also, congrats on releasing your debut EP! How did it come to be? Was the release process difficult during the pandemic?

As much as it’s been hard to keep sharing and pushing through the isolation that has come with this pandemic, it also feels like a really amazing time to be sharing because we’re all locked in our bedrooms, and I think this new level of solitude creates a different relationship with appreciating music, or at least for me it has.

I listen to music constantly throughout my day. The releases I’ve been hearing like my new favorite band called Slow Pulp, it’s been keeping me sane. I think it’s important to find a balance in propelling yourself forward and being able to share things that can help others cope with everything that’s going on. I think music is a huge part of that.

What was the creative process behind Rearview Angel?

Some of the songs were written a while ago about a year and half ago. The process for me is different every time, sometimes it starts with a poem or a vocal melody, or a jam of me and a friend. Other times it starts with me bringing a more thought out idea to a producer, like a vocal melody or a story that I want to tell. Every song was produced by someone different and I really like that as a reflection of my first body of work because it shows many different sides of the same coin. A lot of bands have one sound. Some of my favorite bands have that.

Others don’t. Sedona’s sound, it’s a little different, a little bit more playful.

From the outside, it looks like all your creative direction for your videos have been heavily influenced by the 80s. What made you guys decide to join in on the 80s revival?

I’m heavily influenced by older music. 70s rock. 80’s pop. I could go on and on. But I think everyone who’s a part of the Sedona cinematic universe and anyone who collaborates with me wants to present me in an authentic way, and I think that’s why the photo shoots have become so in tune with my style and my influences as a listener.

What’s your favorite song off of Rearview Angel?

I love the process of writing and recording, but once it’s done I like to let the songs go. If I’m having a really bad day, I’ll play a few songs and be like “Ok keep going, life is gonna figure itself out.” But I don’t tend to listen to my songs once they’re out.

I’m trying to get better at that. In terms of the meaning behind each song, they’re all so special to me. I can’t pick one. The process in how they were written and the meaning behind them all, I could give a breakdown as to which song hits a chord for me. Paper Moon is definitely the most vulnerable for me and the hardest to share. “Crying On My Own” was the homage to 80’s Sophistipop. “Best in Show” is a surf rock, beach swamp party of a tune. That’s how you know you’re approaching the middle of the EP. You’re paddling through the waves. “No Reply from Hollywood” is an after-hours you end up at after the beach party, and when you come out of the water and dry off, you wake up on the sand, and you realize you’re either super hungover or sad.

That’s when you soak in your feelings to “Far Away.”

“Far Away” for me is definitely one of the songs that are one of the most cathartic to listen to sonically. Then there’s “Leaving The Chapel,” which is this shoegaze-y blob of 80s-90s rock all mixed into one, and I really love how it’s this amoeba of different sounds coming together. “Soft Machine” is the closing track, that’s the one last punch in the face of sound.

Who are you listening to right now?

I’ve been listening to The Durutti Column all morning! Slow Pulp, Faye Webster, and of course I’m always listening to Fleetwood Mac. Men I Trust, Stevie Wonder, The Byrds, The Mamas & Papas, and The Millenium.

Philadelphia native, Noah Guy, is a singer, songwriter, and filmmaker, who needs to be on your radar. On his debut EP SUMDAY the rising star fuses elements of jazz and R&B to completely immerse you into his vivid world of horns with a sense of adolescent joy. The opening track “STREETLIGHTS’’ showcases the singer-songwriter’s soul-resonating vocals over a simple piano, with rainlike sounds subtly falling throughout, creating an extremely immersive and intimate tone before transitioning into a cryptic outro. Themes of infatuation, heartbreak, and optimism are woven seamlessly into sun-drenched melodies with whimsical pop flare peeking through on each track. Utilizing his filmmaking background alongside cinematographer Danny Gevirtz, the duo have successfully created an authentic and animated realm that embodies SUMDAY. We had the opportunity to dig deeper alongside Noah Guy into the process behind releasing his extremely freeing debut EP.

PHOTOS: DANA VERALDI WORDS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

NOAH GUY

Do you mind introducing yourself?

Hey! I’m Noah Guy. I’m 21, based in Brooklyn and from Philadelphia, constantly bouncing between those two. I’m a singersongwriter, really sinking my teeth into it over the past year, and I’m proud of that.

I’m in film school at NYU, first started at a small liberal arts college then eventually transferred to NYU. I make music that pulls influences from R&B, old soul, hip-hop, alt-R&B, definitely merging a ton of things.

We’re in an increasing genre-fluid music world.

was a producer that worked on his own stuff.

I was like “Hey man I got this whole song outlined down to the trumpets, bass lines,” and was just like “Do you wanna build it out with me?” We locked in and released that without any expectation at all and at that time didn’t even think that making music was feasible. So we put it up two days later on streaming services without knowing anything about marketing or promotion, but we got a couple hundred thousand in the first few months and that’s what gave me the motivation to make it a consistent thing.

What is your earliest music related memory?

So I think for me, it was in the back of my dad’s car. My dad was an artist as well, doing a lot of cover bands and stuff. He was a huge Motown old soul kinda head and he had this “Motown’s Greatest Hits” CD that he would play in the car. When I was a little kid around 2-3, I remember being obsessed with songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and listening to those on repeat because the CD was stuck in his jeep, so it was that on repeat every time we’d get into the car. So 3-4 years old, remembering those sounds being glued into my head and even pre-school years I was so obsessed with these records that were so beyond my time and for my age it was very strange. But there’s just something about those sounds that are always being kind of strategically placed in current stuff through its influence.

Motown was a huge launchpad for so many different genres these days.

Over the past year, before COVID kicked off, I was up in New York and working with different artists getting in sessions as a songwriter as well as an artist. Meeting friends and gigging and kind of through that process I’ve met a couple of people, like a producer in Philly who works with acts like Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, and Jasmine Sullivan as an engineer.

We worked on some songs and through that process, working on some stripped back more minimal stuff, let me piece together a couple little takes from the year and because it’s definitely been an exploration for me during this early phase. We pieced together a couple of different sounds a couple of different takes to give me the broadest scope possible of who Noah Guy is and create this and really large launchpad for future projects and I think that all the tracks I pulled are centered around the concept of time and how time affects me.

So I think “STREETLIGHTS,” which was my interlude, really focused on falling out of love and the time of being in a relationship where you can see the ending on the wall. “Song Our Time Creates” was about falling into love and “BIG FAT LIAR” was really about the time of infatuation and waiting on your chance to make it in the industry. “Little Bloomer” is about aging and the anxiety around that.

It’s a very time centered project but I think in different vibes.

You just released your debut project SUMDAY. What was the process behind it?

When I left the liberal arts college I was attending in Gettysburg, PA, I released my first song “Love Like I Do.” I built it out in my voice memos and didn’t really know much about production but I would go home on breaks with my buddy that went to NYU, and we were from the same town, and he

I can feel the vulnerability in each track which leads me to my next question. When it comes to writing a song, what is your process like?

Most of your songs feel extremely vulnerable.

Do you always tend to write from a place of intense vulnerability?

Initially, for sure. Releasing “Love Like I Do” about over a year ago felt super scary to me. It was the most vulnerable thing I could release which was after getting my heartbroken by my girlfriend, who would see that after the breakup. At the time we both went to the same small liberal arts school and for me, I was thrown into that certain vulnerability and put myself out there to the highest degree. Once I work through that, if I survive that then I’ll feel a lot more comfortable being vulnerable.

From all the songs you’ve released, which one resonates with you the most?

Definitely different ones from different moments.

I think “Little Bloomer” for me was a bit more metaphorical and telling a story that wasn’t mine. Which was a story that I was afraid of living. So I think of that narrative a lot and that song was about the fear of basically being an absent person for someone you love. As I dive more into music, I realize this is definitely my release and something I want to keep pushing at. Out of all the songs, I feel like this one of the songs that has an ongoing feeling for me and I fear that it doesn’t happen to me and I am able to preserve all my relationships and keep them healthy and keep them moving.

I know you mentioned earlier that you go to NYU for film school. What made you want to dive into music?

First love was music and I definitely knew I wanted that in my life in some way, shape, or form. Whether it was on the side, or working on the business side of things either as a label starter or something like that—just because that was the day one passion for sure. When I first went to college in Gettysburg, they had this cinema and media studies major that I just fell in love with.

