Trevor Jackson is stepping back into the spotlight with his latest release, “Friend of a Friend.” The track offers a glimpse into what he describes as his most revealing and emotionally honest project yet.
On August 2nd, Chinese artist 蔡徐坤 Cai Xu Kun, famously known as KUN, helmed his sold-out first-ever U.S. headlining show, ”KUN: ONE NIGHT ONLY” at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, CA. We got up close and personal to view the unforgettable performance, which doubled as a celebration with fans in honor of his 27th birthday and introduced the next stage in his solo career.
Born and raised in Wales, independent artist and singer-songwriter Ben Ellis is most certainly one to watch.
When intuition calls, Scarlett Taylor listens. The New York artist—who wields a crystal ball or a pack of tarot cards just as deftly as a microphone—has always had a penchant for the spiritual: since February 2023, she has released a new single at each new moon and full moon, reflecting her own cycle of fluctuating creative energy and her attunement with the cosmos. “On the full moon, I try to release something I just made, like the culmination of everything I’m moving towards,” she explains. “On the new moon, I try to release something that I’ve been holding onto for a while. It’s become a very beautiful thing for me.” The songs range from stripped-back demos to skittering hyperpop productions, and while Taylor’s eerie vocal melodies and creeping instrumentals evoke visions of ancient rituals, her lyrics feel simultaneously timeless and deeply rooted in 21st century life, dealing in concepts as contemporary as internet addiction and as lofty as cosmic destiny.
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Now, Taylor is experimenting with a new sound. In her live performances, the singer reimagines her songs as howling rock jams, dialing the energy up to eleven and harnessing the reciprocal power of a live audience. Backed by a live band, the songs take on a new shape, an energy that Taylor knew had to be captured. “People were really liking the sound,” she says. “So we just decided to go in and record it.” Taylor and the band took to the studio in May to record Hallows, a rock-ified iteration of six previously released songs interspersed with fresh interludes. Infused with new energy and instrumentation, the songs take on a new life: “Veil (perfect timing),” the last of Taylor’s singles to be released on the new moon, transforms from a glitchy, stripped-back electronic meditation to a raucous jam session as Taylor’s voice soars above screaming guitars and crashing drums. The song is a celebration of love and destiny, inspired by a wedding Taylor attended between two witches. She was particularly moved by the story of one of the brides, who had lived as a man before meeting her partner and only recently transitioned. “In two years’ time, in perfect timing, she’s completely changed her life,” Taylor explains. “She has a new name, lives in a new state. It’s just crazy to think that two years ago she had a completely different life.”
For Taylor, transformation is always right around the corner. Through her rediscovery of the songs on Hallows, she unlocks a new form, one born from the electric energy of her live show. Guided by her instinct and intuition, the songwriter follows where the energy leads, shapeshifting between genres and exploring different production styles with each changing moon. “I feel more like I’m finding the song than like I’m thinking of it,” she explains. “It’s sort of like I’ve always known it was there, but I just had to rediscover it.”
Even on the heels of a fresh album release, Perry Maysun always has a new project up his sleeve. The prolific Westchester rapper, who often spends days at a time cooking up beats and verses in his room, churned out a new release every month in 2023, and he doesn’t show signs of stopping any time soon. “I love making music and I have ideas 24/7,” he says, “but I don’t like putting out loose singles. It just doesn’t feel as fulfilling as knowing all the songs have a home. I’m a sucker for an album.” It comes as no surprise, then, that even Maysun’s latest collaborations have given way to larger releases: a partnership with fellow New York rapper Young Wabo has already yielded a mixtape (Warping Time) and a full-length album (Peace Blessings Be), which both boast introspective, poetic verses over soul-lifting alternative hip hop grooves. “We made Warping Time in my room in like four days,” Maysun remembers. “And then we started working on Peace Blessings Be, too. He stayed in my house for like a month. We were just creating, creating, creating. It was like lightning in a bottle.”
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Photos by Hellen Elizondo
Not every song he creates makes it onto an album like Peace Blessings Be, but Maysun is a firm believer that every track deserves a home. Songs that didn’t originally find their way onto full albums can be found on Maysun’s Reverie mixtapes, a series of projects that serve as a refuge for the sonic misfits. “I love these songs, they’re great,” Maysun says. “But they’re like orphans. Reverie is my song orphanage. I have a great time puzzling them together and making a beautiful sequence of songs.” The collections range in size—Reveries I and II are quick 6-song EPs, while III and IV make up full-length albums. For Maysun, there’s no point in holding onto the music he makes: it belongs out in the world. “People think that if you put out too much music, it saturates you,” he reflects. “But you can’t saturate yourself. Why would you want to be less of yourself? When a color is saturated, it’s the most pungent.” To fans who might find his relentless release schedule a bit dizzying, Maysun has only one thing to say: “Keep up.”
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Knox is a talented singer-songwriter rapidly ascending within the music industry. Within the last year and a half, he has signed to Atlantic Records and built a strong fanbase via TikTok, with one of his videos featuring his hit track “Sneakers” reaching nearly 2 million views overnight. “Sneakers” now has over 23 million streams across streaming platforms.
This past Friday, R&B/pop singer-songwriter, Alicia Creti released her first standalone single, “Strange”. Born in Montreal, Canada, Creti has recently been signed to Atlantic Records and since then has been on a roll of releasing powerful music.
Meg Baird referred to her new album as consolable. In ‘Furling’ (2023), she explored various memories, daydreams, and conversations. With a misty sound, Baird moved the reader through loose threads. Her beautiful voice remained unmistakable. Dubby Bristol ambiences and 1960s English folk music became clear album influences. ‘Furling’ (2023) became Baird’s fourth solo album.
With singles such as “Not Over” and “Where Do All the Good Boys Go?,” THOMASINA is a pop starlet on the rise.
In the Season 1 finale of Create & Conversate, our host Katherine Tinsley saw down with musician and TikTok star, Meredith Bull.
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