Muse with Araya

Araya’s debut album, Atlas, released in January of this year, leads you on a path of introspection, a winding road of questions and inner thoughts entering your ears through an R&B-pop-lo-fi-electronica-hybrid sound. Notes of the tropics and piano solos lay underneath the hearty, yet smoothe, vocals.

The young singer-songwriter always had music when he had nothing else, and it is this that led him to putting all of himself into music after working so hard as a fashion student. Atlas leaves us off on a song entitled “Eden," a musing track that questions religion. As he and his bandmates work on album 2, he finds they are following a narrative arc that continues this introspection and questioning. “I just want people to be excited for a journey. We’re in the long run, vibes,” he told office.

Check out our conversation below.

Jacket, shirt & pants WILLY CHAVARRIA, bag HEAVEN BY MARC JACOBS, shoes SAINT LAURENT, jewelry MARTINE ALI, glasses RETROSUPERFUTURE

I see that you’re influenced by and have a background in fashion. What brought you to music?

I’ve had an interest in music my whole life. When I was 12, 13, I got my first piano and played in my free time. After high school, not that music or my dreams of singing faded away, but I applied to FIT. I’d really adapted to a lot of creative outlets. Music was definitely the most vital, and personally validating, source of inspiration and expression for me, but going to college at FIT made me focus and see my design as a career and the fashion industry as a place that I wanted to be. It really inspired me and defined my aesthetic, so about senior year, a really crazy design/fashion opportunity fell through, and it humbled me. I felt like I had nothing, as cliché as it sounds. But when I had nothing, I felt like I still had my music. It was there for me. It was like this huge cushion. I really leaned into that to heal from the loss of that opportunity. It’s been there for me my whole life; it’s like that thing that no one can take from you. I think the fashion industry led me to beautiful people, like minded people who have an open heart, open mind, and if I was doing music or whatever, I would still be happy to be around those types of communities, doing what I’m doing.

How does your experience in fashion influence your artistry in music? Does one inform the other?

I think music and fashion are really similar in a lot of ways; beautiful things have a likeness to them. Once we decide they’re beautiful. Fashion, going to fashion school, that was kind of my mantra in that field. It helped me have a more beautiful experience. Adjusting my eye, my taste… When I started music, I kind of just kept the same mentality. It helped guide me. I think my time with fashion was a perfect precursor to what I’m doing now. It all needed to happen.

It helped you develop your voice in a way?

Yeah, definitely. It helped me develop my voice. When I went to FIT, I knew it was good enough for me that I felt confident in my skills and abilities and I was fine just being Christian Araya, which is my first name and last name. Going to FIT, being a designer. But then the industry, and New York, and that hustle, and that drive, and that hunger, made me want to be more. It made me want to be ARAYA and fall into this identity, this persona.

Top right — Jacket MONCLER, sweater HELMUT LANG, shirt LOUIS VUITTON, pants PARIA FARZANEH VIA SOCIALITE ARCHIVE, necklace BARRAGAN

Bottom right — Jacket SACAI, jacket DIESEL X DIESEL, sweater & pants HELMUT LANG, hat MONCLER, jewelry MARTINE ALI

How would you describe your sound?

I think my sound is like a modern sound collage. I think we’re in a musical renaissance. I try to be progressive and provocative and almost traditional in a way… I like that there’s a dichotomy to my music, like that traditional soul, that R&B sound, laid on top of these beats that kinda go against structure. That’s my goal. I wanna try to break down walls that exist in music. I feel that same way with my sound, our sound, our process. We’re always trying new things because the more you try new things there’s more opportunity, the more sounds you try, you’re limiting yourself if you’re not doing that. As long as it makes me feel good, and I feel comfortable, then I’m happy.

I think you accomplish that well; the classic R&B sound with a modern twist on the beats. What is your creative process like in terms of writing music and then recording it?

