#artfromourfans

[toanmagazine]

Sado-San: "The Pyrite Years"

Today’s submission comes from 20 yr old recording artist Sado-San. The Bronx, New York native released  a single from his 1st solo project “D.S.H”. The smooth track “The Pyrite Years” was produced by himself and features a piano piece, courtesy of Joshua Benitez.

Here at TOAN we love opening our ears to music from our young talented readers, so don’t be shy and send us your next single!

http://brokekids.com

-Rebecca Encina

[toanmagazine]

Flaviyake- "Because I'm a Doll"

London based electro pop singer/songwriter Flaviyake, has released visuals for her track “Because I'm a Doll”. The anthem of all human dolls living in a dream world was introduced on BBC6 Music in the UK earlier this year. TOAN got the opportunity to interview Flaviyake on shoes, her new video and J-pop culture.

What do you want your audience to get from “Because I’m a Doll”? What is it about and what message are you trying to send out to your listeners?

Flaviyake: “Because I’m a Doll” is a song about human dolls, the cultural world trend when girls turn themselves into dolls with make-up and women undergo plastic surgery to achieve perfect shapes. With this song, I am reminding guys that girls who pay too much attention to their look quite often love themselves so much that they have no space left in their heart for loving someone else. At the same time I am reminding girls that some guys take them as beautiful toys. In the video on this song, a model is turning up my dress and sees a plastic bottom of a real doll. I want to remind viewers that this is what children really do with dolls – first of all they undress them to check if they are shaped the same as humans."

  How would you describe your aesthetic?

Flaviyake: "My aesthetic is like a mirror that reflects the reality of our world and the universe by bringing an embellished picture of creature back to the viewer/listener. Some of my songs are written about human characters of the contemporary world and others about the universe and nature."

  How long have you been making music?

Flaviyake: "I spent 12 years of my life studying classical music and wrote my first song at the age of 10, but I was so tired of the strict system and boundaries I experienced in my education that had not been playing flute and piano for several years after finishing my music school. Hence my passion for electronic sound, though I am back to piano and recording an acoustic EP now – vocal plus piano versions of electronic pop songs."

Who is your favorite shoe designer?

Flaviyake: "I really like shoes by Jeffrey Campbell. When I was a teen, I used to say that if I had my own shoe label I would design only unusual shoes and would make them affordable. Now we have this kind of shoe label and I do not need my own label anymore. I worn them in “Because I’m a Doll” video and going to wear other shoes of this label in my next music videos as well. I also love the futuristic shoes worn by Lady Gaga in ‘Bad Romance’, designed by Alexander McQueen."

  How did you get into J-pop?

Flaviyake: "For some reason, whatever I create looks rather Japanese. Many people in London say my music would be loved in Japan, though I personally find my lyrics rather conceptual and deep in the Western style and music quite Asian because of its positivity, fun, cuteness and happiness. Also my artist image looks a bit Asian because of the amount of colors, but still a bit soft (or discreet) in the Western style. Being a mixture of Western and Asian is what the world is about today, so I am just a natural product of it. If I did not do music I would probably go to Japan to study innovative technologies."

  Influences both in music and fashion?

Flaviyake: "My music style was formed under the influence of Bjork, Madonna, Moby, Beastie Boys, Chemical Brothers, Missy Elliott, Savage Garden, Garbage, Robbie Williams, R.E.M. and Michael Jackson. My favorite fashion designers are Moschino, Miu Miu, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Holly Fulton and Issey Miyake, whose “yake” I added to my real name Flavia to create my artist name Flaviyake. Apparently this suits perfectly my Western-Asian music style mixture."

 Are you on Instagram?

Flaviyake: "My Instagram is @flaviyake"

  What are your opinions on Avril Lavigne’s new visuals for her track “Hello Kitty”? Do you believe it can come off as a sort of cultural appropriation?

Flaviyake: "I think this is a try for getting closer to the Japanese music market. I see the usage of the most obvious Japanese objects in this video, which looks rather like a superficial understanding of their culture and nothing innovative and super-creative that is inherent in the real Japanese approach. Though Avril Lavigne is the right singer for this trial, as she looks like a teenager and her voice sounds young. I think the cornucopia of the Japanese creativity is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu."

iTunes http://smarturl.it/because-im-a-doll?... Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Flaviyake

-Rebecca Encina

[toanmagazine]

The Work of Dragan Djurdjevic

Today’s art submission travels overseas straight from Belgrade, Serbia.

Illustrator Dragan Djurdjevic was born in 1979 in Sabac, Serbia. He graduated from a high school of design in Novi Sad, Serbia in the Department of Graphic Design; Applied Graphics. He was also on the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade at the Department of Graphic Design where he graduated in 2004. Djurdjevic, has exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions.

The artist would describe the facial expressions in his work as “a visual representation of complex emotions. Using ink to draw on paper, or making combination with various art media is my way to show different states of mind. Also, I like to draw myself and situations I’ve been, as well as my friends and family, but with overemphasized additions that show how I feel about them or my response to them.”

You can find more of Dragan Djurdjevic's work here

-Rebecca Encina / [email protected]

[toanmagazine]

The Letters Home- "Warm Ink"

The Letters Home, a ‘Dirty Soul Rock’ band based out of Los Angeles, presents soulful sounds of the past and romances them with the dirty sounds of Rock and Funk.

The quartet has recently played SXSW in Austin and is touring with their debut EP,Warm Ink, available on iTunes now!

-Rebecca Encina