Growing up, I was really into indie films, foreign films, and French New Wave but wasn’t set in devoting my entire attention to it. For me, I didn’t want to major in music because I didn’t want to make it some academic process and I wanted to keep it as this exploratory passion on my own terms and on my own time. I think that it was a lot easier for me to nerd out in the classroom on the cinematography and the process of film making. But music has always been that main focus. But as I developed over the years and expanded my network, I’ve connected with this cinematographer, and with my directing background it’s something I’d like to keep alongside my music. Me and this DP, Danny Gevirtz were able to put out about six visuals, so it was definitely a nose to the grindstone sort of process and through that we definitely were able to build an aesthetic, a style, and a process that I can hopefully continue on.

When it comes to planning the visuals do you create an entire world around each song or each album?

For this first project, the plan was to create a world and create a character. Sort of this extra kid who was in this world and everything was so fantastical and it’s kind of about him, and his head is in a million different places while living in his own fantasy. That starting with “Little Bloomer” and moving through “Song Our Time Creates” and we ended with “STREETLIGHTS,” which is the opening track, but we released it last because the character matures a bit more. In the case of SUMDAY, it was definitely creating that world off of the music we had. How I went with that, each song that I would work on, when it came to shooting a music video, Danny and I would sit down and I’d write down a treatment and he would tell me what we could do together from a resource standpoint and use the world around us and not let that stuff stop us from creating the vision.

What are some things we can expect from Noah Guy in 2021?

Testing out different vibes and figuring out what the next move is going to look like in terms of my sound. We have been able to get a lot of demos done in this strange time. Revving up for the new year, we can expect a couple single releases, a few visuals, and keep that going. My cinematographer is moving to Hawaii so hopefully I’d be able to make it out there and when it’s project time in the summer. We’ll have a really cool narrative going on and in a much different location.

Who are you currently listening to?

It bounces around and I listen to so many different things! I love listening to Bakaar, Yeek, Brent Fayiaz, Daniel Caesar, Dominic Fike, love that natural raw feeling he brings to the table. Always going back to the oldies too, still listening to my soul music and a lot of old school hip-hop like Mos Def and Gangstar and The Roots and D’Angelo.

KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE KYMIE

“I DON’T BOXED IN

PHOTOS: CONNOR O’CONNOR

WORDS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Hailing from South Africa via Western Sydney, singer-songwriter KYMIE (pron. Kime-mee) channels powerfully woven, dynamic lyricism laced with ambition and flair. The R&B new-comer’s trap influenced vibe brings comparisons to artists like Tinashe and Doja Cat. On her debut album, INDECISION, produced by Kwame, the singer bounces around from subterranean trap and murky R&B bops to aggressive rap bangers. Eluding from the glossy production, gospel-influenced singing style and traditional R&B characteristics, Kymie is carving a lane of her own; swaying on woozy, atmospheric beats that feel reminiscent of chopped-n-screwed culture. On her debut she takes us through an immense roller coaster of emotions with themes based on love, lust, heartbreak, and confidence.

Logging into a Google meet call from the Down Under, we had the opportunity to speak with Kymie about the release of her debut album.

WANT TO BE N.”

Do you mind introducing yourself?

My name is Kymie. I currently live in Sydney, born and raised here.

My background is South African, my parents originated from Cape Town and I am extremely embedded in my roots although I was born here in Australia. I’m a singer-songwriter and I view myself as an overall artist. To me I feel like I’m just getting started, especially with this latest EP which is my first project!

When did you first start making music?

I’ve always been making music but properly releasing music from 2017. From 2017, I did my first proper release, which means all my music is being released on DSPs. I’ve released a few singles and now my debut EP is out which I’m so excited about. I’ve always longed to make a project kind of not knowing how to and it felt like putting all the pieces of the puzzle together and then when I finished it I was like “Oh wait! I got a project!”

In the press release, it said that you did a ton of recording in a bedroom studio. What was the creative process like during the making of INDECISION? I’ve been making music with That Boy Kwame, who’s the producer across the board on INDECISION, since 2017. It’d be a thing of, “Oh are you free this day?” because we all got side hustles, you know, and it’d be like, “Pull through to the studio at 9.” It would just be going on vibes and it all sort of just came together. When I think about the songs, you know you write so many and then you get to pick what songs you want on the EP. The songs I ended up choosing came extremely organically. Normally I’d be inspired by the beat and generate an emotion then work from there!

Was your creative process hindered by the pandemic at all?

This EP was written by the end of 2018-early 2019 and I released a single “Drop It Down,” which is the last track from INDECISION, and was released in March of 2020. I dropped it and the first week Sydney went into lock down and it was strange! Because in October of 2019 I filmed the music video which was very Doja Cat-inspired and filmed off a Macbook, it was like I almost predicted the future!

Because there was a wave of people making music videos off of their laptop and I didn’t even intend to do it to fit the current climate.

So nothing of that. But during lock down, I did finish my next EP which should be released sometime during the first six months of 2021. For INDECISION, I had waited and navigated my way being an independent artist and self-managed. I really wanted to play my cards right for my debut project. It takes people a lot more to listen to a whole project rather than a single.

Which track would you say resonates with you the most?

When I released the EP it was “Discipline,” it really got brought back to life. It’s strange, when you release music it almost rebirths itself. So listening back to it, it’s crazy how you can write a song so long ago but it can be so current to what you’re maybe going through or whatever it may be. But I think “Discipline” is currently my favorite track right now.

I also wanted to pick your brain about the Australian R&B scene. I feel like some of it is creeping its way into the states. Would you feel like it influenced your sound at all?

I’m going to be honest, absolutely not. I can only pray that I will one day, hopefully influence other people that are coming up here in Australia. But for me, I wasn’t influenced by any R&B artists here in Australia. Everybody I’ve been inspired by comes from the States.

So how is the music scene in Sydney or in Melbourne?

It’s flourishing! It’s crazy because I feel like a ton of people have been sitting on so much music because there was a solid four to five months that nobody was releasing music and now it’s like every week, every Thursday/Friday is like, “Woah, woah, woah!” It’s coming up! I mean it’s inevitable we’re all growing. When I started in 2017 and when I looked at those artists and studied their music, you can hear the growth. Which goes for me as well—if you listen to one of my first tracks in 2017 to where I am now you hear the growth, and so I think that’s what’s happening to all of us. It’s that we’re just growing and everything is starting to sound on par with the people who we are essentially competing with, all the people we’ve always put on pedestals.

Who would you say were some of your inspirations while making INDECISION? For me it was DaniLeigh, Tinashe, Summer Walker, and Kelly Rowland. I think on tracks like “Drop It Down” there was a bit of inspiration from Megan Thee Stallion there. They were the artists I was channeling while working on this project.

What made you gravitate towards that alt-R&B niche?

I just thought they were pushing the boundaries: you can hear where they originate, you can hear what they’re trying to do, and you can also hear their spin on R&B. Whether it’s through melodic rap or if they throw a bit of aggression into their sound. I just feel like they don’t like being boxed in. They’re using their strengths and experimenting with different sounds and different melodies.

Lastly, who are you currently listening to?

This year for me I’ve been listening to Mulatto. She’s so bad, I think in every single way she’s really fresh and really dope. I think Mulatto has been one of my favs for the last month.

HADJI GAVIOTA’S WELCOME TO

BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY

PHOTOS: DANIEL SCHWARTZ

WORDS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Hadji Gaviota is New York’s best kept secret. On a brisk December morning before the holiday rush, we had the opportunity to connect with him while he waited in line for a routine COVID test.

On his sophomore album, PURGATORY, the singer-songwriter takes us on a journey through his seven-track visual album experience; an experimentation of his sound like never before. Utilizing his insane falsetto, his incredible wordplay, and even dabbling in hyper-pop, the New York native might’ve just released one of the best projects of 2020. Exploring different elements in his voice, the music innovator continues to push the boundaries, toying with different pitches and tones that reveal different personas and emotions throughout the album.

Opening the album with the extremely intimate “4049 SPRUCE,” the singer-songwriter meshes together elements of hip-hop, pop and R&B, intertwined with stellar story-telling and clever punchlines that launches you into his world. Standout tracks like “GUIDO/MISS KARMA” and “1-800-PUR-GTRY” continue to push the boundaries of pop. PURGATORY is fresh and disruptive, presenting a more polished and unique version of his sound that was missing from his debut. His sophomore album places him in a league different from the rest, and we’re incredibly fortunate to witness Hadji become a powerful force in music.

Do you mind introducing yourself?

I’m Hadji Gaviota, 25 years old. I’m a musician born and raised in Queens, New York.

When did you first start getting into music?

So, I started taking music very seriously when I graduated from college about three or four years ago. I had messed around with some mixtapes. I started as a rapper but I started playing around with different sounds and other things that inspired me and tried to mix it into this unique thing. I started figuring out what that sounded like in 2018, when I made my song “Harajuku.” From there, that’s when I started to take things more seriously. During that time I was a high school teacher in the Bronx for two years. I was working as a highschool teacher and going to the studio trying to get my shit right. That was the song I started getting industry attention and started to believe in myself that I can really do it. So in 2019, I left the teaching job and started doing this shit for real.

How has the journey been to obtain the sound you have now?

As a new artist I was just learning to see what I can do. Every time I went to the studio I would try something new. The first time I started singing it was really hard for me to do. Some things are really easy for me to do but rather than repeat those things I’m like, “Well, what if I tried a falsetto?” or, “Can I go this high?” or, “Can I go this low?”’ or, “Can I try a flow like this?” You might fail like five times but the one thing that works is just addition to your repertoire. I grew up listening to a ton of different music so I have all these different influences and I feel like in the past few years, I’m able to catch up to my influences. I still think I have room to grow too which I’m pretty excited about but that’s what I would say the evolution has been about. It’s mostly been about confidence and my ability to pursue new things as well as being around some incredible engineers and producers that have been able to make that happen.

Tell us about your latest album PURGATORY. I feel like your sound has matured and feels extremely polished compared to your previous album Captain.

So Captain, I didn’t have any idea that anybody was gonna hear it. It was a little different with PURGATORY because [of] “Harajuku” did what it did. I was in this interesting situation where I wasn’t a nobody but I wasn’t making enough money to be a professional musician so that’s where the word “purgatory” came from.

So I had that name before quarantine and now that quarantine happened it feels like a double entendre. In terms of the music on it, Captain is entirely produced by one guy, Mike, one of my closest music collaborators and he also produced “4049 SPRUCE.” But the album coincided with me working with more producers.

I think that did help me expand the sound a bit, I worked with Cheddah & Pat at Shifted Recording in Brooklyn. They worked on “TELESCOPE,” “RUNNER’S HIGH,” and “CATCH THESE HANDS” with me. We started working together in September 2019 and it was a whole new experience for me with new analog equipment and shit. So, tracks two and seven were quarantine songs that I made with Jack LaBoz, where I started them in my room and sent them to him, which was a new experience for me too. Being in a space and trying weirder things like the weird beat switch on “GUIDO” or all the autotune is because I was in a room by myself and I didn’t feel like I had to impress somebody in the room, I felt like I had this room to just keep doing shit to see if it worked. I think it was just allowing myself to see it as my job. Because of that, I was able to spend a ton of time on it. Another big difference between PURGATORY and Captain is that I started doing falsettos on this one.

What made you decide to make PURGATORY a visual album? What was the creative process behind it?

As a person, I don’t watch a lot of movies, and I’ve been working on that. I feel like visuals are a really important aspect in the music space these days.

I was really lucky to meet Adam Ginsburg who has helped me like on four out of seven of those videos. Just as an artist, I’m always studying other artists and other things. It’s really hard to stand out these days just putting songs on Spotify and so I had the experience of [having] a song perform really well on the algorithm and I was like, “Is this it?” As an independent artist you don’t really get to control when that happens again, who sees your stuff, and where they interact with you. It’s very hard to bring someone from the Spotify algorithm to your Instagram or to your YouTube. I was like, “This editorial shit is great but I can never control it.” So I as an artist have the responsibility to create something that goes so much further than it and that’s what inspired me to pursue more of the video stuff.

Which song from PURGATORY resonates with you the most?

I would probably say “4049 SPRUCE.” It’s the most personal one. When I still listen to that song it makes me feel like I’m at the place where I was talking about. It’s hard to pick one because “GUIDO” was a song that I started in 2017 at 4049 so to hear the growth on that was really nice to me. “HOT AIR” I consider like a highlight reel of all kinds of things I can do as an artist. So I would say those three are the ones that resonate with me the most.

Who are you currently listening to?

I listen to alot of Dijon, he’s probably my favorite right now. Mk.gee he’s super fire and his album is crazy.

Big fan of Yeek. I really like Galimatias, he’s the man, he’s the GOAT. Also, Jean Dawson, and this L.A rap group called BlueBucksClan, I can listen to that shit all day. I really like Kyle Stockman a lot and he’s my man, “solace” is one my favorite songs from the year.

“AS AN ARTIST I HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT GOES SO MUCH FURTHER”

SAMARIA

THE BAY AREA’S FINEST PHOTOS: ACE SOCIETY WORDS: SIMRAN SHARMA

“I never want to get used to doing one thing, because I don’t want to be boxed or labeled in when I know I’m capable of doing more,” says Samaria, whose artistry and competencies aren’t limited to the historically crafted R&B mold. And evidently so, she wants the whole world to see that. Raised by the inspirational grounds of the Bay Area, the singer/songwriter— bound to music from an early age—studied the culture religiously as she started to establish her own sound, knowing the grave importance of individuality and self-expression. With the release of her debut EP, Adventures of Lovergirl, Samaria cemented herself as a personable yet mystique being, penning some of her most vulnerable experiences and making them into relatable, acoustic-driven masterpieces. And despite the success and the acclaim of the project, she is ambitiously looking forward to outgrow and outperform, taking on challenging and unconventional production and mastering it all the same on her next one.

Over a phone call on a warm California day and a freezing New York evening, Samaria talks to us about the turmoil that was the year 2020, her vision and inspirations for Adventures of Lovergirl, the gift of vulnerability, her very first influences and musical loves, the very important and often forgotten representation of the city of Berkeley, and her hopeful wisdom on a positive future for all.

2020 is going down as probably the craziest year ever. How has it been for you so far?

Growing up surrounded by the music scene and the creatives there, how has that influenced you over the years?

It’s been crazy but definitely eye-opening. I think with everything that’s going on that’s really forced me to focus on things I normally wouldn’t give a second thought. Around March, I taught myself how to record and mix myself down. My managers got me some studio equipment so it’s been really cool to be able to lock in and just make music whenever I feel like it. Whenever I get an idea, I can just knock it out right away instead of having to wait to go to the studio. That’s probably the most positive thing that’s come from all of this.

The thing I love most about the Bay Area as a whole is the style—the way people dress and the way people express themselves there is just so unique. And I know everybody thinks that about where they’re from, but I lived in a bunch of different places outside of the Bay: I lived in LA, Orange County, I’ve bounced around a lot. One thing I can say is when I lived in smaller towns, it seemed like everybody followed each other’s trends. When I was in Orange County, I was in middle school and everybody was wearing Abercrombie & Fitch.

But then you come to the Bay, and everybody literally everybody is doing their own thing. It’s hard not to be inspired by that because it’s like we may have the same clothes, but you rock it so differently than I ever would. I think it’s the same for music, and so many different songs accumulated in the Bay Area because of that reason. People are not afraid to step out into their own diversity and try out different things, and that’s what makes it so original. That’s what inspired me a lot.

You’ve been making music since a very young age, was there a particular moment when you realized you’d be able to do what you love for the rest of your life?

I started recording music when I was 16, just for fun really. I grew up on music; I always loved music and then I realized I could do this in my cousin’s living room—like I can literally make songs—but I didn’t really start taking music seriously as a career until a year after high school. When I was 19, that’s when I realized “Hey, I can actually go on tour with these songs!” They don’t just have to live on Soundcloud.

And you grew up in Oakland?

I grew up in Berkeley, actually. A lot of people, because when they’re not from the Bay, they automatically say Oakland. But Oakland and Berkeley are right next to each other, and I was born in Oakland but I always went to school in Berkeley. My dad lived in Oakland and my mom lived in Berkeley, so I went back and forth, but I was more in Berkeley. Since a lot of artists that have come [out] are from Oakland, they think everyone’s from that area.

I rep both but I feel like Berkeley’s been left out; I don’t think it gets enough credit. There’s a lot of creative people in Berkeley.

Who were your inspirations when you first started to write and make music?

Man, when I was a kid and CDs were still a thing. Shit, I sound so old. When CDs were a thing, I begged my grandmother to buy me Justin Timberlake’s album because at the time, it was just all you heard when you turned on the radio. Justified, I remember being a kid and you would hear “Cry Me a River” all the time and I was like “You gotta get me this CD so I can hear everything, I need to hear all the songs!” She got it for my birthday, and I would go sit in her car because we didn’t have speakers or anything in the house, so she’d give me the keys and I would go listen to it in the car. She had a CD stash in the car, and I came across The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and I fell in love with her (I actually recently got a Lauryn lyric tatted on my arm). Man, Destiny’s Child definitely was a huge influence for me.

And Aaliyah, my top four.

I want to talk about Adventures of Lovergirl Part 1 & 2. Was the change, in terms of the more upbeat tempo and production in Part 2, intentional?

Absolutely. I was in a completely different place when I made Part 1. I was trying really hard back then to make upbeat music but the only good songs that were coming to at the time were the acoustic, slow ones.

