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Jessica Antoine is not chasing trends. She is creating from culture and purpose. The Miami-raised, first-generation Haitian American artist blends Caribbean fusion, Afropop, and contemporary R&B into a sound that feels both global and deeply personal. A humanitarian, musician, and actress, Antoine has long viewed her art as a calling, rooted in representing Haiti with pride. That intention shapes every layer of her latest single, “Kremas.” Co-written with Elijah Blake and Finn Matthews, “Kremas” is a tender, nostalgia-tinged love song about longing. It captures the quiet vulnerability of wanting someone close and simply asking for their time and presence. The emotion feels soft but sincere, romantic without overstatement. Inspired by Kompa rhythms, African drums, and the sounds of traditional Haitian radio, the track glows with warmth. Contemporary R&B polish blends seamlessly with Caribbean textures, creating a soundscape that feels sunlit and transportive. The music video deepens that feeling, visually celebrating connection, femininity, and cultural pride. At its core, “Kremas” is about embracing softness and honoring where you come from. Jessica Antoine invites listeners to feel good, reconnect with their roots, and remember that culture is powerful. You’ve said music is part of your God-given purpose and a way to represent Haiti. How do you balance honoring your cultural roots while still evolving sonically in a global space like Afropop and contemporary R&B? I see music as a global conversation. Afropop and contemporary R&B are constantly evolving, and I allow myself to grow within those spaces without losing my foundation. For me, it’s about fusion, not separation. I can layer Kompa-inspired sound and my native language over modern production. I can carry the storytelling and soul of Haitian music into global sounds. I don’t believe evolution means erasing where you’re from. It means expanding it. So I stay rooted spiritually and culturally, but I stay curious sonically. That balance allows me to represent Haiti with pride while also creating music that connects with people everywhere. “Kremas” is built around longing and softness rather than dramatic heartbreak. Why was it important for you to explore vulnerability in a gentle, feminine way instead of leaning into intensity? A lot of the time, when we talk about vulnerability in music, especially for women, it’s tied to dramatic heartbreak, anger, or emotional extremes. And those emotions are valid. But I also think there’s power in softness. There’s strength in saying, “I miss you,” or “I want you,” without turning it into a battle. For me, exploring vulnerability in a gentle, feminine way felt intentional. Longing doesn’t always have to be loud. It can be quiet. It can be patient. That softness is still powerful. I wanted “Kremas” to feel like a moment where you’re honest with yourself about your feelings, just open, you know? That kind of vulnerability feels mature to me. It’s feminine, it’s controlled, and it’s confident enough not to scream. The production pulls from Kompa rhythms, African drums, and traditional Haitian radio influences. What specific childhood memories or cultural moments shaped the sonic direction of this record? The sound of this record is rooted in my childhood. I grew up hearing Kompa at family gatherings and on Haitian radio — that steady rhythm and warm texture are nostalgic for me. It reminds me of community, intimacy, and love expressed through music. The African drum elements were also intentional. As Haitians, our roots trace back to Africa, so those rhythms feel ancestral and grounding. Blending Kompa, African percussion, and contemporary R&B felt like honoring where I come from while still evolving sonically. It’s really a bridge between memory, modern sound, and tradition, meeting growth. You’re a humanitarian as well as an artist. How does your commitment to service influence the kind of stories you choose to tell in your music? Being a humanitarian shapes everything I do as an artist. When I tell stories in my music, I think about the impact they have — not just on me, but on the people listening. I want my songs to uplift, to reflect resilience, and to honor the struggles and beauty of my community. Service reminds me to approach vulnerability with purpose. It pushes me to share authentic experiences that connect people, spark empathy, and celebrate culture. For me, music isn’t just entertainment; it’s a way to serve, inspire, and leave a positive imprint. When listeners watch the “Kremas” music video and hear the song, what do you hope they feel about their own identity, culture, and sense of pride? When people watch the “Kremas” video and hear the song, I hope they feel seen and connected to their own roots. I want them to celebrate their culture, embrace their identity, and feel pride in where they come from. The song is meant to be a reminder that vulnerability, love, and joy can all exist alongside strength and heritage. It’s about honoring yourself while honoring where you come from.

