The person I chose to interview is one of my bestfriends, Tyler Murphy. Tyler and I have been to multiple concerts together and he has shown me a plethra of different types of music. The reason why I chose to interview him is because we both have very similar tastes in music and he is extremely knowledgeable about music. I first asked him who is top five favorite artists are, he said in no particular order: Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, JPEGMAFIA, and Childish Gambino. Tyler has been to 2 music festivals and 11 concerts, totaling up to approximatly 29 artists and music groups. When asked about his favorite music evemt hes been to he said it had to be Camp Flog Gnaw, which I attended with him. “The atmosphere was amazing, the sets exceeded expectations, and it was an overall great experience.  A large group of individuals who have similar music taste, condensed in one area for two entire days.  Anyone I would converse with were outgoing and willing to talk about their admiration for the artists we all came to see” he explained. He said he will definetly be going back next year. Tyler said he listens to music everyday, “There is not a day that goes by where I don’t listen to music.  In the shower, always when I’m in the car, sometimes at school, or when I’m doing homework at home.  Any chance I get, I’ll be listening to music.” I then asked Tyler about why he listens to music and what it means to him, and his response perfectly describes how I feel about music to, “There is so much to music that makes it one of the most important things in my life. There’s the beauty of the work that goes into the composition of music and  the appreciation for what is released by others. There exists a vast diversity of genres that allows music to evolve and expand even more, making it just that much more interesting. It’s something that I believe can help all people and has the capability to truly bring people together, at least for a moment. I would say more but, my love for it is unquantifiable.” Tylers view on music is extremely relatable and I think everyone should take time out of their day everyday to listen to music, no matter what type.

Ain’t no burden, ain’t no sermon, ain’t no motherfuckin’ plaque
I hate these hospitals and police and the smell of death, all that
I hate these shady folk, that want a lady like
But don’t treat lady right, but they be sayin’ like (“Just the tip!”)
And yeah you mad ’cause she ain’t fuck, mad ’cause she ain’t suck
Beat your ass before you got time to say “Why not?”
Here to catch ya slip up, wish you could just rewind
Timing all fucked up, thought you had just lucked up
Where the respect? Is your ass human?
I look you in your eyes, say, “Fuck you, are you fuckin’ stupid?”
Respect my mother, ‘spect my sister, ‘spect these women, boy
I get my 9-9, I don’t own one, hit the store to blow your brains off
Better hope my aim off, better hope the range off
Better hope my tame off before I blow your brains off, boy

BROCKHAMPTON

BROCKHAMPTON’S music is my favorite out of all of these artists I’ve talked about. They don’t have a single song that I dont like. This “boyband” consists of about 14 members, that includes all of the rappers, production people, managers, clothing/ web desginers etc. But there are 6 main rappers in the group, Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Bearface, Merlyn Wood, Joba, and Dom Mclennon. They used to have 7 members, but in 2018, (convinently right before I was going to see them in concert) Ameer Vann was kicked out of the group for sexual assult allegations. They cancelled the rest of thier tour and cancelled their up comming album. This was a very hard time for BROCKHAMTON and their fans, because Ameer was such a major part of the group, (and my favorite member) but I think BROCKHAMPTON did the right thing in the end. Before Ameer was kicked out of the group, they had released the 3 albums in one year, Saturation 1, Saturation 2, and Saturation 3. I started listening to BROCKHAMPTON in early 2017 after Saturation 1&2 were already out. The first song I heard of theirs was “GOLD” and to be honest, in the beggining I didnt really think the song was all the special. I eventually went back and listened to it again and realized how utterly amazing it was and went on to listen to Saturation 1&2 all the way through. I fell completely in love with every song on both albums and all of the members. The production on every song is amazing ans just gets better and better with every album. Each member has a unique voice and tends to have the theme of of what they rap about in every song, which is something I love. Each member opens up about the difficulty’s they have had in their lives, from being gay to struggling with their ethnicity and mental health. Finally in December of 2017 they released Saturation 3 and it soon became my favorite album of all time. It came out over winter break of my senior year of high school, and anytime I listen to any of the songs on it it brings back such great memories. After this album came out I saw them in concert for the first time. It was such a great concert and I knew I needed to see them again. So I did in April 2018 and it was one of the best shows Ive ever seen. I’m so glad I got to see them at this time while Ameer was still in the group. After the Ameer drama happened they didnt release music untill the summer of 2018 when they released three amazing singles called “1999 WILDFIRE” “1998 TRUMAN” and “1997 DIANA.” Then in September 2018, they finally released another album called iridescence which was extremely different from thier past three albums, and in my opionion not as good, but I still listend to it on repeat and loved it. I saw them again at Camp Flog Gnaw and it was another crazy good performance. And now we wait for another album which is rumored to come out sometime this summer. I will never stop loveing and listening to this band. They have made such a big impact on my life. My top 15 favorite BROCKHAMPTON songs are: 1. “STAINS” 2. “TOKYO” 3. “QUEER” 4. “TEETH” 5. “BLEACH” 6. “SISTER/NATION” 7. “ALASKA” 8. “JUNKY” 9. “SUNNY” 10. “JESUS” 11. “RENTAL” 12. “HEAT” 13. “WEIGHT” 14. “TONYA” 15. “TEAM.

You live in my dream state
Relocate my fantasy
I stay in reality
You live in my dream state
Anytime I count sheep
That’s the only time we make up, make up
You exist behind my eyelids, my eyelids
Now I don’t wanna wake up

20/20, 20/20 vision
Cupid hit me, Cupid hit me with precision, I
Wonder if you look both ways
When you cross my mind, I said, I said
I’m sick of, sick of, sick of, sick of chasing
You’re the one that’s always running through my day dreams, I
I can only see your face when I close my eyes

Tyler, The Creator

Tyler Gregory Okonma, or Tyler, The Creator started a new wave of rap. His music has changed alot over the years, but he started out by rapping about what its like to be black, fatherless, and in the closet. He talked about very controversial and harsh topics, with equaly harsh music videos. As his music progressed he talked more about his sexuality. He also has a very succesful clothing brand called Golf Wang, and his own music festival called Camp Flog Gnaw. His first album came out in 2011, called Goblin. I remember listening to his single “Yonkers” and watching the music video, (he eats a cockaroach in it) and being really scared (this was in 2011/2012 when I had never really listened to rap). Then I heard “Domo 23” in the summer of 2017 off his album Wolf which came out in 2013. I then realized I needed to start listening to all of his music. Luckily he had just come out with a new album called Flower Boy which was extremely different from his other music. I still cant decide which era of Tylers music I like better because they are both different. But this “Flower Boy” era he’s in right now is much more pop like than his previous albums, but the production and beats are so much better. But I really dont think anything compared to his old classic albums, they are so iconic. I have seen him twice in concert, once in 2017, and once at his festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, in 2018. His performace at flog gnaw was probably one of the best I’ve ever seen. He brings so much energy and the stage is set up so beautifully. My top 10 favorite Tyler, The Creator songs are: 1. “FUCKING YOUNG/ PERFECT” 2. “Yonkers” 3. “November” 4. “Domo 23″ 5. ” THE BROWN STAINS OF DARKEESE LATIFA” 6. “Tamale” 7. “Where This Flower Blooms” 8. “Colossus” 9. “She” 10. “Glitter”

So why are all the richest staying afloat?
Seeing all my brothers drowning even though they nicked the boat
Mothership ain’t helping anyone
See, the ships are getting bigger, full of greedy wasteful men
Soaking kids with the lies before they even got to ten
Sailing the internet waves, a tsunami of wires
A flood to take us under if we can’t afford the life jackets
Majority don’t even have the life jacket
Majority might fall where the tax brackets
The minority might jump to the next bracket
On a form to sign up for a raft and a pay packet
With the same old unemployed age bracket
Even money sinks to the bottom when it’s waterlogged
So nobody truly stays afloat

Jorja Smith

Jorja Smith is another amazing young singer to take on the music scene. Her voice is so incredibly smooth and soothing. She can hit pretty much every note effortlessly, and she also can free style extremely well. I heard “Blue Lights” by Jorja in 2016 and became obsessed with it. Then her ep Project 11 dropped in 2016 as well and I fell in love with that too. In 2017 she released “On My Mind” which was amazing as well. I saw her in concert in 2017 as well and fell even more in love. Her voice sounds exactly the same in person and she has such a great stage presence. Then in 2018 she finally released a full lenght album called Lost and Found. This is one of my top 5 favorite albums ever. I know the words to ever song. She has some amazing sad balads talk about young love and loss, as well as songs that she free styled. I have spent many nights listening and crying to this album. Its so incredibly good and under rated. My top 10 favorite Jorja Smith songs are: 1. “Blue Lights” 2. “Dont Watch Me Cry” 3. “February 3rd” 4. “Teenage Fantasy” 5. “Lifeboats” 6. “Carry Me Home” 7. “Lost & Found” 8. “Tomorrow” 9. “The One” 10. “Something in the Way”

Night clubs and back rooms, baggies in the bathrooms
Nothing’s changed but you
Sayin’ nothing’s missin’ thoughts are driftin’ away from you
Mornin’ sun fills the void now you see there never was a point

[Chorus]
Over and over and over again
‘Til you can no longer pretend you are sane
Try but you couldn’t get any more sure
And the endin’ still will never change

The Growlers

My music taste used to only consist of different types of pop and rap music, but this band of 5 boys opened me up to a whole new genre. Surf rock. I would like to thank my bestfriends back home in SoCal for introducing me to them. At first I didnt realize how great they were and didnt really like their music. But the more I listened the more I realized I loved it. The mix of the powerful sounds of the gutiar, bass, and drums mixed with a synthy keyboard creates such a beautiful and unique sound. On top of that their lyrics about love and the party scene are so catchy and interesting, as well as the raspy voice of Brooks Nielsen, the lead singer. I found my self looking up the lyrics, first because his voice is sometimes hard to understand, but also because the lyrics are so poetic. I got into them by listening to their two most recent albums, Chinese Fountain and City Club, but I came to find out that they actually have 4 other albums. But those two albums are by far their best. My top 5 favorite songs are: 1. “Night Ride” 2. “Humdrum Blues” 3. “City Club” 4. “Going Gets Tough” 5. “When You Were Made”

Now that you’re around, I pray you don’t go
And we don’t even need to mention all the things that matter
Or anything you’re stressing ’bout
Just tell me why your day was good
And love me after hours

Rex Orange County

Alex O’Connor, or Rex Orange County, is a 20 year old musician with an old soul, dispite his music being quite relatable for todays teenagers. His music definitely falls in to the pop genre, but its not your usual pop music with cheesy lyrics and the same bassline. He uses alot of jazz piano, horns, violin, and the occasional gutiar riff to spice things up a bit, and boy does it work. His songs are so fun and beautiful, yet you can still cry to them if you need to. In 2016 he relased his first single “Uno” along with his debut album called Bcos U Will Never B Free. But the first song I heard of his was “Loving Is Easy” which is by far his most popular. He released that in 2017, along with four other singles, “Best Friend,” “Sunflower,” “Untitled,” and, “Edition.” In 2017 he released his second album, Apricot Princess,which is another master piece. By the time I started listening to his music, both of his albums and those singles were already out, so I got to listen to all the Rex at once, which I had no problem with. I listened to pretty much everything on repeat and it never got old, and still doesnt to this day. He finally recently released more singles in 2018/19 called “You Got A Friend In Me” and “New House,” which is keeping my hopes up that he will maybe release a new album this year. I had the privelege of seeing him live at Camp Flog Gnaw in 2018, and it was so incredible. He switched off playing gutiar and piano, while singing effortlessly and hitting all the notes. My top 10 favorite Rex songs are: 1. “4 Seasons” 2. “Belly (The Grass Stains)” 3. “Edition” 4. “Happiness” 5. “New House” 6. “Uno” 7. “Rex (Intro)” 8. “Know Love” 9. “Waiting Room” 10. “A Song About Being Sad.”

You’re the one I need, I hope this really works (Really works)
‘Cause everything I need is always in your purse (Purse)
Back again, yeah I’m back again (Back)
I truly miss when you and me were only friends (Yee)
When it was just innocent (Yeah)
And we ain’t have a past (True)
Sometimes I wish we could skip
To the part where both just laugh (Yeah)

Aminé

Amine is one of my favorite artists that has been consistantly good throughout all of his albums and singles. He released his first single “Caroline” in 2016 and it blew up immediatly. I to instantly fell in love with him and the single and seeked out other music of his. I found two other singles called “Baba” and “Red Mercedes,” both fun pop-y songs you cant help singing along to. Then he finally released his first album called Good For You which I thought was amazing from start to finish. In his songs, Amine talks alot about being in love and his african american heritage, which is common for alot of rappers nowadays, but his lyrics are also very witty and funny which separates him from everyone else. After his first album, Amine released two more singles called “Squeeze” and “Campfire,” which features another favorite rap group of mine called Injury Reserve. I loved these two singles as well, but they were different from his previous music. These songs were a little more intense and rap-y compared to his first album, which I liked alot. In 2018 Amine released his second album called ONEPOINTFIVE which has some of my favorite songs of all time on it. This album was a big step up from his last and also got more attention than his last. I finally got to see Amine in concert in December 2018 in San Francisco and he put on such a great performance. Here are my top 10 favorite Amine songs: 1. “DR. WHOEVER” 2. “Yellow” 3. “TOGETHER” 4. “REEL IT IN” 5. “Turf” 6. “Blinds” 7. “CANTU” 8. “Dakota” 9. “Money” 10. “Spice Girl.”

Three years, loved you every single day, made me weak, it was real for me, yup, real for me
Now I’ll fake it every single day ’til I don’t need fantasy, ’til I feel you leave
But I still remember everything, how we’d drift buying groceries, how you’d dance for me
I’ll start letting go of little things ’til I’m so far away from you, far away from you, yeah

Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, or Lorde is yet another powerful young woman making her mark in the pop music scene. I’ve been in love with Lorde since forever. I remember when her first single “Royals” came out in 2012 and I immedialty became obsessed. I then awaited her album Pure Heroine which dropped in September of 2013. That album has absolutley no flaws and I listened to it on repeat for months. Lorde has a way with lyrics that is so interesting and special and makes you want to know more. She uses catchy but very different beats than your usual pop singer/songwriter. After this ground breaking album Lorde was off the music scene for quite a while. After a long waut Lorde dropped her second album Melodrama. I personally don’t think this album is as good as her first as a whole, but specific songs on it are definitley better than her previous. Most of the songs on this album were much more pop-y than the first, but I think lyrically this album is better. I pray that one day she will drop more music and I will get to see her perform live. My top 10 favorite songs from both albums are: 1. “Ribs” 2. “Hardfeelings/Loveless” 3. “Bravado” 4. “A World Alone” 5. “Still Sane” 6.” 400 Lux” 7. “The Louvre” 8. “Buzzcut Season” 9. “White Teeth Teens” 10. “Writer In The Dark.”

If teardrops could be bottled
There’d be swimming pools filled by models
Told “a tight dress is what makes you a whore”
If “I love you” was a promise
Would you break it, if you’re honest?
Tell the mirror what you know she’s heard before
I don’t wanna be you…
Anymore

Billie Eilish

“The Avril Lavigne for people born after 2009” as some might say. Billie Eilish is only 17 years old and dominating the pop music industry. I would describe her style of music as sad, creepy, electric pop. They first song of hers I heard was “Ocean Eyes” which was also the first song she ever released, and I immediatly fell in love. Billies voice is so effortless, she can hit both high and low notes, and her voice is so soothing and dreamy. Then in 2017 she released her first ep don’t smile at me. This ep is what really made me fall in love with her. The songs have such great beats and melodies, but even if Billie sang over the sound of a chainsaw I would like it. Her voice is that good. She relased a few more singles in 2017-18 called “Bored”, “bitches broken hearts”, “lovely”, ” come out and play”, “when the partys over”, and “wish you were gay.” Those last two singles were on her first album which came out at the end of March 2019 called WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? which turned out to be one of my favorite albums ever. I remember the exact moment that “when the partys over” dropped, and I started crying immediatly. I was going through a break up at the time and that song hit me really hard. I saw Billie at Camp Flog Gnaw in Nov. 2018, and she sounds exactly the same in person. Her voice leves me speachless everytime, and to see her in real life was so amazing. My top 5 favorite Billie songs are: 1. “when the partys over” 2. “bitches broken hearts” 3. “Bored” 4. “xanny” 5. “idontwannabeyouanymore.”

“It’s a, it’s a bad religion
To be in love with someone
Who could never love you
Only bad, only bad religion
Could have me feeling the way I do”

-Frank Ocean
 

Frank Ocean is the one artist that I would pay any amount of money to see in concert. His music is like nothing else I’ve ever heard. I started listening to him in 2016, but his first album, Channel Orange, came out in 2012; which was also the year he came out as bi-sexual; so I was a little late to the game. I started out listening to “Thinkin Bout You” and “Super Rich Kids” which are both amazing songs, and his most popular. The year 2016 was when his most recent album came out called Blonde, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. The first songs I listened to off of that album were “Nights” and “Self Control” and once I heard those I knew I had to listen to all of Frank Oceans music immediatly. Thats when I became obsessed, and also a little mad at my self that I didn’t start listening to all of his music earlier. I would highly recommend listening to his songs after a break up or another event that you just NEED to cry about. His songs are extremely relatable but also so inspiring and interesting considering he is openly bi-sexual, and talks about that topic a lot in his music. Since I’ve listened to more than one of his albums, I’m going to rank my top 10 favorite songs instead of 5: 1. “Bad Religion” 2. “Novacane” 3. “Self Control” 4. “Nights” 5. “Skyline To” 6. “Ivy” 7. “Lost” 8. “Pilot Jones” 9. “Swim Good” 10. “Super Rich Kids”