I kind of stuck with that because I felt that that meant something and it was kind of a checkpoint in my life and it would be wrong for me to skip past it and not share that. And I knew the upbeat stuff would come when it was ready to come, but at that point in time, it wasn’t there. So I just stuck with the flow and where I was at emotionally at that time.

For Part 2, I wouldn’t say I forced it. But I could definitely tell that I was ready to be in that space and so I was choosing different types of beats to get on.

What was intentional to set Part 2 apart from Part 1, was Part 1 was supposed to be a self-reflected project. Talking more so about myself and things I need to correct within myself. And I definitely wanted Part 2 to be like the bitter after-taste. I always have stages of grief in my head and I knew that I wanted to make Adventures of Lovergirl the whole series. So Part 1 was self-reflection, Part 2 is denial. And then it’s denial, anger, all steps that eventually lead to healing but it’s not always pretty.

How was writing to those beats different than writing to more acoustic-driven stuff like “Slowly Healing?”

It was a challenge, but when I don’t feel like I’m being challenged in writing music or I don’t feel like I’m growing, which means I’m not liking what I’m making. It was definitely a switch but I don’t think it was that hard only because I was already in a space where I wanted to get on those types of beats. I was ready for it.

Songs like “Check 4 Me,” really show your growth as an artist. What’s the process behind making a song like that?

Man, “Check 4 Me,” I was listening to a lot of old PARTYNEXTDOOR when I made that.

You and Party would sound great on a song together.

I have been manifesting that for a long time so I know it’s on its way to me but I’m being patient.

I’m a huge fan of his pen, above all else. I think he writes his ass off and I was running back to PND1 and PND2 when I made “Check 4 Me.” He does this thing in his music and it’s so subtle, but it’s ridiculous, like I would never think to do that as an artist. I heard him whistle on a track before, so for “Check 4 Me,” you know, I think a lot of times vocalists forget that we are also an instrument. We also have mouths, we can whistle, we can beatbox, we can do all this stuff. Why not do that on the track? So I had done this weird fluttering thing with my tongue and I was just really inspired by Party.

Since R&B is so vulnerable and you tend to write a lot from personal experiences, do you sometimes get nervous putting certain things in songs?

I used to, yes. Absolutely. I used to feel like if people heard this about me, they may not like me.

Or they may not understand me, or they may think I’m weird. I was in my head a lot about what others would think about what I put into my music. But as I kept putting music out, I kept getting more and more comfortable being vulnerable because of the response of people saying, “I needed to hear this,” or “I’ve been through that too!” I had to get out of my own world and my own space and get back to that young kid in that car that was listening to music on her grandmother’s CDs. I was listening to my favorite artists being vulnerable and talking about the deepest, darkest moments in their lives—I needed to hear that. So I couldn’t be selfish with my experiences. The more I created music, the more I kind of let go of that fear. I’m definitely not afraid to be as vulnerable as I need to be now.

Is there anything you’re looking forward to after this year?

One thing I’ve learned in my short 24 years, and it might sound a little clichéd, is that there’s always, always, always, a sunny day after the storm.

Some storms last longer than others, some are harsher than others, and some storms will rip you apart and take everything you have from you. And right now it’s been a long, exhausting storm for everybody and I’m just keeping that in the back of my mind that something beautiful is gonna come from it.

Lastly, one thing you love, like and hate?

Ooooh, okay let me think about this one. One thing that I love that I always try to keep around me are passionate and genuine people. Because I’m very passionate and intentional with everything I do, I like to keep likeminded people around me. Also, it’s constantly inspiring when you have people around you that are equally passionate and putting their whole heart into whatever it is they decide to do. One thing I like is long car rides.

And one thing I hate is—hate is a strong word— I strongly dislike cold weather. I’m never visiting the East Coast during the winter again!

OLIVIA ESCUYOS

With her goosebump inducing vocals and sultry slow burning tracks, singer-songwriter Olivia Escuyos is inevitably coming for the R&B crown. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, the rising star is already making waves within the R&B music scene, having garnered over 8 million streams across her videos as well as earning quite the loyal fanbase. Propelling from her debut, Preface, the rising songstress’ sound has evolved into a murky landscape, shrouded in 808s alongside her precisely layered, angelic vocals. On her intoxicating single “Take It All,” the rising star gives us a taste as to what she’s capable of, with her voice perching over a woozy hypnotic production accompanied by lust driven lyrics; a perfect combination of smooth, sexy, and bright. Even on the sensual and sultry “Ilwy,” her vocals effortlessly glide over a lucid production, proving that the R&B newcomer is ready to claim her place. With these strong releases under her belt, we’re excited to witness what’s next for Olivia.

PHOTOS: KRISTINAVALDEZ WORDS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Do you mind introducing yourself?

Hi! Wassup! I’m Olivia Escuyos and I’m currently working out of Hidden Sun Studios, in Melbourne, Australia. I’m so excited to speak with you guys.

For those who might not know, you got your start doing R&B covers on YouTube that has garnered millions of plays in the past few years. Was it difficult to cultivate your own sound when it came to the creations of your EPs? It was difficult at the start of my journey as a writer and artist because I was so used to covering songs, but I was able to use the skills I learned from covers to help inspire a direction for my sound.

Aside from being a musician you also teach vocal lessons and you’re also a vocal producer, working alongside acts like RINI. How do you feel that’s attributed to your music?

Working alongside other Melbourne R&B artists is so mutually beneficial, it helps that I’m assertive about the way I want my music to sound sonically, and when I work with other artists and help produce their vocals, it helps me to understand the things that I’d like to do with my own music and it feeds back into that creative energy.

What was the process behind “Take It All?” I was in a creative zone during quarantine. I’m sure you’ve heard that we went into some of the strictest lock down laws in the world for quite a time, so there was plenty of time to upskill and sharpen my musical tools. I worked with producer Vince Rojas, sending beats and songwriting ideas back and forth, and we sort of worked it out from afar and it just came to be.

Do the singles you’ve released this year reflect the sound/ direction we’re going to hear in your upcoming EP or debut album?

Not at all actually, I feel like only as of right now I’m starting to progress in my sound and style; the way I want it to feel and the way I want to write. So really, I think we’re just getting started on my music, and I hope that my future EPs and debut album will reflect the evolution of the true artist in me.

How do you feel that you’ve grown (sonically, artistically, etc) since your debut EP Preface?

I’ve definitely dived deeper into my musicianship since then.

As I evolve and grow in life, I’m able to use these experiences and expand my music both sonically and lyrically. Perspective is another thing that constantly changes so I make sure to be aware of my thoughts and the things around me for inspiration When it comes to creating a song, what’s your creative process behind it?

It varies depending on my mood on the day. It’s never really the same. I find writing in this sort of way, rather than in a rigid formula, is so much more enjoyable as I don’t really need to depend on anything to get the creative process started. I guess sometimes it can stem from a conversation I’ve had recently or a melody that pops into my head. Maybe even a life topic I’ve been exploring that week.

Do you think Melbourne has influenced your sound at all?

How is the music scene there?

The music scene in Melbourne is very diverse. R&B is definitely one of the smaller scenes over here, there’s not many of us around. It’s been really good since signing with Hidden Sun Records as my management team, with the new studio here we’ve really been able to bridge heaps of R&B artists in Melbourne together to work and collaborate with each other. When there’s so many other dominant genres in Melbourne, I’ve learned to be more versatile when it comes to branching out and picking up different sounds, and incorporating them into my own unique sound.

Any tips you want to give to any aspiring independent musicians?

Research. Research the people that inspire you. Research the industry. Learn as much as you can, really. Invest in some vocal or instrumental lessons if you can. And if you’re contemplating whether or not to dip your toe in music, just do it! Dive in, because often we put our dreams on a pedestal and if we just take the first baby step of writing and releasing a song, you honestly never know where it might take you.

Who are you currently listening to?

Right now I’m inspired by Teyana Taylor, Victoria Monét, Frank Ocean, and the late Michael Jackson. Invincible is underrated.

Cautious Clay WORDS: SIMRAN SHARMA

PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Bright ambition: the rise and rise of Cautious Clay.

He’s an artist equipped with being a “semi-big deal” (according to The Fader) and often referred to as the one walking the fine line between fame and anonymity. Over the past few years—and nearly a decade or so to him, personally—he has steadily built an admirable CV across all aspects of music-making: songwriting, producing, engineering and performing. Since his ambitious debut in 2018, he has collaborated with bucket list worthy names like John Mayer, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Ellie Goulding, and Billie Eilish, toured around the world, successfully delivered new projects without many helping hands, was blaring through everyone’s TV speakers via shows such as 13 Reasons Why and Insecure, and in the meantime, making beloved tunes in the comfort of his home. Is there anything Cautious Clay can’t do?