The Alaska-born pianist and singer-songwriter turned producer has built a sound that feels intimate yet expansive, blending delicate vocals, minimalist keys, and immersive electronic textures into something you can genuinely sink into. With recognition from Spotify’s Finds, NPR’s Tiny Desk competition, and a 2025 Output CoLAB Production Challenge win that led to studio time with Grammy-winning duo NovaWave, Grace C. Elliot' s resume is growing. But “Erase It” shows that her artistry runs far deeper than accolades. The single reflects on a love story that unfolded while Elliot was battling liver failure and cancer at just 23. It marks the first time she has allowed herself to write about that chapter. Originally written in one afternoon, the track was later shaped alongside producer James Glaves, known for his work with Medium Build and Julien Baker. Together, they made a defining decision: keep the original bedroom vocal. Recorded on her SM7B while lying in bed, with her dog beside her and faint family sounds in the background, the untouched take became the emotional core of the song. “Erase It” floats gently, but its subject matter is heavy. The production creates space rather than spectacle, allowing Elliot’s voice to carry the tension between survival, love, and letting go. At its heart, the song poses a haunting question: Would you really undo the pain if given the chance? With more music on the way, this release feels like the beginning of a deeply personal new chapter. You chose to keep the original bedroom vocal, complete with background noise and emotional rawness. What did that version capture that a polished studio take couldn’t? When I first wrote “Erase It” in my bedroom, it kind of just fell out of me in one afternoon. I tapped into this almost character-voice type of sound, and I remember thinking, this is just the demo. At one point my alarm clock even went off in the background, but the take was so juicy that I kept it. I had moved back into my mom’s basement to heal, and there’s something special about keeping the vocal from that exact space, flaws and all. My little pup curled up next to me on the bed, work calls getting silenced, the sound of my family moving around upstairs. All very human moments. When I tried to recreate those soft vocals later with Glaves, I pretty much knew immediately I wouldn’t be able to capture the same vulnerability as that first moment writing it alone in my room. Once you’re aware you’re recreating something, it’s just not the same. How did surviving liver failure and cancer at 23 change the way you experience love, and how did that shift shape the writing of “Erase It”? I’ve always been a bit of a lover girl, and I’ve never had trouble expressing that. But going through something like cancer reminds you how precious love actually is, and to express it as if your life depends on it. It also teaches you how to prioritize what really matters. When you face something that big so early in life, you stop settling for things that feel just “good enough.” You start wanting your life to feel like a full yes. That experience made me a more concise songwriter and more fearless about being honest in the stories I tell. Dream-pop can sometimes lean into escapism, but this song feels grounded in very real pain. How do you balance cinematic atmosphere with emotional truth? I focus a lot on delivery. Music has always been a bit like the court jester. It can sneak hard truths into a room in a way people can actually receive. For me, dream-pop is the perfect vessel for that. It lets me hold heavy ideas with a softer hand. When you ask listeners whether they would undo their pain if given the chance, what’s your own answer right now? No. Honestly, no way. I’m very in love with my story and all the strange little pieces that make it up. That being said, there have definitely been moments where I’ve said things in emotionally raw situations while dancing around the truth, and that probably hurt someone more than just saying it plainly. If I could undo anything, it would probably be sparing someone from the pain of my drawn-out honesty. But being in your twenties is a bit of a social experiment. You’re learning in real time. Working with James Glaves, who’s collaborated with artists like Medium Build and Julien Baker, what did you learn about vulnerability in production, not just songwriting? Glaves and I really see eye to eye on starting with a good song. He told me something early on that stuck with me: “If you can sing it around a campfire, it’s a hit.” That philosophy really informs the production. The production should lift the song, not become the main event. When you approach it that way, it naturally leaves more space for vulnerability.

You have been sitting for 4 hours. Your chip stack is healthy, your reads have been solid, and the table is starting to tilt around you. Somewhere between the third and fourth hour, though, your focus slips. Your eyes start scanning the room instead of the board. Your last 2 calls were loose, and you know it. The cards did not change. The opponents did not change. Your brain got bored, and boredom at a poker table costs money. This is where the right music earns its place. A good playlist does not pump you up or calm you down in some dramatic way. It holds your attention at a fixed point so your mind stays where it needs to be, which is on the hand in front of you. What the Grinders Actually Listen To The people who play 8 to 12 hours a day tend to agree on one thing about music selection. BlackRain79, a well-known high-volume grinder, has said that about 90% of the players he knows prefer electronic genres like trance, house, or progressive electronic. The common thread with all of those is minimal vocals. They provide a steady auditory background without pulling your thoughts away from the table. Daniel Negreanu takes a completely different route. He told Askmen that he listens to what he calls "massage music" during sessions, describing it as sounds of the ocean and birds chirping. On the surface, that seems far removed from trance or house. But the underlying logic is the same. Both approaches minimize verbal content and keep the tempo low enough to avoid spiking your heart rate. When the Table Is Your Living Room A lot of poker happens away from casinos. Home games with friends, private tournaments over group chat, and late-night sessions on online poker games  or streaming platforms all run on the same mental demands. The playlist matters in each setting because the stakes feel real regardless of where you sit. BlackRain79 noted that roughly 90% of grinders he knows lean toward trance and house, and that preference carries over across every format. Keeping your BPM range between 60 and 80 works the same at a kitchen table or a browser tab. The Science Behind Tempo and Your Decision-Making A University of Wisconsin study found that fast-paced music in the 120 to 130 BPM range increased heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety in listeners. That finding matters at the poker table because anxiety tightens your thinking. You start folding hands you should play and calling bets you should fold. Research on the other end of the tempo range shows that tracks sitting between 60 and 80 BPM help keep players mentally relaxed. That zone lets your body stay settled while your brain operates at full speed. Calming instrumental and classical music has shown positive effects on cognitive performance  in multiple studies. Aggressive genres like rock or certain hip-hop tracks have been linked to reduced concentration. The genre itself is less important than the qualities it carries, specifically the tempo and the presence or absence of lyrics. Why Vocals Are the Enemy of Good Reads Songs with lyrics interfere with your brain's verbal processing . Studies confirm this. That same verbal processing system handles pattern recognition and helps you recall betting actions from earlier streets. If a vocalist is running through a chorus while you are trying to remember how your opponent played a draw on the turn 20 minutes ago, you are splitting a resource that cannot be split efficiently. Instrumental music avoids that conflict entirely. Ambient pads, lo-fi beats, and soft electronic loops leave your verbal processing free to do what it needs to do at the table. The Fun Stuff People Actually Vote For Poker-themed songs still have their place, and players clearly love them. Across polls on PokerListings, Ranker, and BetMGM, the top 3 voted tracks are consistently "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers , "Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton, and "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead. None of these belong in a long session playlist because all 3 are packed with vocals and high energy. They work better as pre-session hype or break-time entertainment. Building a Playlist That Actually Works On Spotify, the "Poker Night Vibes" playlist leads among poker-related collections with 146 tracks and over 58,100 saves. Spotify also launched a Prompted Playlists tool in January 2026 for Premium subscribers in the U.S. and Canada that lets users type out what they want in plain language and receive a custom-generated playlist. Typing something like "low BPM instrumental music for long focus sessions" would get you close to a solid poker playlist without having to curate one track at a time. If you want to build your own, here are the guidelines that hold up based on the data above. Keep the tempo between 60 and 80 BPM for most tracks Avoid songs with lyrics, especially during deep runs or late-stage play Lean toward ambient, lo-fi, trance, or classical instrumental tracks Save the poker anthems for the ride home or the pre-game warmup Test your playlist during low-stakes sessions before using it in anything serious When to Turn It Off Completely Some spots at the table demand total silence. Final tables, large pot decisions, and heads-up play often require every available mental resource. Music, even the right kind, adds a layer of input your brain has to process. Knowing when to pull the earbuds out is part of playlist management. The best players treat their audio the same way they treat their stack. They adjust it based on the situation, not their mood. A playlist is a tool. Build it with the same precision you bring to your game, and it will do its part.

