The Wake - Issue 7 - Spring 2022

Fortnightly Student Magazine

Volume 21 Issue 7

The Wall

p. 8

A Letter from a Forever Emo

p. 16

The Gopher Way

p. 11

The Pandemic on the Final Front

p. 18

Do You Believe in Love?

p. 13

Daphne Jane Q&A

p. 22

ART

Art by Emma Bedard Love in 1998

FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

©2022 The Wake Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for students at the University of

Fortnightly Student Magazine

Minnesota. The Wake was founded by Chrin Ruen and James DeLong.

Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in which students can

Volume 21 Issue 7

Editorial

voice their opinions. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as a whole. To join the conversation email eic@ wakemag.org.

Production

Editor-in-Chief

Marley Richmond

Executive Director

Shannon Brault

Managing Editor

Jemma Keleher

Creative Director

Chae Hong

Cities Editor

Ian Knoll

Finance Manager

Erin Krotz

Voices Editor

Mitchell Levesque

PR/Ad Manager

Hannah Lundquist

Online Editor

Na’Jai Wilson

Social Media Manager

Renée Mottet

Copy Editors

Autumn Sanders

Art Director

Megan Bormann

Peter Nomeland

Web Manager

Sahra Hussein

Music Reviews Editor

Tosin Faseemo

Distribution Manager

Kami Kendall

Multimedia Producer

Noah Berghammer

Designers

Gavin Schuster

Multimedia Editors

Natalie Aue

Makenna Larson

Cecilia Herold

Zoë Foster

Cities Interns: Vishalli Alagappan, Marie Ronnander

PR/Ad Interns: Pat Gagnon, Gracie Kibort

Voices Interns: Srihita Raju, Carter Starkey

Social Media Intern: Natalie DeBaker

Features Interns: Nina Afremov, Sophia Goetz

Art Interns: Laura Kuchar, Madison Kuehn, Natalie

Online Interns: Erica Bouska, Zoe Hoornbeek

Williams

Copy Interns: Veronica Nowakowski, Anika Wilsnack Music Reviews Interns: Avery Wageman, Griffin Jacobs

This Issue Writers

Art

Marie Ronnander, Stella Mehlhoff, Lidia Hadera,

1 Laura Kuchar, 2 Megan Bormann, 3 Madison Kuehn,

Matthew Zeichert, Lydia Tallarini, Theo Andre, Jemma

4 Sofia Frank, 5 Natalie Williams, 6 Brooke Lambrecht

Keleher, Nina Afremov, Shannon Brault, Carter Starkey, Martin Hendrickson, Gracie Kilbort, Sommer

Cover and Feature Art: Megan Bormann

Wagen, Nikhil Kumaran, Vishalli Alagappan, Griffin

Feature Spread Design: Gavin Schuster

Jacobs, Anthony Vystoropski, Madison Maronde, Tosin Faseemo

DS4Ever, Gunna, Enchanted by Encanto, Don’t Look Up, Emily in Paris (Season Two), Spider-man: No Way

Creative Submissions Emma Bedard, Megan Hegenbarth, Quinn McClurg The Wake Student Magazine 126 Coffman Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

THE WAKE

Home images from original sources.

ok listen newbies let’s talk campus connector

wink! one page magazine

don’t stare at other people it’s weird! don't talk on the phone super loud while the bus is silent, especially early in the morning!! the lack of masks on the bus is ... ridiculous

never get on before people have gotten off of the bus.

if you bump into someone, apologize!!!

coffee spilled all over the floor of the bus... horrifying

my freshman year i showed my u card to the bus driver when i got on the campus connector for the first time... no you don’t have to do that lol

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i don’t get why people speak on their phones on speaker.

I cried about getting a C on a Spanish test in my freshman year. I will never get over the embarrassment of subjecting the driver to my tears.

However, 10/10 would do it again.

FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

INSIDE

UPCOMING EVENTS

8

The Wall

2/14 - 2/27 @ 9AM - 4PM

2/18 @ 6 - 9PM

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Living Proof

Spring Flower Show

Starlight Snowshoeing at Saint Croix Vineyard

Are you sick of the winter? Minnesota

Strap on your snowshoes for a picturesque trip

Landscape Arboretum has the solution! Come

through Saint Croix Vineyard. When you’re done,

visit their warm, indoor vignettes of the spring

you can stop at the main building for a bonfire, live

to come, all of which have been designed and

music, and plenty of wine and treats!

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Relics of The Past Dichotomy in Our Own Backyard

styled by staff and local businesses to give 6428 Manning Ave. N

The Gopher Way

you the ideas to bring your own outdoor living

Among Us Club

3675 Arboretum Dr

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Do You Believe in Love?

2/23 @ 7 - 8PM

2/24 - 6 - 8PM

16

A Semester Away

Birds Through Dakota Eyes

Robot Date Night

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Harry Potter and The Problematic Writer

Sponsored by The Bell Museum, University of

Not a date night with a robot, to be clear. Instead,

Minnesota’s own Čhaŋtémaza (Neil McKay), a

bring your partner to The Bakken Museum to build

senior Dakota language specialist, will lead a

and customize your very own robot pet, be it an

discussion on native midwest birds through the

ostrich, tiger, or kangaroo. Intended for couples

lens of Dakota language and culture.

ages 18+.

Virtual

3536 Zenith Ave S

2/26 @ 8PM

2/26 @ 7PM

Beach House @ Palace Theatre

Black History Month Fashion Show

Baltimore-based dream pop duo Beach

Underground Music Venue presents the First

House (who you know for the mellow hit

Annual Minnesota Black History Month Fashion

“Space Song”) brings their visually centered

Show, featuring some of the best black models,

live performances to the Palace Theatre this

designers, artists, and photographers from in

February.

and outside of the state. Stick around for the

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A Letter From a Forever Emo 18

In Love with Love Duality of Chronic Illness in College

19 21 22

The Pandemic on The Final Front Five Reviews Daphne Jane Q&A

spaces to fruition when the snow melts!

afterparty too (ages 18+)!

7th Pl. W. 408 N 3rd Ave

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Letter from the Voices Intern Dear Reader, When I was younger, I never was able to answer the question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” It plagued me for a long time. When I joined The Wake as a contributor last year, I had just realized that I wanted to write for the rest of my life. Finally, an answer! I wanted writing to be my career, my hobby; writing was what I wanted to do. It empowered me to express what was bouncing around in my head all the time. More than that, it allowed me to say something about the world. Writing had become what I believed I was meant to do. It was a dream of mine. The problem was, something didn’t feel right; I was deeply uncomfortable dreaming. I hesitated to imagine a future where I was a writer because it scared me. Maybe the fear represented moving along in my life, finally leaving the innocence of my adolescence behind. Maybe I was afraid that I wouldn’t be good at it. Or maybe I was just afraid to try something and put my full weight behind it, to really give something a go. Nevertheless, I did.

