Hey everyone!
If you know me at all, you know how much I love birthdays. Mine was this past Monday! From the FaceTime calls with my family, to the surprise flowers and cupcakes from my Oracle team as we kicked off our morning Zoom call, and of course the donuts and desserts that quickly followed. All day, I truly felt loved and celebrated — and for that, I’m deeply grateful.
Will and I went to a lovely Italian dinner (on brand for us), which was the first time we’d gone out to a restaurant in over five months. He discovered the spot on a podcast, and was sold after he heard it was one of Chrissy Teigen’s favorites. It was well worth the wait.
Since he knows I’m trying to grow my record collection, one of Will’s birthday gifts to me was a subscription to “Vinyl Me Please,” which means I get an album a month for three months as soon as I set it up!
I’m highlighting the albums, songs, lyrics, and playlists I'm loving lately. Spotify links included for you to enjoy wherever you are.
Albums | Listen to these in their entirety from front to back, the only way to do it. Also, these albums are less than 45 minutes each, so the perfect work from home soundtrack.
From start to finish, the latest album by Glass Animals is a storybook bursting at the seams. The melody in the intro carries you through synth-happy song after song until the same melody unfolds at the end. My sister introduced me to Glass Animals, and I’m forever thankful. This is the best album I’ve heard in a really, really long time.
I first heard of Joseph because my friend Brittney had their “I’m Alone, Not You’re Not” record on loop in our Austin apartment. Growing up in choirs and a cappella groups taught me to always appreciate a good harmony, and their sister harmonies are unparalleled. Although this is the latest album release, I highly recommend both. You’ll love them.
Everyone knows Grouplove because of “Tongue Tied,” but if you haven’t heard this album you’re seriously missing out. Whether you’re waking up to “Good Morning,” need a pump up jam like “Don’t Stop Making It Happen,” or feel like “the tendency of time is to never understand it,” — especially during quarantine — this album is for you.
RN | Three Songs I’m Loving...right now.
I had the privilege of working with flor when they came to Austin, Texas for South by Southwest in 2017. You can tell a lot about a person when you see them in stressful situations, and let me tell you, SXSW is a madhouse. They expressed humility, patience, and the pure excitement of having the opportunity to perform during a hectic night of showcase performances...that spoke volumes.
To this day, I can’t get over their innovative, unique sound. From the angelic voice of Zach Grace to the monster-drumming skills of Kyle Hill, flor is a talented group that hails from Hood River, Oregon. From their crowd of less than 100 people at SXSW in March 2017 to their sold out Los Angeles show in October 2019 with over 1100, flor deserves every bit of success coming their way. They top themselves with every new release, and “lay my heart out” is their latest.
In December 2017, I moved to Los Angeles and made it my mission to see as many shows in classic concert venues as possible. When Tori Kelly announced she was having an all-acoustic birthday concert at the Roxy, I immediately bought tickets. Within 5 minutes, the show was sold out.
She performed classic songs like “Dear No One” and “Nobody Love,” and gave fans a teaser of songs that were on the way. Tori has one of the most powerful voices in music today (in my opinion, underrated) and this EP shows it.
I’ve been on a country music kick these last few days, something about it always feels like home. This is Sam Hunt’s current single from his most recent album release. Starting out reminiscing a 1953 hit, it’s a whole lot of contagious melodies and smart lyrics about “playing hard to forget.”
Lyrics on Loop | Find the lyrics that speak to your soul and never let go.
Where you invest your love you invest your life
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I bet you’re bending God’s ear talking ‘bout me
Lil Nas X did something no one's ever done. Here's why it matters.
Every Friday, I browse Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist and queue up songs that become the soundtrack to my morning. During one of my routine scrolls, I clearly remember noticing Billy Ray Cyrus’ name featured on a song called “Old Town Road.” Curious what he’d been up to since his Hannah Montana days, I queued it up with no idea what to expect.
You could quickly tell the record had a country feel, but with a synthesized chord progression. Billy Ray sings the first few lines of the chorus, and Lil Nas X makes a grand entrance singing the words the whole world would soon be singing with him. Contrary to what you might believe, I skipped the song shortly after Lil Nas X’s now notorious “horses in the back” lyric, thinking it was a parody of some kind.
Less than a week later, the song was everywhere. From Instagram stories to blasting on the speakers at the "Final Four" NCAA tournament — people were obsessed with it, that was abundantly clear.
How did the song come to life?
Not only is Lil Nas X the star of the song, but he’s the digital mastermind behind its success. You may be surprised to learn that “Old Town Road" had the most humble beginning when Lil Nas X initially released it via several social media platforms — famously, Twitter. He promoted the song himself and encouraged fans to engage with it, even providing incentive for fans with who entered the video #YeehawChallenge, which ultimately went viral.
While Lil Nas X wrote the song on his own, he bought the music that's become a worldwide phenomenon for only $30 on the Internet — from BeatStars. The Austin-based company is a digital marketplace that allows producers to sell their original music to artists. Similar to a streaming subscription, producers pay a monthly fee to use the platform. Conversely, creators reap 100% of the sales revenue benefits when artists buy their music.
Lil Nas X purchased that $30 track from one lucky teenage producer called YoungKio in the Netherlands. Little did he know, what Lil Nas X was about to create with his track would change his life forever.
What happened?
Not only does “Old Town Road” become a cultural phenomenon in every way, but Lil Nas X secures a deal with Columbia Records, YoungKio signs a publishing deal with Universal Music Group, and the song not only secures but maintains the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
For 19 weeks.
That's longer than ANY other record previously set by any musician ever, including "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men and "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber — both tied for 17 weeks.
The song's recipe for success? Not only were fans streaming it, they were heavily engaging with it. The song went viral on TikTok, a platform turned quarantine obsession for short-term mobile videos that gained its stride after buying Musical.ly in 2018. With a 15 second maximum limit, the video platform is perfectly catered to newer generations whose attention spans are seeking instant gratification. About a month later, we were in a world where "Old Town Road" rose to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100. It’s important to note that this was also Billy Ray Cyrus’ first Billboard #1 hit ever. The song went on to become 3x platinum in the United States, meaning the single sold 6 million copies.
What dictates how artists are awarded the coveted #1 song?
In a world where 54% of music consumption is through streaming services (Hubspot), Billboard adjusted its requirements for how songs can qualify for the Hot 100 and the coveted #1 spot. Let me summarize.
Paid Subscription Streams: 1 full point value/day
Ad-Supported Streams: 2/3-point value/day
Programmed Streams: 1/2-point value/day (song chosen by online radio stations like Pandora as opposed to listener)
Radio Airplay
Digital Song Sales
*Streaming is the most dominant factor on the chart, followed by radio airplay and digital sales.
*These point value adjustments were made in 2018.
What does all this mean?
Lil Nas X is the perfect example of an artist who has embraced and fully leveraged the technology advancements in the music industry, only growing stronger day by day. This provides fans with new and exciting ways to engage with artists and their music like never before. A few questions I like to ponder:
What will be considered quality, “good” music moving forward?
As technology develops at a rapid pace and the music industry quickly adapts to find new ways for fans to engage with artists, will there be more apps like TikTok (looking at you, Instagram Reels) that populate the marketplace?
Will the standards or requirements for critically acclaimed honors like the GRAMMYs adapt with advancements in tech?
With all the buzz Lil Nas X has received since the song's release (2 GRAMMYs, 2 MTV Video Music Awards), it's important to note that what is considered “good music” and the ways people interact with it will never “go back to normal.” In fact, our definition of “normal” is changing, too. Consider The Beatles, who won “Best New Artist” in 1964. Lil Nas X was nominated in the same category 56 years later. Songs like “Hey Jude,” “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” and “Let It Be” were and will always be considered classics. In 50 years, will “Old Town Road” be considered one as well?
Largely due to the advancements of tech, we’re seeing a huge shift in the way people consume music, but we’re simultaneously seeing a decline in the quality of published music. Because today’s world is all about data, will songs that can gauge an inundated number of entertaining TikTok videos prevail over high caliber and quality music, becoming the standard of modern-day music? Or will they continue to coexist?
In many ways, it’s a treasure to witness technology revolutionizing music and musicians becoming digital wizards to capitalize on the market. Think about it, music is already incredibly accessible; we’re able to listen to music anywhere we go, we can share it through playlists, social media; and even this newsletter. The music industry is all about embracing musical creativity and adapting to the way fans engage with artists. Just think: this record-breaking feat happened in large part because of how Generation Z is using the Internet.
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Until next time,
Donya