Jeetcity casino login , a relatively fresh face in the online gambling scene launching in 2023, has quickly stirred up a buzz. This review, updated in 2026, dives deep into what JeetCity offers, separating fact from fiction to give you the real picture. Forget the usual fluff; we’re covering the important stuff: bonuses to games, security measures to user experience. Consider this your cheat sheet to decide if JeetCity Casino is worth your time and money. So, buckle up and get ready for an unbiased peek under the hood. First Impressions and User Experience JeetCity Casino welcomes visitors with a vibrant and modern website design, aiming for an engaging user experience from the first click. The platform's layout appears intuitive, with clear signposting to popular game categories, promotions, and customer support. Visually, the site employs a dynamic color scheme, complemented by high-quality graphics that enhance the overall aesthetic appeal. 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For independent artists, conferences aren’t just industry field trips. They’re pressure cookers. The right room at the right event can fast-track connections that would otherwise take years to build. But not every conference is worth the flight, badge fee, and hotel stress. Early 2026 is stacked with events promising opportunity, but only a handful truly deliver value for artists operating outside the major label system. These are the conferences where indie musicians can learn how to survive the business, expand their network with intention, and walk away with strategies that actually apply to real-world careers, not just theory. If your goal is growth, collaboration, and smarter moves in the industry, these are the standout conferences from March through July 2026. SXSW (South by Southwest) March 12-18, 2026 / Austin, Texas SXSW remains one of the rare events where music doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It collides with film, tech, culture, and startups, creating a chaotic but fertile ecosystem where discovery still happens organically. For independent artists, that crossover matters. You’re not just playing for music executives, you’re performing in front of filmmakers, brand strategists, content creators, and tastemakers who shape culture from multiple angles. The conference portion is dense with panels on emerging technology, fan monetization, touring infrastructure, and alternative revenue streams, all critical for artists building careers without major-label backing. Meanwhile, the showcases function as a global sampler of independent scenes. Artists who approach SXSW strategically often leave with press relationships, booking contacts, and collaborative opportunities that extend far beyond the week itself. The unofficial events are just as important as the official ones. Some of the strongest networking happens at late-night gigs, pop-up showcases, and informal meetups where conversations are less guarded and more honest. Departure Festival + Conference May 4-10, 2026 / Toronto, Canada Departure Festival + Conference represents the evolution of Canada’s flagship music and culture gathering. It blends live performance, digital innovation, and industry dialogue into a multi-day hub built for artists navigating the modern creative economy. For independent musicians, it’s one of the most important entry points into Canada’s professional network. The conference emphasizes practical growth: export strategy, audience development, funding pathways, and how artists can leverage new platforms without losing ownership. Panels frequently explore how technology intersects with creativity, reflecting how independent careers increasingly rely on hybrid skills, part musician, part entrepreneur. Showcases are curated with discovery in mind, spotlighting emerging acts alongside established innovators. The environment encourages collaboration rather than gatekeeping, making it especially valuable for artists seeking partnerships, cross-border exposure, and insight into how the Canadian market connects to the global scene. A2IM Indie Week June 8-11, 2026 / New York City, USA A2IM Indie Week is one of the most focused gatherings in the independent music sector. Unlike broad festivals that dilute attention across multiple industries, Indie Week zeroes in on the independent ecosystem: labels, distributors, managers, artists, and entrepreneurs operating outside the major-label pipeline. The tone is pragmatic. Sessions emphasize fair compensation, evolving distribution models, licensing strategy, marketing without inflated budgets, and artist ownership. It’s a conference built around the realities of independence, not the mythology of overnight success. Because the event is smaller and more specialized than large-scale festivals, conversations tend to be more direct and accessible. Independent artists often find it easier to build meaningful relationships here, rather than navigating crowded rooms dominated by corporate presence. AmericanaFest September 15-19, 2026 / Nashville, Tennessee AmericanaFest is often associated with a specific genre, but its value extends beyond stylistic boundaries. At its core, the conference celebrates songwriting, storytelling, and live performance, foundations that apply to artists in any category. The industry side of AmericanaFest is deeply connected to touring networks, radio programming, and editorial communities that support independent music. Artists attending gain insight into audience development, grassroots touring strategies, and how to cultivate long-term fan relationships rather than chasing short-term metrics. Nashville’s collaborative culture amplifies the experience. Conversations tend to revolve around sustainability, authenticity, and creative longevity, making the conference particularly appealing to artists focused on building durable careers. Winter Music Conference March 24-26, 2026 / Miami, Florida Winter Music Conference is one of the longest-running gatherings dedicated to electronic music culture, business, and innovation. Held in Miami alongside the city’s peak dance season, the conference attracts DJs, producers, label heads, promoters, and tech developers shaping the global club circuit. For independent electronic artists, it’s a rare environment where creative culture and industry infrastructure exist side by side. Panels focus heavily on distribution in the streaming era, DJ branding, touring logistics, and how electronic artists can monetize beyond live gigs. The networking ecosystem is fast-moving but accessible, with daytime conferences flowing directly into nighttime showcases that double as unofficial auditions. For artists operating in dance, house, techno, and adjacent genres, Winter Music Conference functions as both a classroom and a marketplace. New Colossus Festival March 3-8, 2026 / New York City, USA New Colossus Festival is built around discovery. The multi-venue New York event spotlights emerging artists from around the world, creating an international showcase environment that feels closer to a curated music crawl than a traditional conference. Independent artists benefit from the festival’s emphasis on global exchange, where scenes collide, and new audiences form quickly. Beyond the performances, the conference side centers on artist mobility, DIY touring, and how smaller acts can build cross-border careers without major infrastructure. The crowd is packed with bookers, indie labels, journalists, and tastemakers specifically hunting for the next breakout act. For artists looking to test their sound in one of the most competitive music cities on the planet, New Colossus offers high exposure in an intimate setting. LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival April 23-26, 2026 / Lancaster, Pennsylvania LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival is one of the most accessible entry points into the independent conference circuit. It blends artist showcases with hands-on education, creating a space where emerging musicians can perform while directly learning the mechanics behind career growth. The scale is intentionally manageable, which makes networking feel personal rather than transactional. Panels focus on practical survival skills: booking smarter tours, building press relationships, managing releases, and turning local buzz into regional traction. Many attendees are artists in the same developmental stage, which fosters collaboration instead of competition. For musicians navigating their first serious industry steps, LAUNCH offers a rare mix of mentorship, exposure, and community without the overwhelming pressure of mega-festivals. The Great Escape Festival  May 13-16, 2026 / Brighton, United Kingdom The Great Escape Festival & Conference is widely considered Europe’s premier showcase for new music. Spread across dozens of venues in Brighton, the event functions as a launchpad for emerging artists looking to break into international markets. Industry professionals attend specifically to scout fresh talent, making it one of the strongest discovery-driven festivals on the global calendar. The conference side mirrors that energy with panels centered on export strategy, global touring networks, and how independent artists can scale beyond their home territories. Conversations lean heavily toward international collaboration and sustainable growth, giving artists a realistic roadmap for expanding their reach. For musicians aiming to build a cross-border career, The Great Escape is less a festival and more a gateway. Music Biz Conference May 11-14, 2026 / Atlanta, Georgia Music Biz Conference is one of the industry’s most business-focused gatherings, designed around the mechanics that power the modern music economy. While it attracts major companies, it has become increasingly valuable for independent artists who want to understand how distribution, publishing, data, and monetization systems actually work behind the curtain. The conference emphasizes infrastructure: how money flows, how rights are managed, and how artists can protect ownership while scaling their careers. Sessions often dive into streaming economics, direct-to-fan models, sync licensing, and emerging revenue channels that independent musicians can leverage without surrendering control. For artists who want clarity instead of hype, Music Biz functions as a crash course in the real architecture of the industry. East Coast Music Awards & Conference May 20-24, 2026 / Sydney, Nova Scotia The East Coast Music Awards & Conference (ECMA) is one of Canada’s strongest regional industry gatherings, spotlighting artists from Atlantic Canada while welcoming delegates from across the country and beyond. It operates as both a celebration of East Coast music culture and a working conference focused on career infrastructure. For independent artists, ECMA is especially valuable as a gateway into national networks. Panels regularly address export strategy, touring support, funding pathways, and how regional artists can scale without losing their identity. The showcases highlight a wide range of emerging talent, attracting bookers, media, and industry professionals actively searching for new voices. It’s a conference where regional pride meets real opportunity. Of course, this isn’t the entire calendar. The global conference circuit is packed year-round, and new events continue to emerge as the industry evolves. Independent artists benefit most when they treat conferences as research projects, not impulse trips. The real value comes from choosing events that align with your goals, whether that’s touring, sync, funding, press, or partnerships. These spaces compress years of trial-and-error into a few days of conversations, education, and exposure. When approached intentionally, conferences become accelerators. They offer perspective, access, and community, three things independent artists rarely get handed for free, but absolutely need to build careers that last.