Joining a new club as an already overwhelmed student can be daunting itself. My fears were assuaged when I first stepped virtual foot in the Zoom meeting. From day one I saw people joking around, making connections, and I saw a group that didn’t judge people based on how they came in, but rather valued people based on what they had to bring to the table, their presence, their thoughts, or their writing. It’s incredible how this university has so much to offer to us as students, but I think we often overlook how much effort is put in by students to build community on campus or online. Whether through a pitch meeting or making edits mid-week, The Wake offers a boost when I really need energy or momentum. The Wake is the perfect example of student-led, student-focused community that can foster not only growth as an organization, but also as a collection of individuals, each growing and changing in their own right. I can say first hand that I’ve done a lot of growing since becoming a Voices Intern this fall.

The Wake is far more than just a place for me to practice writing. It allows me to challenge myself to do something. Anything at all. To put words on the page and to produce a result. When I first started at the Wake, I wondered if there was ever going to be an audience for what I had to say. I doubted that there would be anyone out there who wanted to hear me. That’s a lonely feeling. The way out of that loneliness was through vulnerability. I chose to write a review, to pitch a story, to do what I was scared of, and it all paid off.

It’ll pay off for you too; whether you’re reading, or you want to contribute someday, or you have another dream that you’re chasing, it’ll be worth whatever you put in.

Best wishes, Carter Starkey Voices Intern

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FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

CREATIVE WRITING

And She Lived Happily Ever After

BY MEGAN HEGENBARTH I wish I had the same passion for life as my grandma. My mom told me that she was someone who loved life. She would go out in her garden every morning to smell her peach tree and stroll around, with her hands folded behind her back, thanking the flowers for not wilting again. She would love how all of our family would come to her house each spring break to spend time with her, and I say mostly her because it was always a competition between my mom’s siblings. She loved having coffee and tea with my grandpa every morning, especially in the sunroom she used to have in her house in Bolivia. She used to love playing Bajo La Cama, a game of tag around the kitchen table, whenever she came over to our house in the corner of our cul de sac where I grew up. She loved playing dominoes with our family. She loved nature and loved going on walks. She loved going on the roof with us in the morning, staring off at Popocatéptl, a volcano in Puebla that could be visibly seen from where we were standing. She was someone who would brighten your day when she would laugh at your jokes or just give you a smile when you glanced at her.

My mom told me a story about her once about how she used to hide from the moon. She was around 5 years old when she would hide from it. It started when she would walk home from where she went to school. As she walked, she knew that the moon was watching her. She would hide from it, from behind trees, behind buildings, etc. When my mom told me that story, I thought it was the cutest story I have ever heard. I had never heard of someone hiding from the moon before.

When I was a kid, the only thing that I would imagine from the moon was that I was secretly a werewolf/vampire. Whenever it was a full moon, I convinced myself that I would change. Later, I found out that it could not be true, but it was still fun to imagine. Hearing that story about my grandma made me understand who she was as a person. I believe she thought the moon was protecting her, a guide, as she walked home by herself because it might have been scary and she did not want to feel alone. She loved looking at the bright side of everything, whatever situation it may be. She had such a spirit that would move you when you talked to her. She knew what it was to live in this confusing world. She loved her life, and I feel that by loving her life, she learned how to love herself.

I’m jealous of my grandmother because I don’t look at the world through her heart-shaped eyes. I wake up and I go to the U. I come home from school and I sit at my table, open up my laptop, and watch Netflix. After watching Netflix, I procrastinate more and watch more Netflix. After a while, I do my homework and I go to bed. I wake up the next morning and I start all over again. Every so often, I try to change things up. I go to the coffee shop and romanticize how I’m drinking Starbucks on my way to class. I drive around in the rosy sunset, with my windows down, if it’s summer, and turn on my music with the sound all the way up. However, some days, it does not feel like enough.

I feel like the world around me is dull and uninviting and I feel like I will never truly experience my life. I know that the place I am now in my life is not where I want to be, and that is okay because life does not click together whenever you want it to. I know that it takes time. So, whenever I feel like my life is going nowhere and I do not feel happy with where I am, I think about my grandma.

I think about how there were perhaps times when she did not know what she was doing, yet she kept going and did not give up on her happiness. So, I think I am starting to romanticize more. I keep romanticizing my drives to class. I am starting to romanticize writing, especially poetry. I have also found myself staring at the moon, gazing at her beauty, and occasionally, smiling as I hide.

THE WAKE

CITIES

The Wall

1

The realizations that came with round two of coronavirus

BY MARIE RONNANDER There is a wall in the back right corner of my room detailed with thoughts. Worn pages from children’s picture books, my favorite poem stanzas hastily scrawled on tanned paper, and the paintings from the impressionist masters that hover above the mass of inked words and drawings. I spilled my mind like a stain and let my frustration wipe across the wall. I hated that room. I hated the feeling of isolation that contaminated it. I wanted my anger to be seen and understood.

I had experienced Covid the previous year after picking it up from the grocery store I had worked at. My immune system is about as strong as a mouse and will gladly catch any sickness thrown its way. As such, I was not surprised to have tested positive within two days of being back in my dorm hall, surrounded by sniffles and sneezes. The University’s email sent out to students had even stated that getting Omicron was inevitable, but I still felt polluted. I had tried so hard to avoid the stigma of irresponsibility that came with Coronavirus.

The first day passed in a calm acceptance. I kept busy with homework and job applications, but my mind kept dragging me back to the place I had been in last December. At that time, I had lost all connection with myself. My confidence was dependent on how well I could please others. I spent most of my days in a dissociated haze trying

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to manage Covid-hybrid school and find a path to my life. There was a parallel between my two isolations that I couldn’t face: I had to learn to be alone with myself.

This was a skill I thought I had mastered. Those two weeks had been a nightmare for me. From streaking tears staining letters that I scribbled in anger to the blissful silence and growth that came after those storms. I believed that I had won my own company through this fight. Yet, as I sat staring at my dorm wall, all the feelings of loneliness came bubbling up through the guilt and shame hanging around me.

