It's been a few months since Kendrick Lamar's 'The Pop Out: Ken & Friends' concert, and it's still pretty incredible to look back on and think about. He brought together longtime friends from his old label, some from his industry in general, and so many other West Coast natives of different levels of popularity to perform for a huge crowd rallied up after the viral rap beef. To think about how some of his friends there had once been young, hanging around people like him, and getting in their zone making the music they enjoy, eventually leading up to this moment a longtime later where they're grown up and all united is such a special thing.
It's things like that that I'd love to experience. Obviously, I'm still just starting at this, so it won't happen right away, but I want to feel like everything I create with the intent of putting out into the world is something that has value to me, something that at the very least has me feeling like I'm taking another step further on my artistic journey. But it's going to take a lot of time, effort, and improvement to reach.
I've been learning quite a bit about some of my favorite current indie artists and how they've gotten to where they are now, and it has me going "Wow. I already feel some connection here on a personal level. I can picture myself in something like this." It's been artists like yeule, Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast), and King Krule, but yeule especially as of late. Beyond admiring their music, visuals, and aesthetic, I've looked through their Wikipedia page and artist bios and have found it so fascinating to see their artistic evolution and where it's gotten them now. I also can't help but mention my personal attachment to their work, as softscars has grown to become among my favorite albums. Whenever I listen to it (or at least a song off it), I could tell that they've been through so much hardship at the time that they're now spilling out into the music. There's so many lines throughout the album that still stick with me, some that I feel a personal connection to, and some that don't have that but still feel precious. And I know I'm not the only one with that, I've seen people on their Discord server talking about how it's helped them in some way. Seeing that as well really has me inspired. It altogether has me wishing that I could have something like what yeule has.
What's important is that I'm working towards it, but if you know me, you know it'll be especially hard. I struggle to focus on things and put my full effort into them, it's a bit hard for me to retain everything I learn, and it's hard for me to do that consistently and efficiently. What I want to try to do is finish what's currently on my plate (like school work), cut out distractions as much as possible, and give myself time to learn and improve my music skills. It's tough, as I've taken piano lessons for years, my talent in it going as far as being able to play Fur Elise, but I've gotten lazy and let a lot of that skill fade away. When it comes to guitar, I'm very inconsistent when it comes to practicing, and I still struggle to play some things on it. When it comes to music production and handling music programs, most of the time I either don't know what to make or struggle to make what I want sound right. In short, I haven't exercised my music skill as much as I should, and so I'm not the best at what I do.
What I have had, however, is ambitions. For years at this point, I've dreamed of pursuing music, putting out what I've wanted to make, having it reach people willing to support me with it, screw it, even crossing paths with other artists I love. I've already imagined so many projects to make on a conceptual scale, and have sometimes imagined the reactions to them. I seriously want to do this because it feels right to me. I don't think I'm capable of handling a part-time job even though I'm at the age where I can do that, and I can't imagine having a normal job because I don't feel like I'd be achieving anything huge with it. I want to pursue this and know I have to start at the young age I'm at in preparation for the bigger things, both inside and outside of this career. On top of that, I want to reach people who find value in it in order to feel like I've achieved something special out of it, as well as lost friends to reconnect with.
Earlier this month, my sister and I flew to LA to see one of her favorite artists, Laufey, perform at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as her early birthday gift, and it simply became the best concert I've ever been to. One moment that still sticks with me was how at one point, as she was performing 'Letter To My 13 Year Old Self,' when she delivered her lines 'One day, you'll be up on stage / Little girls will scream your name,' the crowd temporarily arose in cheer. Throughout the show, she opened up to the crowd in between songs and gave us a further glimpse on her life and the stories from them she's encapsulated in her songs. She talked about her upbringing, experiences that inspired her songs, where she was when she wrote them, and her dreams as an artist, all leading up to this moment that was special, not only to her, but certainly to so many in the crowd, myself included. I just found it so inspiring to witness in the moment: an artist who grew a clear passion for music when they were young, having dreams to turn it into a successful career, putting so much time and dedication into making what they love for people with that same connection, and eventually knowing it's all paid off as they watch their dreams come true in front of them.
I love when I'm listening to an artist that I can tell has a deep appreciation for music, and in turn, makes what they make in hopes of finding people who connect with it and appreciate or be inspired by it the same way the artist has before. I want to have that sort of impact one day.
- Anthony “Salteh” S. • • •