There are albums that aim for vibes, and there are albums that aim for meaning. Sam Stokes ’ The Tale of Gaia very clearly chooses the second lane and floors it. The folk rock songwriter’s newest project is a full-body meditation on what it means to be alive right now, on this planet, in this messy human era. It’s philosophical without being pretentious, intimate without shrinking its scope, and ambitious in a way that feels earned after four years of slow, deliberate creation. Framed as a love story between Earth and humanity, The Tale of Gaia plays out like a spiritual coming-of-age arc. It’s universal and deeply personal at the same time. Stokes writes from the perspective of an innocent soul waking up to the beauty, absurdity, pain, and forgiveness that define the human experience. The result is an album that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a guided journey. The title track, “The Tale of Gaia,” opens the record with a thesis statement wrapped in warmth. It’s a song about compassion, about the constant exchange of giving and taking that shapes our relationships with each other and with the planet itself. Gaia, another name for Mother Earth, becomes both symbol and character: creator, protector, and forgiving parent. Stokes frames growth as an act of grace, suggesting that learning from our mistakes is how we carve out space for others to evolve, too. Sonically, it lands in a sweet spot between folk rock sincerity and cinematic lift, setting the emotional stakes for everything that follows. That gravity dissolves into sunlight on “ Lay on Grass ,” a playful pop-rock burst that celebrates being fully present in the physical world. It feels intentionally offline, a reminder to touch the ground, breathe real air, and exist beyond screens. Then comes the sharp turn. “Green Beans” represents the dark night of the soul, the moment innocence collides with the reality of suffering. Stokes doesn’t dramatize pain for spectacle. Instead, she frames it as a universal initiation, the point where awareness hurts but also deepens empathy. From those ashes rises “I’ll Still Hold Up,” a psychedelic-leaning anthem co-written with Hannah Johnson and produced by Analog MP3 . It carries the swagger of resilience, channeling a scrappy, tomboy energy that refuses to stay down. The album’s midpoint arrives with “Dinosaur Bones & Petrified Wood,” a deliberately silly, carefree release valve. It’s light-hearted, chantable, and almost childlike in its joy, functioning as a somatic reset after the emotional weight of the earlier tracks. The emotional core returns on “He Forgave Me Again,” a meditation on the rare, transformative experience of being fully forgiven. Co-written with Mark Dolin and produced by Whetsell, the track captures the dizzy relief of grace. It’s about the elation that comes when love survives damage, when someone chooses compassion over resentment. That theme of redemption bleeds seamlessly into the final act of the album. The last third drifts skyward. “Just Lovely” is a tender piano-and-strings ballad that feels suspended in calm, embodying the peace that comes after internal storms settle. “We’re All The Same,” inspired by Beatles-era communal optimism, expands that peace outward. Co-written with Avrim Topel and James Templeton and produced by Templeton, it frames unity not as a slogan but as a lived recognition that we mirror each other more than we differ. The closing anthem, “Like a Feather,” ties the entire arc together. It’s a rock finale that reconnects the innocent soul to consciousness, suggesting that enlightenment isn’t escape but integration. Every hurt, every laugh, every forgiveness becomes part of a larger pattern. The matrix cracks open, and what’s left is lightness. Behind the scenes, the album’s creation mirrors its themes of connection and intention. Stokes overfunded her crowd-funding campaign with legendary Boston studio Plaid Dog Recording, allowing her to record six of the nine tracks there with producer Mike Davidson. The remaining songs emerged from collaborations spanning North America, reinforcing the album’s cross-border sense of shared humanity. Donors to the campaign weren’t just funding music. Those who contributed $50 or more helped plant trees with the LA nonprofit Tree People, resulting in nearly 40 new trees in the Los Angeles mountains. The project literally leaves roots in the ground. Stokes describes the album as a gift. “If anything, I hope people are able to get lost in the music,” she says. “I hope they are able to live with it and be excited by all of the little nuggets of love and goodness sprinkled in each and every track. It is my gift to humanity.” That generosity is the album’s throughline. The Tale of Gaia isn’t trying to impress with complexity or chase trends. It’s reaching for something older and riskier: sincerity. In a moment where distraction is endless, and cynicism is easy, Sam Stokes offers a body of work that insists on wonder, forgiveness, and connection as survival tools. It’s folk rock as philosophy, grounded in the dirt but always looking up. The Tale of Gaia frames Earth almost like a living character and a parent figure. When you were writing, did you feel like you were telling a story about the planet, about humanity, or secretly about your own life the whole time? My favorite songs are those that exist on multiple levels. The planet Earth is our home and, in many ways, is our Mother Earth. Similarly, I find myself at an age where I am balancing what it means to be a daughter and looking at the ways life will change once I step into the role of motherhood.  We, humans, are in a moment of indescribable greed and overconsumption. We often take more than we give, and we are seeing the grand scale impact of that through climate change and pollution. We don't necessarily make choices based on what would cause harm to the planet or not.  And still, I can see the ways in which I have been greedy or self-centered in my own life. I also see moments in which I gave more than I received. It is as personal as two people and as cosmic as a planet and its inhabitants.  The album moves from innocence to pain to forgiveness to peace. Was there a specific personal moment that forced that emotional arc into focus for you, or did it slowly reveal itself over the four years of making the record? The album is very much a reflection of my own journey as it was happening. A very transformative, painful, and honest time in my life. A time that was also filled with tremendous joy.  The album didn't have a story arc before I started, but instead, it was built based on what felt honest to my experience, and then as it came together, the arc became abundantly clear.   You balance playful, almost childlike tracks with songs that stare directly at suffering and karma. How do you protect that sense of wonder while still being honest about the darker parts of being human? I find that our spiritual journey is not a cave, but a tunnel. The deeper you dig, the more you come out to light on the other side. I have had my dark night of the soul and the feeling of immense weight and suffering, but as I kept digging and kept sitting with that discomfort, I found indescribable love and hope on the other side of it.  For me, to be playful and childlike is an honor and an incredible act of rebellion. When a population (or a single person) is so depressed that they've given up, they have become lost. When we are secure and loved within ourselves, we are free to engage with the world one new moment at a time. And that is the wonder and discovery we can explore each and every day.  