When I started writing music, it was just me. I’d write songs on shitty piano chords. That got tucked away, the piano got tucked away into the back of my closet, the songwriting book got put away into the desk. Then, like I said, around junior/senior year, I started writing music on type-beats of YouTube and BeatStars. Just getting my pen. Writing with intention. Writing as a more grown version of myself. A very different feeling and approach. My producer person, he really helped me translate my ideas into this medium that I didn’t understand as well as I wanted to. Then, when I met my band, which was, like, 6 months after I met Thadeus, they came and added that tradition, that real instrumentation onto these type-beats and these electronic sounds. That’s why I call it a collage. Some beats started as type-beats, and we cut them in half, take them apart, and put them back together. After we put it back together, cut it into pieces and then put a piano solo on it.

Right, very layered…

Yeah, that outcome couldn’t exist without, like, a 6 layered step of processes of people of relationships in between. It really is just, like, a shapeless thing.

When I had nothing, I felt like I still had my music.

You also are very much a part of the creative processes involved in your music, such as editing your own photos, creative directing album art, etc… How do all of these creative outlets come together and form your concept as an artist?

I think at FIT, I was so exposed to how purposeful and important it is to — if you’re an artist, your rollout, your design — that is so much as part of you as your music. The intention behind it. People will hold you to that for the rest of your career. It’s way more important than some people view it. Just being in the art world, being obsessed with all of these mediums of art, it helped me not have any biases towards getting my hands into everything. Getting my hands dirty. It made me understand the importance. I was like, there’s no way I could put this music out and not be a part of the rollout, as well. This shit all matters. I want this to be a part of whatever legacy I’m leaving.

Your platform is growing. How does this allow you to discuss the current climate toward the violence and oppression in the Asian community?

I think it’s really important in general to speak up and be present and never be silent in a moment when any minority or any group of people are experiencing hate. As I was saying, like how important my community was to me in lifting me up, making me feel safe and never alone in what I was doing. In reflection, I feel like it’s my responsibility to do that for my people. With this happening, it’s really important to lift up the community and lift up voices that are speaking about the stigmas that are causing this violence. I hope to contribute to that as well.

Jacket & pants DAILY PAPER, sweater LOUIS VUITTON VIA SOCIALITE ARCHIVE, glasses RETROSUPERFUTURE

What can fans look forward to seeing from you in the coming months?

Definitely, I’m in A2 mode. Atlas was A1, we’re in A2. We went to LA in the hopes to create a 3-4 song EP and came back with 17 songs. There’s a lot of new music on the way. It keeps happening that way. We just go into situations and over deliver when it comes to this shit. It’s humble because it’s like, this is what we love to do. There’s things I love to do and the Universe or some energy in life stalls the process of things manifesting in front of me, and actually existing. So, I feel like just having all this new music is building up these assets that validate everything we’re doing. If it feels right, if I’m comfortable, if the people I love around me are smiling, comfortable, then I’m gonna keep doing this. Hopefully we drop 2, 3 singles in the next few months and then another album after that!

How do you think your process has grown since Atlas? Did you come to this next project with new knowledge or approaches?

Yeah, 100 percent. I think my biggest thing is to be a student. We’ve had the amazing opportunity to get into some rooms with really talented, experienced people. This album has been a personal act of breaking down this jadedness I had towards doing everything in-house with me and my homies. So we’ve let people in, and it’s been a really healing, beautiful work experience, work environment. Just allowing people to come into the picture and just really it being a kind of ritual of my trust being rebuilt back up by talented people who care and are passionate and are putting themselves into the work. Learning a lot.

The last track of Atlas is called “Eden”. I approached with the idea of wholeness of oneself and questioning religion. The next album kind of continues this story line, and I think it’s cool that we’re creating this narrative. I just want people to be excited for a journey. We’re in the long run, vibes.

Music

Jesse Jo Stark Is in a Genre of Her Own

April 19, 2024

In the midst of a total solar eclipse, I got the chance to talk about music and style with Jesse Jo Stark.

As I’m on the phone with her from New York, Stark is on a tour bus with The Veronicas, driving through the Colorado mountains to enjoy some time off in between shows. The Veronicas have just started their Gothic Summer North American Tour, and Stark is opening the show. What’s special about this tour for the lifelong music obsessive is the sense of powerful feminine energy encapsulating the tour. “We just started [tour], but it’s been really lovely. I’m obsessed with the fact that we’re all women — it feels like a very powerful crew. The Veronicas are lovely, the crowds have been so fun, and the venues are beautiful. It’s gonna be a good month.”