I plucked them from the air and plastered them to the wall, letting the aching blue pain in my chest leak out. I ferociously cut and pasted while I watched through my window as people, as my friends, started their semester without me. Raging with FOMO, I resolved to harness the stir-crazy energy for creation. I tore out Alfonsina Storni’s “Tu Me Quieres Blanca” and Charles Bukowski’s “Trapped” from my notebooks and used them as my building blocks. A small population of song lyrics began to form alongside ink drawings of personified hearts holding handbags: literal emotional baggage. Paintings and notes from my friends hang as proof that I am not alone, so I can’t convince myself otherwise when the sadness gets handsy.

A yellowed panel of Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse that’s cracked with age is tapped near the center. In it, the little mouse stares defiantly at the lion, who is begging to be set free from the net that has captured him. I began each quarantine as the lion, becoming tangled in my anxieties and fears. I needed to choose to be the mouse. I had to choose to free myself from those doubts. As I touched the peeling illustration and stepped back to look at what I had created, the nervous energy began to settle.

Life wasn’t ending. I wasn’t alone. Even if I was, it was only for four more days. And out of anyone on the planet to be stuck with for those four days, I didn’t consider myself the worst company.

This time was different. The letters, tears, and loneliness forced me to find consolation within myself. Looking at my collage, I was proud of the person I was with, and I loved her quite a bit. I had deep passions and manic creativity. I wasn’t afraid of it anymore. Quarantine gave me time to admire and cultivate these traits within myself, free from the pressure of anyone else’s opinions. I didn’t have to worry about losing myself, and I didn’t have to worry about losing my friends because I had the virus. They would be standing right next to me soon, and I could show them what I had accomplished.

FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

CITIES

2

Living Proof Dance Theatre of Harlem & the future of ballet

BY STELLA MEHLHOFF In the moments before Dance Theatre of Harlem’s performance, Northrop Auditorium held a striking eagerness. The audience, some in sweats and others in cocktail dresses, was the most diverse and anticipatory I’ve ever seen for a dance performance. And this is no accident—Dance Theatre of Harlem, a primarily black ballet company, was founded in 1969 “to make people aware that this beautiful art form actually belongs to, and can be done by, anyone,” as noted by its artistic director, Virginia Johnson.

A noble goal, considering that ballet, skeptical of anyone that doesn’t fit into its slim, white archetype, has a history of being performed only by the most privileged for the most privileged. So it’s no wonder that, compared to other modes of artistic expression, ballet has taken on a

THE WAKE

reputation similar to grandma’s tiny Iowan church, as something archaic and over-traditional, only to be enjoyed on holidays and with the help of hard candy. Dance Theatre of Harlem, however, is obliterating this assumption, living proof that art thrives when it transcends expectations and prospers within the capable hands of those unjustly excluded.

Last month’s ballet didn’t just showcase majestic athleticism and simmering musicality; it also demonstrated graceful defiance. The dancers jumped styles with elegant precision from the fresh flick of a pointe shoe to the slow sweeping of a lift. In the span of one performance, the audience got treated to three distinct acts, each revealing incredible range. The first, a celebration of Stevie Wonder, was playful and jazzy. The second,

featuring more classical fare, was somber and heartfelt, a commentary on the early American slave trade. With new music by female composers, the third was packed with rhythmic contrast, thrilling energy, and perfectly synchronous ensemble work. Vibrant and commanding, even the company’s most daring experimentation was received as natural, even necessary. Still, amid a suffocating pandemic, this is an urgent moment for the future of live dance—the Dance Theatre of Harlem could be its hero, maintaining relevance by championing accessibility.

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CITIES

3

Relics Of The Past Are museums really modern?

BY LIDIA HADERA As I entered the building, I couldn’t help but wonder, are museums really modern?

To some, this question is simple: yes, museums are modern. But, I can’t help but wonder if they are saying this because of the aesthetics of the space rather than the art. Even though curators carefully select pieces to fulfill their vision for a specific exhibit, they intentionally or unintentionally include their own biases in the display.

As a result, “modern” starts to become synonymous with “Western” and “imperialistic” rather than innovative and progressive. As a result, curators continue to saturate us with the same narratives about the West versus non-Western cultures and religions. A prime example of this is how “Africa” is depicted and illustrated as a country rather than a continent made up of thousands of different cultures and religions. Instead of showing this, curators reduce “Africa” to “African” masks and see them as “backwards” so that they don’t have to reevaluate their definition of modern art nor challenge themselves or viewers to think differently. By failing to do so, curators continue to share the same narratives of these regions that have been told for centuries and use museums to do it. As a result, museums don’t challenge our own biases or teach us to be more progressive, but instead are used as confirmation biases and serve as relics of the past in our thinking.

Dichotomy in our Own Backyard Gudrun Lock offers a closer look at the Shoreham Yards of northeast Minneapolis

BY MATTHEW ZEICHERT Overturned taxidermied animals, Post-it notes plastered to the wall, and Fruit of the Loom underwear? These are just some of the items that one will encounter upon viewing “The Nature of Shoreham Yards,” an exhibit currently on display at the newly reopened Weisman Art Museum until May 15, 2022.

The art exhibit is envisioned by the artist Gudrun Lock, and people from all walks of life have contributed to Gudrun’s vision with their work and research. A quick look through the contributor list will reveal the likes of professor Stuart McLean, writer Miranda Trimmier, and community activist Jewell Arcoren, to name a few. All who participated in the curation of the artwork shared one thing in common: a desire to comment on the past, present, and future of Shoreham Yards.

This was my first time in an art museum. Aside from watching a few “Great Art Explained” videos, I have no background in art history. That being said, I was entranced by the work that Lock and company had put together. Although there were numerous aspects of the exhibit that were impactful on an emotional level, I thought the art to be most eloquent when it displayed the effects of “economic growth” on the rapid environmental deterioration of the mighty Mississippi River.

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Not only were they able to comment on the environmental degradation occurring in Minnesota’s portion of the Mississippi River, but they were also able to showcase the constant battle between nature and industry. By showing disintegrated undergarments extracted from the Mississippi River, one immediately ponders why corporations favor economic growth over a clean water supply. An important feature of the exhibit is how the art encourages its viewers to post Post-it notes with questions or statements. I particularly enjoyed the Post-it notes written by grade school students since they spoke volumes about society’s current environmental crisis without even knowing it. After all, it will be the children who will bear the heavy burden caused by the misuse and negligence of natural resources.

If you aren’t bombarded with homework already this semester, please do yourself a favor by going to the WAM to witness this great piece of art before it is no longer on display.

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FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

CITIES

Among Us Club An interview with the President

BY THEO ANDRE

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The Gopher Way A review of the University tunnel system

BY LYDIA TALLARINI Before this winter, I’d never really felt like a Gopher. Of course, it’s our mascot and all that, but I don’t see many similarities between the average University of Minnesota student and a small, pesky rodent. That is until the temperature dropped to the negatives, and I still had to get to my classes—at that point, I didn’t mind what I was called as long as I could stay inside and use the tunnels in the “Gopher Way.” I think the West Bank tunnels are by far the best. There’s clear signage, and the buildings are connected pretty intuitively, with almost no changes in elevation other than the section near Wilson Library—and that huge hallway with all the lockers is kind of fun! My favorite part, though, is the basement of Ferguson Hall. To get to the creepily curved tunnel between there and Anderson Hall, you need to walk through the basement, where there are tons of practice rooms, usually filled with disparate instruments and sounds.

On East Bank, it’s another story altogether. Ducking into Kolthoff right after getting off the Washington Avenue Bridge is pretty easy, but I’ve never been able to get further than Johnston Hall without having to resurface. Admittedly, that’s partly because of my totally reasonable fear that I’ll enter a horror movie if I ever step foot in a parking lot alone. Still, I think it’s perfectly fair to say that the tunnels on East Bank are more confusing and require climbing a lot more stairs—or even using the elevator (which I’m sure gophers would never think of) if you want to go between Tate and the Mechanical Engineering building.

Among Us. The game has enthralled a generation—so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see a University of Minnesota club for it. However, what did surprise me was the scale. The club’s Discord boasts 521 members, which puts it in the running for the biggest club at the University. To find out more, I tracked down the president of the club, senior Caleigh Master.

TA: How and when did you first start the Among Us Club?

CM: I started Among Us Club back in, I think, fall of 2020. . . . It was becoming popular, and I thought that people would enjoy getting to play with other students. At first it didn’t start out as a club, but just a Discord server where we would come together.

TA: How did it grow into a club?

CM: Once it grew to around 300 or so, I decided to turn it into an official club so we could get funding for tournaments.

With the added advertising of being an official club, we got to around 500 members at its peak. People were posting the link everywhere: from meme pages to Facebook groups for graduate students, even in class Discords.

TA: If you could be in an Among Us game with any 8 people from any period in history, who would they be?

CM: Probably the cast of the Avengers, along with Albert Einstein.

TA: What do you think the role of a club like this is right now?

CM: I think the role of a club like this . . . is that it’s just a place and a fun medium for people to connect and hang out together. I think that a lot of us have been feeling isolated, and being able to hang out virtually and play games with people keeps us from feeling too down.

The Among Us club is still very much active, with a game even happening during my interview with Caleigh. If you are interested in joining, go to https://z.umn.edu/ AmongUs. It might just be what gets you through your next round of finals.

Winter’s not-very-gentle push led me to seek refuge in our eclectic tunnel system, and it’s helped me embrace my identity as a gopher. Although most tunnels don’t save me any time, it’s fun to explore, and I appreciate the kind souls who built them and gave us an escape from the wind.

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THE WAKE

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CREATIVE WRITING

Bruno Philippe - Dvorak Cello Concerto N°2 - Queen Elisabeth Competition

BY QUINN MCCLURG goddamnit i remember the nights i’d search for

off of his face

that video of that song you used to love.

and onto his perfectly framed cello.

between the Tchaikovskys and Vivaldys

it was a picture that would make Michaelangelo

the Pletnevs and the Chopins;

weep;

i exhausted my entire repertoire of names

his expression was somewhere between St.

Czeck, Russian, Italian, or otherwise

Theresa’s Ecstasy and the Laocoön,

searching for that performance.

an expression so pained with love and terrible

and when that didn’t suffice

passion

i searched for more orchestral showcases in that

that it was an insult to every work of high art;

blue lit sea

no canvas or sculpture could be as nuanced

distracting myself from the yawning dark of night.

or as real

my search history grew more expansive and

as this trembling visage.

obsessive

regardless

with every 16:9 nothing of a thumbnail i saw

seeing it once more sent my heart downward

and i would just grow more frenzied and faltered

down into the thrushes and sweeps of an

before succumbing to fatigue.

orchestra stolen

except for one night

bittersweet with spiteful sentiment.

on my ritual searching

i couldn’t help myself

before i gave in

and indulged with religious trespass;

i saw it: “Bruno Philippe - Dvorak Cello Concerto N°2 -

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for i was waist deep in the waters of romanticism and i couldn’t let you keep that sanctity for yourself.

Queen Elisabe…”

it was 3 am

and i was so surprised i had almost forgotten why

i had a 9 am the next day

i needed to see it so badly.

the video was 42 minutes long

and the cellist’s face was turned up exactly like i

i watched it twice

remember

and cried myself to sleep

with half closed gaze turned fully down

just before the end:

as if to follow the sobbing and sweat

exactly where you would too.

FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

? e v o L

FEATURE

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

EXPLORING ROMANTIC LOVE FOR ALL THAT IT IS AND ALL THAT IT ISN’T

By Jemma Keleher THE WAKE

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FEATURE

Romantic

Love:

Is it real? For some, it’s not even a question. They feel romantic love on a daily basis and choose to love others without inhibitions. They date to find “the one,” and when they find them, they throw themselves in wholeheartedly.

The reality of romantic love is so tangible to them that the answer to “Do you believe in love?” doesn’t require a second of thought.

But for others, romantic love is so sickeningly absent that calling the local radio station for advice seems like the only feasible option. Maybe they haven’t ever seen love work out, or maybe they haven’t felt deeply enough about anyone to label it as love.

Either way, love can seem like a far-off fantasy land with no transportation available. But that begs the question: if love isn’t real, what is the reality that people who say they’re in love are experiencing?

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FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

FEATURE

Your Brain on Love

Love and Capitalism, Best of Friends

The Optimist’s Perspective

The science behind love seems to put everyone in a tizzy, and a Google search will show you that a myriad of theories exist as to why people feel love and why it feels so good. Scientific studies search for a way to prove that being swept off your feet is simply a cocktail of chemical reactions. And according to Harvard University, a lot of what happens when you’re in love can be explained by chemistry.

There is a presumed forecast for peoples’ lives in our culture, and that includes monogamous love, marriage, and babies. If you’re unpartnered by the time you’re 30, your aunt is probably plotting a coup that will end in you finding the love of your life, or at least someone tolerable, and finally settling down like you should. But why is so much emphasis placed on two-person love and marriage?

Even within the chokehold of capitalism and the scientific evaluation of attachment, people do seem to believe that love is real. In a poll conducted by The Wake, 104 respondents were asked, “Do you believe in romantic love?” A striking 86% checked yes.

They state that love can be divided into lust, attraction, and attachment. Each of these categories comes with the release of chemicals in the brain: lust can be chalked up to testosterone and estrogen, attraction is attributed to dopamine and norepinephrine, and attachment is a product of oxytocin and vasopressin.

To me, the attraction and attachment elements of the equation explain what differentiates love from any other social interaction. Interestingly, the reactions that occur in your brain when you receive an award are similar to those that occur during attraction or attachment. With that, it could be said that “falling in love” is similar to achieving an accomplishment or being validated through an award.

The trajectory of monogamous love to marriage plays into capitalism, and some even see love as a tool to advance the system. Marriage signifies commitment and companionship, but there is also an element of possession: this person is yours and only yours. In a capitalistic system, your assets determine your worth, and marriage provides you with another asset.

Another factor that can make marriage become essential is the issue of income versus cost of living.

As rent continues to rise and the minimum wage continues to flatline, having dual incomes can be necessary in order to survive. If you’re a person who wants to have kids, this necessity is tenfold.

Thus, economic standing becomes a reason to fall in love and get married, even if only for survival.

We live under capitalism, and there is no denying In addition, the increased amount of dopamine that its reaches extend far beyond careers and released during attraction causes decreased bank accounts. In this system, two-person love has appetite and insomnia. Dopamine has been linked become essential and is supposedly the only path to addiction, and the same parts of your brain are to happiness and stability. But is the necessity of involved in attraction. It could be said that your love the only reason people go crazy for it? brain is craving them like it would a drug.

But in reality, science may not be able to explain everything about love. Why are we attracted to people and unable to explain it? Why doesn’t every instance of lust and attraction turn into a vivid love affair? Chemistry can explain why you feel the way you do when you’re in love, but it may not be able to explain why it happens when it does. In addition, if love is really just chemical reactions in your brain, why is everyone expected to chase it?

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Many respondents explained that they are in love and know it’s real because they can feel it. Others stated that while they haven’t felt it themselves, they’ve seen people in love and believe they will feel it someday. But a common theme seems to be that love isn’t easy to describe and is only known when it’s felt.

It’s clear that love is complicated. “I think [love is] one facet of a very complex emotion we experience,” said one respondent. “There’s a lot more to love than just romance, but I think that specific kind of love definitely exists and [romance] is the best way to describe that mode of loving.”

Another respondent seems to see love as a choice rather than a random occurrence. “It’s human nature to crave it, so we make it happen,” they said.

Love could also simply be something to look forward to, or something that people can hold onto hope about. “Life seems like a better place if I tell myself romantic love is real,” said a third respondent.

So sure, love might be a series of chemical reactions in the brain or a subconscious survival mechanism under capitalism. It also might be your brain thinking that a person is an award to be won or an accomplishment to be achieved. But when people believe in it regardless and feel love on a daily basis, is it really something that needs to be evaluated and picked to pieces?

Some might see love as a more complex emotion than contentment or happiness, but the concrete way some people feel love does something to prove that it exists. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to discern whether they’re feeling love or not. So, that begs the question: do you believe in romantic love?

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VOICES

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A Semester Away An exploration of what time away from college was like for me

BY CARTER STARKEY CW: Mental illness and suicide “Give yourself a break, Carter!”

My mother rarely shouts like this, but I had said something that stung. She asked me a question.

“Yes,” I replied. “Then you’re done,” she said back.

Her tone was concerned, sure, but even more so, it was surgical. She cut through the tension with quickness and precision. I was instructed by my mother—for the time being—to give up on school if my mental health was as dire as I said it was. I couldn’t face the truth of the situation. By staying where I was, I was risking my life. However, I wasn’t willing to turn my back on everything I’d worked on for years; my mother, on the other hand, wasn’t willing to gamble, and I had no real say in it at that point—Mother knows best. I would be dropping out.

I’d felt down before, depressed even, through whole periods of my life, but this was a new low.

When you are in a low place, sometimes you can’t recall what it feels like to stand on solid ground. I felt fear, for the first time, that I would be unable to finish my college education. Though, much deeper, I felt fear that I might not make it in general. There was no ladder, no rope upon which I could climb out of that low place. I had been buried without the tools I needed to escape.

I’d like to imagine that just about every college student faces these thoughts at some point in their academic career—thoughts that their degree may not be worth the time they’re putting in—but that doesn’t soften the blow when you have them

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yourself. What I was going through was a complete deconstruction of my self-worth. I watched as everything I once embodied in the classroom turned to ash in front of me. I asked my counselor to put the Ws on my transcript as I looked on.

When your future has always looked one way, a disruption of that conception will come with lots of complicated emotions. In particular, there is immense guilt tied to dropping out. No matter what other people told me, I always felt like I was a failure. That feeling was the result of a lot of “shoulds” compounding. Thinking that my life should look a certain way, or believing that I should be able to do something, or even holding on to the idea that other people have a say in what I should do. Until I get over the “shoulds,” I’ll never escape the grasp of whatever is holding me back.

I’d like to say that the pivotal moment came: the day when I opened my eyes and it all made sense; when I woke up with the weight lifted from my shoulders and the burden off my mind. However, I cannot pretend that was the case. Instead, I spent many weeks just getting by. I watched as my peers worked through the semester I had abandoned. I went to therapy and worked as hard as I could on myself. But the days were filled with a whole lot of emptiness. Nothing felt like it had meaning to me. I would wake up, go to work, come home, take my medicine, and go to sleep, only to repeat the process the next day. When I wasn’t working, I would spend the day holed up in my room, writhing in psychological pain. I would sit in complete darkness and think about what the rest of my life would look like, images flooding my

mind that were neither welcome nor appreciated.

What got me out of that low place from which there is no escape? How did I bend the rules and find myself back in the classroom and working harder than ever before? One major piece is the excellent psychiatric care I received. Another is a newfound sense of perseverance. I enrolled in classes simply out of spite for my situation. I wasn’t about to let another semester slip by. Courage, as Atticus Finch would say, is “when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” And come January, that’s what I did. I started anyway, knowing the problems were still there, but now, I’d be facing them head on.

A Letter from a Forever Emo 1

Harry Potter and the Problematic Writer Does J.K. Rowling’s problematic nature make her series’ contribution to the young adult genre obsolete?

BY NINA AFREMOV Since its release, Harry Potter has been a cultural icon. It captivated audiences with its array of dynamic characters, its mystical lore, and the magic it brought across the world. Harry Potter is special because it was a call to action; it encouraged young people to read again. It is a series that evolved with its audience and chronicled the journey of growing up—a timeless story for all. This is why when I saw that HBO had released “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts,” a bookworm friend and I raced to watch it.

Though lighthearted and nostalgic, there was a detail that stuck out to me. J.K. Rowling was only featured twice for less than a minute in total and there was a disclaimer at the top of the screen with each piece of footage that read, “Filmed in 2019.”

This is perhaps the result of her transphobic tweets.

Her words were isolating and hateful, and since they go against the meaning of Harry Potter (the power of love to collectively overcome violence), she has become distanced from her own franchise.

In regards to her bigotry, this isn’t the first time she’s been problematic. In fact, there are many problematic details in Harry Potter. Maybe the following are enough for us to reconsider how we feel about the series: how come Professor Quirrel, the villain in the first book, wears a turban? How come Seamus Finnigan, the only Irish person, always blows things up? How come Harry Potter’s first love interest, Cho Chang, one of the only Asian people in the series, has a Korean surname for her first name and a Chinese one for her last name? There are so many more questionable details that add up. It’s not only about transphobia, but also about insensitive stereotypes and a lack of cultural sensitivity.

So, should we as responsible consumers distance ourselves not only from the writer, but the franchise?

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VOICES

Why the “When We Were Young” festival feels insensitive and problematic

BY SHANNON BRAULT Emos and pop-punks everywhere celebrated the announcement of the one-day Las Vegas festival earlier this year. I mean, for goodness sake, My Chemical Romance and Pierce the Veil will be there! With more and more recognition, second and third dates were added with the same lineups.

But people quickly questioned the safety and logistics of this festival, which would be run by the same event promoter of the Astroworld Festival that left ten people dead and hundreds of others injured in November.

Live Nation Entertainment, the event promoter for Astroworld, is facing multiple lawsuits and an investigation into the disastrous festival’s safety protocols that imploded at the Houston concert. A spokesperson for the When We Were Young festival said they have “thoroughly planned” concert safety measures, but how much weight does that statement carry when the festival was announced only two months after one of the most disastrous music festivals in recent history?

For many, it doesn’t hold up at all. A recent fascination with the emo and punk community and it suddenly being “cool”—when every punk kid you meet will tell you how they were bullied in middle and high school for it—makes this feel like a fest preying on the emo and punk communities in order to pay litigation fees for the Astroworld disaster.

However, there are also hundreds of tweets every day talking about how amazing this festival will be and how excited people are to see their old favorite bands.

I wonder about why we have forgotten the tragedy of two months ago so quickly, and the fact that we are not yet in a “post-pandemic” world, but are willing to settle for “thoroughly planned” safety measures by the same people who planned a festival that left ten families without children, brothers, sisters, cousins, and loved ones. It feels insensitive and suspicious to be planned so soon after ten people won’t live to see another day because they decided to go to a concert for an artist that they love. It feels entirely contradictory to what the punk community stands for.

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VOICES

Duality of Chronic Illness in College In Love with Love 5

What’s there to hate about Valentine’s Day?

BY SOMMER WAGEN One might say that the only good thing about Valentine’s Day is the discount candy left over on store shelves afterwards. While I’m not complaining about this aspect, I do take issue with the idea that the holiday only exists to guilt people who aren’t in romantic relationships and extort gifts out of those who are. Reducing it to those soulless intentions undermines the very idea it celebrates. Valentine’s Day is the one day a year we get to celebrate love, which is an overwhelmingly positive and oftentimes life-changing force, no matter who or what it’s directed towards. It’s absolutely something that deserves its own holiday.

Valentine’s Day is the day you can show your unabashed appreciation for the people in your life, and it doesn’t have to include a romantic partner.

One Valentine’s Day in high school, I gave Valentines to my art teachers. I wanted them to know how much I appreciated everything they had done for me. I wouldn’t be where I am or be the person I am today without them; in truth, I love them. You don’t always have the opportunity to let people know how much they mean to you, and Valentine’s Day gives you that opportunity. Even then, you don’t have to spend money on someone to show your love for them. A simple word or act of appreciation—a kind word, a hug, even a handmade valentine—can go a long way for anyone.

Understandably, Valentine’s Day can be alienating for many people. Not everyone is in a romantic relationship or experiences romantic attraction, and being bombarded with it can be overwhelming. While Valentine’s Day has historically been centered on romantic love, that is by no means the only way love manifests. The ancient Greeks had 6 different words for love, including that between lovers, between friends, between a parent and child, and for oneself. If Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, we should celebrate it in all of its forms. And where is the heart in commodifying love? If the longstanding traditions of a holiday no longer serve us, it’s entirely within our power to change them.

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My experience with the ups and downs of pain

BY GRACIE KILBORT Far more often than you’d think, I’ve been told these are “the best years of my life” for the past five or so years. Some people chalk up high school and college to being the best versions of themselves: youthful, untroubled, exuberant, etc. I feel, however, that for people with mental or physical illnesses, this is a load of sh*t. If this is the best it gets, how bad are the next years going to get?

I’ve been dealing with chronic illness since the age of 16. What many people don’t tell you about being diagnosed so early in life is the mental toll accompanying the physical changes. I was 16, dreaming about all of the adventures I would take, the foods I was going to eat, the places I would see, but my body had other plans. Alas, the clouds arrived and covered the sun of my teenage dreams. My world became grim as I mourned the loss of what my life would’ve looked like, forfeiting the vibrancy I was told young adulthood would bring. The forecast predicted storms ahead for the foreseeable future.

Clouds, as they always do, rolled along and rearranged at a nearly unbearable pace. My college years have been inconsistent with the dreams I once had. However, the hours spent in bed huddled with my heating pad are followed by mornings of laughter and gluten-free waffles drenched in whipped cream. Supreme exhaustion and nights spent on the bathroom floor contrast with living room evenings of karaoke and spilled wine.

I have plenty to be grateful for, including my health. By this point in my life, there are plenty of adventures I’ve taken, foods I’ve eaten, and places I’ve seen. As it turns out, the best years of my life have come with baggage too.

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VOICES

The Pandemic on the Final Front Understanding the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of a mortician 6

BY MARTIN HENDRICKSON When the bubonic plague infected medieval Europe, plague doctors carried their dead on carts and buried them in mass graves. In 1918, the Spanish flu infected the United States at such a speed that morticians couldn’t bury the bodies fast enough. Victims would sometimes be wrapped in sheets and left out in the cold for collection. In 2022, two years after the onset of the pandemic, the world is still dealing with COVID-19. As of the end of January 2022, the virus has claimed around 900,000 lives. Hospitals and clinics are dealing with waves of cases that tragically end in death. Although the pandemic has been detrimental to the economy, COVID-19 has been quite profitable for mortuary businesses. However, morticians around the nation continue to deal with the pandemic’s worst effects, seeing the statistics with their own eyes.