Crowdfunding the album and planting trees with your supporters ties the music to real-world action. Do you see your art as a form of activism, spirituality, or something else entirely? I feel as though our collective consciousness and awareness are rising each and every day. It's awakening from the inside of each and every person on Earth - even if just 1% a day, people are becoming more and more aware. My art is merely there to help guide and nourish those as they awaken.  We're living through a time where people have felt so disconnected from decisions being made and their autonomy to make those decisions. Something breaks, and instead of you and your neighbors being able to fix that thing, you have to fill out a form and wait three weeks for someone to do it for you. It's disempowering. So we're seeing now, especially since the start of this year, people getting involved in their government, communities, neighborhoods, and families in a way that I think we forgot we are able to do.  There is no singular path to activism or revolution - every person will be called to a different action. It could be meditating and praying. It could be planting trees. It could be delivering food to your neighbors. It could be running for office. It could be inventing something. It doesn't matter what a person does - we all have different ways to get involved. My hope is that this music and this album are an invitation to be fully immersed in your own life. To feel empowered and understand that being alive IS the reward. This planet can be Nirvana for each and every one of us!  After finishing such a big existential project, do you feel lighter, changed, or emptied out? And where does a songwriter go creatively after making a record that tries to answer what it means to be alive? This album, in many ways, has felt so effortless to make. It almost stumbled out of me (even though I flew to Boston twice to record at Plaid Dog Recording and I had years of preparation for this) - it still felt natural. I don't know if the process changed me, or if I changed on my own, and the art was merely a reflection of that change. Maybe a little bit of both.  I genuinely feel more like a channel than a creator in the sense that I try to tap into what others may need or want to listen to, and use my life only as a frame of reference for the storytelling. This is definitely my most expansive and creatively all-encompassing body of work to date.  I don't know what I will make from here, but I know that when it's time to do so, the channel will be open and I'll let it flow through.

Pop music loves a glow-up. Bigger chorus. Louder drop. More drama. Isabella Chiarini did the opposite. With “Gotta Be (Stripped),” the Hamilton, ON singer-songwriter pulls the production back and lets the emotion breathe. And honestly? It lands harder this way. The original “Gotta Be” carried that polished pop energy. The kind that makes you want to roll your windows down and sing it like you’re in your own coming-of-age movie. But the stripped version slows everything down and shifts the spotlight to what actually matters: the lyrics and her voice. This song cuts into a painfully relatable theme. Everyone around you is putting themselves first. Feeling overlooked. Feeling like you are the afterthought in someone else’s priority list. It is not dramatic. It is real. Especially for young adults navigating friendships, relationships, and the constant pressure to measure up. By stripping the production back, Isabella forces you to sit with those words. There is no glitter to hide behind. Her vocal sits front and centre, textured and controlled, but vulnerable enough to feel lived-in. You can hear the training. Starting at eight years old with renowned vocal coach Teresa Nocita and later co-writing with Nocita and Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo gave her technical precision. But this track is not about flexing technique. It is about intention. And intention is what makes this version work. The pacing allows the emotional weight to sink in. When she sings about being pushed aside and made to feel small, it does not feel like a generic pop complaint. It feels specific. Personal. Like a journal entry turned into a melody. What makes “Gotta Be (Stripped)” resonate is the shift from frustration to empowerment. Isabella is not staying in victim mode. The message is clear: even when people bring you down, you still get to choose yourself. That is the takeaway she wants listeners to feel, and it translates. The full-length music video on her YouTube channel doubles down on that vulnerability, visually amplifying the rawness of this reimagined version. Isabella Chiarini is not chasing trends under the pop umbrella. She is testing her own depth within it. “Gotta Be (Stripped)” proves that sometimes the strongest move an artist can make is to quiet the noise and trust their voice to carry the weight. When you decided to strip “Gotta Be” back, was there a specific moment where you realized the original production was hiding something emotionally important? I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to create two versions of this song because when I first wrote the lyrics, I was struggling with which direction I wanted to take it in! After thinking about it, I thought that if the song was strong enough to be both upbeat and stripped back, it should be both! I feel now that the vocals are the forefront of the track, it really forces the listener to connect to the song on a deeper level, which was the goal of creating this version!  The song deals with feeling overlooked and put last. Was this written from one specific experience, or does it reflect a pattern you’ve noticed in your life and relationships? This song stems from a lot of different situations, but one in particular that I have been dealing with for a few years really sparked my creativity when making this song! I love how this topic is so universal, though, because unfortunately, at some point in everyone’s life, they have felt not good enough or overlooked! So the lyrics to this song are a great example of how even though you started off feeling bad, there is always something better that comes along!  You’ve trained vocally from a young age and worked with established writers. How do you balance technical perfection with emotional rawness, especially on a track like this? I find that when I connect to a song, especially as emotionally deep as this, my body aligns itself! I feel the emotion, I feel the authenticity, and it all just pours out! I find that if I think too much about how I’m singing, or about how I’m coming across, it messes with my mind, and I don’t get the takes I want! If I let the music flow naturally, I get a better feeling, and I can go back and tweak from there if needed!  Your audience includes a lot of young adults navigating identity and pressure. What conversations are they having right now that you feel mainstream pop isn’t addressing honestly enough? With the way the media has been going, I feel that body image and self-esteem are major problems in young adults! We are constantly comparing ourselves to photoshopped people on the internet and feeling unworthy because we don’t look like these people! Especially with AI now, it is nearly impossible to escape it! I love uplifting and empowering music, and I think that more of these types of songs should be showcased and celebrated!  If someone listens to “Gotta Be (Stripped)” alone at 2 a.m., feeling like they’re not enough, what do you hope shifts in them by the final chorus? I really hope listening to the final verse really shifts their opinion! It talks about how they will not be left behind, and they will stand up for themselves! It is important to feel tough emotions, but we have to come out of it and show the people who think we are not good enough that we can stand on our own two feet!

Some records don’t ask for your attention; they command it. “ Storm ,” the latest release from Toronto-based artist Basha , unfolds slowly and deliberately, building tension without ever feeling forced. No rush. No filler. Just restraint, honesty, and the silence that follows hard decisions. The song was written after Basha left Canada’s East Coast for Toronto at 21 with no connections and no safety net, just belief and work ethic. What followed was isolation, unhealthy coping habits, and the slow collapse of a long-term relationship strained by ambition. Trying to build a career in a new city left little room for anything else, and the damage was unavoidable. Instead of narrating the fallout from his own perspective, Basha makes the sharper choice of writing from hers. The one left behind. The one absorbing the emotional cost while he chased something bigger. Lines like “Blame your job for the ways you can’t commit… bet it all say you’re gonna make it big someday” don’t sound self-indulgent. They land like accountability. This isn’t an artist asking for sympathy. It’s someone confronting consequence. The production reflects that emotional control. Intentionally minimal and structurally unconventional, the track avoids clean pop formulas. After a single chorus, it shifts into a more rhythmic, almost rap-leaning second verse before collapsing into a cinematic outro. The final drum drop, distorted through broken analog pedals and left imperfect on purpose, feels unstable and raw. It mirrors the emotional break the song represents. Vocally, this is Basha at his most exposed. Not louder. Not grander. Just more honest. There’s no hiding behind effects or overproduction, which makes every lyric hit harder. “Storm” has already surpassed 100,000 streams and secured Apple Music playlist support across New in R&B, Mood., Tearjerkers, and Breaking R&B. It builds on the foundation of his debut project Logan Ave, which crossed 850,000 streams and earned Canadian radio placements, along with a co-writing credit on GOT7’s “Karma.” What separates Basha is control. He writes, produces, and executive produces his work, treating each release as a chapter in a larger arc. Alongside Logan Ave, In Her Words, and A Place Like This, “Storm” feels like the volatile midpoint, where ambition and consequence finally collide. Basha doesn’t glamorize sacrifice. He documents it. And that honesty is what makes “Storm” stick long after it ends. “Storm” is written from her point of view, not yours. What was harder ,  admitting your mistakes privately, or putting them on record from the person you hurt? Definitely coming to terms with and admitting mistakes personally. That can sometimes be hard to see in the moment, but it really becomes clearer with time. The actual process of making records is much more exciting and enjoyable. No one likes to admit they’re wrong, but it is a necessary step for growth - you have to dig deep and be willing to explore a certain level of self-reflection. You’ve said this song came from your lowest point after moving to Toronto. Looking back now, do you think that isolation was necessary for your growth, or just damage you had to survive? I do believe that it was necessary. It forced me to grow up pretty fast, and I learned a lot about myself during that period. When you’re isolated, there are no distractions from your own personal thoughts. That can be both freeing and terrifying, but it does usually force you to ask yourself tough questions. And oftentimes, if you approach them with an open mind, the realizations can be a huge step forward for growth - and in my experience, that translates both personally and artistically. In regard to the music, a lot of these ideas probably wouldn’t have come had I not been working in isolation; there was complete freedom to be as vulnerable and honest as possible - no judgement, just a sense of truth and openness. The production stays minimal until it finally collapses at the end. Was that structure intentional from the start, or did the song teach you how it wanted to end? That was intentional. Sonically, I wanted the song to resemble how a storm would sound - not literally, but structurally. For example, there is always a calm before, a moment of peace and tranquility. Followed by a subtle sign of what’s to come - whether that’s dark clouds appearing, occasional tiny drops of rain, or wind rustling through trees, the energy is slowly ramping up. That eventually starts to escalate and build into a more intense environment, dark and gloomy shades, and you begin to anticipate what’s to come. All of these stages are apparent throughout the song; it’s intentionally meant to feel like it’s slowly building towards something. That something is the beat drop at the end of the track. The sonic climax that we’ve been building towards the whole record, but it also very much is meant to represent the chaos of the storm when it finally hits. You’re fully independent and control every part of your process. Where’s the line between discipline and obsession ,  and did you cross it during this chapter of your life? That’s a great question, and one that I’m not sure I’ve found the answer to yet, if I’m being honest. I’ve definitely crossed it at times, though, I’d say all artists have. I believe the most rewarding art comes when you’re obsessed, and excitement is the best fuel. It’s a willingness to go above and beyond. To do anything it takes to see something through. The challenge lies in knowing when it’s finished. You want to remain excited for the sake of being creative, but also have the discipline not to add more than is needed. It can be a tricky line to navigate at times. “Storm” was made with a reasonable level of discipline. I originally wrote the song on guitar and knew that I wanted to keep the stripped essence as the main backbone of the production. Minimal but intentional. The whole goal was specifically to not add too much; I wanted to let the song breathe and keep the vocals front and centre. Because there was such a clear vision directionally, it was a relatively quick process. “Storm” doesn’t romanticize the grind. If you could talk to your younger self right before leaving home, would you still tell him to make the same sacrifices? 100%. In fact, I think it’s vital. You have to be willing to sacrifice everything if you’re truly invested in chasing your dream. Nothing worth having comes easy, and I believe it’s important to pay your dues. Years of grinding and getting beaten down behind the scenes can give you thick skin; it can help prepare you for success. So when things finally do hit, you’re in a position to appreciate it more.

