music industry – Surfing the Soundwaves

NOW OPEN: CLUB JUL

Umm…hello?? Is this thing on?? Oop.

Yes, it’s me again. Back from the grave…that I evidently dug myself into. Funny how that works isn’t it? Anyways, before we really talk about what Club Jul is…let’s talk about the stupid stuff first. I mean, I have been gone since the middle of the Summer. I’ll let that sink in. For me. Because wtf.

Okay, so LOTS has changed since July. I finally FLEW THE COOP. Yep, moved out of the parentals unit. That was only in October, though. So, clearly I can’t blame that for my extended hiatus. If we’re being completely honest, I wrote the title of this post on November 18th, it’s now 3 weeks later. I truly have no idea what Club Jul is, but we’re going to roll with today’s version.

When I was writing over the Summer, I was touching on how hard it was for me, with the music industry being shut down. Especially when I was temporarily laid off. Whether I let the busy work schedule get the best of me again, or actually lost myself, I can’t really say. Maybe it was a combination of both, but I think we’re reset. Part of me has lost the little flame I once had to consistently write. I mean, all my content thrives on me making stupid decisions at music festivals. IT’S MY BRAND. Now my brand revolves around naming candles based on my dislike for men. Quite the contradiction, right? I can’t stand men, but here I am talking about them 24/7. ESPECIALLY, if they’re a musician. Honestly, cancel me. I deserve it.

So, what led me to sit here in this guest bedroom and start a little storytime? Honestly, just that. BEING ALONE. After a chaotic week, and past few months, I truly realize how much I miss my rare bursts of alone time. Where I’m stuck with my thoughts, and my Spotify, and I can just CREATE. However, I don’t owe it all to that. While I did create this post in freaking November, everyone’s Spotify Wrapped came out last week. Let me tell you, that shit sparked a FLAME in me. One that I thought died out many months ago, for the foreseeable future. Shall I explain more?

Everyone who has negative brain cells LOVES to shit on Spotify Wrapped. I mean, who wants to see their friends passionate about something, right?? WOW SO GROSS AND LAME AND UNCOOL TO POST ABOUT SOMETHING YOU LOVE. Literally the people who talk shit on Spotify posts, are the same people who go and post ten stories about their new car muffler. I’m looking right at you Ford F150 owners. I keep my mouth shut about your ugly little pee pee energy truck, so please stop crying about Spotify Wrapped. It’s old. Hating music is such a tired out trend. We get it you’re underground and like to listen to the sounds of rocks scraping together in your little cave. WE GET IT. However, it really made me feel something. I need to talk about it.

Not to be depressing, but my life has been so lackluster. I mean, I wake up, go to my living room to work, and go back to bed. Hit repeat. While I love my job, it’s getting harder to even perform creatively when my favorite outlets are considered dangerous now. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, if Coachella needs a guinea pig to test a festival on…I WILL BE THERE. Corona doesn’t want me, it’s probably a man that heard me talking shit about it. I’ll be fine. So…ya. I have gone through little bouts of semi-depressive episodes. Then I sit and think about my life’s path. Why? Don’t know. Everytime I do that it always leads me to one place. Sitting in my car, driving down PCH, blasting music. Literally the one thing that moves me. Don’t even MAKE me bring up Ocean Drive right now. I wish I could find that song in human form. What an annoying day that would be for all of you…not me. Anyways, last week my Spotify Wrapped came out. To say I didn’t immediately start crying would be a lie, but I also don’t want to give astrologers the satisfaction of knowing that I, a Cancer, was crying. It doesn’t happen often, but mainly when I’m really happy. I’m no simp. So, I’m sitting there, tears streaming, realizing that this year my playlist is STUNNING. What I thought was such an awful year, musically, turned out to be one of my best. Who would have ever known. While I’ve been trying to live my best life given the circumstances, it’s been a little tough trying to find lighter fluid to get me going. UNTIL LAST WEEK. It’s like night and day.

I knew at this point, I had to update one of my playlists. It’s what all my friends and family know me for. Well, I guess that’s a little dramatic. They know me, but they REALLY know this side of me. Strangers probably just think I’m a G-Eazy fan account. I very well might be, don’t trip. So, what better way to start this new journey at the end of the year, than with BBE. For those of you who clearly aren’t with it, BBE stands for Bad Bitch Energy. Men, you are allowed to possess this quality too. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you’re in my life reading this though, you are a certified rat. So, unfortunately, you can listen to this playlist…you just won’t be able to obtain any power from it. Sorry sweeties.

