Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

I find Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie worthwhile because of her writing style, and how effortlessly she can effectively communicate a message and captivate an audience. When it comes to Adichie’s novels and short stories, they capture the beauty and burdens of life as well as introducing unique and diverse perspectives. In terms of her lectures, Adichie has this way of capturing an audience with her words and keeping them engaged through her fluidity and eloquence. She is a truly phenomenal woman as well as an impactful writer. 

Sources: 

“Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie.

    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author and writer. Adichie during her career has written several novels and short stories, as well as received numerous awards and recognition for her pieces. Along with all of this, Adichie has also given several lectures, including a TED Talk, on topics like race, immigration, and her personal experience as a Nigerian-American author.  

“Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Sept. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie.

    As a child, Adichie was infatuated with reading. One of the pieces she read as a child that was most influential was Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. This hunger would continue to grow, and she would, later on, leave Nigeria to attain a degree in creative writing and African studies here in the U.S from John Hopkins and Yale University. 

“Official Author Website.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 5 Aug. 2018, www.chimamanda.com/.

    Adichie’s work has been translated for over 30 languages and has been published in prestigious newspapers such as The New Yorker. Her TED Talk, The Dangers of a Single Story, is the most viewed TED Talk of all time. 

H.E.R.

 

H.E.R. (Gabby Wilson) 

Gabriella Wilson, also formally known as H.E.R. An anagram meaning "Having Everything Revealed" is an American singer and songwriter who has a soulful voice and intricate songwriting style. Her music can be described as both poetic and deeply emotional. Gabriella has gone on to win 2 Grammy's in 2019, one for best R&B performance and one for best R&B album. In 2020 she was nominated for 5 nominations including best album of the year for her most popular album, "I Used To Know H.E.R," and song of the year, "Hard Place." Gabriella was born in the San Francisco bay area and has deep California roots. She has gained support in upcoming years from many famous artists including; Rihanna, Usher, Tyrese, Alicia Keys, and Bryson Tiller, all popular names in the POP/R&B genre. Her music differs from other styles of R&B due to it's emotional highs and lows and precise lyrical flow. She is able to translate her emotions onto paper and use her expressive and creative talent seamlessly. She carries an element of mystery about her and chooses to cover her eyes with sunglasses. This is a way to protect herself from herself. The eyes are seen as windows to the soul, and she describes this need to wear shades as reflecting and seeing one's "self" in her eyes. This mirroring is deeply personal. 

https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a23305900/her-music-interview/ 

This website highlights an interview with Gabriella and talks about her rise to fame being somewhat anonymous with minimal promotion and how she got her start in 2016 releasing her Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 EP covers with just a silhouette. Gabby talks about why she created this persona and says that, "I think it has allowed me to make the music the focus, and for people not to care about the superficial things, or who I am associated with, what clique I belong too, all those things that don't matter... it's really made people focus on the music, and that's what's special about it." She explains what her inspiration behind her album was, how she channels Lauren Hill in her song, "Lost One's," and her songwriting process.  

https://wwd.com/eye/people/h-e-r-reveals-all-identity-the-bay-area-prince-lauryn-hill-1202777633/

This interview talks about Gabby's roots, how she grew up and more of her musical inspirations. She is a mixture of Filipino and African American, she grew up in a mainly Filipino home with traditional customs. She also talks about her father's side of the family and their customs eating soul food on the weekends in good company. She says that, "black culture, to me, is so important and I identify with young black women. I represent young black women, and I am proud of that." She talks about her musical influences, songwriting, and collaborations. 

https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a30630816/who-is-her/

This article talks about H.E.R. and how she prefers to keep a low profile. She likes to remain anonymous instead of worshipped like a celebrity. She wants her music to speak for itself and it does. Gabby gets more in-depth about why she chooses to remain anonymous... "I reveal who I am and my stories and my emotions, and music is an outlet for me. But it's all revealed through my music and my message. Even though I don't show my face, and I don't show people who I am and more about me, you get to know who I am in my music." Her upcoming album is set to drop early this upcoming year, which is exciting news for her fans. She also talks about how Prince and B.B. King are some of her inspirations. 