Photography Sophia-Liv Maguire
Styling Marc Eram
Interview Angelina Hazzouri
Talent Jesse Jo Stark
Hair Antoine Martinez with PARADIS using Roz Hair
Makeup Sydney Szramowski
Photo Assistants Mia O’Neal, Rashaun Richardson
BTS Ms Josephine
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck

This is Stark’s second time touring since the release of her full-length debut album DOOMED in late 2022, which was very well received and led to Stark’s first sold-out international headlining tour on behalf of the album. Previous to her solo tour, she’s opened for various notable acts, such as Guns N’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction. I asked Stark, who’s been writing and playing music since age 11, what it was like to prepare for her first sold-out headlining tour. Unsurprisingly, before any tour, Stark goes into what she describes as “bootcamp mode” — dancing every day, vocal training, rehearsing with her band, and of course, working on her outfits. “That’s the sort of homework I love,” she says, smiling. (Even though we’re on the phone, I can tell she’s smiling when she talks about the outfit part. I’d smile too if I had her tour closet.)

What’s unique about Stark as a musician is that she has ultimately created her own universe by embracing every aspect of her creative upbringing, her raw talent, her fascinating influences, and her unwavering beliefs in not needing to fit into a certain box when it comes to her art. She creative-directs and styles all her own looks, referencing an ever-evolving list of influences that range from Vegas showgirls to Halloween to old films to her parents in the 90s. “I think when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from,” she tells me, “but now it’s just my blood. I constantly reflect on my childhood and everything I was taught and everything I saw. My brother and sister and I are constantly pulling influences from our parents from the past. I think, more than ever, I’m heavily influenced by them.”

Stark, the daughter of founders and owners of the self-made American fashion brand Chrome Hearts, and now its creative director and designer, is someone who always knew what she liked, but as she describes it, had to ‘go through the motions’ that come with growing up and knowing one’s identity. Today, her self-efficacy is palpable — and it’s inspiring.

...when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from, but now it’s just my blood.

When she’s on tour, Stark is growing with herself and with her art — she’s not afraid to take life as it comes and learn through the process. With every show, regardless of whether it was on her DOOMED tour or this tour with The Veronicas, Stark understands the importance of human connection through music. Seeing faces of music lovers like herself, meeting those who have traveled to see her, and visiting familiar and unfamiliar cities has reminded her that she loves being on the road. “The growth that happens on tour is so important to me as an artist.” Sometimes we have to leave behind what’s familiar in order to rediscover what’s important, and Stark is a proponent of this growth mindset.

Growth doesn’t just happen on tour with Stark — this evolution of herself happens within genre as well, and for Stark there’s no such thing. Since her first release Driftwood in 2017, the artist’s sound has shifted year after year, but in a harmonious way that still feels central to her gothic Americana roots. When asked if she’ll experiment with genre in the future, Stark confidently answers, “I think I’ve only experimented with genre. I don’t think anyone knows what genre I am.” (She calls herself a “horrific hillbilly” — a perfect descriptor.) Steadfast in her belief that we as humans can constantly evolve in our work, Stark thinks it’s antiquated to fit yourself into a certain box and focus on one specific trade in order to succeed. “If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time. I want to experience different things.”

Since Driftwood, a two-song EP rooted in rock and country, Stark has experimented with more robust beats and 808s on DOOMED, and her most recent single “skeleton” features a softer, grungier punk sound. Without fitting into a specific genre, Stark’s music is undoubtedly and wholeheartedly her own, transcending the boundaries of what many artists struggle with when finding their sound. “I don’t think we should have to label ourselves in any way, shape, or form; so I’m not going to. I will continue to make all types of different music.” Fuck yeah.

If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time.

This goes beyond just music — in terms of her personal style, the same mentality applies. We discuss the idea that clothing and dressing is a sort of playground, and personal style comes from within. Stark isn’t about following trends, but rather, she thinks it’s important to tap into different stylistic elements that amplify who we are at our cores. On her DOOMED tour, Stark wore a lot of leather and stuck to a fairly dark color palette. Right now, she’s into more bourgeois satin and lace, experimenting with different textures and wearing things that feel slightly daintier and more delicate. On this current tour with the Veronicas, Stark is making it more of a point to take everything in — absorbing inspiration from every city, writing songs on the road, recording video on a friend’s super 8 camera, styling and wearing new outfits, learning and performing new covers — ultimately growing through the whole experience.

It’s endearing and inspiring how well Stark knows herself. A Los Angeles native, she proudly tells me that the tour finishes on May 5 in her hometown, a show that she’s especially excited for. While we can’t predict what thoughtfully-curated outfit she’ll wear or what songs will be performed, with new music already underway, one thing is clear: Jesse Jo Stark is just getting started.

Music

9lives' Latest Single Continues to Push Sigilkore

April 19, 2024

The versatile artist, producer, and pioneer of the sigilkore genre, 9lives, has recently unveiled his latest single "CANADA" featuring jnhygs. In less than two years since his emergence onto the music scene, 9lives has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a prominent figure within the digitally-driven sigilkore movement. "CANADA" sees him teaming up once again with experimental dance artist jnhygs, following their successful collaboration on "XTAYALIVE".

With aspirations to establish himself within the mainstream arena of experimental music production and artistry, 9lives is blending his distinct dark production style with collaborations with a diverse array of influential artists who trust him to create innovative sonic landscapes. "CANADA" marks his second release of 2024, as 9lives continues to champion the burgeoning sigilkore movement, pushing the boundaries of genre, evolving into a multifaceted artist, and solidifying his status as a rising star with an expanding audience.

Image by Connor Pritchard

Reflecting on their latest project, 9lives shares, “In early 2023 jnhygs found my music and we started chatting through TikTok, releasing our first song together called "XTAYALIVE"." He adds, We’ve been friends since this song had a viral moment, and fans have been heavily requesting for us to work together again all over our videos.” Describing their creative process, he explains, “I sent a bunch of new ideas to jnhygs via Discord and she sent back vocals to “CANADA”, which I then used to create melodic layers and extra percussion to complete the song.

Music

Eclipsed at Vampire Weekend

April 16, 2024

It had been about a week since the goosebump-inducing communal howls at the moon, as it covered the sun through a cloudy Austin, Texas sky, left me needing to take a seat—suspended in awe of the totality of the event and the synergistic break from routine. I overheard someone say, “I mean, it feels like we’re all going to die, but in a way that’s okay, you know?" under the shadow of the eclipse's peak, ceremoniously brought in as the band performed “Jonathan Low,” (in Vampire Weekend's familiar ironic hue) a track they wrote for the third movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

It had been five years since the band had released an album. In celebration of their latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," ticket holders wrapped the streets in blocks outside the venue for the band’s first Stateside show in about two years. Event managers searched to replenish the venue’s stock of eclipse glasses, while the band prepped a show reminiscent of 'getting the boys back together again'.

Words and photography by Rianne Akindele

In between newly released songs like “Classical” and “Capricorn”, the boys filled the almost two-hour-long show with old favorites like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Diane Young” and a genre evolved rendition of “Sunflower” as the crowd danced barefoot feeling the Earth’s energy intertwined with their own and the vibrations from the amps on stage. People stole glances at the imminently darkening sky, artists doodled, friends grabbed onto each other to scream the lyrics in each other’s faces, and onlookers from the highest level of the parking garage across the street cheered on in a symphony of nostalgia and anticipation.

Adding to the layers of the celestial afternoon, the band invited to the stage the likes of Thomas Mars from Phoenix, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and guitarist Brian Robert Jones, inducing further levels of indie revival euphoria.

As the show drew to its close, and the zydeco/country-rock “Cocaine Cowboys” medley fiddled through the air, a conversation could be picked up between two sisters in search of their Lyft driver through closed-off streets,

“I wish this happened more often.”
“Eclipses or shows like this?”
“Both.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of our shared humanity and the power of collective experiences; a gathering of souls under the same sky, sharing the joy of music and a wonder of the stars above. Perhaps it’s the rarity that allowed such transcendence, reverence, and gratitude to be felt. Either way, what a beautiful moment in time it was.

Here are a few shots from the Monday afternoon: