Interview & Photos by: Orchee Sorker | June 6, 2022 Originally from Toronto, renforshort is a pop-indie vibe artist. At the Hangout Music Festival, she sits down to talk to Hazze Media about her songwriting process and collaboration with Travis Barker on latest single "We'll Make It Ok". She released her debut EP Teenage Angst in March 2020. I had no idea you wrote “Moshpit”. I love that song. Do you usually begin with lyrics or melody for the song? R: I definitely am a melody person first,. Then, I go to the lyrics. I kind of like to make fake words in my brain to the melody and then kind of fill in the blanks. For “Moshpit”, in the session, I was like, “this is what we have to write about because I'm really feeling this heavy today; so, let's get on this”. Your latest single is “We’ll Make This Ok” with Travis Barker. What was it like working with him? What was the creative process behind the music video? R: It was great. I got the song idea from a friend of mine, who's also an artist who I love very much. I was like, this is sick. It was more hyper poppy at the time. I just rewrote it to my style. I was in a session with Travis, and we were just like making a song. My producer, Jeff was like, “Yo, Travis can't play live drums on this. It needs to be ratified a little bit. He did a great job.” For the music video, I definitely wanted it to be more like art. I feel like a lot of my music videos just tend to be very conceptual, and I wanted to try doing something with a little bit less story-based. It’s one of my favorites. It was so quick and easy to do. It ended up being great. Very, just like chill, easy, fun.

Interview & Photos by: Orchee Sorker | June 6, 2022 Los Angeles based, dance/electronic artist JVNA sits down with Hazze Media to talk about life of a multi-instrumentalist and her past struggles which led to debut album Hope In Chaos. What is it like being a multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter? Where did you learn how to mix? What motivated you to become skilled in all areas? J: It's so nice. I originally wanted to pursue film scoring. That's what I went to school for. I went to a classical music school to study film scoring. When I was in school, I went to a rave, and there was electronic music. I thought it was really fun. So, I went on YouTube and started to learn how to make EDM. There was part of me where I was like, is this “good and real music” compared to classical music…but EDM is definitely a very skilled way of studying that is different from classical music. With my project, I've been combining what I've learned in that field to what I'm doing right now. So, it was a mix of the education and YouTube and just like being in a session with a friend. Your debut album Hope In Chaos was released back in December. What was the meaning behind the album? Or like your thought process when creating it? J: It was an album about like a four to five years period of my life. From college to after college, I went through a lot of major changes…some including my dad dying and some sort of assaults in my life. It was just having the courage to want to pursue something in the creative field, coming from an Asian family, where they want you to be a doctor or a lawyer. The album was about just having hope. Even though in your young twenties, you're going through so many changes. and it's about perseverance. That's a very dominant trait. My personality is to always believe that I can accomplish something I want. I think that album was sort of like a coping mechanism for that.

Interview & Photos by: Orchee Sorker | June 6, 2022 Los Angeles based, Alabama born, Zach Hood sits down with Hazze Media to talk about performing live at his hometown. After beginning to gain the attention of 3M people after posting a snippet of "Flashbacks", Hood started sharing his songs regularly. Hood has accumulated over 1.2M followers on TikTok, and chats about how TikTok is changing the music industry. Being originally from Alabama, what is it like getting to perform at Hangout this year? Z: It's amazing. It's like a full circle for me. I started on TikTok, and it caught traction there. It was over the internet and everything. Two years have passed by, and now I’m back home in Alabama able to play in person. It’s surreal to play in front of people that I grew up with, my family, and my girlfriend. It's a very cool moment for me. How did you get started on TikTok? How do you think it is changing the music industry? Z: First of all, I think the music industry depends on TikTok nowadays. I got started on TikTok because my ex-girlfriend told me to download it and post my singing videos on there. I did that, and it was insane. The first video that caught traction was like three lines of a song that I wrote. Everybody loved it. So, I kept doing that, and I just gained this fan base. People seem to like the stuff that I was doing. It was really cool to see that happen.

Covered by Hazze Team Journalist & Photographer / May 25, 2022 Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver, Colorado, is one of the most coveted venues to perform at as a musician. It is a tremendous honor and privilege to do so, and on Wednesday night, Rex Orange County took the stage performing in front of a sold out crowd. With all 192 steps filled with screaming fans, the open-air venue held a serene environment for an unforgettable night. Rex Orange County, who also goes by Alex, began his night singing 4 songs from his latest album: Who Cares?. Nine songs in, he sang a cover of ‘Lovin’ You’ by Minnie Ripteron, and with a band of 5 supporting his show, Alex did not hold back on showcasing his musical talents. Throughout his set, he switched off between playing the piano, keyboard, and guitar. He also selflessly made sure every member of the band had their moment to shine, whether it was a solo performance during his song, or simply acknowledging their presence. You can tell the humility ROC holds, and truly the type of genuine and supportive artist he is. When you thought the crowd could not get any louder, it sure did. Standing in awe, Alex had to take a few moments between songs to take in the fact that he truly made it as a singer, musician, and artist. With the crowd singing every word to every song back to ROC, the small town English singer made sure he remembered the opportunity and experience as a whole. ROC then shared how he got started as an artist, and accompanied that story by singing Corduroy Dreams, which was the song that blew up on SoundCloud, giving him his first shot at stardom. It then led to him singing a Tyler, the Creator collaboration song: OPEN A WINDOW, and later on hoping back on the keyboard to sing Best Friend. That then led to him singing the viral TikTok song Loving is Easy, as beach balls were being tossed around the entire amphitheater. Finally, as the night sadly came to a close, he ended his set with Pluto Projector with everyone holding up their flashlights wanting the “encore [to] last forever”. As he exited off stage, he thanked the crowd once again, and shared that this was his favorite stop on the tour thus far. He again humbly showed his appreciation to his fans and band members, making it known that he will cherish this milestone of performing at the Red Rocks Amphitheater forever and ever.

Interview by: Jewel Fiorillo | Photos by: Shervin Lainez | May 31, 2022 Julia Bhatt talks with HAZZE MEDIA about her musical inspirations, recent single "On My Shoulder" and new upcoming music. I read in the article sent to me via email some of your music influences from when you were younger were by your parents and older sister...What really drove you to becoming an artist with the style you have? J: It’s all them. Growing up and being influenced by different people gave me different views of music. All those different genres add up to whatever I am now. I truly don’t even know what to call my own music. I think that’s pretty special, though. Has your style ever changed as you evolved as a musician and how/why not? J: Of course! I went from writing songs just to write them to venting feelings into music. It’s pretty cool. I used to just write about stuff that other people wrote about and common themes in lyrics. Now I've become more comfortable in my style. How did you learn to write music/play instruments? J: Mostly by learning simple songs on the guitar. I love singing other people’s music and the guitar was a way to do that. That’s why I’m not so great at picking or anything. I learned how to play just enough to start writing and get by! Do you have any large inspirations when you are writing your music/songs? J: Depends on the song. A lot of the time, once I establish a song, I go through my music and make a playlist of references for my producer. There's so much cool shit out in the world, you can’t not be influenced by it! When did writing and creating music become a priority in your life or what made you choose this career? J: I’ll be honest, I’m still unsure of this career. It’s hard to make singing and songwriting into an actual career that can support a person's life. Right now, I have a bunch of people who are motivating me to continue to sing and write, no matter what comes of it. Sometimes it gets hard, but I just have to remember that it’s fun for me. Maybe not all the promoting and stuff, but singing is fun and therapeutic for me. I’ll keep doing it until it no longer is. What has been your biggest challenge in the music industry this far in your career? J: Promoting and watching numbers. It’s hard when you’re already doubtful of your work. There’s so much shit that gets put into the world on a daily basis, so getting attention/listeners is a little difficult. It tends to get me in my head a lot. Do you have any goals for the rest of this year? J: Just taking it day by day! I want to get more confident in myself and my music, if I were to pick a specific goal. Not sure how I’ll accomplish it but I’ll try. Plans on performing at any concerts or festivals? J: I have a festival in June called Wet Mango Fest. Very excited!!!! It’s my first festival so I hope it goes well. I loved "On My Shoulder" as I was able to view to get a better idea of your music. What inspired your newest album It Is What It is planned to release in July. Aside from your musical career, what are other activities/hobbies you enjoy? J: Just making music! We finally had enough to put into an album. We were always going for an album once we had enough music. Other than singing and such, I’ve been getting back into cooking/baking, so that’s been fun. I’m a pretty chill person, and a lot of my free time goes into napping. Is there a message you want to send out to your following through your music? J: Thanks for following me! It means more than you know.

Interview by: Orchee Sorker | May 31, 2022 Photographer: Tim Schaeffer Photography (@timschaefferphoto) Hair: Mika Fowler (@mikahairstylist) Makeup: Anton Khachaturian (@antonmakeup) Stylist: Haili Pue, All Ze Details (@allzedetails) Dress & Boots: Charles & Ron Earrings: Kasha Bali Stack Bracelets: Kendra Scott Custom Rings: Hebdon Reblin Designs Kelsi Davies talks with HAZZE MEDIA about her story about discovering her psychic abilities, practices which protect her gift, her favorite paranormal experience, the "InTALKxicated" podcast, and creating a safe space for her community. How did you begin your career? K: Hi, my name is Kelsey Davies. I'm a 24 year old actress, dancer, and singer. I also have psychic medium gifts that run in my family. I actually started acting when I was 18 for commercials and such. Then, I started going over to YouTube and just going to the most haunted places to really experience the paranormal realm because when I was little, I never understood it. I was always terrified of it and so scared of ghosts. I just wanted to kind of overcome that fear. I always had my gifts and I didn't understand them until quite recently…like I'm communicating with spirits…cause I always thought it was normal. I started my YouTube journey and then I went over to TikTok to share that journey with everyone. People just really started loving it. When did you discover your physics abilities and interest in the supernatural? Do you have to have to do certain exercises or like practices to keep your sixth sense strong (meditate, etc.) ? What has been your favorite psychic experience so far? K: I started when I was 18 or 19. I always knew that it was there. This past year, I found out it runs in my family very deep. My cousin has gifts. She never really talked about, um, my other cousin does as well. And family members that have already passed, had insane abilities that my whole family knew about. Since I was a child, my mom always knew I was a little bit different. It was just something that we thought was normal. This year, they were like it runs in your family. Maybe meditation…I don't know different things. It's something I can't really turn off. I wish I could tap out of the medium ship, but the psychic stuff, it's just always been kind of draining. I would always take a lot of naps when I was little and stuff. I slept a lot because it was just always so draining whenever I would go out in public and stuff. I've found ways to protect my energy. I've found ways to protect my energy by meditating and crystals. Sage, which is what my native American ancestors used. I've been really practicing with my mediumship and just giving readings. I always always do them for free. So I just do them for family, friends, and whoever. It helps me practice, and it just has made me realize how strong my gifts are. I would always remember this woman. She’s on TikTok, and she lost her daughter when she was maybe two or three due to brain cancer. She just wanted to know her daughter was safe. She's like, can I pay you to connect with her? I always do readings for free. I'm just going to do it. I'm going to see if she comes through for you because I just couldn't imagine losing a child. You can’t really just move past that in an easy way. I connected with her daughter. Her daughter ended up coming through, and she was a little bit shy at first. She was kind of peeking in, and she was with an older woman. I was like your daughter is happy and safe. She had hair and was in a little dress. The woman said her grandmother passed away six months ago before we did this reading. So, she's like maybe it’s her. The little girl kept saying, “Mommy, I can hear you.” The girl kept showing me specific yellow butterflies. The yellow butterflies were their sign before the girl died. With the yellow butterflies, they were choosing between two funeral rooms. The one they chose for their daughter's funeral had yellow butterflies on the wall. It was interesting to just pick that up because something that specific you can't just make up. Then, her daughter also kept putting her pinky up like a signal with their hand. I'm not really sure what she was trying to show me. The mom was like before she passed, she was having a hard time speaking. We were teaching her, “I love you” in sign language, but she couldn't quite get it. That was just a really heartwarming experience. It brought me to tears. You also have a podcast “InTALKxicated”. What kind of message do you hope your audience will take back as they listen to your podcast? In other words, why did you choose to begin a podcast series? K: I'm a big marijuana advocate. I live in California and it's something that's helped my anxiety a lot. I want to advocate for legalizing marijuana. I wanted to do a podcast where I share stories, creepy, funny, and all well intoxicated things. Uh, so my, uh, my choice is always marijuana. So I wanted to share my goofy self with people. I want people to be able to listen to something chill, entertaining, but kinda dumb. I wanted to create a safe place for people to come and listen to different people's experiences of their paranormal experiences on the podcast. We're not faking it. I want it to be super authentic. My audience really loves it. I'm so grateful for that. How was it like being featured on Travel Channel’s Paranormal Caught On Camera? K: Some movies are pretty accurate with a lot of the paranormal things, but then some of them make it more entertaining. There will be instances where I've seen things fly. I've seen doors shut. I've seen chairs being thrown. I have seen that, but it doesn't happen all the time. That's something that's pretty rare for me to see. When it does happen, I freak out because it's just so it's just so surreal seeing. Whereas in movies, you know that they're moving it and making things a little bit more exaggerated. With Paranormal Caught on Camera, it was really cool to be featured there because I would watch that show all the time. I put myself through a lot going to these places emotionally and physically. There's a lot of risks when you go to these haunted places and to have what I've caught on camera and my experiences shared with other people and a very large audience. It's really cool to me. And I hope that that can continue. I saw that you create music. Your two recent singles are Done and Darker. Were you always passionate about music? What was the creative process behind Darker? K: I've always enjoyed singing. I would always do impressions and karaoke. My dad's side of the family are all like opera singers. It kinda runs in the family. I've just kind of wanted to do it for fun. I wanted to experience making a music video. All my songs have been written by Vago. They're super talented artists from London. For Darker, I wanted to do something creepy and could share Halloween. I wanted to portray the dark side of love. There's just such darkness like even the Amber Heard trial. You see pictures of them; they look super happy, but then behind the scenes that love is so dark and toxic. The song dug into that in such a unique artistic way. I absolutely loved what they came up with. They sent me the demo and right away I was like, “Yes, this is awesome.” The music video was directed by Chris Bullinger. He does an amazing job. What do you hope for your brand in the future? Do you see yourself focusing on aspects or still open to different things? Any upcoming goals? K: I just want to create a safe community where people can come and share their paranormal experiences. If they're mediums, if they're psychics, you know, people can call you crazy. People think you're faking it, or you're a fraud. I've gotten a lot of hate for that. and I'm sure a lot of people have. I just wanted to create a good, safe space for people to come and share their stories and share their struggles. I want to create a positive community. I'm really glad that it is building up. For myself, I do want to focus on acting. It's just been a passion of mine since I was young. I want to dig into it and I'll still be on social media, making content, no matter what.