Oliver Perkins, a student at the University of Minnesota and self-proclaimed “last responder,” has worked throughout the pandemic, continuously dealing with COVID-19 victims.

Perkins has been working for funeral homes and morgues since before the pandemic. The changes his morgue had to make were immediate.“You couldn’t have funerals at first,” Perkins said. “It was direct cremation because we didn’t know if we’d get contaminated or not.” The funeral services that Perkins attended were full of people who did everything they could to prevent the spread. “They had gloves, masks, sanitizer, everything. They were

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very angry environments.” The pandemic has made it so that the loved ones of the deceased have no choice in how they have closure.“We’d have drive-by funerals and live stream services,” Perkins said. “You could have only ten people at funerals, but usually families are bigger than that.”

Perkins decided to become a mortician because he holds a deep respect for the dead. “I’m a caretaker, and I want to make sure I can do everything in my power to give a grieving family a comfortable and loving space to say goodbye to their loved one,” he said. What Perkins realized was that the COVID-19 victims in his care had more life to live.

“I always read their obituaries and memorials,” he said. “They were all people who had lives and people who loved them. They had careers and dreams, and they died abruptly.” Along with funeral procedures, morgues had to take extra precautions to ensure their safety. Despite the measures that were taken, Perkins and his coworkers fear that they could become the bodies they take care of.

“We know that it’s a very active virus. It’s over our heads constantly, and we don’t want to be next.”

During Perkins’ time at the morgue, the number of people with COVID-19-related deaths was alarming, “At this time last year, I’d say one in four people in our care were COVID-related.” In recent weeks, Perkins says it’s been as many as one in three. It’s become so overwhelming that the morgue has

been at full capacity. “Our funeral home had an overflow of people. We’ve always had backup, but our backup is getting backed up,” Perkins said.

The increased number of bodies isn’t something that’s only affecting morgues locally—it’s a national concern. “We morticians are a small group, so we know one another, we talk about what’s been going on, and we’re all in the same boat, cleaning up the mess from this pandemic.” Some of Perkins’ coworkers have had to travel to California to help morgues that have experienced an overflow of bodies, storing some in outdoor coolers.

The pandemic has made Perkins frustrated, feeling that the people he’s taking care of could’ve lived longer. “It’s leaving me with a lot of bitterness.

I’m angry at people because these lives could’ve been saved.” Perkins fears that COVID-19 is an issue that will never go away, putting him and his coworkers at risk. “We’ll never not see COVID again—there’s no escape.” Perkins believes that the solution is for people to get vaccinated and do what they can to slow the spread. “We are all in this together and we can only end the pandemic if we work together.”

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FIVE REVIEWS

Encanto Lin Manuel Miranda’s new legacy

BY VISHALLI ALAGAPPAN

DS4Ever, Gunna

Though Gunna is known for flexing his prowess and being flashy in his lyrics, he still touches on more sensitive topics. “livin wild” is about living life to the fullest and touches on how fragile life is. In “missing me,” Gunna is heartbroken and feeling torn apart.

Gunna is Pushin P, but not pushing himself

Drake’s verse on “P power” was one of my favorite moments in the album. The track’s hook alone has you feeling like you’re floating on a cloud.

BY NIKHIL KUMARAN

Songs like “how you did that” featuring Kodak Black and “mop” featuring Young Thug will have you turning up your car speakers as loud as they can go.

Pushing his way from underneath the Atlanta hip-hop scene to the very top, Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, professionally known as Gunna, continues to build upon his Drip Season series with his fourth installment, “DS4Ever.”

Born in College Park, Georgia, Kitchens began making music at age fifteen. He grew up listening to Cam’ron, Chingy and Outkast. In 2013, Kitchens released his first mixtape, “Hard Body,” under the name Yung Gunna. By the late 2010s, Gunna became one of the most prevalent “new” rappers in the Atlanta scene.

The first song, “private island,” is a throwback to Gunna’s slower, more introspective tracks like those on the rapper’s second studio album “WUNNA.” I’m specifically reminded of “FAR” featuring Young Thug, which also had the same calm and collected vibe.

We need to talk about how Gunna is “pushin P.” The second track has taken the internet by storm, with Gunna fans everywhere telling the world that they are “pushin P.” Gunna explained that “P” stands for “player” and also means “keeping it real.” Future lulls us into an addictive trance as we can’t help but bop our heads.

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“thought I was playin” is exactly what Gunna fans look for whenever he drops music. Gunna needs everyone to know that they should take him seriously. This track did just that. The beat is fire, 21 Savage bodies his verse, and the hook is catchy and simple. You couldn’t ask for more, besides maybe a little more originality.

Though the album has a couple of hits with melodies that will definitely be stuck in your head for the next couple of weeks, the album becomes pretty monotonous and lackluster. Examples include the tracks “poochie gown” and “too easy.” They tend to be more repetitive and aren’t anything special from Gunna.

As of right now, Gunna fits in the box that defines the majority of rappers right now. Many were hoping to see something that would make him stand out of this generation’s cliches. Regardless, Gunna had some great tracks that brought the audience the energy and lyrics regarding not only his luxurious lifestyle but also his earnest emotions. Gunna is Pushin’ P but not pushing himself further.

I have never ugly cried at another movie as many times as I did for “Encanto.” By the time the movie was done, I was covered in goosebumps and had finished half a box of tissues. This was so wonderfully written and expertly animated.

I have never been so impressed with a Disney movie before. And there’s Afro-Colombian representation! The Madrigal family has all shades of skin color and hair textures ranging from straight and silky to coily-kinky.

“Encanto” is the tale of the Madrigals who were entrusted with the encanto (enchantment) that bestows each family member with a unique gift when they come of age, except for our protagonist Mirabel. Being ordinary in an extraordinary family has always made Mirabel doubt herself, but when Mirabel discovers that the encanto is in danger, she makes it her primary goal to save the encanto, and consequently, reunify her family.

Now for the music, I didn’t know Lin Manuel Miranda’s songs could keep getting better, but somehow they did. As the oldest child in an immigrant family, I resonated with “Surface Pressure,” during which we learn of Luisa’s inner struggles of finding her worth outside of work and carrying all the family’s burden on her shoulders. As much as I adored the fan-favorite “Surface Pressure,” the song that drained my tear ducts was “Waiting on a Miracle.” Time slows as Mirabel sings to selfsoothe her overwhelming loneliness amidst her gifted family members. The song rises and falls effortlessly, highlighting the power and tenderness in singer Stephanie Beatriz’s voice. I think Lin Manuel Miranda’s legacy just changed from “Hamilton” to “Encanto.”

