Covered by Creative Team Photographer Leila Saidane / March 4, 2022 Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, TX

Ezzah Rafique | April 19, 2022 Reflective in essence, Jacob bleeds his heart into his work by melodically rapping and singing lyrics that are the epitome of intimacy in "Haven't Said A Word." Read his interview with Hazze Media here. Q: "Hi! How have you been so far into the year? Tell us about yourself!" I’m chilling; can’t complain, although it’s always a relief when spring comes around. The shorter days and lack of sunlight during winter really drain my creativity. I feel much more inspired when it’s warm out. Q: "What initially made you go into pursuing music?" I’d heavily attribute it to where I’m from. Growing up in Flatbush (Brooklyn, NY), I was just around it all the time. I would listen to Lil Wayne and Linkin Park and feel moved by their art. No matter if it made me sad or feel like I was the flyest person on the planet, I enjoyed that it evoked emotion from me one way or another. When I was younger, like between 12 and 18, I was really going through some shit. Just constantly depressed, and by the time I was 15, I realized I could kind of release some of that through making music. For a while, I was too embarrassed to actually release a song. I didn’t wanna put myself in a vulnerable position by letting people know what I was going through. I showed a few of my friends some of my unreleased music and they were like “Damn, this is fire.” That really made me feel like I was on the right track. If people could still fuck with my music despite the relatively depressing content, then I didn’t care about being judged as much. Q: "Your new single, 'Haven’t Said A Word', releases April 8th. What was the creative process like from writing the song to putting it together?" I was going through a weird time in my life where I stopped being friends with someone I’d been close with for nearly a decade. I didn’t know what to make of the situation and felt betrayed but had really struggled to articulate my emotions. One day I was in the studio with my boy Kurt Stewart, he’s an unbelievably talented producer. I told him I wanted something super stripped-down in terms of the number of sounds in order to accentuate the lyrics of the song. I don’t care about making hits or music that’s geared towards TikTok, I just want to make shit that encapsulates who I genuinely am or what I’m going through at the moment. He really understood what I was going for, and I just freestyled it as he was making the beat. The whole process of writing, producing, and recording the song took about an hour. Q: "Are there any artists or songs that inspired 'Haven’t Said A Word' or was it primarily based on writing sessions / personal experiences?" “Day Before” by Young Thug and Mac Miller definitely inspired the overall mood of the song. I listened to Thug’s whole album when it first came out, and when I got to the last song- “Day Before”- I immediately felt moved. It’s just a beautiful ass ballad that’s clearly not supposed to be a “radio song” or something like that. It’s straight emotion and feeling. I love it. Q: "Do you have a favorite lyric from 'Haven’t Said A Word' ?" “I got bigger fish to fry/I was only twenty when my brother died/Last week my best friend’s mother died/This is real life and I’m terrified, of it all” Q: "To someone who hasn't heard your music before, what do you hope they take away from it? What atmosphere are you trying to create with your music?" Each song I make is designed to capture a certain mood, whether it be sorrow, excitement, joy, regret, confidence, etc. In terms of takeaways, I want people to recognize the genuine nature of my music. When I was younger, I wanted to be anyone but myself, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that’s a pointless battle. So, every song I make is 100% embedded with who I am. Q: "Between all of the songs you have released so far, do you have one that you enjoyed creating more or have a stronger connection to? Why or why not?" I made “Haven’t Said A Word” back in December. At the time, it was the one I connected to most. But the more recent music I’ve made in March is what I’m connecting to most right now. I’m not currently feeling what I felt back in December– my unreleased, recently recorded music always tends to be a better depiction of where I’m currently at in life. Q: "Lastly, what's one thing you've learned along your journey as an artist?" Shit is hard but as long as you’re making music that you enjoy, it’s worth it. Nothing happens overnight. Just stay true to who you are and things will work out one way or another.

Written by Stephanie Siau from Hazze Media | Photos by Alden Bonecutter (@aldenbonecutter) | April 14, 2022 The three-time Grammy winner took the stage on her first night in Denver Monday night, beaming with joy and gratitude. With a sold out tour, the day started with fans lined up as early as 10am, and continued throughout the day. From fans ranging from 8 years old to late adulthood, everyone had one thing in common: to see the Disney star take the stage. Olivia’s opening song “brutal” teased the eager crowd. For a minute straight, her fiver person band took a start-and-stop approach getting screaming fans excited for the 19 year old super star to perform. Her punk-rock songs quickly turned into ballads and softer melodies, creating a more intimate connection between her and her fans. Singing “All I Want” from High School Musical: The Musical for the second time on tour, fans drew up their flashlights and continued to belt every single word with her. With tears streaming down a few fans' faces, you could tell this song meant the world to many. Rodrigo then debuted another cover “Seether” by Veruca Salt, a more upbeat rock vibe in thanks to her mother. Finally, she ended the night with “deja vu”, with butterfly confetti falling from the sky. Throughout the night, Rodrigo continued to express her thankfulness for everyone for attending, and asked how the crowd was doing. Her gratitude and humility was unmatched, even taking the time to thank opener Gracie Abrams for being on tour with her. Unfortunately, in the beginning of “Traitor” a fan in the middle of GA had to seek medical attention. Rodrigo immediately stopped playing the piano and called the staff for help. Staff and surrounding fans quickly fled to her safety and the show presumed. Stage presence wise, Rodrigo moved across the stage gracefully, showing off her musical talents from playing the piano and guitar, to belting the higher notes. She seemed a bit winded after continuously running around the stage and jumping up and down, but she did not care. You can tell she had a blast and was exactly where she was meant to be. It seemed like there was nothing the Grammy winner could not do. For her first tour ever, Olivia Rodrigo definitely set the bar high. From mixing her love of pop and rock in her music to being quick to attend to her fans' needs, Rodrigo was a joy to watch and a girl with talent far beyond her years. If you were lucky enough to snag a coveted ticket to one of her sold out tour dates, get ready to scream, cry, laugh and everything in between. SET LIST: Brutal Jealousy, Jealousy (rock version) Drivers License Complicated (Avril Lavigne cover) Hope Ur Ok Enough For You / 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back Happier All I Want Seether (Veruca Salt Cover) Favorite Crime Traitor Deja Vu Good 4 U

Covered by Director of Press Orchee Sorker / April 7, 2022 The Basement East in Nashville, TN Tate McRae began her World Tour 2022 in the beginning of March. First time being in Nashville, McRae performed at two sold-out shows in Nashville, TN. Fans waited patiently to enter the venue since the morning. Her show started with "Stupid" and ended with the viral hit "You Broke Me First". Her unforgettable stage presence included her exquisite vocals and breathtaking choreography. Watching her live, fans were in awe and were left energized. McRae's genuineness and charisma inspired every individual in her presence. It has been evident that she will be needing a larger venue next time she stops in Nashville. If you did not get to see her yet, you definitely want to see her perform live! This fall, McRae will be opening for Shawn Mendes in his World Tour.

Covered by Creative Team Photographer Stephanie Siau / April 5ins, 2022 Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO

Covered by Creative Team Photographer Samantha Monendo / March 30, 2022 Beat Kitchen in Chicago, IL Thomas Headon, an Australian native, played his first nearly sold-out show in Chicago on a rainy spring night at the Beat Kitchen. As a new and upcoming indie popstar, he finally made his way to America after more than a year of rescheduling due to COVID-19 and having his fans wait in anticipation for his performance. Fans have been queuing outside the venue since mid-day in the rain in order to be the closest to the performance. Prior to his set starting, he discussed his musical beginnings reminiscing how he would play his guitar for fans waiting in line outside of music venues. Thomas started his set with his first song 'Loving You'. The crowd went wild as soon as they captured a first glance of the singer. His energy captured the room, and he made the stage seem like his second home. Thomas jumped between playing newer and older songs throughout the set; he even played a few tunes from his new third EP 'Victoria' released in March 2022. Thomas cited musical influences in the middle of his set being Tyler the Creator and the 1975, which is evident in his guitar riffs. He closed the night with ‘UrbanAngel1999’, before saying goodbyes and leaving the stage to have fans yell for an encore. Thomas was able to captivate fans from across the world with his hit tunes. He even had the boyfriends and parents who were forced to come dancing along and even heard singing some. He effortlessly worked the crowd and made everyone feel comfortable, which is a skill that will become useful for his future career. The talent and charismatic smile Thomas has is undeniable. This headline tour was his first in Chicago, but defiantly not his last.