Interview by: Orchee Sorker | Photos by: Cristine Jane (@visiblevibez_) | May 26, 2022 Lexy Panterra talks with HAZZE MEDIA about her story, creative process behind the new single "Girls", her goals for the Real Influence Agency, and focusing more on her music. How did you get started with music? Who are your inspirations? L: As soon as I came out of my mother's womb, I was singing. That's what she always says. I've just always loved music. Growing up, I listened to all pop on the radio. I definitely looked up to those people. My personal favorites are the really big voice singers like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Mariah Carey. I've always sang those records growing up. Stylewise, I love Rihanna and I love my R&B music. I love Kimani, Jhené Aiko, and some newer artists that are coming out now. Those are my vibes. What type of genre would you describe your music? L: My music is very eclectic. I'm a Gemini, so it's everywhere. I have pop, R&B, and rap. I really don't stay in a genre. That's been a hard thing for me in my independent music career. When you're an artist, they usually tell you, you have to stick to one genre, but I've always loved all types of music…which you can hear when listening to my singles/albums. Your new single “Girls” was released on May 20. What was the creative process behind the song? When did you start writing it? Would you like to shoot a music video? L: I did this song five years ago. I was in my feelings about this guy, and he was a celebrity actor. Everyone always tells you not to date celebrities, just because it's always a “problem”. They're all **** boys. The thing is when you're in the business, you're only really around those people, you know? I have dated my share of popular people. It's kind of about finding out that he's been DM-ing these girls and confronting him in the song, just not in person. I lived out my dream of how I knew about this…but I didn't really say that to him, even though I knew what was going on. That's where the inspo came from. My girlfriend and I just got together. I kind of ranted to her, and I was explaining to her what it was about. Then, we just went in to record. The song is also about being shown in public with paparazzi and TMZ around. All these blogs that want to pick up your stories and them just trying to hide you for whatever reason it could possibly be. Maybe because it doesn't go with their “brand” or they're hiding you from other girls. I want to do a video for this. I've just been coming up with so many concepts that I have no idea what to do. I’m getting inspiration from the girls. It's definitely gonna come. I just don't know when yet, but it should be dropping in June. I hope we'll see if I have enough time, I'm going to try a thousand percent. You have a wide audience with over 1 billion impressions across all platforms. Do you want to have this large audience or a condensed audience that is more interested specifically in your music? Ultimately, would you like to focus just on music? L: That's been definitely a double-edged sword for me because a lot of them are men and I love my women. I'm all about independence, empowering women to do what you like, and being confident in teaching. This was also in my twerk out class. I became popular from all those workout videos. Yes, I do wish that I did have a base that really focused on my music. Everyday, I definitely push my new fans and old fans to my new music…in hopes they turn into my music fans everyday…praying above. I'm blessed to have the fans that I do have for sure. What is one thing you would like to say to your fans? L: All I gotta say is be you, that's the best you can be. People will love you for that. Don't try to be anybody else.

Interview & Photos by: Orchee Sorker | May 26, 2022 Eloise Alterman talks with HAZZE MEDIA about her new EP Sad Bird, learning to live by herself from a young age, recently moving to LA from Nashville, and her upcoming personal goals. How did you get started on music? My entire life I wanted to do music. I started singing when I was really young. I started with karaoke machines. I definitely annoyed both of my parents with singing all the time. They were eventually like if you really want to be a singer, you have to play an instrument. You can't just sing karaoke, you have to play an instrument. I went and taught myself how to play guitar and piano. After learning the piano, they were like you can't just do that; you have to write songs. I started writing songs, and I really have always been kind of an emotionally sensitive person. Writing has really helped find an outlet for that. Music's just been something in my bones. I don't remember a day where I didn't love it. Sometimes when I think about that, I'm like, ‘how are you just born loving something?’ You usually find your hobbies or find things that you love as you get older. You moved to Nashville at a young age, like 17 years old. What were some aspects you learned along the way by living on your own? I definitely learned how to be lonely because when you're 17 and you're not in college and everyone else, your age is you just have to learn how to. There's not many friends that are doing the same thing at your age. Everyone older than me was trying to start their careers. They were all out of college. I wasn't able to get into bars or anything. So, I just spent a lot of time by myself and I felt very misunderstood by people my age too. I didn't really understand them either. Being by myself is probably one of the hardest things I ever did, but it's also one of my super powers. Now, I'm really independent and I don't ever want to have to go through it again, but I'm really glad that I did. Now you moved to LA, what made you move? How is the culture different in LA and Nashville especially in the music industry? I would say the reason I moved was because of my music. It was evolving a little into a different direction, and I spent so much time in Nashville. When I first moved to Nashville, I had so much growth and Nashville felt so big when I first moved here. I wanted those new challenges with a new city like LA. My management was there; I wanted to try writing with new songwriters, explore a new avenue, and keep finding new parts of my music. I moved there in January. I’ve had a great experience so far. In Nashville, it's less track based. It’s a guy with a guitar. People are writing the start with the hook (the last line) first. In LA, people maybe start with the chorus and loop type of hit. In pop, the title is the first line of the chorus and sometimes repetitive. In country, the title is the last line of the chorus or bridge, like the moral of the story. Who are your musical influences? I have so many different influences. I've listened to so many different types of artists growing up. I appreciate listeners who love all kinds of music too. I'd say it's just any artist who has songwriting as their main thing. I grew up listening to Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Mumford and Sons. I loved Miley Cyrus when I was younger and Taylor Swift. I just listened to anything that tells a story. Your debut EP Sad Bird came out May 6. What was the creative process behind the EP? How long did it take? What do you hope your audience gets from listening? I wrote it through the pandemic. The creative process was really just unloading my heart and trying to be vulnerable. It just all poured out. It was very easy to be as open as possible when your heart's broken. Writing was therapy for me at that time. Then all of a sudden it was born. I didn't even mean to do that. Looking back, I didn't even realize I was creating something. These songs are so sad, you know, but it kind of also makes let that part of your heart go a little bit. Why did you make “Her” your focus single? What was the meaning behind that song? I made her the focus single because it is one of the more up-tempo songs. I wanted to come out of the gate with something that started the story. If you listen to any of the other ones by themselves, it doesn't really give you any background yet. I needed to kind of lay down the basis of the story before coming out with all the filler of everything else. At first, it sounds like a story about another woman, but it's really about me and unraveling comparing myself to another woman and wanting so badly for someone to see me the way I think they see the person they loved before…being ghost of the woman that he loved. What are you trying to focus on or improve this year? Whether it is personal or music related? I definitely want to be the best performer that I can be. I want to be as confident as I can be too. I want to work on my mental health and focus on me just as a person. I want to be kind to other people, empathetic, and just focus on the sweet things in life as well. I'm always very stressed out about the future instead of being present. I want to also just be in the moment, you know.

Photographed by Stephanie Siau from Hazze Media | Denver, Colorado | May 16, 2022

Interview by: Orchee Sorker | Photos by: @lindylinphoto | May 26, 2022 Former Chinese-Canadian Olympic Coach and popular TikTok content creator with over 4M followers, Peng Peng Lee shares her story, process behind creating videos, mental health, and representation on social media. To anyone who may not know you, how would you introduce yourself? How did you begin your gymnastics career? Was it always something you wanted to pursue? Now, you are an artist, actress, influencer, and host. Do you think there are aspects from gymnastics which you are using in your everyday life now? P: My name is Peng Peng. I was born and raised in Canada. I was a former national Canadian gymnastics team member. I went on to compete for Canada for about 8 - 10 years. Then, I went to be the 2012 honoree Olympic team captain. I went to UCLA to also pursue gymnastics and graduated from college there. Now, I am pursuing entertainment. Gymnastics has always been one of those sports as a little girl I loved. I actually quit when I was seven, so I didn't love it at one point, but my family, my parents, always put me in sports. I was always doing activities…it could have been like in the arts, I did theater camp and a bunch of different camps. I didn't realize that after gymnastics, I would still use those life lessons that I learned in the gym and practice them every single day. I have taken my work ethic and my athletic mentality definitely into the real world today. Whenever I do something, I want to give my 110% because I feel like if I don't give that full effort, I'm not going to reach my goal or I'm just not doing myself the honor of being able to. What made you start creating content? Why were you driven to TikTok specifically? P: It's funny because when I was in college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Everyone was saying, “the world is your oyster. You can go whatever direction you want to go into.” Being a student-athlete, I didn’t have a lot of time for internships and working on campus. Something I really wanted to do was entertainment, whether it be hosting, acting, or anything in that realm intrigued me. Someone said, “why don't you get on social media? It can be kind of like your resume; your way to practice. It's on your own time.” Everything in college is about your resume. For me, I just really had a hard time. Having those aspects to put on my resume. So, I got on YouTube. I was doing things on Instagram, and it was only during the pandemic that I got on TikTok. After college, when I graduated, my world still revolved around gymnastics. YouTube and Instagram are very heavily gymnastics-based content. I was having a harder time branching out and really exploring and creating new content. During the pandemic, I got on TikTok to have fun with the platform and literally just do everything that I've wanted to do from singing, dancing, and transitions. How did you get so good at seamless transitions and lip-syncing? How do you schedule creating content? Do you have a setup for shooting? P: When I started getting on TikTok, I mainly thought it was a dancing app. However, then I saw Zach King. His content is so cool with little magic tricks. I googled how he was doing those magic tricks. It said Final Cut Pro. Then, I began using Final Cut Pro and spent hours trying to figure out how he was able to cut things and how he was able to mask objects…not green screen stuff, but just special effects. Then there was this one girl doing the transitions on TikTok. It was so cool to me! That's when I knew I wanted to get really good at it. Just learning and loving what I did and having fun with it…helped me get good at it because I was really excited every time. My college and athletic mindset definitely comes into play often. When I was a student-athlete, everything had to be planned out and I was not a planner. I am naturally very spontaneous, but post-college, I have become a planner. I very much enjoy planning out my days now and setting aside those content days. If I were to go with the flow, I would get stressed to a point where my life would be a little too much all over the place. I kind of write everything down about what I want to do. I love seeing other creators and what they're doing and adding