BBE truly gives you the ego boost you need, while occasionally keeping you humble. Right now, I am OBSESSED with the song “Bitter” by FLETCHER and Trevor Daniel. For some reason, I cannot stop beating that song to shit. Right when I think I’m done listening to it on repeat…I come right back. To some degree I feel like I’m morphing into FLETCHER with our coincidental outfit accessory purchases. So, hopefully when you hear that song on there, it resonates with you in some creepy way like that. Of course we have tons of powerful female voices on there, but we also have the classics. The songs that make me feel like I’m dancing in Indio. With my best friends. This playlist is for the people who are just trying to feel something. Whether that something is closure. Or maybe it’s power. It could even be the ego boost you need to run your ex over with a piano, Grand Theft Auto style. I DON’T KNOW YOUR LIFE. Whatever lights your fire, that’s what I want this to be. If it’s not…f you. Kidding…kinda.

So, unfortunately for all the bitch boys…I will be linking my Spotify Wrapped down below. This is also your formal invitation to send me yours. Whether you think I like your genre of music or not. You could be surprised, and I could be too. Sending music is sorta my love language. I don’t care if I like it or not, just the fact that you thought of me…*swoon.* I’ll also be sharing BBE below, we all know it. We all love it, but we have to appreciate her makeover.

Now this time, it isn’t ‘til next time. It’s SEE YOU POOP HEADS SOOOOON!

2020 New Beginnings

Happy New Year! I thought I would start my first post in 2020 with a little life update. Maybe even take you on a little journey in my personal UFO if that’s okay with you? Throw in a little spicy storytime. Who knows.

So, what is this all about? YOUR GIRL GOT A NEW JOB. I have kept everyone in the dark about this situation, except for my close friends, up until very recently. I just wanted to marinate in the moment, okay?? I didn’t want to wake up and have it all be fake. If you are attentive, I briefly mentioned in my post about Life Is Beautiful, I quit my job to be there. Aren’t I so fun and dramatic? In all reality, I quit my job, and THEN went to have my own celebration at the festival. However, I never really touched base on anything after that. You want to know why? Finding a job was hard as hell that’s why.

Let me backtrack quickly for a second. Upon graduating college, I thought with my thin paper degree, I was set. However, I was brought back to reality, shortly after that thought crossed my mind. For some, finding a job in their career path was actually simple. They had their minds made up in college, and stuck with it. While I always truly knew where my heart was heading, I constantly teetered on if it was “doable.” This is why in college, I didn’t think to look for internships or simple music jobs. I was ignoring my heart and my gut. So, that just meant I was going to have to bust my ass from that moment forward. Which is exactly what I have been doing for the last 2 years. I took a small break after graduation and was ready to grind. I took a small part-time job at a bar in Orange County, which I still hold very near and dear to my heart. While it was only a marketing and promotions position, I figured this title would look great for an entry level music job. I got settled in the job, and continued to look elsewhere. My heart could not rest. I loved the bar and I loved the family that it provided me, but I still felt restless. Coming home from music festivals I was sad, almost like I was longing for more. I MEAN I WAS. I just didn’t know what.

Now, we’re approaching Fall 2019. Life Is Beautiful is around the corner, and my heart is starting to become unhappy. It is becoming increasingly obvious to the people around me. I am no longer where I need to be. While at one point, this job was the first step in the right direction, now it was time to put another foot forward. So, I quit. Didn’t even give my parents more than a 2 weeks notice, like my boss. I set my last day to be right before the music festival, so I could have one last chance to dance. Not forever, c’mon. Just ya know, before I cried every night applying to jobs. If you know me, you know that’s exactly what my sensitive ass did.

I mean, it wasn’t all bad. I did spend countless nights crying in frustration. Wouldn’t you?? If your initial thought was “no,” maybe sit at your computer for 8 hours a day, emailing the void. Now occasionally those emails did produce a response. However, the majority of the response was negative. This is what differentiates 2019 me from 2017 me. In 2017, I would see the rejection, get mad, and quit. This time, I saw the rejection and used it as a fire to spark my next move. Don’t get me wrong though, I still cried…A LOT. All the tears eventually paid off. In early December, I got an interview that would set the tone for my new decade. Upon leaving the interview, I went to visit my best friend at work. I remember telling her I HAD TO HAVE THAT JOB. I have never left an interview feeling like the perfect fit, until that moment. Like everyone should do when looking for a new job, follow up. Seriously. Be annoying. I emailed the company, and almost immediately got a response. It was good news, and he wanted to call me that Friday to finalize everything. This is where things come full circle for me.

