Something Like A Phenomenon

Jacket and trunk MIDNIGHT STUDIOS BY SHANE GONZALES, sweater BLACKBOY KNITS, pants HERON PRESTON, shoes UGG, hat EDAS, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER, necklace VEERT.

Where do you feel most creative?

I feel most creative by myself, away from the city, with very few people. It’s taken me years to realize there are only a few people I can work comfortably with. The most creative I’ve been in the last six months has been when I’ve gone to Pennsylvania with my close friends. We get a lot done, as far as getting in touch with one another, getting in tune with one another, and being able to communicate better.

When did you fall in love with music?

I fell in love with music very early. My parents met in a church choir; some would say I was born to sing. My mom forced me to audition for this middle school called Mark Twain, that was for the gifted and talented or whatever, but you had to audition for middle school out here in New York. I wanted to be an athletics talent or drama talent, but she forced me to audition as a vocalist. I made it, and that would be the beginning of my classical training as a vocalist. Before then I had wanted to play the piano and my mom made me play the violin,which I played from age 3 until 9. That was the beginning of my music career, but I hated it. I got so much anxiety from performing.

Sweater, shorts and bag MARSHALL COLUMBIA, cardigan R13, shoes UGG, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER, necklace and ring SUSAN ALEXANDRA, ring VEERT.

How did you get into streaming video games?

By falling in love with basketball. Long story short: I was in the ER for three days and they played the All-Star game three times on one of those days. I had more stats memorized than I even knew what to do with. So, I started telling the drunk guys that were coming into the ER what was going to happen in the game before it happened and convinced them that I was a basketball psychic. From there, I wouldn’t look at or talk about basketball for about two months, until I met a kid in Florida that was obsessed with NBA 2K. I would watch him play and realized that I knew more player’s names than I thought. I finally played with him once, and I lost really bad. Fast forward to that following summer, and I’m watching bubble basketball - when the NBA went to Disney World because of the pandemic - because it’s the only thing on TV. And I realized I was in love with something. I became obsessed. The moment the season ended, and LeBron James won his fourth ring, I bought 2K.

If you could only play one video game for the rest of your life, what would it be?

League of Legends... There’s so much to learn. I know people that have been playing for ten years, and they are still trying to get better. There’s just always room to improve. I started playing recently; I’m a noob but I’m working to get better. If I had to pick a game to play for the rest of my life it would be this game for that reason.

Left: jacket MIDNIGHT STUDIOS BY SHANE GONZALES, sweater BLACKBOY KNITS, pants HERON PRESTON, hat EDAS, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER, necklace VEERT. Right: shirt MARSHALL COLUMBIA, jacket HERON PRESTON, pants LUAR, shoes UGG, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER, ring SUSAN ALEXANDRA.

What are some rituals before you perform?

I pace a lot. I do a lot of breathing. I’m late to soundcheck.

That’s interesting.

Um yeah, for a while I was bringing the video games on stage with me. One thing I’d always do is pray. No seriously, like for something to happen beyond what I had planned for. A big part of my sets was trying to improvise all the time. No matter who I was performing with, I was always trying to find some space to get that form of expression in. I don’t practice enough but I would practice on stage.

You started a podcast with VFiles, how did that come about?

It started when I applied for their grant. That was during the end of 2020, beginning of 2021. My whole plan was to roll out a project on a music video’s budget. They really believed in me. They still do. That project has yet to come out, but I think we built something in 2022 that is even more expansive than we anticipated. I’ve done music all my life, but I am finding new forms of inspiration because I am surrounded by such a variety of diverse creatives. Bringing them together in any capacity brings me joy, and this podcast is the platform through which I’ve been finding new ways to do so.

What do you talk about on the podcast?

It’s everything. The past couple of conversations we’ve had have been focused on the visual arts, gallery spaces, the similarities between that industry and the music industry. The idea is to have a rotation of community leaders, performance artists, visual artists, and musicians. We want to invite people to witness how music can be made at any point and time, anywhere. I came to VFILES with the idea of making a show out of everything that I like to do when I’m not working on my music. I want to create a forum for anyone with a story to share it, and I’m grateful VFILES has given us their platform to have these conversations.

What are you manifesting now?

The success of this show. It feels like a rebirth, it feels like a second chance to do what I always wanted to do. Put people on who I think are creative and give people a space for them to do what they want, talk about what they want. I always felt like I was trying to sell people on an idea that didn’t exist, and now it exists in a way I didn’t imagine it would.

Jacket and pants WINNIE, shoes UGG, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER, necklaces VEERT.

What cartoon world would you choose to live in for a week?

Hmm. My mind is going to horrible places right now. The first place my mind went to was, Hey Arnold but I don’t want to fuck anybody in Hey Arnold. Maybe a show full of adults.

But I like Hey Arnold for you.

I like Hey Arnold for me too; I think that would be crazy. I know exactly what my character would be.

What was the first record you ever bought or was gifted?

It was either a BB King Best-Of CD; or it was John Legend’s debut album. But I think before that I got a John Mayer CD, ‘Room for Squares’ from my best friend’s mom.

What was it like growing up in Brooklyn for you?

It was a beautiful time, getting to be a part of so many cultures. All my friends are from different places. Brooklyn is different. I was a church going mix kid. I was confusing and confused. Like my cousins were from the South, I’d go there every summer and every Christmas, whether it was Maryland, Atlanta, or North Carolina. I’d get into my athletic bag or be able to watch MTV - because my parents were super strict. That’s where I’d be able to play NBA 2K and I would suck. But I’d get back to New York and I was that kid in the gifted and talented program that you can beat up on. I’ve dealt with my bullies early on in life. Now, wherever I go I try to change the culture a little bit, Brooklyn gives you the opportunity to do that every day.

Left: shirt HERON PRESTON, jacket MONCLER X DINGYUN ZHANG, shorts R13, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER, ring VEERT. Right: Sweater BLACKBOY KNITS, pants HERON PRESTON, hat EDAS, sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER.

It feels like a rebirth, it feels like a second chance to do what I always wanted to do.

Do you remember the last gift you gave someone?

I gave my dad a Barbra Streisand record for either Father’s Day or Christmas.

I can tell you are very much into classic music.

Yeah, I love the divas. My dad is into all of it, so I’ve heard all of it.

Do you usually bring your weed and video games everywhere you go?

Almost everywhere. The PS4 was a security blanket for a while, I’ve calmed down with it since I started live-streaming. Weed is a thing I like to keep on me. The basketball and basketball sneakers have become the starter pack as well. And some form of change of clothes, charcoal toothpaste and toothbrush.

Song: Left 4 Read - Julian Soto (prod. Devin England)

Anything upcoming you want people to know about?

Yup! Catch us at Ryan Bock’s ‘I’m Not Funded by the CIA’ NYC exhibition at Ki Smith Gallery until June 24th. Then on July 15th I’m opening up for Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez at Public Records. It should be a sick time. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do but I know whatever she’s going to do will be amazing! But before, on the 18th of June I’m performing at EL Barrio’s Artspace PS109. It’s something my father’s non-profit put together celebrating black possibility. Come out if you’re in New York, or follow me on Twitch to see us wherever we are, doing whatever we’re doing, whenever we go live.

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: