Talks New Music, Vulnerability, and Family

Releases Late Summer Anthem “CRUSH”

Talks Releasing His Best Song Ever

“I think I just wrote my best song ever.”

These words, spoken by TikTok’s generic text-to-speech voice (you know the one), are the first thing you see and hear in a TikTok post uploaded on July 19th, 2022 by user @jvke. The 21 year-old singer/songwriter/producer earnestly looks at the camera, instructs you to “wait for the drop,” hits the space bar on his computer’s keyboard, closes his eyes, and starts to play the air piano. The rest of the video sees JVKE lip-syncing, swaying and spinning to the first verse and chorus of his latest creation “golden hour.” The song had dropped just four days prior, and it’s clearly one that JVKE is proud of.

Is Pop Perfection In ‘All 4 Nothing’

Lauv, the pop sensation behind hit songs including “I’m so tired…” and “I Like Me Better,” is preparing for the release of his second studio album, ‘All 4 Nothing,’ later this week. Admittedly exceeding his expectations, the artist sees the project as a self-explorative work inspired by a challenging time; not only in his life but in the world as a whole. We recently had the opportunity to gain more insight into the creative process that inspired the album.

On The Beauty In The Madness

On July 15th Bay-Area R&B/hip-hop singer Rexx Life Raj dropped Blue Hour, his most intimate album to date, via EMPIRE. The twelve-song project is an honest retelling of Raj’s mental state in the immediate aftermath of his mother's passing. Raj is often praised for his world-building, however, he takes it to the next level on this project. 

Toronto native, Lauren Isenberg, known professionally as renforshort, is a dynamic singer-songwriter at the inception of what is sure to be a lengthy, successful career. The artist has carved out her own distinct sound in the alt-pop space that features vulnerable lyrical content backed by infectious and energetic guitar-forward instrumentals. Furthermore, the cathartic release of her songwriting allows for extreme relatability for listeners.

A project nearly two years in the making, MICO’s ‘second thoughts EP’ marks the latest chapter in the artist’s coming of age story. From navigating teenage love and heartbreak to the uncertainties of being an independent musician, each track offers a distinct relatability that bodes well with his predominately Gen-Z audience. In our recent conversation, MICO shared his goal of reaching the full potential of the punk-pop sound. And as ambitious as this may seem, the artist has achieved such here to perfection — a swinging dose of 2000s nostalgia along with a ton of personal flair.

Fernandina, Florida’s flipturn has blossomed into a household name amongst indie music fans since originating out of a garage in 2015. The band is characterized by infectious, movement inducing instrumentation paired with emotionally stirring, introspective vocals. Followers of flipturn are quick to emphasize the importance of experiencing the band live where they transport listeners into a musically induced trance.

By Matthew Meyer

“Cypress”, the new dreamy pop EP from Sarah Kinsley, is the release that she just finished performing for audiences across the country, redefining her image to her fans.

The EP hit streaming services on June 10, a year following her viral release of “The King,” which has exploded to almost 30,000,000 streams on Spotify since. The artist said the pop anthem, “completely took over my life.”

When I first met Wazo, the 23-year-old artist noticed me listening in to his conversation with another stranger. It was in French, in the darkness of a late-night party, and he was decked out in a balaclava, a silver nose piercing, Chrome Hearts, and several beautifully torn and sewn pieces (which I later found were the work of Wazo’s friend and collaborator, Fendi, who also acts as a stylist). I had seen Wazo perform a set of rage music the week prior at Elevate, an underground events company in DTLA, among churning, sweaty bodies, and neon strobes. I was curious about him but slightly intimidated by his aesthetic.

On June 3rd, Georgia-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Amelia Moore dropped her debut EP teaching a robot to love under Capitol Records. Amelia’s honest lyricism comforts anyone who ever felt they loved too much while unapologetically exposing those who love too little. Inspired by a ‘situationship’ breakup with an emotionless significant other, the project is a therapeutic heartbreak EP grounded in a metal-sounding world. Now based in LA, Amelia Moore is an icon in the making –– and she’s only 20-years-old.