Interview by: Orchee Sorker from HAZZE MEDIA Photography: Ryan Clemens To anyone who may not know you, how would you introduce yourself? C: My name’s Christian Weissmann. I’m an actor and writer, originally from Chicago & now living between Los Angeles and New York. You may have seen me in the Saved By The Bell reboot, American Housewife or Dear White People. Also, I’m an Aquarius/Pisces cusp! What does a typical day look like for you? C: I would say it depends on which side of the country I’m on! In LA, if I’m working, I spent those entire days on set. If I’m off set, I love waking up and going to my favorite coffee shop, Priscilla’s and going for a run. In NY, I would say I spend a lot of time writing and then also, drinking lots of coffee. What has been one of your favorite roles you have played so far? C: Hmm. I would say it would have to be Nate in Saved By The Bell. My character “Nate” is a bit of a golden retriever that just wants to have fun & get by easy. Working on the show has been one of the best experiences. Congratulations on your new film "Crushed!" where you are Conrad! How did you get the role? What was your favorite scene from the movie? C: Thank you! I sent in a audition tape for the role of Conrad and heard a couple days later that I booked it! I was over the moon and very excited to bring the character to life and work with our director, Niki Koss. It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite scene as every one was so fun to shoot. Probably, the first party scene on the bus! Do you see any similarities between Conrad and yourself? C: I’m happy to share that I don’t see any, really. He’s not the nicest guy and is a big prankster. It was really fun though to play such a wild character. Your role of Conrad and most of the previous roles you played were for coming-of-age tv/film. What do you love most about this genre? Are there any other genres you would like to act in? C: I love participating in projects that I can relate to personally and the coming-of-age films/tv truly match where I am in life. I love creating art for people to connect to and laugh with. I would love to dive deeper into drama and play a darker role in the future.

Ezzah Rafique From living the regular life delievering food in his 1993 Nissan Sentra to having his song storm the charts going viral on one of the biggest social media platforms, Trinidad Cardona has had one of the biggest summers of his life. His song 'Dinero,' initially released in 2017, skyrocketed onto charts this year after going viral on TikTok. But let's rewind back three years. Cardona initially dove into the music industry by seeing the people around him create music. “I really just saw the people around me make music and figured why not do it too then. I started when I was 16 or so and I fell in love with it,” he explains. ​ When creating 'Dinero,' “the process [itself] was really easy," he reminiscents. "I was just writing what I felt when I was 17 or 18. Recording it took a bit longer because I wasn’t a full blown singer yet, just dabbling.” ​ With a platform like TikTok, where trends evolve daily, artists like Cardona have become easily discoverable. "Social media is very important in music today," Cardona shares. "With everything in our daily lives being tied to the media, it’s the logical place to go and look for new music.” ​ When discovering that 'Dinero' had not only soared on charts, but was being used in almost every TikTok, Cardona was undeniably surprised. "The reaction was kind of me [being] in disbelief, [but] I went on about my day because I still have stuff to do. It was exciting though of course," he says. ​ “The biggest lesson I've learned is to never give up hope,” Cardona concludes. While intermixing Spanish and English, 'Dinero' is a song that is able to get fans of all ages on their feet- a true song for the summer.

Orchee Sorker | March 25, 2022 With over 135M global streams, viral Gen Z pop artist, Justus Bennetts shares the importance of stepping out of the comfort zone, TikTok’s influence on the music industry, his tour, and the process and collaboration behind his latest single “Don’t Trip” ft. GAYLE. HAZZE MEDIA's Director of Press, Orchee Sorker, chats with Justus Bennetts virtually on Zoom (video interview below). Photo Credit: Joseph Governale O: "Hi, how are you doing? How was your day?" Justus: "My day so far has been going really well. I've had a pretty hectic three weeks. I was in New York for two weeks, and then I was in LA for a week. Now, I'm back home in Raleigh, and I'm just relaxing. I'm trying to decompress a little bit." O: "Music has been apart of your life since you were really young. How do you think music has changed you over the years? Was music something you always wanted to pursue?" Justus: "I never actually saw myself pursuing music as a full-time thing until about a year ago when I actually started recording myself and releasing my music on a regular basis. It just didn't seem like something that was super attainable. I kept going and the more the music I put out I started doing better. It helped get a better mindset, and everything started changing." O: "Speaking of your music…your songs are really catchy and your songwriting is vivid and expressive which adds to the storytelling that is in your songs which makes people connect emotionally. “Real Life Sux” has been an influential song to myself and probably many others. Why do you think taking the risk and getting out of your comfort zone is important to living fully? Justus: "I think what I've heard over a lot of the time is that ‘comfort zone' is where dreams go to die’ because the more comfortable you get, the more satisfied you get with things that are generally average. If you get too comfortable, you kinda stop and you start coasting, and you don't actually try to push yourself harder. Pushing out of the comfort zone gets you to places that you normally wouldn't think of." O: "Your latest release “Don’t Trip” is featuring GAYLE. How did the collaboration happen?" Justus: "I wrote the song with some friends in upstate New York quite a while ago. We were sitting in the song for a long time…and before GAYLE had dropped the “abcdefu” song and everything started happening for her, she actually had messaged me on Instagram awhile ago. I actually never saw it until recently when I was in New York. She had messaged me and just said that she loved my music and everything. My management was talking about doing a feature for a couple of weeks. I saw that she was in New York cause I follow on Instagram. I had hit her up while she was in New York, and said we should get together and get in the studio to do it. It was like her last day there, so we weren't able to actually link up. She went to LA the day right after I had messaged her. We had pretty much locked in the idea of a feature, and she went to a studio and recorded her feature out there in LA. Then, sent it back to us, and, you know, it turned out really great. We eventually linked up this past week in LA and did a full photo shoot and music video and stuff for it. It kind of happened fairly naturally." O: "What was the inspiration and creative process behind "Don't Trip"? Did you play the guitar section?" Justus: "Well, so basically when we were making the song, it was just me and like my boys that I make all my music with. We were all just having fun in upstate New York. We rented out a cabin for a week and we had fun and just got ****** up making music the whole time. It was just like a really natural creative process. The whole point of the whole trip was to just have fun and make cool music. I think “Don't Trip” definitely falls into that category of ‘just not caring what everybody else thinks’...like not going on to societal norms or doing things that everybody tells you to do just because people tell you to do that. I didn't, I wish I could play guitar like that. It was my producer friend, Doc…his buddy Amir actually played the guitar on it." O: "2021 seemed like an altering year for you, with “Bad Day” charting top on iTunes and Spotify and now currently over 135M global streams. What do you think about social media, specifically TikTok, and how it's affecting the music industry?" Justus: "It definitely has its positives and negatives. For me and a lot of people like it's had a very positive impact on a lot of people's careers. It's given people the ability to put their music in front of millions of people and actually make a career off of what they like to do. It made it more attainable compared to before you kind of posted on Instagram a little bit, but mostly you were trying to play shows and send your music to people and try to sell CDs. On the other side of the coin, a lot of people get down when their music doesn't do well on TikTok. A lot of labels are like ‘we can't really back the song, unless it's going viral TikTok because that's how everything is right now. It's a struggle for a lot of artists that just want to make fun music, and they don't want to just make content for TikTok. And if it doesn't do well on TikTok, then they don't know what they are going to do with their lives. That's definitely the negative side of it, but yeah." O: "Do you think content creation, like having to make so much in so little amount of time, has affected you?" Justus: "It's definitely affected me. It's just kinda tiring having to think about it when I just want to be an artist, make my music, and express myself. Having to constantly think about making content and doing stuff to keep people updated in order to stay relevant, because there's so much going on right now can be a little stressful…but it's all part of the job." O: "I heard you are going on tour with GAYLE this spring and playing at the Bottle Rock Festival. Is this your first tour? What do you love most about live performances? What are you looking forward to most?" Justus: "This will actually be my first tour. The first show we play in Nashville will be my second official live show. I'll actually have a drummer and we'll be doing it properly. The first time I did a show, it was just a backing track, and we didn't have a band or anything…but we're going to be doing things a little more proper this time. I'm super excited about it. The best thing about live tours is just being able to see everybody, you know, face to face and being able to actually connect with everybody in one room because you can feel the energy and you can feel everybody just, you know, getting down." O: "I think that's all the questions I had. Thank you again for giving me your time! Best wishes to everything you will be putting out!" Justus: "Thank you so much for having me!" Watch HAZZE MEDIA Video Interview with Justus Bennetts

Covered by Creative Team Photographer Stephanie Hsiau / March 14, 2022 Mission Ballroom in Denver, CO Covered by Creative Team Photographer Samantha Monendo / March 18, 2022 Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL

Orchee Sorker | March 19, 2022 English alternative pop duo Arctic Lake share the creative process behind the intimate new EP, side by side we lie awake along with sharing a glimpse of their daily life as an artist. The duo consists of Emma Foster and Paul Holliman. "How does a typical day look like for you?" Paul: "If we’re talking about a typical day then it’s not gonna be an early start I’ll be honest with you, they don’t really agree with us so we’ve taken the executive decision to just say no to them altogether (one that I’m very happy with). I like to do a bit of exercise in what’s left of the morning to make myself feel better about the 12 and a half donuts I had the previous evening, and then it’s work time! It really depends where we’re at in terms of release or tour plans, so it could be writing every day or driving between cities on tour - right now we’re trying to finish up the next batch of songs to release after this EP, so it’s a lot of listening to the same section of a song a hundred times, changing a tiny thing and then listening another hundred times, deleting it, put something else in, repeat… you get the idea. Of course there’s also a big break for lunch, the most important part of the day." "What is your favorite song to perform live?" Emma: "Oh my gosh that’s such a tough question! There’s a bunch we’ve not released yet but have performed called “Hold Me” and “Figure Me Out” that just make me lose it, I love performing them, I literally cannot wait to release them. “Lonely” is like insanely fun, I just headbang my way through it in a really uncool way. “Hesitate” is for sure my favorite from the EP but we’ve not performed it live yet because I always cry so that’s going to be wild/interesting/utterly terrifying!" "What was the creative process behind “Love You Like That”? When did you start writing the song?" Paul: "This song actually started years ago, it was just a song that never got released because it wasn’t really good enough as a whole, but I had always really liked the verse melodies so in the first lockdown in 2020 I had a mess around with taking that section of the song and putting it under a really different style of production with loads of synths and big drums. Then we wrote a different chorus and it was pretty much done! Lyrically it’s quite interesting because the verse and chorus were written years apart, so they reflect different parts of Emma’s life - one is quite sad and the other is more fun and laid back which I think gives a nice contrast and dynamic to the song." "Congratulations on your new side by side we lie awake EP! When creating the EP, was there a theme you were hoping listeners would interpret?" Emma: "We always said we wanted to write about human emotions, thoughts, universal experiences - songs that people can relate and connect with and ‘side by side we lie awake’ is no different, in fact I hope it goes further. “Breathe” and “Hesitate” touch on really difficult topics and I hope anyone going through those situations finds comfort in knowing they’re not on their own and they will grow from this." "Anything else you’d like to add?" Paul: "Just that my mum makes the best sticky toffee pudding in the world and I would like to be buried in a bath of it, thanks. I’m not sure if it’s even a thing in the US but if it’s not I can send some over for you don’t worry." Check Out Arctic Lake's "Hesitate" Music Video

Covered by Director of Press Orchee Sorker / November 9, 2021 Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, TN With over 5.3 billion global streams and sold 3 million albums, Platinum-Certified singer, songwriter, and producer Jeremy Zucker releases his sophomore album, CRUSHER, on October 1. Following the release, he began his “MORE NOISE!!!!” North American Tour this fall, which began on October 19 and will be finishing at the end of November.

Covered by Editor-in -Chief Ezzah Rafique / November 14, 2021 Scoot Inn in Austin, TX

Covered by Director of Press Orchee Sorker / September 18-19, 2021 Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA

Review by Director of Press Orchee Sorker / March 8, 2022 Photos by Katy Knauss (BJCC) BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL Billie Eilish began the Happier Than Ever World Tour 2022 in the beginning of February. With over fifty-four shows planned, fans across the globe have been waiting to hear her perform live on tour after almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eilish performed at the BJCC Legacy Arena on Tuesday March 8, 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama for the first time ever. Her band included Grammy Award winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Finneas O’Connell (brother) and drummer Andrew Marshall. Though the number may be small, the duo created rich melodious instrumentals for Billie’s vocals. She began her performance by leaping in the air and popping onto the stage–similar to a jack in the box–as the lights switch from dark to light during the intro music. Eilish’s set consisted of twenty-seven songs, which allowed the show length to be about 1.5 hours. Some of the songs were shortened and mixed for the performance. Full setlist has been included below. Eilish’s rhythmic music drove fans to jump to the pulsing beats and scream the lyrics. Periodically during her set, she checked on her fans. She asked her audience to move backwards, maintain space, take a deep breath, and relax. Her presence and charm left her fans mesmerized. Her intimate soft vocals and distinct beats allowed her fans to experience the third dimension of music–immersive sound. Billie Eilish’s Setlist for March 8, 2022 in BJCC Legacy Arena: Bury A Friend I Didn’t Change My Number NDA Therefore I Am My Strange Addiction idontwannabeyouanymore Lovely You Should See Me in A Crown Billie Bossa Nova GOLDWING Halley’s Comet No Time To Die ilomilo Oxytocin x Copycat Your Power Male Fantasy Overheated Bellyache Ocean Eyes Bored Getting Older Lost Cause When The Party’s Over All The Good Girls Go To Hell Everything I Wanted Bad Guy Happier Than Ever