Friday rolls around, and I am going on a girls trip to San Diego, for my friend’s birthday. We arrive a little early, so I can take my call in one of the rooms before the festivities begin. I got the job. At the time it still didn’t feel real, still doesn’t. However, this is where it all comes looping around. I quit my job a few months back, and had my last moment of stress-free bliss at one of my favorite music festivals. In San Diego, I started my NEW stress-free bliss dancing at Gryffin! See what I mean, full circle. What’s meant to be will be.

All this had me reminiscing on what my life has been like in the past two years. All the music festival moments, random vegas concerts, and spontaneous trips to go see my favorite artists. At the time, those were all the moments that inspired me the most. They still probably will in this new chapter of my life. All the “too drunk” moments at Coachella, blisters on my ankles, and post festival comedowns. Those were the memories that kept me working hard, and dreaming bigger.

Now, this definitely isn’t the end. With this new job, you’ll get to see me thrive even more. AND I AM GETTING PAID FOR IT??? Imagine that, getting paid to do something you love. I think I’ve heard some sayings about that in the past. What I can say for sure, is you can expect to still hear me scream singing all my favorite songs, except more frequently. This blog will still be thriving, once I find time and content. There are definitely more interviews coming up, so keep an eye out for that. Also, more music festivals, so possibly more disasters?? You know it’s bound to happen with me. Maybe this time someone will actually steal my Iphone 6, so I have no excuse to not get my upgrade. So, until the next musical journey we meet on, I’ll be back soon!!

Life Is Still Beautiful

HELLERRRRRR. Yeah, maybe Life is Beautiful did happen 3 weeks ago, but I have finally recovered from the loss I felt of it being over. While people had many mixed reviews of the festival this year, I thought it was as beautiful as ever. Let me tell you why.

Let’s start with my journey to Vegas. We had a little rocky start arriving, but it quickly turned over for the better. While getting to the city was extremely breezy, I experienced a little shake up at the grocery store. Of course, right? Something weird has happened to me at every festival. So, I am about to be in the heart of Vegas, when I decide to go to the store just outside of the city. We are obviously on a mission to capture some White Claws. And bagels…always bagels. So, I am picking up my case of Claws. I set my phone down maybe a foot away from me. I turned around to put the Claws in my cart and when I looked back, my phone was gone. Me being me, I assumed I put it back in my backpack for safe keeping. As I start to walk away, I realize that is not the case. Who jacked my broken Iphone 6? And how? I was standing right there, not another soul in sight. I power walk to the front, and ask the woman about a lost phone. As I am speaking to her, the cashier tells me that the phone has just been turned in. Weird, right? It felt like the universe was playing a prank on me. Since I had gone on the outskirts of the town to the store, I would have had no idea how to get to my friends apartment. Let alone, I would not have a phone for the entire weekend! Any other time, this would not be an issue, but at a festival?? Not going to happen. However, I was extremely lucky to get my belongings back. Upon checking out, I proceeded to race to the comfort of Emily’s apartment and start getting ready.

It’s day one! Not to mention, Alana and I’s one year anniversary. Such a special moment, realizing you met one of your amazing friends at an amazing festival. Iconic, one would say. Obviously this is Alana’s night. Gryffin is playing and Alana is his #1 supporter and promoter. I had no idea who he was before she came into my life. I am hyped to finally get a chance to wear my hair in space buns, like I had been practicing for weeks. We walk into the festival, and there it is, that feeling you get when you’re finally where you need to be. As some people may know, I quit my job right before the festival. My whole plan was to leave after, but it just felt right to end my journey with live music. I had been feeling overwhelmed, but all of that immediately went away. We had about an hour until our first set, ARIZONA, and I was excited to get a Vodka Redbull. Would you think any less of me? Unfortunately, I was hoping for a cute souvenir cup, but this year that concept didn’t exist. Like all years, we just HAD to sneak each other into VIP for a little bit. Let’s just be real, the porta potties are nicer, and the grass is greener. So, we spent ARIZONA’s set in VIP, vibing with my Vodka Redbull. My favorite part of this entire set wasn’t even the songs. This is absolutely no shade to ARIZONA, they were phenomenal. However, at one point, the lead singer gave a mini speech. He said something along the lines of: if you aren’t where you need to be, with the people you want to be with, you have the power to change that. And while a little lump in my throat formed, Alana put her hand on my shoulder from behind me. In that moment, I really had no doubts about any of my prior decisions. I was going to be okay, actually I was going to be FANTASTIC.

After the set, we decide to head over to our favorite tent, and watch everyone before Gryffin. An act that caught me off guard, for the better, was Jonas Blue. I had always walked to class in college to his song, “Fast Car.” So naturally, I assumed the set would be more mellow. I was wrong. However, it was the perfect pregame to Gryffin. Of course, I just HAD to scream my heart out to the song, “Remember.” For those of you who don’t remember (lol), Coachella was the first time I saw Gryffin. On my drive home, I knew there was a song I loved, but I just couldn’t think of the name. Upon shuffling his music, I realized this was the one. So, since Coachella, I had been listening to “Remember” almost everyday. On repeat. After screaming my lungs out, and dancing like a maniac, it was time to close the night. We finished with Louis the Child. Who was obviously amazing. We decided, with a long weekend ahead of us, we needed to go home early tonight. Of course, not without a little pit stop to McDonalds.

It is day TWO baby. I wake up a dusty, crusty mess, while Emily gets her booty up to go to SoulCycle. What a goddess. I went right back to bed. Let’s just say this day was the best for so many reasons. The first being, it was unofficial cheetah print night on the grounds. When we walked in, almost every person we encountered was in cheetah, including me. How did I get the telepathic memo?? We decided to walk around a little bit and check out the art. My favorite part about this year, were the notes to strangers posted all over. I think the movement has been in museums for a while, but for some reason, seeing them in person was super impactful. It was like all the notes posted, were meant for me to see. It was giving me a little extra pep in my step. However, here is where the REAL pep comes in. I had originally planned my trip to stay longer to see Loud Luxury at the clurb (not a typo). However, my friend’s hookup was no longer in Vegas, leading to a dead end for us. I was super bummed, just trying to play it cool. My friends get a text in the venue, Loud Luxury is playing the Bacardi Art Motel in 30 mins. I SCREAMED. We had to go. It was obviously a pop up, Bacardi Art Motel is teeny tiny. So we get there, and I cut the line. I cut about 70 people, absolutely no shame. In my mind, those people probably did not get the text, they were just waiting to go in and get their aesthetic photos. Not today! I still do not feel one ounce of guilt. While I was most excited for Jauz that day, the vibe completely changed. The song “Love No More,” is the bad bitch anthem I am always talking about. I am in love. So, obviously, the secret set was everything I ever dreamed.

After Loud Luxury, we attempted to find our friends and go to Jauz. Unfortunately, one of our buddies was extremely excited to see Lil Wayne, who came on stage for one lyric, and then cancelled his set. So, with her night being essentially ruined, she decided to return home. We go to Jauz and make some really cool new friends, who later we go to the next set with. However, we don’t stay long before we decide it is time to hit the after party. Where do we go? Well OBVIOUSLY, Encore Beach Club. RL Grime was playing the after party, and I was not going to miss it. Let’s just say, he’s my new Beach Club crush.

It’s day three. Emily still finds it in her soul to get up and workout, while I go right back to bed. It always sinks in on the third day, that it is ending. While I don’t intend for these sad thoughts to creep in, they always do. I just want it to last forever, ya know? So, I put on my favorite festival bodysuit, and we mob over for the last day. Of course, upon arrival, all sad feelings dissipate. Nothing extremely exciting happens, but we do get to end the night with Oliver Heldens, NERVO, and last, but certainly not least, POST MALONE. Can I just say, going into the night, I genuinely was under the impression that Post Malone heavily used autotune, even live. However, I was extremely surprised to find out that he is an AMAZING performer. He managed to put everyone in their feelings, but also hype them up simultaneously. The performance was so good, I have even considered seeing him on tour.

I know I no longer have any wild fables to tell, like my first Coachella post on here. However, I think people enjoy reading about how festivals can actually be a fairytale, as opposed to a nightmare. I will say though, as you grow up, the festival disasters may lessen, but the party STILL is crazy. I mean, c’mon, not everyone can dance for 12 miles a day. This festival never fails to remind me that no matter how tough my life gets, or how overwhelmed I may be, life is still beautiful.

Billie Freaking Eilish

As some of you may know, Billie Eilish is an artist that took 2018 and made it her bitch. For someone like myself, it is always fascinating to watch artists blossom. Sometimes, when it happens this quickly, it really has me wondering how it happened. Was it just luck? Opening for the right act? Becoming friends with the right person? How do these small breakout artists really take the charts by storm?