He’s learning to accept help, he says. “I don’t like to rely on people because they’re so hard to read, and you can’t guarantee anything. And I didn’t even have a mixing person until recently. I have mixed all of–90% of what you’ve heard of mine is mixed by me.”

Clay’s anxiety and uncertainty on the matter is justifiable as he recalls never actually having anyone assist him since he embarked on this journey at the age of 18, with a Soundcloud account and a plethora of remixes on his mind. “I was a big Soundcloud head. I was a part of that community. I never really popped off but I had sort of a following in the beat world and production world. I would just do remixes of a lot of different artists’ music.” The production frenzy soon turned the multi-instrumentalist into a master of the craft, and he decided to try and excel in the next big thing: recording his vocals. “I started trying [recording] around the same time I was remixing, but remixing was easier. So I was getting really really into producing first, I got super, super over-qualified at making beats, basically. And then I was also trying to write but I didn’t know how to record my voice. That’s why I’d always get vocal samples and make crazy things around them. So yeah, it was sort of a process.” The transition from solely producing to recording wasn’t a clear trajectory, Clay clarifies. He was unsure of the hows and whats of recording, and even more so of the appeal of his own voice. “I had to teach myself how to record my voice properly. Which, I already didn’t really like how my voice sounded, so it took a second to get used to that. And then also to make it sound like it was actually good, because you could have a good voice but not know how to record yourself.” And in the midst of this crucial learning experience, there were no extended hands of guidance, leading Clay into a self-taught bubble which he still holds dear. “I didn’t really have anybody who I felt like could do that for me, very well. There was a studio in this place called The Vern in my school and the audio engineers there were really bad.

I just had to learn, took me a while.

And it ended up obviously helping a lot because I could put out a project without telling anybody that it was happening. I definitely valued that experience. I didn’t know how to do it, I was just on Soundcloud.”

Thus, the challenging and dubious act of welcoming new assistance plagues the usual one-man team that makes up Cautious Clay. However, he admits it’s another learning process–only this time he is schooling himself to be more open and conceding. “I do have some collaborators,” he says of his ongoing rapport.

“This guy who is also a contemporary of mine, was actually a lot bigger than me on Soundcloud, so it’s kind of funny. His name’s Hxns, he’s a really talented producer and we work on ideas sometimes.”

Despite being surrounded by some of the most skilled and artistic individuals, the stickler for perfection inside Clay is inescapable when it comes to his music. “These last two songs that I have just put out were not mixed by me. And I liked it, obviously and wouldn’t change anything. But that additional process is certainly giving me a little more anxiety, because I’m like ‘this guy is mixing my whole album now’ you know? And there’s certain things I’m like, ‘I don’t think he’s gonna do a better mix than me on this one.’ My manager’s like, ‘well he has to do the whole thing!’ And I’m like ‘that’s not how this works, you know.’” Clay is persistent about this because he is passionate about this, and you can see it in his face when he speaks on the subject, his voice the sturdiest it has been throughout the conversation. “I’m completely willing to concede when someone does a better job than me, I’m not like stupid,” he says referring to the new modification of his process. “But there’s some stuff where it’s frustrating because I gotta tell him what to do and I try to do that, but it’s still just not right and I can’t explain why.

It’s a new process for me, I have never done this before. I’m learning to try and collaborate with another person who is incredibly talented at what they do but it’s not their music. So, it’s just another level of emailing and talking, and I don’t like that but I’m trying to motivate myself to just be like ‘Okay.’ They’re great, I’m not mad, but I just want to do it. I want it to be done.”

Clay’s anxiety and uncertainty on the matter is justifiable as he recalls never actually having anyone assist him since he embarked on this journey at the age of 18, with a Soundcloud account and a plethora of remixes on his mind. “I was a big Soundcloud head. I was a part of that community. I never really popped off but I had sort of a following in the beat world and production world. I would just do remixes of a lot of different artists’ music.” The production frenzy soon turned the multi-instrumentalist into a master of the craft, and he decided to try and excel in the next big thing: recording his vocals. “I started trying [recording] around the same time I was remixing, but remixing was easier. So I was getting really, really into producing first, I got super, super over-qualified at making beats, basically. And then I was also trying to write but I didn’t know how to record my voice. That’s why I’d always get vocal samples and make crazy things around them. So yeah, it was sort of a process.”

The transition from solely producing to recording wasn’t a clear trajectory, Clay clarifies. He was unsure of the hows and whats of recording, and even more so of the appeal of his own voice. “I had to teach myself how to record my voice properly. Which, I already didn’t really like how my voice sounded, so it took a second to get used to that. And then also to make it sound like it was actually good, because you could have a good voice but not know how to record yourself.”

And in the midst of this crucial learning experience, there were no extended hands of guidance, leading Clay into a self-taught bubble which he still holds dear. “I didn’t really have anybody who I felt like could do that for me, very well. There was a studio in this place called The Vern in my school and the audio engineers there were really bad. I just had to learn, took me a while. And it ended up obviously helping a lot because I could put out a project without telling anybody that it was happening. I definitely valued that experience. I didn’t know how to do it, I was just on Soundcloud.”

Thus, the challenging and dubious act of welcoming new assistance plagues the usual one-man team that makes up Cautious Clay.

However, he admits it’s another learning process— only this time he is schooling himself to be more open and conceding. “I do have some collaborators,” he says of his ongoing rapport. “This guy who is also a contemporary of mine, was actually a lot bigger than me on Soundcloud, so it’s kind of funny. His name’s Hxns, he’s a really talented producer and we work on ideas sometimes.” Despite being surrounded by some of the most skilled and artistic individuals, the stickler for perfection inside Clay is inescapable when it comes to his music. “These last two songs that I have just put out were not mixed by me. And I liked it, obviously, and wouldn’t change anything. But that additional process is certainly giving me a little more anxiety, because I’m like, ‘This guy is mixing my whole album now,’ you know? And there’s certain things I’m like, ‘I don’t think he’s gonna do a better mix than me on this one.’ My manager’s like, ‘Well he has to do the whole thing!’ And I’m like ‘That’s not how this works, you know.’”

Clay is persistent about this because he is passionate about this, and you can see it in his face when he speaks on the subject, his voice the sturdiest it has been throughout the conversation. “I’m completely willing to concede when someone does a better job than me, I’m not like stupid,” he says referring to the new modification of his process.

“But there’s some stuff where it’s frustrating because I gotta tell him what to do and I try to do that, but it’s still just not right and I can’t explain why. It’s a new process for me, I have never done this before. I’m learning to try and collaborate with another person who is incredibly talented at what they do but it’s not their music. So, it’s just another level of emailing and talking, and I don’t like that but I’m trying to motivate myself to just be like ‘Okay.’ They’re great, I’m not mad, but I just want to do it. I want it to be done.”

Much like the production and engineering element, Clay is a very careful and intentional writer. In the past, he has depicted intricate stories in his songs—some personable and some ambiguous—but all of them equally relatable and prevalent. “Sometimes I do build a narrative, but it’s not my default. Because I feel like sometimes when you’re telling a story, like if I’m telling a story I want to paint a picture too. Being super literal for me is something I can do but I take some time.” He acknowledges doing something similar before, and gives an example of it in his song “Stolen Moments,” where there isn’t a definite story. “I wrote it, like, ‘I don’t wanna listen to a single word you told me / Every time you approach I feel lost’ and it’s just like I’m just talking. It’s a little bit more vague, absolute. Like it’s something I’m feeling and it’s happening and I’m saying it, but I’m not telling a narrative.”

And although writing for others in addition to writing for self can be precarious for some, for Clay it is quite straightforward. “Writing can be very personal, but when I’m writing for other people I kind of just put everything out on the table, usually. ‘What about that, what about this?’ I do know though when it’s something I’m writing for me, for sure.” On his own writing process, he reveals it to be a more private, melody and lyric-driven affair. “I’m on my own a lot of times when I’m writing. I’ll think of melodies, and actually write later on. Or I’ll have a lyric that I love. I have a song coming out called “Roots,” and the lyric is, ‘From atoms at the comets / Life is never promised / You can make me wanna lie and be dishonest.’ And I just liked how that flowed, and it ended up sort of inspiring the song “Roots” and how you can have so much in common with someone but at the same time, you’re never sure if that relationship will actually blossom into anything or maybe it just kinda ends. That happens all the time. I just wanted to think of the idea that having roots doesn’t necessarily mean that a flower will grow.”

Unlike the unproductive and stagnant year most of us have had, Clay has spent the better half of the chaotic 2020 working tirelessly to perfect and polish his debut album, set to be released later on this year. He opens up about the conceptualization of it and how his approach this time around is grounded by raw, realistic consequences. “I didn’t always have an idea, I actually came up with the concept on vacation with my girlfriend. It must have been January, it was two ideas but one of them was better as to who I am, what has been leading up to this conceptually as Cautious Clay,” he says. “I feel like I deal with a lot of things around identity and relationships and trying to be the best version of yourself in a very holistic way. I felt like I wanted to continue that narrative but from a more realistic approach. Like this is who we are, and we can deal with it head on without feeling guilty or self-doubt. I think there’s so much self-care and positivity that’s necessary right now. I feel like that’s my goal to spread that, but with a realistic lens. Self-care can also mean self-improvement and you can take ownership over things and not feel super guilty as long as you’re coming from a place of love.”

His inspiration and motivation was ironically provided by the stoppage of life as we knew it back in March, the infamous quarantine era. “I was living with my girlfriend’s family for four months, I didn’t come back to New York until August 30th. That was very inspiring. We were very isolated in this small town in Massachusetts and it’s very spread out.

But it was really nice to be there during quarantine, because there was a ton of space, a lot of trees. I pretty much did 40% of my album there, and 50% I had done prior and 10% I finished here [New York].” He credits his girlfriend as well for, she sparked an unexpected inspiration through the most eccentric yet amusing way. “This one song I wrote last month or so was inspired by my girlfriend being in med school. She brought home a box of human bones, and I basically was kind of like ‘We’re all just boxes of bones’ and it’s the realistic approach that I was talking about, like the reality we’re in. Boxes of bones that we have to take care of. We live and then we die and then we’re just flesh and bones.”

Life may have inevitably halted in the past months, but it hasn’t managed to take away Clay’s excitement and thrill surrounding the release of his first full-length album. With two major singles already out, and equally exciting “videos on the way,” Clay confesses he has taken his time with the project, refining and improving it from all ends. “I’m still thinking about how I want the first song to happen. But the first song has to set the tone for an album, that’s important. It is objective, I’m not trying to be like it’s so much more important than my past stuff, but I just want it to feel really good and special and not rushed.”

Witnessing the growth of Cautious Clay in real time has been nothing short of awe-inspiring and exhilarating. From Blood Type—a debut in the form a foundation of his identity—now crossing the mark of 100 million streams to his rapidly growing audience showering support in tenfold, there isn’t anyone who deserves this more than him. But does the ever so diligent and orderly artist have dull, uninspiring days? “I usually just ignore it. I just go through the motions but then I just hangout with my roommates,” he says of the days that feel mundane. “I also try to watch shows. I watched I May Destroy You and Big Mouth and I like to get inspired like that too. Everyone feels uninspired sometimes, but you can’t let it get to you. Remembering that we’re all just kids, trying not to get too serious. I also listen to a lot of jazz when I’m trying to feel comfortable.”

It’s almost absurd to ask any sane person what they’re looking forward to in the next few months, considering the endless cycle of the same maelstrom we’re all reluctantly trapped in. But I voice the question anyways, curious about his outlook. As expected, he has to rack his brain to come up with a reasonable answer. “I’m looking forward to the album release, hopefully traveling. Getting the vaccine, the vaccine working,” he says.

And then with an exasperated sigh that sums up every educated person’s sentiment nationwide, he adds “I’m really hoping we can go outside, I hope this fucking country gets some goddamn sense. No one is enjoying this!”

007

007

ALASKA

REID

WORDS: AMANDA PERLSTEIN

PHOTOS: AUDREY HALL

Calling from her Montana childhood bedroom, Alaska Reid picks up our Zoom the day before her debut solo EP, Big Bunny, is set to drop via Terrible Records.

Just as effortlessly cool, personable and honest as her music, Reid describes her early experience training to be an opera singer, playing shows up and down LA’s Sunset strip at 14 years old, from fronting critically acclaimed rock band, Alyeska, to navigating the music industry as a young woman, writing with her partner A.G. Cook, and some of the nostalgic moments that created Big Bunny.

Big Bunny draws the listener in immediately with fuzzed out vocals, ‘90s-era guitar riffs (think Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.), but it’s the painstakingly vulnerable lyrics that hang in the air. We relive every raw detail of the story alongside Reid; her songs bleed.

Thanks so much for your time today! Huge fan here. Could you tell me more about the transition from making music as Alyeska to Alaska Reid? And if you see yourself going back to Alyeska again?

Yeah. I mean, probably not in terms of going back, I mean it was complex because the reason... So basically in my life, when I was doing music, I started out being solo. And then I was feeling when I was doing solo stuff, I was 14 to 17 or something like that. And I was just playing by myself with an acoustic guitar or sometimes with the older country musicians who would come and play with me, and I was playing the Sunset Strip.

I was playing a lot of those weird venues, and I just didn’t feel like I was taken seriously. And I think a lot of it too had to do with it. I think the music scene has evolved a lot at this point, where no one would bat an eye if you were just a young girl in a dress, playing in a club.

But I think at that point, I’m not saying it’s the 1950s, but I’m saying at that point I feel like people still didn’t take you seriously as a musician.

And so I felt like if I had a band, then people would listen to me. And it also coincided with me just slowly moving away from doing purely Americana music and getting more into guitar, and really getting into effects pedals, and being electric, and leaning into some of the influences I had while I was growing up like Dinosaur Jr. So I always wanted to have that. I always wanted to have guitar like that in my song, but I think another reason I was doing the Americana stuff too is because I just didn’t know how.

So it was like multiple things converging.

Did you have early inspirations as a kid? Was music around you or were you just drawn to it?

Music was around me. I mean, my parents are really big music lovers. My dad listens to a ton of music and I think my earliest concrete memories of music is my dad and I driving to school or my mom and I driving to school and listening to Dinosaur Jr. and stuff like that. And knowing that a lot of people weren't listening to that, and then it was really exciting and hip.

Everyone’s had it hit them differently this year in terms of the pandemic and everything. How it has changed you or if it has changed you?

I think it definitely has. I mean, I think in terms of music it’s been extremely beneficial for me because writing is often something that you do alone and by yourself, and there’s a lot of alone downtime. Like I’m not distracting myself going to parties and, not that I really did that before, but I think with any scene you think that there’s this thing that you have to do, which is network and stuff. And I think that is true to a degree, but I think finding the proper balance and then... So with that out of the way I’ve just been doing so much music stuff and I learned how to record myself in Logic. I co-produced two of the songs.

I was going to ask you about that. Congrats, that’s so cool. So the project, to me, feels very personal. I’m sure that was intentional, but it almost feels I’m hearing some of your most vulnerable thoughts and private moments.

Was that scary for you to put that on display or does that just come naturally to you and if you could talk a little bit more about the lyrics?

I think it’s scary. I mean, I grew up around so many writers being from Montana and I think it was always impressed upon me that you better write something honest or you better write something in some way any iteration of honesty, because at the end of the day, it’s still a dramatized version of something like a song. But it impressed upon me that you need to put a little blood in it. You need to put yourself on the line a little bit. And so that’s a natural thing, but then yeah, it never gets easy. It never gets easy.

Well, it’s also so disciplined. I also wanted to ask about the process of working with your partner A.G. Cook on this EP. Was it natural knowing which ones you wanted to produce and which ones he did and just speaking more to your guys’ musical partnership?

I don’t know. Yeah, it is really natural. I mean, it’s hard to dissect it because I just feel like we’re always to each other’s music all the time, so we’re already in it. So, and especially in quarantine you’re really contained in this bubble. It’s just really relaxed I think. But he definitely gravitated towards some, rather than others, like “Quake” and stuff, because “Quake”, that was the first song we did together. I played him a batch of songs and that’s the one he gravitated towards.

And also it’s great that you are quarantined with the person you also make music with.

Yeah. Well he’s really disciplined. I think a lot of the reason I’ve also got into and not got into, but I immersed myself even more in music and got a lot done is because he’s a really good example. Because the amount of stuff he’s produced during quarantine is insane.

And since you’re in Montana, this might be because you’re there feeling the energy , you talk a lot about the contrast between growing up in Montana and living in LA and even the video for “Warm”, I feel like it’s on display very visually, could you speak more to how this influenced the EP? I think it’s an interesting concept. I think a lot of writers and artists leave the place that they write about and then they’re able to see it more clearly. And so for the longest time in my life, I thought that was only the case of Montana, but now I’m finding that even being here, I can write about LA in a different way because you’re removed from it and you think back and reminisce and whatnot and yeah, the contrast is really interesting. I mean I’m really grateful for it actually, because it really does feel like a crucial part of my identity actually being able to have a foot in both worlds.