There’s something risky about writing a song about getting back together. Most artists lean into drama, blame, or cinematic heartbreak. Lofi Legs go the opposite direction on “A Dream I Had.” They treat reunion like a quiet miracle. The track doesn’t explode. It glows. Born out of the Bay Area DIY circuit and anchored by songwriter Paris Cox-Farr, Lofi Legs have always lived in that in-between space where romance, psychedelia, and emotional honesty overlap. “A Dream I Had” feels like their thesis statement. It’s a rock song that drifts more than it charges, wrapped in shimmering guitars and a rhythm section that moves like a slow pulse instead of a march. The production leaves air in the room. You can feel the space between notes, which makes every lyric land harder. The heart of the song is its meditation on reconnection. Cox-Farr writes about returning to a love that never fully left, and the tone is strikingly gentle. There’s no sense of possession or desperation. Instead, the track carries a mature acceptance that love can disappear, reshape itself, and still come back recognizable. That emotional nuance is rare in rock, a genre that often prefers extremes. Here, the drama is internal. The thrill is in the quiet realization that something broken can still be beautiful. Vocally, the performance feels intimate, almost conversational. Cox-Farr sings like they’re letting you in on a memory rather than performing for a crowd. The guitars shimmer around the melody, creating a dreamlike texture that matches the title perfectly. It’s nostalgic without being stuck in the past, modern without chasing trends. The band understands restraint, and that restraint becomes the song’s power. Lofi Legs say they hope listeners “feel solace in the beauty of love,” and that mission is fully realized here. “A Dream I Had” doesn’t promise fairy tale endings. It offers something better: the comfort of knowing love can survive distance, time, and change. In a culture obsessed with burning bridges, Lofi Legs write a soundtrack for rebuilding them. That alone makes this single feel quietly radical. “A Dream I Had” treats reunion like something soft and almost sacred instead of messy or dramatic. What shifted in your life or perspective that allowed you to write about reconnection with that kind of maturity? That song is about two people I have loved deeply, and I don’t think I could have fallen in love that way when I was younger. I think when you love someone at all costs, you always have strong feelings for them, even if you aren’t together, because the love was so beautiful and true.  The song feels suspended between memory and present tense, like it’s happening in a dream and real life at the same time. Do you see your songwriting as a way of documenting moments or reshaping them into something new? That’s a good question! In a way, I’m documenting moments, but not in a linear way. I’m not interested in the history of my life. Like, this song is about two people I love, but the song could be interpreted as one person. So I’m interested in putting similar things together and meshing them to see what comes from it.   Reunions can be romantic, but they can also reopen old wounds. Did writing this song feel healing, risky, or both? It definitely felt healing. I was able to recognize my own feelings without them wounding me.  How does the rotating nature of Lofi Legs influence the emotional core of the songs? Does bringing new people in change how older material feels when you perform it live? It doesn’t really influence the emotion because I still write all the songs and lyrics, which is where the emotion comes from. Each iteration has a different vibe.  This one is way healthier, chiller and more musically sophisticated. We don't normally play old songs; my band tends to prefer playing the material that we created together.  When listeners walk away from “A Dream I Had,” what do you hope lingers with them longer: the nostalgia, the comfort, or the ache? The comfort- because falling in love is in and of itself a beautiful thing. I hope to offer that space.

On “ NON-FICTION ,” the Minnesota-born, Chicago-rooted singer-songwriter MOYANA steps directly into the fire. Prison abolition. ICE. Trans rights. Reproductive rights. Gun control. The stuff most artists water down into vague metaphors so they do not lose playlist placements. MOYANA says it plainly. Then she harmonizes over it. Produced by 7VNTH and fully crafted at studioSHAPES Chicago, the track opens with an eerie layer of TV static. Not aesthetic static. Anxiety static. The kind that mirrors doom-scrolling at 1:37 a.m. when your brain is fried but you cannot look away. It is a subtle production choice that hits harder than a dramatic string section ever could. The message is clear. We are overstimulated. We are distracted. And we are complicit when we tune out. Vocally, MOYANA does not oversing. She glides. Her tone is warm, controlled, and almost conversational, which makes the lyrics land with greater weight. When she references interconnected struggles in the spirit of Octavia Butler, it does not feel academic. It feels lived in. Personal. Urgent. You can hear the grief that fueled it, from the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman to the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, to the surreal image of salt trucks lining Chicago streets after Lollapalooza. That contrast between festival lights and systemic darkness is baked into the record. Culturally, “NON-FICTION” matters because protest music right now is either hyper-abstract or algorithm-chasing. MOYANA refuses both. She performed this live at SOB’s in New York during the Biggest Little Festival Ever, and the energy reportedly shifted the room. That makes sense. This is not background music. This is accountability music. If you are exhausted by the news but also tired of artists pretending everything is fine, this is for you. If you believe R&B can still be radical, this is required listening. MOYANA is building a living archive in real time. And she is daring you to pay attention.