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.

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