I think everybody needs an out. I totally agree with you that I feel like when you were saying earlier that it’s not the 50s, but it was different. I really agree that I’ve seen it change. There’s still so much farther to go, but I feel like even 10 years ago it was totally different to be a woman in music, and how you were perceived and looked at. And I’m just curious if you could expand on that a little bit more. Do you feel like it’s changing for the better?

Oh, a hundred percent. I mean, I think even if you look at the people that are dominating now, they’re women, and I’m not saying in a pop sense necessarily, I’m saying more in the indie scene. Yeah in rock and that’s so refreshing because that was...

Yeah. I don’t know. I mean, it’s so long ago now, but I just remember just getting... It’s such a…

A cliché.

I remember I had this meeting actually and I went, this is an example. I had this meeting and I didn’t have a manager, but I had someone who’s helping me get meetings, a sweet person. But he didn’t come to this meeting and my mom took me and it was at a label, a major label. And I went in the room and I played a song and it was just me and my guitar. And you could tell that they were expecting something very different, because even going into a room now for a meeting and actually playing a song, not on your phone or anything, but really bringing your guitar that people get surprised by that.

Yeah. It used to be normal, but it’s not.

Anyway, I played a song and then there’s this guy there and he was rude. And then he sent an email after that was a very cute period, very pitchy period, which is just not true because you could say many things about my music at that point in time. You could have said, “Oh, the song that she’s writing, isn’t quite good enough,” or blah, blah, blah, or whatever. But I actually had trained classically to sing, so that was just bullshit. And also it just encapsulated the whole vibe of, “Oh yeah we’ll humor watching this little girl play. We’ll humor her, but we’re not going to take her as seriously as the guy who’s her age.”

I’m so sorry that happened. I mean, I hear about this a lot, but yeah. I’m glad you were able to overcome that and continue making music, because I’m sure that would have been... I’ve had similar experiences just as on the industry side.

Oh, I’m sure. Yeah. I mean, it’s so commonplace.

It’s actually hard to think about it, in necessarily a, “Oh, I feel bad,” way because I just know that it happens to every woman.

Yeah totally. There’s a solidarity in that, and I do feel like... The PR firm I run is me and another woman. And we talk often about just this conversation, how much stuff has changed, but how much there’s so much more farther to go.

The clout chasing types though yeah. But I actually didn’t know you were classically trained. So did you grow up classically training for vocals?

Yeah, I thought I wanted to be an opera singer actually.

Is that what you’re trained as?

Yeah. Well again, this is in Montana. I took classical music in Montana. So somebody someplace else might say it was bullshit but yeah I was singing all those songs here and everything, and I would force my mom to drive me to an opera camp, three hours away in Montana and stuff like that.

I did extensive vocal training actually. And then when I moved to LA, I actually worked with this amazing vocal coach, her name’s Annette Warren Smith. And she was the voice of Ava Gardner, I think in one of those old movies and her husband, he was the accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald, all these people.

I can hear in your music that you’re inspired by so many different types of music. So it makes sense to me. Did you teach yourself guitar and all the other instruments you play?

Yeah, the guitar, I initially taught myself and then I eventually had people guide me, because I think there’s a point in which you do need someone to teach you the scales and stuff like I do want to say too at the same time, there are so that. But all my songs are in alternate tunings, many people that I met that supported me from and I began guitar just making them up. the very beginning that were guys, and were never the tiniest bit sexist. I almost always experienced I’m curious what you’re listening to right it from people that A: aren’t in music for the right now, other artists? reasons or B: really love music, because I think art should take precedence over someone’s identity.

Adrianne Lenker is amazing. So I always looked And so I think all the people that I met also to her for... She’s amazing, but I listened to a besides the fact that they are not sexist, they were lot of older stuff. I constantly listen to Dino, I just actually enjoying art, the really cool people constantly listened to The Replacements, and enjoying the music and everything. And I think Joni Mitchell. And then I listened to Charlie XCX it was just all the hanger-ons and random shitty too, and a lot of people from that community, people. because it’s really fun, and it really teaches me a lot because I was so closed off to that before.

ANNA SHOEMAKER PHOTOS: JASPER EGAN & SYDNEY HARD

WORDS: CATHERINE FITZPATRICK

Based in Brooklyn, artist Anna Shoemaker is constantly working on creating and evolving her sound. The rising star, who got her first introduction into the music industry working at Phillybased radio station, WXPN, went on to release two EPs of her own and even recorded with Grammy-nominated producer, JT Daly. Shoemaker’s brutally honest lyrics and R&B vocal tones have helped her find her own space within the vast community of singers and songwriters. She credits fellow artist and producer, Invisible Will, as a consistent positive force in her creative process. Shoemaker continues her alt/pop rise with the release of her latest single, “Silver Cowboy Boots,” a R&B-tinged pop ballad about a post-breakup impulse purchase of a pair of fabulous Fendi boots. Accompanied by a video filled with a lot of female energy and a touch of glam, this single, as well as her past releases, marks the singer as one of the promising ones to watch.

We had the pleasure of discussing Anna Shoemaker’s therapeutic writing process, the expansive creative community she has found in Brooklyn, and her continued growth as an artist.

Do mind introducing yourself?

I’m Anna Shoemaker. I’m a singer/songwriter from Philadelphia living in Brooklyn.

Did your Philly roots have any musical influence on you growing up?

I feel like I get this question a lot and I never know how to answer it. I grew up listening to a lot, just what my parents listened to, and then of course the radio. But I grew up listening to a lot of Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow and other artists like that. I was really obsessed with Brittney Spears.

I became obsessed with pop music when I started to listen to music on my own. But going back to your question, I think being from Philly, I am super inspired now by a bunch of artists from that area. I Interned when I was about 17 or 18 at WXPN there. That was when I really started to find all of these really cool indie artists. I would do all the miking for their performances, and I would get to see how they acted as artists when no one was looking. It was a nice thing for me to be able to get in the head of artists.

Your last few singles have a different sound. You can tell you’re taking more risks.

Thanks! Yeah, I’ve been working with the same producer on all three of them and he’s really great.

Since the release of your last EP, how has your creative process changed?

My last two EPs, I recorded them in Nashville with a producer down there. When I went down there, I was going to record for a set amount of time, and I had specific songs or certain ideas. Now I think my process has really changed because I met Will, the producer I work with now. I met him quite a while ago. We just go into the studio. It’s not so much that we’re making music to put out. I am in the studio with him any time we have an idea, or any time I have free time really. I just go in with him and we make a bunch of songs. We counted the other day, and we have 40 or so songs. It’s just been really nice to be constantly working on music and I feel like that’s why these three songs are what they are. It’s just a different vibe to be making music all the time rather than just working on a specific project. My next project is going to be even better because I’ll have so many songs to choose from.

The process sounds more fluid. You’re not coming out of these sessions thinking you’re done because you have enough tracks to put on an album.

No yeah, him and I we really just fuck around.

We listen to a lot of references, and a lot of different music. The two of us are very similar people, so we get along well. It’s easy hanging out with him and working in the studio.

He’s actually featured on “Silver Cowboy Boots”. We wanted to do a male voice, but my voice wouldn’t be deep enough for the hook part I was going to ask if that was your vocal pitched down, but there was no way.

It’s so low.

What kind of emotional head space are you in when you’re sitting down to write?

You don’t shield your feelings in your lyrics, so has writing become sort of a cathartic experience?

It can be that. I have trouble not drawing on personal experience, not being super blunt, and not being super straightforward in my lyrics. My songs are all very much about my life and about what is going on. It is like therapy for me, especially “Silver Cowboy Boots”. I was honestly really sad and missed my ex and it came from this frustration where I said “Oh my god what am I doing? Am I going to be okay?”. I don’t know, even some of my happier songs or my love songs are not it. I’m writing my best stuff when I’m not feeling super stable. It’s very stereotypical, but I’m working on being able to be in a good place, but still be able to access those feelings. I was just talking to my friend about this, and he’s an artist too. He texted me out of the blue and said, “Do you ever feel like you sabotage relationships for your art?” and I was like “Yes, I feel like I do that all the time”. I’d love to stop doing that.

You open the “Feels Like” video with a voiceover. Is that your grandmother speaking?

Yeah, that’s her. My grandmother just talks about her relationship with my grandfather and how cute they were.

Who do you turn to for advice on falling in love and dealing with heartbreak?

Both of my parents give me a lot of advice.

My family is really close. My dad probably gives me the best advice. My dad gave me very good advice the other day. He said, “Never send a text that isn’t funny or lighthearted immediately. Wait 24 hours before sending a serious text.” That’s a good rule of thumb.

Your latest single was based on a Fendi boots. How much of a role do your fashion choices play into your creative direction?

