A Day in the Life of…
A Day in the Life of…Jacob Bullard of Major Murphy
“We all had played in various bands together in and around Grand Rapids,” guitarist and vocalist Jacob Bullard tells us, of how he and Jacki Warren (bass/vocals), Brian Voortman (drums) and Chad Houseman (guitar/keys/percussion) became a band. They named themselves Major Murphy from a book about the paranormal. “It comes from a book written by a French astrophysicist that examines UFO phenomena and cults. Major Murphy was an alias of someone in the book,” Bullard explains. From Grand Rapids, Michigan himself, Bullard believes the city was just the right size to explore their talents as musicians. “Being a mid-sized city there is a pretty good happy medium between having opportunities but not being super competitive. It was really reasonably priced to live here for a while too and that made...
A Day in the Life of…Chris Mac of SIX60
In case you haven’t heard: SIX60 are the biggest band in New Zealand’s history. Like, ever. After meeting at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, Matiu Walters (vocals, guitar), Marlon Gerbes (synths), Eli Paewai (drums), Ji Fraser (lead guitar) and Chris Mac (bass) formed a band in 2008. Their name came from their address: “It’s named after the student flat we lived on at 660 Castle Street, which we recently bought this year,” Chris Mac tells us. Their eponymous debut charted at Number 1 in New Zealand upon its release, and was certified gold within a week. And it was only upwards from there for these guys. To date, SIX60 are one of the biggest bands in the world. Only in their 30s, they’ve already surpassed pop stars to becoming certifiable icons. “New Zealand has great music...
A Day in the Life of…Yung Bae
If you somehow haven’t heard of Yung Bae, you’d be one of the billions (two billion, and counting) who hasn’t experienced his 2019 get-up-and-dance runaway hit “Bad Boy.” “Growing up in Portland,” he tells us, “I was always attending concerts…so I was very interested in anything that the scene had to offer.” Music was only a hobby until his 2014 debut Bae. “The biggest takeaway I had from Portland was just how diverse and welcoming the scene there is,” he says. This August he released the ultimate sunshiny feel-good track “Silver and Gold” (featuring Sam Fischer and Pink Sweat$), with its purely joyful backup horns and claps. “The way I’ve been explaining it is…it’s as if Motown were to meet late ‘70s disco era,” he says. “I love the happiness that most Motown offers and pairing that with ...
A Day in the Life of…Josh A
Josh A’s unique, signature blend of hip hop, rock and electronic music has garnered him more than 720 million worldwide streams. By the time he was 14, the native Floridian was already writing and producing his own music, earning an underground following for his meaningful tracks that cut to the core. It’s no surprise that, by his own admission, he doesn’t daydream, at least, not in the usual sense. He’s too busy making things happen, and the result is 2019’s sold-out tour while battling addiction, a journey he poignantly documents in his 2019 album Disgrace and 2020’s You’re Not Alone. And just to make sure he doesn’t have any spare time on his hands, he’s developed an amazingly cool clothing line called Lonely Vibes. Now 25, he’s releasing new tracks for his next phase. “I want to write ...
A Day in the Life of…Kills Birds
“It’s from the opening lyric of our song ‘Worthy Girl,’” Kills Birds Bosnian-born lead singer Nina Ljeti tells us, of how they chose the name for their band. “It goes: this flower kills birds… And it’s literally about someone who once intentionally let a bird loose inside a crowded art gallery where it proceeded to get trampled by all the people…their reasoning was that it was for the ‘art’ but this was truly one of the cruelest things I’ve ever heard. That resonated with us—the tragedy of choosing to destroy something for aesthetic reasons.” Their sophomore album Married (out Nov. 12, recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606) is the unapologetic zinger we’ve all been waiting for. From first listen, it’s clear the only thing they’re killing is any chance of anonymity. They’ll be touring through...
A Day in the Life of…Chris Mardini
At only 19, Chris Mardini is already causing quite a stir. After taking up guitar at the tender age of 10, the New York City native honed his chops playing Beatles covers at The Bitter End. With a range of influences from classic alt-rock, underground hip-hop and melodic singer-songwriters, it’s no wonder he resists being put inside a box. His new self-titled debut album (out October 15) is a promising showcase from an emotive and poetic talent with a musical identity all his own. We’re keeping a close eye on him, you might want to do the same. “The new album features songs that I wrote over the last three years,” Chris tells us. “When I think about its theme, it kind of documents my journey through some chaotic high school days. The first single, ‘I’ll Try’ embodies that. Feelings of self...