Brandon Woelfel

 

Brandon Woelfel is a freelance photographer based out of New York, well known throughout social media especially on Instagram (@brandonwoelfel) for his vibrant photos. His aesthetic includes a multitude of highly saturated photos that consist of subjects like dancers, models, and fairy and neon lights. Brandon is very compelling in the way he presents his photography. This includes not only the result of his photos, but his before and editing process. He constantly is sharing his skills and tips with aspiring photographers. His photography catches people’s eyes due to his use of color.

https://fstoppers.com/business/photographer-brandon-woelfel-shares-shooting-and-editing-secrets-gained-him-3-408866

This website gives a little background to Brandon and how he started out as a photographer. It goes onto explaining how Brandon got into sharing his editing secrets, how he felt about it, and how he came to find his personal aesthetic. He mentions how he felt weird at first, sharing his tips because many artists don't do that. It exposes them to much more criticism because it shows the pure, unedited photo.

https://www.brandonwoelfel.com/photography-1

This is the link to Brandon’s personal photography website. It includes not only his finished work, but before and after photos, the gear he uses, recommended beginner cameras, and a place to buy his personal prints. He provides an easy way to find cheap cameras for those who want to start out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkD-9tfURAMfqyf-8U5dSxw

This website is his YouTube channel which consists of behind the scenes and editing videos. Here people can see Brandon in a more personalized way. He posts mostly tips and tricks on what he uses for taking pictures as well as what editing programs work best. Other videos include how he edits and what goes through his head when doing a photoshoot.

 Misty Copeland 

Misty Copeland is an American ballet dancer for the company American Ballet Theater (ABT) which is one of the top three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. Copeland is also the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s 75 year history. Copeland began dancing ballet at the age of 13, but quickly proved herself to be a prodigy. She quickly became an award winning dancer - winning the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Award as the best dancer in Southern California at age 15. Copeland joined ABT in 2000 at 18 years old, becoming a corps de ballet dancer in 2001, and then a soloist in 2007. Copeland is hailed as one of the top 100 Most Influential People by Time magazine and has ventured into public speaking. She has published 2 autobiographical books: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina (2014), and Firebird (2014). 

I find Misty Copeland inspirational in that she was able to break the glass ceiling as an female African American ballet dancer, and challenge the preconceived notion that a ballet dancer is fair skinned. For a long time, representation of diversity in ballet was extremely poor; seeing each forefront ballet dancer share the same light skin tone was almost always guaranteed. Having Copeland break that barrier in that company and become a forefront dancer even when the odds were against her was more that enough to spark some change in the ballet world. Having been a ballet dancer for most of my life, it’s really inspiring to see a dancer who defied all odds and persevered to become one of the best. 

https://mistycopeland.com/

This is Copeland’s official website. Here you can view her story of rising to fame as a ballet dancer as well as view videos, articles, media platforms, and images regarding Copeland and her profession. 

https://www.abt.org/people/misty-copeland/

This website is ABT’s page dedicated to Copeland and her experiences with their company. Here you can read her biography, view her milestones and repertoires, etc. 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Misty-Copeland

This website gives a detailed official background of Misty Copeland and her ballet career. You can continue to scroll to see information about the company she dances for. 

Louis Tomlinson

 

    Louis Willam Tomlinson was born on December 24th, 1991. Louis is known as a singer, songwriter, actor, and soccer player. While in high school he was always the lead in the school play and he has started as a side character in two movies. His success in the musicals at school influenced him to audition for the X-factor.  In 2010 he auditioned for the X-factor as a solo artist. While he was successful for the first round he did not make it to the judge's houses round. Simon Cowell chose four of the boys that were sent home to make a boyband; Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik, and thus One direction was formed. The X-factor Journey for the band was successful; they kept advancing into the next round until the finale where they got third. They got third place but the success didn’t stop. Within the next year, they released their first album and tour. Five years, five albums, and six world tours later they decided to take a hiatus. While in his boyband One Direction he co-wrote hit songs like, Steal My Girl, Midnight Memories and Story Of My Life. He also wrote songs while in the band like No Control and Home. 

In 2015 when the band went on hiatus they decided to start their solo careers but Louis’ was delayed a little bit due to the passing of this mother in 2016.  Later in 2016, he released his first solo song titled Just Hold On that he collaborated with Steve Aoki. This song is about him dealing with the emotions that come with losing a close family relative. In 2019 another family tragedy happened and he lost his sister to an unknown heart condition. As a result of his sister’s and mother’s death, he wrote the song titled Two of us. While dealing with the losses of his family members he still had been writing for his debut album this also put a slight delay on the album. Louis’ album came out in January 2020 titled Walls. In interviews, he talks about the meanings of the songs. He says this album is very honest and open while he has never said what songs are about what he says some songs are about love than some are about family. The songs on the album consist of some love ballads and some songs for his fans. This album was solely written by him except for Only The Brave. 