Sweden’s premier dance-pop duo Jubël became synonymous with all things summer following the success “Dancing In The Moonlight (feat. NEIMI)” in 2018. Four years after its release, the hitmakers continue to release countless warm weather hits, the latest being “Diamonds” featuring 21-year-old Turkish phenom Aleyna Tilki. An ’80s action movie-style music video accompanies the song, breathing new life into the already addicting melodic pop synths. “Diamonds” naturally beckons a new era for the duo, who is always determined to “have fun and (never) stop exploring new sounds.” This open-minded nature has led Jubël to platinum records, hundreds of millions of streams, and international acclaim. We spoke to them about their latest single, traveling the world, and more.

DaBoyDame is an Oakland, California music legend who embodies what it means to be forever grinding. Viewed as a renaissance figure in West Coast hip-hop, Dame entered the music industry as an intern at 106.1 KMEL radio station in the Bay. Fast forward ten years and he is now a widely respected DJ, producer, songwriter, and the head of A&R at Yo Gatti’s CMG label. After facilitating the music creation process for other people for so long, the world gets to directly cheer him on. 

It’s been nearly one year since Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed internet-native vaultboy as the “King of Sad Songs.” The title, while taking exception to his massive 2021 TikTok hit “everything sucks”, is one that holds true following the release of his latest single “disaster.” The song was created in true vaultboy fashion, birthed from a series on his YouTube channel, the “77-minute songwriting challenge.”

Mira Housey, Metro-Detroit-born singer-songwriter and producer dropped her latest pop single “hold the applause” on May 26th. The independent artist challenged herself to write a song in 20-minutes, incorporating three random words selected by her friend. Posting the process on TikTok, Mira wrote, composed, and produced the dynamic track based on the words ‘pillow’, ‘rock’, and ‘curtain’. A shattered plate and +6 million views later, “hold the applause” is a delightfully catchy exploration into the fear of vulnerability onset by relationships. Setting the tone for her upcoming EP, Mira’s jazzy melodies and dynamic bass lines amplify her powerful falsetto as she expresses the passionate lessons she’s learned through heartache.

20-year-old Australian singer-songwriter Budjerah embodies one of the most unique musical styles across the entire industry landscape. The young artist of Bundjalung descent draws elements from indie, pop, and r&b to complement his influence from soul music, and growing up in a church band.

Giving Yourself Grace & ‘Breathing Into Bloom’

LA-based singer and songwriter CLAY coats her pop/R&B sound with sprinkles of bittersweet soulful riffs. On May 4th, the artist released their latest project titled ‘Breathing Into Bloom’. The holistic and multi-genre EP explores CLAY’s personal experiences with mental health and unrequited love. Since her debut single in 2016, CLAY has grown a following of over 17M streams across 520K+ monthly listeners on Spotify.

Ethan Bortnick is mastering the art of creating beautiful darkness through music. The 21-year-old has accumulated over 750,000 followers on TikTok, where he is showcasing his insane piano abilities and his authentic songwriting skills. He previously released “Cut My Fingers Off” which went viral on the platform as videos of him performing to strangers on omegle.com shocked teens worldwide. You can see the passion and emotion he pours into his music in each video he creates.

Nana, unlike many other artists that we cover at When I Make It To LA, can’t tell us about when he made it to Los Angeles, because Los Angeles made him. His recent project, From The District To The World, pays homage to the Crenshaw District of the city and hosts a diverse cast of LA features. Nana creates an eclectic yet tight-knit album in a pocket that acts as a record of his vision and experience of the city. FTDTTW works to reorient listeners’ minds to understand the varied traumas and successes of the city, and life, through Nana’s story, as well as those of his community.

“Love At First Song” Is An Emotionally-Driven Pop Staple

You know the feeling you get when you find a new song you can’t stop listening to? AJA encapsulated that sentiment in her new single “Love At First Song.” The high school student was inspired by her own passion for music and the ways music can affect your mood. AJA released her first song at only 13-years-old, which has allowed her to grow and gain a better understanding of herself as an artist and the music industry as a whole.