A Day in the Life of…Chris Mardini
At only 19, Chris Mardini is already causing quite a stir. After taking up guitar at the tender age of 10, the New York City native honed his chops playing Beatles covers at The Bitter End. With a range of influences from classic alt-rock, underground hip-hop and melodic singer-songwriters, it’s no wonder he resists being put inside a box. His new self-titled debut album (out October 15) is a promising showcase from an emotive and poetic talent with a musical identity all his own. We’re keeping a close eye on him, you might want to do the same. “The new album features songs that I wrote over the last three years,” Chris tells us. “When I think about its theme, it kind of documents my journey through some chaotic high school days. The first single, ‘I’ll Try’ embodies that. Feelings of self...
A Day in the Life of…India Carney
“I wrote this single after what happened to George Floyd,” India Carney says of “Human”, released in May. “The events of last year really, really hit me emotionally, especially as a person of color and I felt a little vain for continuing on with the kind of songwriting that I was doing.” If India was going to make music, she says, she wanted to do so in response to the world around her. The result is something so moving, as only an artist with such soul and grace as India’s can achieve. Maybe you saw her on Season 8 of The Voice, where she made it to the Top 5, and perhaps you’ve heard that she’s now a vocal coach on American Idol 2021 and for A-List clients such as Doja Cat. She’s toured with Katy Perry, has performed at the VMAs, Grammy Awards and at Coachella… But you likely don’t...
A Day in the Life of…KiNG MALA
KiNG MALA rules. That’s all there is to it. Los Angeles alt-soul artist KiNG MALA (a.k.a. Areli Castro) has a voice as strong as her moniker, with a narrative that includes lust and sexuality, but manages to keep her vulnerability intact. Everything about her manner and her message make her a badass independent sovereign we’d trust to lead a war for humanity. “’mercy’ was a chance for me to explore a darker side of myself,” she tells us, of her new single, released in July. “I kept asking myself the question: ‘Am I the bad things I’ve done? How can I separate my actions from who I am as a person?’ And that inspired this delve into my ‘shadow self’ to explore it from the outside. In the music video, there is this sweet, innocent version of myself seated across the table from a more co...
A Day in the Life of…STACEY
In a life filled with so much chaos and uncertainty, STACEY’s easy psychedelic pop harkens the groovy ‘60s vibes we desperately need in our complex modern existence. Her debut album Saturn Return (released in May) is a day-dreamy journey that, like STACEY, is out of this world. Do yourself a favor and check out her intimate performance from our live 15 Minute series—in her enviable vintage-inspired closet, no less. She shines bright. “A Saturn Return is an astrological coming of age time period,” STACEY tells us. “I wrote and recorded this album during mine and so I couldn’t imagine any other title. The songs represent various checkpoints through this chapter of rebirth, in which I dove deep into my existentialism, romanticism, escapism, and sense of impending doom, all whilst ...
A Day in the Life of…Joshua Radin
With more than 1 billion streams and over 1 million records sold, there’s a good chance you’ve turned to Joshua Radin’s soothing songs to define a moment in your life. Since launching his career in 2004, the singer-songwriter views his music as a healing force, and if you’ve heard any of his hits off of his nine studio albums so far—from “Only You” (2006), to “I’d Rather Be With You” (2008), to “Beautiful Day” (2013), and everything in between—you’d have to concur. For someone who has created so many evocative, special moments for so many, Josh’s new album The Ghost and the Wall (July 23) explores personal barriers against sadness, pain, longing and even the search for love. A collaboration with producer Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Conor Oberst), The Ghost and the Wall delive...
A Day in the Life of…Tommy Newport
Born in Manchester, England and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Tommy Newport began playing guitar as an escape from teenage boredom. His new EP Ultra Mango offers six varied tracks, all coming together to tell a lighthearted story of wistful youth. A follow-up to his 2018 debut Just Be Ironic, Ultra Mango’s a surprisingly deep and soulful experience with a distinctive far-out, retro feel. Producer 4th Pyramid explains: “The idea here was to take that DIY basement nostalgia feel and make records that knock as hard as today’s biggest smashes. We’ve been able to carve out our own planet with Ultra Mango.” They’ve succeeded. And we love it. Tommy’s music has already been featured on a number of TV shows, like HBO’s Ballers, Netflix’s original series What/If, TBS’ Search Party, Amy...