a little twist to it. I'll take a day and film about 5-6 videos. There are definitely times when I see videos where I just film on spot and allow time for myself to have fun. Until October, I was living in my one-bedroom apartment and I was filming a ton in my bedroom. My workspace and my sleeping space were in the same room. It was hard to have peace in my room. So, I ended up moving. Now, I have a separate studio space, and it has been a game-changer. I have my little stand-up desk in my office and makeup in there. I have my ring light. It just makes it all more efficient. I feel so much better just getting out of my bedroom and having that one space to do work. Usually when everyone talks about representation on screen, it is referring to the Hollywood industry. However, most of the content people consume today is on social media. Do you think diversity and representation in these platforms matter? What is it like being a POC in the social media industry? P: When I was younger, I never put a lot of thought into ‘there aren't a lot of Asian people on screen…or there's not a lot of people of color on screen’ just because I think I was too young to even think about it. Now that I'm older, I actually do think it matters. I realized that when I was younger, I wanted to be blonde. I wanted to have colored eyes. I wanted all these things that I just couldn't attain. I just wasn't born like that. It's really fun to see on social media nowadays, the representation. There was one comment that I got, even when I was a gymnast that has really stood with me. This mother came up to me and said, “It's so awesome to see an Asian American or Asian Canadian, just doing her thing and being a gymnast and a face for the younger generation.” I never thought about that until that day. I didn't have a lot of people to look up to…maybe Jackie Chan was kind of like the one person who I really looked up to when I was younger. It's so awesome to see more people of color inspiring the next generation to have those role models who are just like them. May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. Why do you think mental health is important? Are there any ways you create awareness around this topic? P: I have learned that mental health is so important. It was one of those things I never really put a lot of attention to. As an athlete, you're learning to push through everything. You're learning to take no days off. Whenever I was sad, I felt I was weak. After I graduated college, that's when a lot of things started coming up, and I was starting to have a lot of anxiety. I was having a lot of pressure and anxiety about what life is and where I'm going. In school, you always work on the next exam. For me, it was like, ‘what is the next thing in life?’ I am still on this mental health rollercoaster with myself. I'm learning a lot about myself that I never paid attention to. I do love sharing with my platform by being honest with myself and being true to myself. It’s very scary to me to share and open up about because I have never really touched upon it. I encourage people to really think about something that really makes them happy in sad moments or in those moments where they feel like they can't get picked up again. That's been really helpful for me because I was one of those people who locked everything in. I did not talk about it. I didn't want to share anything. As I've gotten older, it's been very helpful to reach out to friends, family, and people…and learned the importance of having a great support system. Music has been one of those things that has been very therapeutic for me. Music saved me from getting into a darker place. What are your upcoming goals for yourself and your brand? Do you want to focus on one niche or create various content? P: My upcoming goals are very open-ended. I'm open to anything. Whether it be acting, music or more content, I love being open to just learning and being inspired by other people. I have always been inspired by James Cordon and The Rock. The Rock grew up as an athlete, but he does acting. When I am older and I could see myself down the road, I would love to be like The Rock where he just explores everything. They have a very well-rounded background and don't stick to one niche. Besides gymnastics, music has been one of those big dreams of mine. Again, when I'm in those anxiety and stressful moments, writing music has been one of those things that has just helped me look past the darkness of the moment. I would love to share my background through my music. It's almost easier for me to write it down through a song rather than talking about it. I look forward to when I do drop my music, and for people to learn a little more about me than what they see on social media or gymnastics or anything like that.

Interview by: Orchee Sorker | Photos by: Emilio Madrid | May 20, 2022 Miles Gutierrez-Riley talks with HAZZE MEDIA about starring in Amazon Prime’s hit series The Wilds, having POC LGBTQ+ representation in the industry, & starring in Paramount’s film adaptation of On The Come Up (Angie Thomas’ New York Times bestselling follow-up book to The Hate U Give). How did you get started in acting? M: I started acting in my local community theater when I was in sixth grade. I continued with performing arts through high school, and I started writing and directing. It was my passion. It was everything I wanted to do. When it came time to apply for schools, I sort of realized that there was nothing else that I wanted to study other than this. I applied to acting schools in New York and LA, and I went to my top choice in New York and started working pretty soon after I graduated. You play Ivan Taylor in season 2 of The Wilds. Did you see any similarities between yourself and Ivan’s character? What was one of your favorite scenes to shoot? Ivan’s character was first seen this season. What was it like meeting with the cast? M: I see similarities in that…We're both very unafraid to express who we are. We're both very comfortable being true to ourselves and speaking up for what we believe in. The key differences lie in the way we go about advocating for ourselves and our beliefs. He's a bit of a provoker and is a bit more conflict ready than I am. I can see his immaturity, and he's still in the process of figuring himself out. My favorite scene to shoot was the locker room scene with Charles who plays Kirin. It was very intense and very emotionally difficult. I hesitate to use the word antagonistic, but he's definitely walking a moral gray zone in that scene. I get to play with such intense emotions, especially when someone is talented as Charles, was very exciting. I think that the scene came out really nicely. The cast was amazing. It was like all these new best friends and like a given family. It was amazing to meet the boys, see all their personalities, and get to know them through working with them. Meeting the girls was just amazing. Seeing people that were so comfortable. I'm confident in the work that they'd already done coming back and like showing us the ropes. It was a lot of fun to be with everybody. Your character, Ivan, portrays a POC LGBTQ+ narrative. Why do you think representation is important? Do you think The Wilds did a good job presenting Ivan? In what ways, can Hollywood improve with representation on screen? M: The Wilds does an amazing job with LGBTQ+ POC representation because Ivan is not a two dimensional character. He's very complex. He is in the wrong often, even though his intentions are correct. Humanity and complexity is more exciting to me than being someone who is on the surface or someone that is instantly likable and relatable and fun. As humans, we all make mistakes, we all try to go about getting the things that we want in ways that may hurt other people. To play Ivan in a world, they've crafted some really deep dark corners of his soul, but also given care and attention to them is very special to me. It's an honor to play him. Following the example of The Wilds, this is a great place to start. To have an LGBTQ character is not enough. You have to make sure that you're presenting them, not as just the best friend, not as just someone who's there to crack the jokes, but as someone with depth and complexity and, and vulnerability. It is important to dive into the ways that they are full bodied, well-rounded dynamic people. Hollywood is going in the right direction, but there's more work to be done. I heard you will be in the upcoming film On The Come Up. What is it like being in a major feature film? Can we get an insight on your role? What is the expected release date? M: It's obviously very exciting and fun. I'm smiling so big thinking about it. On The Come Up is based on Angie Thomas's best seller book. I play Sonny who is also a queer character who lives very out and proud the best friend to our protagonist Bree. He is very sunny. He's really loose. Playing him right after playing Ivan was a great way to just sort of let go, have fun, and crack jokes. It felt very light. That felt equally important. I'm excited to see the movie and excited for people to see the movie. We shot it in Atlanta last year. I do not know the release date, but I'm hoping for the end of this year. We'll have to wait and see. I'm on the edge of my seat! What is one dream role you want to play in the future? M: I'd love to play a queer character in a love story that is complicated and heartbreaking and touching. Something as heart-wrenching, as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, but make it gay.

Interview & Photos by: Orchee Sorker | May 4, 2022 Phoenix-born, LA-based pop singer-songwriter, Alec Benjamin, sits down with Hazze Media to talk about his ongoing North American spring tour, first-time experience of performing at Coachella, new album (Un)commentary, learning Mandarin and wisdom about pursuing your passions. Benjamin chats with Orchee Sorker (Hazze Media Director of Press & Team Photographer) before his performance at The Pageant St. Louis, Missouri on April 30, 2022. Check out full set photos below! Q: Hi, how are you doing today and how has the tour been? AB: I'm good! Tour has been really great! It's been weird. Normally, we rehearse at a rehearsal studio. Then, the bus shows up. and picks us up and takes us to the first destination. But, we didn't have a bus for the first two weeks because we did Coachella after the first two shows...where we were flying for those shows. So, it didn't feel like the traditional start of tour. It's been a weird tour, but it's been great. Q: You're halfway through the North American tour. What has been your favorite moment? AB: I'd have to say the meet-and-greets have been really fun. It's nice to see people. It felt like everything was going back to normal. When I did the last North American tour, you know before everything closed down again. Just having the opportunity to perform for people again and do meet-and-greets and just get like face to face with people that you don't have to wear a mask for everything. Q: "For this album (Un)Commentary...how did your creative process differ from your writing in Narrated For You and These Two Windows? Why is it called "un" commentary?" AB: Well, the creative process was different just because it was immediate during the pandemic. It was very solitary. It mostly in my house and when I collaborated with people it would be via zoom and FaceTime. So that was, that was different. The things that I was inspired by were different because with such an unprecedented time and everybody was like locking their house. I was watching a lot of the news and kind of like reflecting on what was going on in the world. I used the album to journal my feelings about what was going on. I didn't necessarily feel like I had to tell a story because I felt like the story that was taking place in the news media and in the world at large was just so crazy that I kind of just wanted to make the album my own commentary on. The stories and things that were unfolding. It was just supposed to be like "uncommon commentary". I was maybe talking about things that people were reluctant to talk about. You know, just told from my point of view, which I feel is unique because every person is unique and seeing it as individual. Q: My new favorite songs would be “Shadow of Mine” and “Devil Doesn’t Bargain”. You use a lot of metaphors when you’re storytelling. Was this a technique you practiced over the years of writing or does it come naturally? AB: I think some of it comes naturally and some of it needs practice. I try to find parallels between things that don't necessarily appear related at first glance. Then, I use that in my songwriting as a tool to get my point across. I think some of it comes naturally. I feel like sometimes I see parallels between things that maybe other, other people don't necessarily see. I think that makes my songwriting unique. Q: The month of May is "Asian/Pacific American Heritage" month. Going back to when you recorded “Let Me Down Slowly” & “Water Fountain” in Mandarin, what inspired you to learn Chinese? What aspects of the Asian culture do you admire? AB: Growing up, I'd been indirectly inspired by like Asian culture in a lot of different ways. My dad is a medical doctor, but he also practices integrative medicine, which is like some medicine from the East, like acupuncture and stuff. My first exposure to East Asian culture was doing a Chinese form of karate. Some of that influenced me to learn the language. A lot of the things that we learn in karate were written out in Chinese characters and maybe that inspired me. Ultimately, I think the West has in large part discounted and ignored the East, and I think that's a shame because there's a lot to be learned from some of the longest lasting cultures in history. Q: This was your first time at Coachella. What was the experience like being a part of this massive festival? For you, what is your opinion and experience of the Coachella crowd vs. your tour audience? AB: Everyone talks about it, and I've been hearing about it since I was a little kid. The fact that I got to participate in it was pretty cool. At the end of the day, it was awesome! It was the biggest stage I've ever performed on physically. So, I learned a lot from that. As much as the audience was watching the stage...the audience was crazy. I was watching the audience. People wore crazy things and they really went all out for the festival. It was very fun for me. I felt like I was also a spectator, even though I was performing. For my music, the people who are going to come and see my set are normally people who have heard my music before and people who are going to know the words...like you're not going to just show up to my set. It felt like the people who are at our set where they're intentionally and weren't just there peripherally and they were really engaged. At least from my own personal experience, I can say that we had a great audience. I can see how there can definitely be people who come to festivals who want to go and check out stuff that they're not familiar with. Maybe that sometimes that leads to having an audience that's maybe less enthusiastic than a headline show, but I didn't really notice too much of a difference. I guess the difference between that and a headline show would be the time. We played at 4:00 PM. It was really hot out, and it was also outside. Shows on tour are inside. So, sometimes it feels louder because the sound is inside. But, I had a good experience at Coachella. I felt like the crowd that was there was really invested in it. Q: Personally, I have recently changed my career path to entertainment, and I am beginning to compare my work and life with others. For aspiring creatives, what is your advice to those who are wanting to pursue careers in the creative industry? How do you avoid falling into comparison? AB: Well, I compare myself to everybody and I never feel like I'm doing a good enough job. So, I think I'm the wrong person to ask. If you are pursuing something that you love, that's the best thing. If you're doing something that you don't like, it's difficult. You know, you have one life, right? You should do what makes you happy because ultimately you're going to work the hardest for that. Like, I had difficulty focusing and doing things in school, and I know that if I wasn't pursuing something that I didn't genuinely enjoy and genuinely want to do, then I wouldn't be able to. I wouldn't be able to maintain this level of focus. My only recommendation, which seems like what you're, what you're already doing is to just pursue something that you enjoy. You know, if you don't like it, you can always leave. Listen to (Un)Commentary available on all platforms

Interview by: Jewel Fiorillo | Photos by: Quinn Tucker | May 16, 2022 Alt-pop singer, Layke, shares her musical influences, beginning her career, messages through her writing, her new upcoming EP Frequency which will be out July 29th, and creation of the new “No One Can Stop Us” music video. What influenced/who influenced you to love music? I was heavily influenced by my older sister and my dad with music a lot while growing up. My sister was about 12 years old when I was four, And she listened to a lot of music by Prince and Janet Jackson. My dad always had amazing musical taste as well. He’s taken me to concerts when I was younger, for instance, I got to see Bob Dylan when he came into town. Both my dad and my older sister both listen to a lot of the greats in classic rock. I think another thing that influenced me to get into music was that I was involved with dance since I was two and a half years old. I was exposed to so many different genres and artists because of this. What artist/artist influenced you the most? My ultimate inspiration is honestly Queen. More specifically Freddy Mercury. He is like a musical God to me! Everyone always said how difficult he was and I’m like “I’ll take it!” he was so talented and I only think he was difficult because of the time he grew up and performed in. He couldn’t be himself and he was criticized for it. I think the way he reacted to certain situations was justifiable because I would be just as angry if I were him. He was an amazing and talented musician but he wasn’t accepted for who he was and that’s what people make him seem difficult for. A few of my other