Welcome to the second post of the series!
Starting off this post is Rhea, Rhea is 18 and finishing sixth form. I met her online and have been in contact since, so thank you to the internet! I choose to speak to Rhea to talk about her area of professionalism she wants to go into, which is journalism, this gives us a different area of the music industry to look out for. So that is all from me and enjoy the interview.
Hi! So could you introduce yourself, how old you are, where are you from and what area of the music industry you are aspiring to be in?
Hiya, I’m Rhea, I’m 18 and studying in my last year of sixth form in London, and then I will be studying Journalism in Liverpool in September! I’m very much interested in any style of indie, alternative genres, and a bit of contemporary rap/R&B. Although, I do generally struggle categorizing the type of music I aspire to delve into because I listen to way too much sometimes; it’s so all over the place.
The music industry is known for its challenges and hurdles along with rare opportunities. Does the music industry intimidate you?
I’ve never actually thought about it but now you ask, I guess yeah it actually does. I think because it’s such a big industry filled with so much competition it can be daunting, especially trying to be different from others but I’ve always loved a challenge so at the same time I’m glad there’s so much to fight for because I feel like whatever I’m doing I do my best to be unique. The thought of being offered a big, rare opportunity like travelling somewhere and having the experience of a lifetime sounds so fun to me. I’ve always been up for doing anything and I’m very spontaneous so that part of the music industry doesn’t really phase me because I’d just make the best out of any nervous situation by having fun.
What are three songs you want everyone to hear ASAP?
Ooh that’s a hard one because I’ve recently discovered a lot of new songs, so I’ll go with my top three on repeat right now, which definitely portray my top styles of music, and say: Lavender by Dreamer Boy, Robbery by Lime Cordiale, and 1992 by Rejjie Snow and Loyle Carner.
Do you think social media such as TikTok, Spotify etc is changing the industry, if so how?
Yes, 100%! It really is both negative and positive to be honest. On one hand, TikTok has allowed so many people to discover new artists and great songs that they might’ve never of discovered without it, but also I know so many songs that get a lot of backlash now because they’re just seen as trendy so people just assume that it’s mainstream and too generic just because everyone knows it now. However, apps like Spotify I think are massively positively changing the industry. I love the app because my love for music has grown so much since having it and using it daily. Me and my friends make playlists for each other and constantly talk about any new artists, which is so cool and I know so many others that feel the same too! It’s actually crazy because some accounts on TikTok actually spend their time making specific playlists for people, so at the same time sometimes you really can’t go wrong with social media; it just depends on how each person uses it.
Do you think music has become an aesthetic, so if you listen to Indie music do you think it influences you to adapt to that style such as what you wear and how you act?
Definitely, which I actually find kind of frustrating because nowadays people just assume you listen to a certain type of music to fit in or copy others when the majority of the time that’s not even the case. Personally for me I’ve always been into fashion, and getting into Indie/Alternative music has allowed me to further venture into trendy, vintage and streetwear style of clothing too but I wouldn’t say I’m doing because it’s a trend, I wear what I want because I love it. On the other hand, there are people out there who now think it’s cool to skate, listen to indie music and fit into that aesthetic without genuinely appreciating it. It’s not a trend but because certain types of videos may blow up, people just try to hop onto it and be like them for the sake of joining in.
Trends are a huge thing at the moment, but do you think they happen too quickly these days? Do you think this results in new artists having 15 seconds of fame?
Yeah, of course! So many songs have blown up through all these trends which leads to them very quickly being forgotten about, and majority of the time people don’t even go to listen to more of their songs or try to appreciate the rest of their work. Sometimes songs just blow up for the wrong reason and completely changes the meaning of the song. For example, Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles has a quite explicit meaning about love and relationships but it blew up on TikTok by people showing themselves before/after getting high, which just took the whole meaning away.
What is your best piece of work that you are particularly proud of and why?
It would have to be my interviews with two X Factor: The Band finalists and musicians, Harrison Cole and Fred Roberts from the, now broken up band, Unwritten Rule (photos below). I needed some proof of my journalistic skills for a university application so instead of sending my blog I thought I’d do something from scratch; an interview. I constructed a sort of magazine style interview from them both after sending over some questions and putting it all together myself. It was my first official interview, which was both exciting but also kind of nerve racking, as I had no idea how it’d turn out, as well as having a deadline too. Although I wish I had more time and it’s not completely professional and to the best of my abilities, It turned out better than I expected it to so I’m just proud of forming my own work which is giving me some insight into my future. Nevertheless, I’m happy I can see myself improving and that It’s something I can look back on and be proud of.
Who is your biggest influence or inspiration?
For the past three years I’ve been massively inspired by Spencer Elmer. I was about 15 when I first discovered him and he’s never failed to make me feel motivated or inspired to do anything and just make something out of my life. He’s just a constant support through his YouTube videos, and he’s recently delved into the music industry too which is so cool. I appreciate people for speaking up about certain situations in their life that are difficult, and Spencer touches on them through his freestyles and songs that I’ve really found encouraging and reassuring. Although I want to do journalism and his industry of work is different to mine, I still find his beliefs and morals to be what I go by too. If I think of what he believes in, then I think of just being original, being yourself as well as being true to yourself, and not fitting into society’s expectations of a correct role model. I could talk about so much more but these are a few things that I would like to stick with me for my future. I look up to him in a way that a lot people would see as maybe undesirable or a bad example to others, but that is just a viewpoint formed by what society doesn’t idealize, so it doesn’t bother me.
Do you feel any social pressure from the industry? Do you feel like you have to be a certain way or promote yourself in a certain way?
Yep totally, society is just always constantly evolving and it’s not always positive too. Everyone just makes up their own rules half the time, and declares what is bad and good. Everything we do is socially constructed which creates this pressure of trying to be presentable and right for every audience but it’s impossible to be liked by everyone. There definitely is a pressure to be biased and not speak your own truth, but I definitely won’t be sticking to society’s rules of what I should write or how I should act because then I wouldn’t be me. So many people talk about how it’s okay to not fit in and be your own individual but then when people do stuff that doesn’t fit the norm of society, they get laughed at and ridiculed, so I feel as so many people preach about being yourself but then contradict their own words. Basically proving why this social pressure can be so intimidating because no matter what you do it’s always there, and leaves certain people conforming to the ‘correct’ way of doing things. How do you engage with your audience?
I’ve never had that big of an audience with my blog as I literally trialled it for a few weeks but I just made sure to interact with my comments and DM’s as much as I can. I think it’s important for small journalists, or anyone to be honest, to pay attention to who supports you and helps you get your recognition.It’s also very important to see what your followers seem to like because if I’m posting about a rap artist but most of my followers are into pop, then it doesn’t make sense to focus on rap. Therefore, I would say to listen to people and always pay attention to what will help you.
Thank you for answering some questions! I wish you all the best for the future, is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you so much for interviewing me, I had a lot of fun answering these questions! To anyone that needs it, I always stick to three life mottos: You only live once, everything happens for a reason and instead of saying ‘what if’ say ‘oh well’ because what’s in the past can’t be changed so don’t dwell on it. You only live one life so follow your own rules, don’t just be content but happy doing it too. See you later and look out for me sometime soon in the future :)
You only live once, everything happens for a reason and instead of saying ‘what if’ say ‘oh well’
Rhea's Links;
Instagram - instagram.com/rheeaa.xx
Her Blog Instagram - instagram.com/musicuncensored
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