Believe it or not, “Ocean Eyes,” Billie’s take-off single; came out in the year 2016. However, it didn’t fully reach popularity until artists in 2017 started remixing it. Around this time of sudden popularity, Vanity Fair decided to interview her as an up and coming artist. Still naive to the inner workings of the industry, Billie gave an enthusiastic interview about who she is and what is to be expected from her. Cut to 2018, they conducted a follow-up with the same questions, but exactly 365 days later. Almost 20 million people have seen this side-by-side interview and the comments are eye-opening. However, we will touch base on that later.

So, who is Billie Eilish? Why is she so popular now? Apart from her amazing music, I really wanted to pick apart who she is, with the little information she probably shares about her true self, on social media. For starters, I believe breaking out on the charts has to do with calculated luck in the algorithm. Every streaming service for music has one. I started to believe that Billie was just popping up on people’s feeds at the right time. Which, very well may be the case. However, I think a lot of it had to do with the people she was touring with and the festivals she played. People do not recognize how powerful the combination of word-of-mouth and social media can really be. Say Billie Eilish was performing at Lollapalooza one year and there is a celebrity in the crowd. All that person would have to do is post about how amazing she is, and off go people to Spotify or Apple Music to stream her songs. That is where the algorithm starts to come into play. If in a short time frame, people are all of a sudden streaming this one artist, the app is going to assume EVERYONE is going to want to do the same. Eventually, Billie ends up on Ones To Watch, and Top 40 Songs playlists overnight.

Now that she is so popular, she has to decide what she wants her image to be. In the 2017 Vanity Fair interview, her personal style was already a tad tomboy-ish. She was wearing chains, big sneakers, and baggy clothing. However, her silver/purple hair and subtle/glowy makeup were still very feminine. On her Instagram, @wherearetheavocados, you can kind of see her transform through social media’s eyes. With every picture, her clothes get baggier, and her smile becomes more non-existent. Personally, I do not like her style at all. I have a couple friends who agree, and we have all had heated conversations about it. However, I always say the same thing, it’s her “brand.” When Lady Gaga first came into fame, her style was WACK. Now that she has become more established and self-aware, her fashion has changed completely. I think when it comes to self-image, Billie is just trying to figure out who she is, while still maintaining this boy-ish vibe.

Now let’s talk about her music. Her voice has to be one of the most angelic voices I have ever heard come out of a 17 year old. When “Ocean Eyes” became popular, it was such a beautiful melancholy tune. At the time, I would have labeled it as something more “Indie.” The more she released, the less I was able to categorize her into a genre. However, referring back to her 2017 interview with VF, that is part of her vision. Not being confined to a definitive musical box. My two favorite songs of hers at the moment are: “Bellyache” and “bitches broken hearts.” With the song “Bellyache,” I love how beautiful her voice is in comparison to the tragic lyrics. She even stated herself, the lyrics are simply about murder. She is singing an upbeat tune about killing her friends. What’s not to love about that? Again, FBI agent in my computer, I am just kidding. When listening to her album though, you will realize that a lot of her songs are very sad. It could be reflective of what she is going through in the industry. The way she is handling growing up in the public eye. In her 2018 interview with VF, she flat out said that everyone in the industry is sad. Other artists may be hiding it by singing about the great times in their lives, however, Billie is very transparent about the things going awry. With the song, “bitches broken hearts,” she is really tapping into that melancholy vibe. With little instrumentals in the background, her voice takes center stage. She simply is singing about someone missing her, but being in denial. It’s honestly an empowering song, with a rainy day attitude.

Lastly, I want to talk about the controversy surrounding her 2018 follow up interview. I had watched it when it came out and thought about how much she had changed looks-wise. Her style was edgier, her hair was blue, and her eyes looked tired. However, recently a friend of mine has become really enamored with Billie Eilish’s presence. She was talking about the interview, which brought me to watching it again. The comments stunned me. The majority were talking about how sad she looked now, and how naive she was in 2017. To me, yes, she does look a little bit more sad. Becoming famous overnight had put a lot of pressure on her, as she states herself. I can’t imagine how tiring it must be trying to figure out who you are, while also trying to battle the pressure of what the world wants you to be. While I do think she looks exhausted and sad, I also think that is just a part of her age. She is so young and growing up in front of now 12 million people. Talk about overwhelming.

When it comes to Billie Eilish, I have always been in awe of her voice. I think that this is just the beginning for her, and her talent is going to take her so far. I think she is going to take 2019 by storm. With the many festivals she is set to play, Coachella being a big one, she is going to have a busy year. I think it will be interesting to see how she grows musically and fashionably in the next several months. I also hope she doesn’t let the pressure of the industry get to her. The world can sometimes be a cruel place, but I think she will use her art to heal herself and her fans this upcoming year.