For me it’s a huge part of it. When I wrote the song [“Silver Cowboy Boots”], I was wearing those shoes. A lot of times, even if I’m wearing sweatpants or a sweatshirt, I really don’t feel like myself if I’m not feeling my outfit choice. Another way I express myself is through how I dress. Dressing up can totally shift your mood.

There is such a vibrant industry community here in Brooklyn. Has the city helped shape you as an artist?

Just being able to meet so many people and become friends with people that I love to work with has become so huge for me.

Growing up, and even in college, none of my friends were artists or even in the industry in any capacity. No one in my family is in music or super interested in music. I was always a bit of an outsider and felt pretty self-conscious. I felt that what I was doing wasn’t as important as what my friends were doing.

Now that I’ve met a lot of people I work with and have become friends with a lot more people in the industry, a lot has come from making friends with people that do the same stuff as I do. It seems very obvious but true.

Have you collaborated with any other young musicians while living here?

Yes, I’m working on this one collaboration with these guys, but we haven’t even announced it yet. They’re really cool. I’m working on a lot of cool stuff with a bunch of people. I’m mainly excited that Invisible Will is on “Silver Cowboy Boots” because he hasn’t put out any music. He makes all sorts of kinds of stuff, and he’s going to start releasing. So, this is a good introduction for him as an artist. Also, my friend Hadji Gaviota. He’s really sick. His stuff is so good. I have another friend, Middle Part. Two other friends that just moved to Montana, Misty Mtn, just put out a Christmas song. You should check them out!

It’s nice to have a group of friends that are also out here grinding, experimenting musically and living the same lifestyle.

You’re described as an alt/pop singer. Are there any pop stars you admire that are changing the narrative of the pop genre?

I tend to like Halsey a lot. She’s a cool writer, and she doesn’t pay much attention to genre or anything. She also just put out a poetry book which I love. I’m a big poetry nerd and that’s something I’m super into. So, I am a big fan of Halsey. She tends to be super straightforward in her writing, and that is something that is really important to me.

I saw your Mercury Lounge show. You have a great energy on stage. What do you miss most about live shows, and do you have any plans once touring opens up again?

I miss literally everything about live shows. It’s truly the best feeling. I even miss rehearsing with my band and hanging out with my band. I miss seeing my manager. I haven’t seen my manager in almost a year now, and we both live in Brooklyn. We just haven’t seen each other.

Yeah. It’s also nice to just be able to call your friends. I call Andrew from Middle Part all the time and I’m like, “How do I do this? How do I talk to this person? What do I do?”

I miss being able to really relate with people. I just can’t do the Zoom shows anymore. It’s so awkward Definitely. Do you look to them for creative in between songs. I’m already awkward enough on advice when shooting videos and doing things in stage in between songs; I don’t need silence. So quarantine you couldn’t necessarily do before? hopefully when touring comes back, I’m hoping to be able to do it all again safely because the Mercury Yes! For the “Silver Cowboy Boots” video, I’ve show was a lot of fun. always really wanted to work with this girl Eva Evans. She was introduced to me through a mutual You like curating your own Spotify playlists. What friend. Our friend said, “you guys would make really are you currently listening to now? cool stuff” because she is a music video director. It never worked out. Now in the pandemic, I knew that I always listen to a bunch of new music that I find, she lived in Brooklyn, and I knew that she would be but then I always end up going back to my OG down to work on something together. I called her favorites, which are Teyana Taylor, Summer Walker, and explained the concept of the song. She said, SZA. I like Taylor Swift’s new album a lot. I like both “Anna, send me a picture of the boots because I of them actually [Folklore and Evermore]. I like Tyler think I’m about to blow your mind.” She had the The Creator a lot, Kali Uchis, and Mac Miller. Those same exact boots that her ex had given her. It was are my go-to’s. the craziest moment. It was so meant to be. It was cool becoming friends with her. Now her and I are Do you have any dream collaborations? even more close from shooting the video and going back and forth on everything. Even connecting with Jack Harlow. I would love a Jack Harlow verse people not in music, like directors, it’s cool getting on my song. I love him. Then I would love to start to be around creative people. That is why I really like dating him and move to Louisiana. So, Jack if you’re living in Brooklyn. listening hit me up. Jack please slide in my DMs if you’re interested in pursuing this. Here is where we are coming from in 2021.

TOBi

PHOTOS: PATRICK DUONG WORDS: CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Buzzing Lagos-Brampton bred, TOBi explores his musical influences on his genre bending project, ELEMENTS Vol. 1. Diving into themes of growth, the evolution of relationships, resilience and Black joy, TOBi paints his canvas with a large international palette of producers from Canada to Europe as he continues to create his unapologetic soul music. Experimenting with influences like afrobeat, R&B, soul, and hip-hop, the Toronto native seamlessly intertwines all these influences together with his signature raspy vocals accompanied by live instrumentation displayed throughout that create this immersive soundscape that plunges you directly into this world.

Do you mind introducing yourself?

My name is Tobi! T-O-B-i. I was born in Nigeria and moved to Canada at the age of eight and I’ve been making music ever since.

I am a child of hip-hop, R&B, soul, blues, jazz, funk music, and that’s what comes out in my expression.

What is your earliest music-related memory?

Definitely as a kid, songs that were playing in my household. Probably like Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, and mostly just soul music, that’s what my parents were initially listening to. I’ve always just been singing and dancing at home.

At what point did you want to become a full-time musician?

I’ve been writing songs ever since I could remember. The first time I got into the studio was in high school. I would just go into the studios I could find to get some studio time and just took it as a hobby. I started taking it seriously as a career when I finished my undergrad in 2016.

Oh cool! What’d you major in?

Biology.

Do you still like science and biology?

Absolutely, I got a double helix tatted on me!

That’s so cool! What gravitated you towards this blend of R&B and hip-hop?

It’s the music that moves me, hip-hop and R&B. The foundations of hip-hop are rooted in culture. It’s rooted in the streets, it’s rooted in raw expression, it just feels so raw and authentic to me and that’s why I started doing it. I needed an outlet that I could express myself as honestly as I could. R&B is a similar way too. It’s more of an emotional journey.

Would you say that Toronto has influenced your sound?

Yes definitely! My experiences growing up there have definitely shaped the kind of music that I make, the things that I’ve seen with friends of mine. Growing up in the city they can attest to the lyrics that I put into my music, I’m a very reality based artist.

What are your thoughts on the growing music scene in Toronto?

I think Toronto as far as R&B, we kind of locked that down. There are so many amazing R&B acts from Toronto. As far as hip-hop I still think there’s still room for development and for growth but for R&B we got the staples from there, Like The Weeknd, DVSN, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Tory Lanez, and Daniel Caesar. For hip-hop we still have a few people coming up out here.

I also want to talk about your project, ELEMENTS Vol. 1. Was the process different for this than your previous, STILL? In ELEMENTS Vol. 1 I wanted to experiment more with different sounds and I wanted to try new things. On my first project it was so autobiographical and this one felt like the next artistic step, to learn different styles and improve on my songwriting and just experience more parts of life. Which is why there’s a grime record on there, I got afrobeats, and a sultry R&B record on there. Just wanted to try new things and I’m enjoying it.

You can definitely feel that! Especially on “Made Me Everything” with the horns and live instrumentation. Is this type of sound something we’ll see more of in your upcoming music?

For sure! We’re going to get more live. I’m trying to keep leveling up and creating an immersive experience. I want when people listen to the music that a film rolls in their mind and it feels that you’re immersed in a whole new world.

You released ELEMENTS VOL 1 in October. Has the pandemic affected the way you approach releasing music differently?

I mean it’s definitely tough because I can’t hit the road or the stage or connect with people through these songs, and that’s my favorite part. But now that the songs are out, how do we engage with people in real life? I miss that so much. As much as I like the screens and the videos, it’s not the same. I very much look forward to when that day comes again.

Both projects have great collaborations. How do you go about collaborating with artists, do you reach out to them or vice versa?

It’s basically based on respect and the merit of someone’s artistry. If I rock with you and you’re talented and you really care about your craft then it’s gonna happen. It’s all about mutual respect.

Is there a song from ELEMENTS VOL 1 that resonates with you the most?

I would probably say “Shine.” It was the most introspective one and the more soothing record on there.

What makes you say that?

Just because it feels like a diary entry. It’s almost like I opened a page out of my journal and said it over some beautiful music or some beautiful strings. To me, those are my favorite kind of songs.

My last question is, who are you currently listening to?

Oukast, I’m going to the past. Parliament, Funkadelic, M83, and Benny The Butcher’s new album I love. Jay Z, I’ve just been delving back into the past lately.