I had a chance to see the American indie-rock/alternative band half•alive who is making all kinds of waves as the trio took the stage a second time at the Fonda Theatre. Though this was their second round at the venue, the first being sold out, they still had managed to pack the house with a crowd that was ecstatic to see them live. The merchandise looked amazing and the energy in the room was sky high! 

I met up with California-native, singer/songwriter Dylan Dunlap at Swork Coffee located in Glendale, CA. It was later in the evening and the location was cute. I spotted a light sea blue sofa in the back with a round coffee table by a window, which ended up being the spot I chose to host the interview. I ordered my cappuccino and waited for Dylan to arrive. When he does, I am greeted immediately with a hug and smile. There’s something about Dylan that’s just really charming. From the way he warmly smiles at you and chuckles at his own jokes, to the way he makes sure to tell you that he doesn’t know everything but that he’s willing to try to learn and understand.

The LA-based alternative rock band has been hard at work performing and writing music, and overall doing the rock thing the right way. Consisting of frontman Cameron Boyer, guitarist Cameron Olsen, Bassist Brennen Bates, and drummer Cole Carson, the 4 have been creating feel-good, whimsical tracks that touch upon self-worth, self-discovery, and moving on in life. Without a doubt, the guys were able to find and define their sound, creating a unique and exciting path for their musical careers.

Her new release, “Thickness,” is a fun, flirty track that gets you in the right mood and mindset for the day. It’s an R&B song with all the makings of what it means to accept and love yourself. It’s an ode to body-positivity and the Orlando-based artist uses all of her force, strength, and sexiness to envelop you in this aura of feels. The duality that makes the record both sensual and sweet, hooks you into its silky, bouncy, and dreamy melodies searching for more after the song is over. The clever usage of a casual lingo used today makes the song that more relevant tot the listener. Check out the track above now. 

In the past year, the artist has achieved many things including reaching close-to 62 million Spotify streams, ranking top 10 at Urban AC, performing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” hitting No. 1 on Sirius XM’s “The Heat” twice, and being featured on VEVO’s DSCVR campaign. To add on, he was highlighted by Deezer Next Artist, was the cover of Spotify’s Alt R&B playlist, was deemed Google Play’s Artist to Watch for 2018 and and captured the attention of NPR, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Time, Vibe, Paste, Sunday Times, TheIndependent, Wonderland, The Tennessean, Clash and Nashville Scene, just to name but a few.

Chloe Lilac is the next artist to possibly dominate the Left-of-Center Crowd we have all in some way become in love with. From Billie Eilish to Elohim to VÉRITÉ to Lorde and more, they have all stolen the sad girls club show and brought to us a new side of pop. Lilac fits this mold and has put out a few solid tracks to demonstrate her addition to the emerging genre.

Pretty Vicious’ forthcoming debut album is a project to capture the emotions of the rebellious youth! Full of energy and attitude, this Welsh valley-boys stole the music souls of many and captured the London streets with their sound. They recently released their single “Move” and more recently just came out with an amazing new music video to accompany the track giving the fan a visual to enjoy.

The band had stolen the entire Royale room’s hearts with the music and the simple, sweet vibes they offered on the stage. Honne sang so many of their new songs as well as so many of their old ones from the previous album, and Boston was singing along without any direction. After I left the photo pit to stand in the crowd, I noticed how immensely packed it was–I had known it was a sold out show, but didn’t realize how massive the room was until I saw all of the crowded bodies and smiling faces. Hands were up in the air and heads were back with eyes closed as people absorbed the music into their bones and swayed to the beats of each track.

One of the kindest souls I have ever had the honor of speaking to, Tove Styrke is on an amazing rocket ride that’s headed straight for the stars. Her music has always been so good, and I find myself saving the tracks every time she releases something new. As over-exaggerated as that sounds, it’s only the truth. Styrke has had a great story leading her through her musical career, and it only continues.

I had the chance to interview the talented left-of-center/pop queen and singer/songwriter VÉRITÉ at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival this summer, and my heart was full. In real life, meet Kelsey Regina Byrne. From Brooklyn, New York City,VÉRITÉ has made quite the upward trajectory in her career, with her first single “Strange Enough” releasing back in 2014 that reached number one on Hype Machine, to then become #1 Most Viral Twitter Artist, to now be an artist with an incredible track record of projects, touring, performances, and collaborations. She released her EP Echo in 2014 and her second EP Sentiment in 2015.

Made up of Jersey boys: Nathan Esquite (Guitar), David Labuguen (Keys), and Zachary Charles (Vocals), A R I Z O N A has made waves in the music domain in an era that just began to accept the kind of producer-like music that dominates the airwaves today. 2018 in itself has been one of the greatest years for the band to date (and it’s only halfway through!). They just released 2 new hit singles titled “Summer Days” and “Freaking Out”,have made numerous placements on New Music Friday playlists, have had countless amazing collaborations, and have embarked on Panic! At The Disco’s “Pray For the Wicked” North American arena tour (which includes Hayley Kiyoko in the lineup as well)!

Last night, at one of Boston’s hippest urban streetwear retail stores, AWOL, one of L.A.’s rising stars held an album listening party for the city of Boston in promotion of his recent project Return of the Cool, which dropped just a few days ago on January 13th. Now Grant steps out of the studio and into the worlds of his fans as he comes to meet students from the area in this shop to explain in depth the meaning of each track off the compilation.

Aaradhna Patel, the Wellington, New Zealander queen of old soul Rhythm & Blues, is not just any individual, but a stunningly powerful and well-cultured artist. I had the incredible opportunity to interview this rising star to get a better look at the actual Brown Girl’s story behind the album and the music.