large influences in music would have to be Janet Jackson, Prince, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin made me truly appreciate instrumentalist bands. They were inspirational to me because of how emotionally an instrumental solo can change the dynamic of a song. When did music become a priority in your life? When did your career start? I was always involved in musical theater in high school. I also began writing poetry from a young age and kept my poetry books over the years. Eventually, the poetry became songs and I never stopped writing. When I was 16 years old I was living in Dallas, Texas at the time and I made the decision then. I knew I couldn’t make a music career living in Dallas so Los Angeles was on my bucket list. I was told not to go to LA because they would eat me up. At 19 years old I made the move from Texas to California. I still did it because my heart was set on it I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I had no idea what to expect when I got there but when I did I felt free. LA has a lot more to offer when it comes to representation and expression. In Texas, it wasn’t common to see people as a part of the LGBTQ+ community or for it to be talked about. I felt like I could be myself in a city like this. So I would say my career started at 19 but I made the decision long before it. What are some goals for the year? Currently, my team and I are planning on starting to remix some of my older songs. I’ve never done it before and I’ve always been super curious about doing something like this. I have about two EPs and a few extra songs out that we will be working with. It’ll be super experimental and I look forward to it. Another thing is that my team and I are trying to get on a tour. There’s some stuff coming up for summer and Pride so stay tuned for that! What is a piece of advice for an artist wanting to join the music industry? A piece of advice I would give about the music industry is staying true to who you are but saying yes to trying new things. You don’t have to box yourself in but you also don’t need to compromise your moral and personal beliefs. Something I regret is not saying yes more because I thought I would look like a sellout just for trying something new. I was originally doing rock before I moved to electronic music. My producer Adrian said why not experiment a little? And now that I took that risk I’m in a dream a new playland of music. I’m definitely at home with rock music but electronic music has been such a beautiful new experience I’m glad I didn’t turn it down. As an artist, I feel like you can’t stay stagnant. You should always want to be growing and changing. What is your message you want to get across when writing? I write a lot about my personal life and what I see the world going through. I also read a lot about interpersonal relationships and what I feel about what’s happening to the public. I will sometimes change my personal experiences to make them broader to the audience and listeners can feel like they can find ways to connect and relate. The new upcoming EP Frequency: what is the meaning behind it? This EP has two different meanings and themes. The first half showcases the struggles of mental health. I was diagnosed with anxiety and I am seeing a therapist help with it now. I found things in my life to help me get through it as well. I wanted to write about this and talk about it because I think there’s a huge stigma with mental health and people feel like they can’t get help. I see the world struggling with reaching out and asking for help. Another thing is that some people who want to reach out don’t even have the resources available to get help. Which is awful and there needs to be a change. Some songs on the EP like “Help Me Out” and “Sanity” I feel like really show these types of scenarios and hopefully reach someone who needs it. The second half of my EP is more of a dance bop vibe. It’s very influenced by a 90s style. These are supposed to be dancing feel-good songs. In specifics, my song “XOXO”, is my dance love letter to the LGBTQ+ community. Another one called “Frequency” is about finding yourself and living authentically in your skin. Because I know for people in the community depending on where you live or who you are around it is hard to feel accepted. It’s hard to be able to be yourself. What is the “No One Can Stop Us” music video about? "No One Can Stop Us" is about a secret underground party for the LGBTQ+ community. It’s supposed to showcase in motion what it feels like and resemble beautiful moments of confidence walking onto the dance floor. But the real meaning behind confidence is finding a place where you feel like you belong and that you can be yourself authentically. I’d never done choreography for my music before this video. This was a collaborative idea between the director, producer, and myself. We did a planet-themed continuation for the songs to all match the videos. I did not want the videos to look like every other planet-themed music video. I wanted something unique. My director, Quinn Tucker came up with this incredible location. The Frank Loyd property is located on a cliff in Malibu. The cliff meets the sky and it was everything I was picturing in my head. There were a few restrictions we had to abide by but that was not going to stop us.

Interview by: Lauren Sanchez | Photos by: Ben Ritter | May 11, 2022 Actress Anabella Raye chats with Hazze Media team journalist, Lauren Sanchez. Raye appears in a mystery drama Long Slow Exhale presented by Spectrum/BET’s back in April. Raye shares her love for acting, auditioning for the show, and her role as ‘Kate Ford’ in the series. Lauren: So, what attracted you to begin a career as an actor? Anabella: Well, I first started acting when I was a young kid. I kind of found my love of acting through local drama programs in Los Angeles. I felt from a young age that I wanted to do it professionally. I later attended the Los Angeles County High School for the arts where I majored in theater and then continued to study acting and film at Brown University. I think what really attracted me to acting from a young age was just kind of a love of performing and then also the really amazing community that is filled around every project, and as I grew older and continued studying, I think I also realized what I really loved about it was kind of rooted in a deep love for like human psychology and connection and storytelling. Lauren: So did you for the psychology part, did you major in psych at Brown? Anabella: No, I actually didn't major in psych specifically, but I took a lot of psych courses while I was there. The cool thing about Brown's curriculum that really attracted me to this school initially, was that they have a philosophy called open curriculum, which allows you to kind of sample basically any discipline you want, rather than having a set core curriculum. So, I was able to really combine my love of acting and film and psychology and was really able to sample from all those different fields. Lauren: That's really cool. So I guess like when you try to prepare yourself and research for a role, you take in all those aspects to make sure that you make the role your own. So like, what do you think is the first thing you do to approachable to make it your own? Anabella: Well, the first thing that I probably do is just really try to take in the character's story and their emotional life. I try to think about how I instinctually relate to the character and the feelings and experiences that I've had in common with them. I feel like even when I'm going to play a character who seems on the surface totally different from myself, there's always common ground to be found. And there's always a piece of myself that also belongs to that character. So, I like to think about that piece of myself and try to expand it. I mean, specifically when I approached the role of Kate, her story really immediately pulled me in. I mean, just reading her dialogue and how she talks about her relationship with her father. It feels like it was so emotional to even read. To get into her character, I feel like I thought a lot about what I would be feeling in that position and thought about my personal experiences with regret, and that kind of helped me get into her role. Lauren: Oh cool. So like, how did you come about this role on the actual show? Like was the audition process scary, exciting? Did you feel prepared enough? Anabella: I mean the audition process was both scary and exciting. I mean, first of all, it happened in the middle of the pandemic, so everything was remote. It was just self-tapes and zoom sessions rather than, you know, going to a room in person. Um, so that audition process was definitely different, but it kind of feels like the new normal now. Before the