I recommend “Encanto” to anyone who loves exceptionally crafted animation, gets attached to characters easily, and vibes with theatrical, Latin music. This movie is truly such a work of art, in more ways than I’ve described, and the joy and contentment it creates in you stays in your heart for a long time.

FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

FIVE REVIEWS

Don’t Look Up Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” is a PSA first and a movie second, and it isn’t good in either regard

BY GRIFFIN JACOBS I have never called a film “preachy,” not even “Sorry to Bother You” or “A Clockwork Orange,” films with politics central to their plots. “Don’t Look Up,” however, is annoyingly preachy. Unlike the films mentioned above, it’s a political allegory first, and a story last.

The plot centers on a group of scientists who discover a comet headed towards Earth. They attempt to warn the planet and inspire action to save Earth from impending doom. An incompetent government refuses to give the comet any attention and corporations attempt to milk it for profit. Despite the climate never being mentioned, it’s obviously a metaphor for climate change.

That’s why the film is so frustrating: it clearly promotes a message, yet its plot explains why that promotion is futile.

It isn’t just lousy as a political allegory. It’s also an incredibly boring and poorly made film. Many of the casting choices feel like they were made solely to add names to the poster. The subplots are completely superfluous, namely, the relationships struck up by each of the two main characters. It’s a comedy that’s almost never funny. The only saving graces are occasional quips from Jonah Hill and Timothée Chalamet.

I think that reviewer Matt Hoffman said it best: the film is like “if the Gal Gadot ‘Imagine’ video was 3 hours long.” Self-aggrandizing celebrities saying “we get it,” the difference being the “Imagine” video didn’t cost $75 million and waste 145 minutes of my time.

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Emily in Paris (Season Two) Season two gets spicy, seductive, and hot like the summer days in France

BY ANTHONY VYSTOROPSKI “Ringarde!” (French word meaning lacking style or basic). “Emily in Paris” season two does not come close to being ringarde with the roller-coaster ride of emotions the new season has to offer. It will certainly have you on the edge of your seat, in your feelings, or any mixture of the two.

This Netflix show centers on Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), who has moved to Paris to help give an “American view” to a newly acquired Parisian firm “Savoir,” a French luxury marketing company. Emily does not speak French as she arrives in Paris and has her trials and tribulations in the first season: adapting to the new culture and atmosphere that is Paris, France, trying to find friends and all the while earning the trust of her coworker’s while being an outsider to Savoir.

Season two gets spicy, seductive, and hot like the summer days in France. This season, not only does Emily begin to find herself, but she also finds herself becoming a true Parisian, from taking French lessons to figuring out romantic relationships and enjoying a weekend in St. Tropez; what better way to end the second season than with a French revolution that will change the balance of power and enthrall you to see what the next seasons will bring. The show just got renewed for a third and fourth season.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home You did this for what?

BY MADISON MARONDE Spoiler Warning Three different Spider-Mans in one movie. What is not to like? Marvel employs a plotline that begins with Peter Parker and his friends being denied from their dream school MIT, and everyone knows who Spider-Man is. To fix this, Peter goes to Doctor Strange. Peter meddles with the spell Dr. Strange tries to use to remedy Peter’s issues, causing universes to overlap.

The film then brings together Spider-Mans from different universes as well as their villains.

The innocent Toby Maguire plays a mentor role, while awkward and sweet Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker adds a comedic element to the film.

That being said, it will keep us on our toes as we wonder if Peter can win MJ and Ned back in the next sequel, which we were given a glimpse of in Marvel’s famous ending scene depicting a possible Venom-like villain.

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Q&A

Daphne Jane

BY TOSIN FASEEMO Daphne Jane is a University of Minnesota student and bedroom pop artist. Keep reading to find out about her creative process, inspirations, and more.

: What’s it like being like a student who also makes music? Is it hard to balance things?

Daphne Jane: I would say that it does get hard, specifically around times where I am releasing music. It’s a lot of meetings and balancing time. Sometimes it’s frustrating that I can’t put all of my time into one thing or the other, and that I do have to split that time up. So yeah, I would say that it can get hard, but it’s definitely doable. I love making music so it’s kind of like a little break from school. : What would you say your genre of music is?

D: I would say bedroom pop. : How did you get started making music?

D: When I was around 11, I got a nylon string guitar and started teaching myself chords. I

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would play until like 3 a.m., and my fingers would bleed from the nylon strings. After, I got better at guitar. I got a real guitar for Christmas, and that was a big turning point.

I started writing songs around like 11 or 12 on guitar, and I’ve just always really loved it. It’s always been a very big coping mechanism for me. But then when I started to really get into music outside of my own. I really, really love Lorde. And whenever Pure Heroine came out, I was really inspired by that sort of sound and started writing more songs that I felt fit my sound around 15 or 16. That is when I started recording my first album. So that’s how I got to where I am now with my music. : Is there anything outside of music that also inspires you to make it?

D: I identify within the LGBT community, and when I was coming to terms with my sexuality, it was really helpful for me to write songs about my own romantic experiences FEBRUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 27

Q&A and sort of self-validate by writing these songs. I’ve always really wanted to contribute to LGBTQ media because there has been and still is a lack of queer media.

So to be a queer artist and write songs from a WLW perspective has always been something that has really pushed me with my own music. : Who would be your dream collaborator?

D: Probably Lorde, just because I’ve listened to her music for as long as I can remember.

She’s always been my biggest inspiration, specifically lyrically. I think that Lorde has some really amazing lyrics. : Can you walk me through your creative process?

D: It honestly differs from song to song, but usually I randomly, at some point in a day or in the night, I have a lyric in my head or

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two words that rhyme, that I really like how they sound. Or a story that happened that I want to write a song about. And so I’ll start sort of brainstorming lyrics and write poems of what I want to write the song about. Then when I have the time, I’ll pull out my one of my guitars, and then come up with a chord progression and a melody that I like and then sort of attach those lyric fragments that I’ve written and then sort of fill them in with the melody and the guitar parts, because it’s kind of hard to write an entire song lyrically without knowing your melody or your guitar parts. So yeah, usually I start with the lyrics, and then I’ll fill in whatever I haven’t written when I create some sort of melody and guitar part.

I like it, and it’s a little more dynamic on paper, too.

Daphne’s latest EP, “Dreamland,” is out now.

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