It’s rare that you find an artist who does fluidity so well but KaMillion, living up to her name, excels at almost every aspect of the music industry.
Jeezy is before all other things a hustler.
The viral British-Norwegian DJ/producer Alan Walker, the artist behind the hits ‘Faded’ and ‘Alone’ recently celebrated the success of his new single ‘All Falls Down’ and reaching 10 million YouTube subscribers with a special performance at the YouTube Space in New York.
Alan Walker in NYC
He was joined at the performance with his collaborators on the track, Noah Cyrus and Juliander. Since the release of ‘All Falls Down’ back in October, the song has garnered over 31 million Spotify streams and the music video has received almost 40 million views. At just 20 years old Walker, who got his own start on YouTube, has quickly become one of the world’s most in-demand DJs. We got the chance to sit down with the artist and discuss his success, and his process creating his newest hit:
How did you celebrate your 10 million subscribers on your own?
Alan Walker: So far this has been the proper celebration, I haven’t really had time to do anything else! I was just home watching the live subscriber count, it was surreal, you can’t understand how big it really is. It’s outstanding and I’m forever thankful to everyone that’s subscribing.
You’ve had such a crazy year, you were on a billboard in Times Square, what was that like?
Alan Walker: It’s crazy! It’s so much you can’t really understand it, there’s so much to take in. I’m forever honored and forever thankful for each and every one that’s been supporting me so far, without them it wouldn’t have been impossible.
Obviously you got your start on YouTube, so what’s it like being back at the YouTube offices performing your hit song?
Alan Walker: It feels like after giving back, at the same time I’m giving to them. I feel like that’s amazing. Just being here at the Youtube space in New York is outstanding, it’s something that I never ever thought would happen. Also performing here with Noah Cyrus and Juliander is amazing.
How would you compare performing here and at a festival?
Alan Walker: Here we’re recording and everything and we’re just performing one song, so that’s kind of different. At the same time we’ve invited a couple fans, flew someone in from Germany, and I feel like it’s really kind of more personal, and the connection between me and my fans, and also with Noah Cyrus and Juliander, off the song, they’re all here to also support and also celebrate the 10 million mark.
What’s been your favorite fan interaction from today?
Alan Walker: I think the craziest experience so far has probably been like every time I’ve gone to China there’s been this same girl, she’s been meeting me all around no matter what city, I actually don’t know where she is from. She can’t speak English but she always greets me with a book, this time she actually gave me a book in Chinese, also along with that she gave me a book kind of like a diary, it was just a bunch of pictures from my social media. And that’s not the first time, it’s like the 3rd or 4th time that she’s done it and she’s including every photo from my Instagram, and some photos from my Snapchat just compiled together in one book, it’s pretty cool. I would say that’s one of the weirdest or coolest examples, it’s indescribable.
How did you collaborate with Noah and Digital Farm Animals on [‘All Falls Down’]
Alan Walker: It all started when Digital Farm Animals sent me the track for vocals, and they asked me ‘Do you want to do the production around it’ and I was like yeah this is sick. Then as I’ve been working on and everything we were like ‘Who do we send this to then we sent it to Noah Cyrus and we got an immediate yes. So she recorded the vocals in her studio and it somehow came together!
The YouTube Space performance is available to watch here:
Lil Peep, born Gustav Åhr, known for blending an emo rock style with rap, died late Wednesday night before a show in Tucson, Arizona. He was 21.
Born November 1, 1996 in Pennsylvania, Åhr was raised by his mother in Long Island, New York. At age 15, Åhr dropped out of high school and earned his diploma online. Åhr remained extremely close to his mother throughout his life. At 17, he moved to Los Angeles with his friends.
For V Magazine. [photo by Mario Testino]
His first mixtape, released in 2015, was called Lil Peep Part One. Later in 2015, Åhr dropped Feelz and Live Forever. The following year was his breakout year, with two mixtapes entitled Crybaby and Hellboy, released in June and September, respectively. Come Over When You’re Sober (Part I) dropped August 15 of this year.
Throughout summer 2017, Åhr released a number of music videos for “Benz Truck”, “Awful Things”, “Backseat”, “Girls”, “White Wine”, “Gym Class”, “Beamerboy”, “Drugz”, “Live Forever”, “California World”, “Your Eyes”, and “White Tee”. “The Brightside”, the second single from Come Over When You’re Sober (Part I), dropped its music video in late July and can be watched below.
His Instagram and Twitter nameplates read GOTH ANGEL SINNER. Lil Peep maintained his image of a lovable, comical cynic. His music is fueled with angst, loss, and the incredible weight of sadness, but driven by hard-hitting mainstream beats, appealing to all tastes of music.
Åhr was vocal about his struggle with depression, anxiety, drug abuse, and suicidal tendencies in his music and in interviews. He regularly referred to his various usage of drugs, including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and anti-anxiety medication Xanax. In an interview with High Snobiety, he said, “I go through a lot…and [what] I write about in my music is real.” He became an image of someone struggling but prospering, creating music with his loyal “Gothboiclique” – his collective group of friends, including his closest, Lil Tracy, with whom he shares two tracks (Castles and Castles II).
