A song that captures your aesthetic.
“When I first auditioned at KMG I wanted to be a rapper. That’s all I wanted, all I dreamed of, but they thought I had more promise as a dancer, as a singer. … I’ve always been okay with the fact that — At least I like dancing, you know? And it’s not that I don’t enjoy singing, but… I’ve always felt more connected to rapping so… This song speaks to my desire to one day release music that represents every part of me. This song reminds me that at the end of the day, people can’t control your artistry if you just keep pressing forward. You can’t ever stop. You can’t listen to everyone telling you ‘no’. You have to do you.”
Your favorite childhood song.
— “The Rubberband Man” by The Spinners
“I remember the first time this song came on the radio at my mother’s shop. I was still really young — We’d only just moved to Seattle a few years prior. The city was so different. There was so much to get used to, to try and learn about. It was often pretty overwhelming. But then I heard this song. And even though at the time I didn’t really have any idea what it was about, I absolutely couldn’t resist dancing along. If there weren’t any customers around my mother would dance with me. We never really played it at home. It was more of a work song to remind us to smile. And dance. We always danced.”
A song that reminds you of a bad time.
— “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon
“My father passed away when I was thirteen from colorectal cancer, a complication of Crohn’s disease. He’d play this song as a form of escape. There was never a case of escaping a lover: he adored my mother. Usually it was just his way to remind himself that things can always get better, that there’s always a way to start anew and make yourself like a newborn baby: innocent, free, unknown yet to the world. … And as much as I’d like to say that it brought him back to us or cured him for a little while… It didn’t. Music is powerful, but the illness was too much for his body to keep fighting.
I listen to this song every now and again to remind me of how things could turn out for me as well: I inherited Crohn’s from my father. I don’t blame him. It’s just bad luck in that way, and this song reminds me that every day is precious and shouldn’t be wasted.”