audition, I remember feeling both nervous and excited, but my callback was a one-on-one Zoom session with Erica Bream, who was one of the casting directors on the project, and she was really wonderful. I remember feeling very at ease when we started working together and I was kind of able to find the joy in acting, which I feel like sometimes is a rare thing during the audition process, which can always feel stressful and I remember really coming excited to dive into the material when we started working together in that session. And then a few weeks after that zoom session, I got the call from my manager that I got the role and I was with friends and we popped a bottle of champagne. Lauren: As you should. I mean, congratulations on getting a role like that. Even getting the call would be, or like a callback, would just be so exciting. So, how was it like to be on set? Were there any interesting highlights or things you learned, like in a professional setting? Anabella: I really loved being on the "Long Slow Exhale" set. I hadn't spent that much time in Atlanta before, so that was a really exciting place to film. I feel like I really got a chance to explore the city. And then, the set itself was really beautiful. Everyone was like so welcoming and I really enjoyed the conversations that I had with the other actors and the crew members that I worked with. I remember on set, the directors that I personally worked with were Pete Chatmon and Crystle Roberson, and they were really helpful in terms of stepping into the emotional place of the character. Obviously, the scenes that I was in, just because of what Kate is going through, were very emotionally intense. So, it was really great to have those directors to kind of work with me and dive further into my imagination and explore what those circumstances would be like. But yeah, overall being on set was really, really awesome and exciting. Lauren: That's so cool. So, speaking of your character, Kate, do you mind telling us a little bit more about her, to like someone who hasn't seen the show? Anabella: Something specifically interesting about Kate is that the audience only knows her, like in the context of grieving her father. So, she basically comes into the show under those circumstances, which was a really interesting thing to play with, because it made me think a lot about her identity and how the circumstances change how her identity shines through and just shapes the way she behaves during such a difficult time, so that was definitely an interesting thing to play with. Lauren: How do you think your role of Kate differs from other previous characters or acting experiences that you have had? Anabella: Kind of what I had just described feels like it was different because I was really thinking about how grief changes the way one behaves and changes their identity and trying to kind of balance who she is and who she is in these circumstances and how she's kind of questioning so much of her life and her choices. So, that felt very unique. Lauren: I think, from what I'm gathering is that like, the character has really helped you process how to convey emotions and stuff like that. So like, how has this role changed the way you view acting as a whole? Anabella: I feel like actually the role and the onset experience, it almost did the opposite. It almost reinforced the way I viewed acting, it reinforced the idea that so much of acting is really just connecting to those circumstances and really listening to the person in front of you and I think part of what reinforces that idea wasn't just the role itself, but also was working with such incredible actors. Like my scenes were with Rose Rollins, Lyriq Bent, and Brent Sexton, I really felt like working with them was such a great opportunity because I just kind of had to like listen to my scene partner. They were giving me so much of what I needed, and just I listened and responded to them in the circumstances, which was really wonderful and definitely reinforced that idea for me. Lauren: Speaking of working alongside the other actors like Rose Rollins, how did it feel to be able to work alongside them throughout the whole thing? Anabella: It felt like such an incredible opportunity to work with them. I mean, they all had such incredible careers, which is both inspiring and exciting. They're dream scene partners. Lauren: Absolutely. In the email I got, it was all about following in her mother's footsteps, Anabella brings her acting skills and talents to the show, and with your mother already being such a name in the television industry, how do you want to decide to shape your own career and make your own? Anabella: I feel like I am planning to make my own path just kind of by being myself and seeing where my career takes me as I learn and grow as an artist. It's sort of funny. I feel like I found my love of acting fairly independently of my mom. You know, through doing theater as a kid, but then having grown up, watching her have such a successful career, kind of made me feel like it was possible for me to pursue it as well. She's always been so beyond supportive of my acting and I really appreciate her, as both a part of my support system and also as a resource. It is awesome that she'll be there as I continue to chart my own path in the industry. Lauren: Oh, I love that. I really do love that. We love supportive parents. What can I say? But I think that's all the questions I have for you. Anabella: Awesome. I think these are all really great interview questions. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Lauren: Yeah of course! Thank you for sitting down to talk with me. I really loved getting to know you. Congratulations on the role.

Interview & Photos by: Orchee Sorker | May 7, 2022 Indiana-born, Nashville-based viral pop singer-songwriter, Sara Kays, sits down with Hazze Media to talk about opening for Alec Benjamin this spring, new single "Math", and finding her audience through TikTok. Kays chats before her performance at The Pageant St. Louis, Missouri on April 30, 2022. Q: How would you introduce yourself and how did you get started in music? SK: To anyone who doesn't know me, I would first say, ‘hi, I'm Sara!’ I first started music cause I liked to sing when I was younger. Then, my mom got me a guitar and I started just like singing and playing together. I just really loved it, and I started learning how to play, like my favorite songs. I started busking some in my hometown, like on the little street corner. I just grew to love it more and more, especially after I started writing songs. When I was like, this is what I want to do for sure. Q: What is it like opening for Alec Benjamin this spring North American tour? SK: Opening for Alec has been so sick because I have been a fan of him for so long. I found his music at a time when I was learning how to write songs and trying to become better at it. I was so inspired by him. So being able to open for an artist like him is amazing and I'm grateful for it. Tour has been great. A lot of the fans have been singing my songs, which has been so awesome because I had no idea what to really expect going into it, but I'm having a lot of fun. Q: I love your new single “Math” and it is really relatable. What was the creative process behind the song? When did you start writing it? What was your favorite math class? SK: I actually started writing it like a year ago when I wrote the first verse. I thought it was just like a cool little concept. Then, I finished it like two months ago when I was just deciding what song to release next. I just went back to it. My favorite math class…I wasn't very good at math. I feel like math particularly...I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow passed. My favorite math class was probably one of the first ones like kindergarten because it started getting really hard after sophomore year. Q: I first found your music after listening to “Remember That Night” and just kind of fell in love with all your music afterwards. I think TikTok kind of contributed to the success. In what ways has social media impacted you? SK: Social media has been really great for me and my music just because I guess Tik Tok in particular is where I was able to reach people who would relate to my songs. It was kind of at the start of the pandemic too when I started using it. That was convenient because I wouldn't have been able to find people otherwise. I'm grateful for it. Over the course of a few years, I kind of felt stuck because I was using things like Instagram and Twitter. It just felt like you couldn't reach anyone beyond who had just already followed you like your family and friends. It just felt like I was releasing songs into thin air. Tiktok plays a big part in the music industry right now. For me, it helps me reach people.