Åhr utilized his Twitter to communicate with fans, drop music, and otherwise weigh in on popular issues. But he also used it to share his darker thoughts without hesitation. On his birthday, Nov 1, he tweeted:
On October 24:
On social issues:
And various retweets of dog videos sent by his fans. Lil B mentioned in his condolence tweet that Åhr was vocal against the “sexual abuse of women and people in the music industry,” and that Lil B would do his best to continue the awareness.
Åhr announced also through Twitter that he intended to drop his own clothing line, having shown his interest and dedication to fashion. He recently did a shoot for Vogue, which he tweeted this picture of:
Lil Peep walking for Vogue in Milan.
His death rocked even the most veteran of rappers, all of whom supported his craft and his uniqueness. Twitter flooded this morning with condolences from a range of celebrities, including Post Malone, Lil Yachty, Bella Thorne, Ty Dolla $ign, Charli XCX, Sam Smith, and Pete Wentz. He performed in New York City on October 31, and would have continued his Come Over When You’re Sober tour through December.
[via Edward Berthelot/Getty Images, GQ]
Åhr leaves behind a legacy of complete autonomy, presenting the truest version of himself through music and otherwise. His contributions to post-hardcore rock, lo-fi rap, and melodic hip hop are significant and pivotal for the future of music. Moreover, his upfront nature about his mental illnesses opened many doors for possible discussion and intellectual discourse about these issues that are often considered taboo. Our thoughts are with Åhr’s mother, his friends, and his fans at this difficult time, and we thank him for the art he shared with us in his short life.
[via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Insider]
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Half of Us
- Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741741
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- The Recovery Village: 1-844-229-2468
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
- Teen Line: 1-310-855-HOPE (4673) or 1-800-TLC-TEEN (852-8336)
A poster at a candlelight vigil for Åhr in Tompkins Square Park, Nov. 15. [photo by Carlos Doce]
Rolling Stone: Stories From the Edge is narrated through the past. Charming and unapologetic archival footage of Rolling Stone magazine’s founding fathers speaking as idealistic 20 somethings ties the new HBO documentary together, and it serves well to represent the core youthful energy that still drives the media superpower.
The documentary, that premiers its first part Nov. 6, does well in presenting the true ‘stories from the edge,’ from the beginnings of the magazine that turns 50 years old this year. It also does well in exemplifying the heavy handed role Rolling Stone has played in shaping the ways we consume music, pop culture, and even politics. Where it excels is in inviting the viewer on an emotional journey, through opportunity and loss, and committing to the Rolling Stone manner of representing iconic public figures as vulnerable and human.
Stories From the Edge opens with a collage of classic covers and magazine moments paired with the words that 21 year old co-founder Jann Wenner wrote in his prophetic letter to his readers in Rolling Stone’s first issue, “Rolling Stone is not just about music, but also about the things and attitudes that the music embraces. We’ve been working quite hard on it, and we hope you can dig it.” Everyone did in fact dig it, and in parts 1 and 2 of the four part documentary we’re guided through the stories of the cultural impacts the magazine made and the classic historical moments they were given access to.
Directors Blair Foster and Alex Gibney found a way to group together some completely unrelated anecdotes in a composition that is seamlessly cohesive. The doc follows the trajectory of how Rolling Stone went from a music mag to a major player in the political sphere. There should be no mistake made, however, that the publication had less depth when it was just covering rockstars. The segments that featured the coverage of figures like Tina Turner and Mick Jagger emphasized the unique light Rolling Stone shined on them, during a time where not many other places were quite as observational and analytic in their profile pieces.
One part that stuck out from the rest was Part 2’s portion on John Lennon. Throughout the film we cut to footage of Jann Wenner and famous photographer Annie Leibowitz reminiscing over old photos, and at one point they reach the last photo ever taken of Lennon, photographed by Leibovitz. He is nude, embracing his fully clothed wife Yoko Ono. Leibowitz speaks on how during the shoot he pleaded for both he and Yoko to be on the cover. A few hours afterwards he was shot a killed. For his posthumous cover, Leibovitz and Wenner deliberated over whether Lennon should appear on his own, but Leibovitz insisted what he wanted was the women he loved on the cover with him. The image is now an iconic one, it caught him in the most human and vulnerable moment, and it stuck out as the stunning final photo of a man everyone felt they knew. Rolling Stone didn’t become ‘more than a music magazine’ because of its decision to cover more aspects of culture over time, but because the way it covered music and artists was so audacious and spirited. It was and still is the holy book of counterculture, and if you don’t agree, Stories From the Edge will convince you.
Andra Day and Clive Davis take awards at the National Arts Awards and Michelle Obama makes a video appearance.
Mehcad Brooks, known for his roles on popular shows like “Supergirl” and “Desperate Housewives,” is ready to show people the real him.
The award presentation of Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters was followed by a champagne toast at the French Embassy’s beautiful building .
Day showcased her vocal skills this past Tuesday at the Cadillac House in efforts to raise awareness for social challenges.
The track was released shortly after the release of his latest EP ‘Colours 2’