 I resonate the most with is; Two of Us. The first verse is very emotional as it says; “It's been a minute since I called you, Just to hear the answerphone, Yeah, I know that you won't get this, But I'll leave a message so I'm not alone, This morning I woke up still dreaming, With memories playing through my head, You'll never know how much I miss you, The day that they took you, I wish it was me instead” Over the past year I have had a recent family death and I took it really hard. I understand a lot of the lyrics in the song like when he says “Just to hear the answerphone” For the longest time after when I was upset and I missed their voice I would call her phone just to hear her voice again and I would and still do play old voicemails to hear her voice again. Losing a close family member can be really rough at all times of the day so when I listen to this song I know that I'm not alone in how I feel and my feelings of being resentful, upset, and mad at them for leaving. Another lyric that stands out to me is in the second verse as it says “I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud” I like to think of this as the loved ones that are no longer here with us are still looking down on us and they should be proud of how far we have come since facing the hardship of losing them.

http://www.mtv.com/news/3142989/louis-tomlinson-we-made-it-interview/

MTV interviewed Louis and they talked about his single We Made It. In this interview, they talked about the personal tragedies that he has been through like losing his sister and mom within a year. He talks about how he wanted this song to mean something and how he stopped writing songs for other people but started writing for him that's why this song is more personal than the other ones. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/louis-tomlinson-decade-recap-921422/

Rollingstone interviewed Louis and he talked about how the 10’s decade was for him from auditioning for the X-factor in 2010 to becoming a solo artist in 2017. Also becoming a Father in 2016 to working with well-known artists like Steve Aoki. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/louis-tomlinson-interview-one-direction-walls-album-941843/

Rollingstone interviewed Louis and he talked about how different it was writing as a solo artist. They also talk about how writing as a solo artist is more like swimming against the tide because you can bounce ideas off each other in a band and when you are solo you don’t have the option to do that as much.  He also said that he took a lot of time on writing the songs because the lyrics are important and meaningful. He also said that the song two of us is one of his proudest moments because of how important the message is. 

Lorde

 

    Ella Marija Lani Yekich- O' Connor, known as Lorde, is a singer/ songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand. Lorde is known for her unique on stage dancing, vocals, and lyrics. Her first hit song, "Royals" released in 2013, was in the electropop genre, however her songs tend to flow between genres which she enjoys. Her lyrics are very poetic, which is taken after her mother who is a poet. This leads to the listeners interpreting lyrics in different ways, as there are a lot of poetic metaphors in her songs. Her lyrics are relatable and about her life growing up, heartbreak, and being a wild and angsty young adult. She is not afraid to be herself within her music and on stage, marking her as a unique person, however, it's just her being authentic. Many people call her weird because of this, but I believe it makes her an amazing artist who inspires many. Lorde also is not afraid to use her voice to speak up about political and worldly issues, and is not very active on her social media, which is rare for artists these days. She does have an email subscription which I along with many others have subscribed to. Lorde uses that platform to "catch up" with her fans by writing in the style of an informal letter, like she is just catching up with a friend. It has been 3 years since she last released an album, but recently posted to her Instagram story, telling her American fans to vote, saying that she has a present next year if we all vote. Many have speculated that this will be her next long awaited album. 

Today, November 7th, happens to be her birthday as well. 

https://www.lorde.co.nz/

This is Lorde's official website, which includes information about her. When you click on the website, you see several links under a photo of her. These links lead to her social medias, tour information, her subscription, and her merchandise. 

https://www.biography.com/musician/lorde

This website gives basic information about Lorde and her career. It gives a brief description of her early life, career, albums and popular songs. 

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/31/638897130/lorde-is-the-21st-centurys-author-of-adolescent-evolution

This website gives a whole story on Lorde. It includes some of her most popular songs and music videos and reviews about her music. This website really portrays her as the incredible artist she is. 

 This is the cover to her most recent album, Melodrama from 2017. It is an incredible experience and each song tells an amazing story, alongside beautiful melodies. This album has range, and if you're looking for an album to cry, dance, or belt out to, this is the one.  

Khalid

Khalid

I think Khalid is one of the most influential artists in the music industry in today's society. His music relates with so many teenagers and young adults that it is so easy to relate and connect with him through his music. He is always so positive and genuinely cares for his fans. He works hard on the music he creates and has a unique sound that you would not find in many other artists. He sings about such good vibes and the things we go through as teenagers mixed with a smooth r&b sound that is unique to his style.

khalid-is-the-shooting-star-of-the-playlist-era

Kelley, Frannie. “Khalid Is The Shooting Star Of The Playlist Era.” NPR, NPR, 23 July 2019, www.npr.org/2019/07/23/744224851/khalid-is-the-shooting-star-of-the-playlist-era.

In 2016, an A&R executive came across a song on SoundCloud by an artist going by his first name Khalid and connected with him over twitter, telling him he had something special. Khalid was a senior in high school at the time his first hit song "Location" blew up on all streaming services and he was a hit overnight. Since this burst of fame in 2017, he has had two successful tours for his two albums, has millions of fans and followers on social media, has been nominated for many music awards from the Grammys to the Billboards to the AMA's, has won Favorite Album, Favorite Male Artist, Best New Artist, etc., and achieved many other accolades in only a span of 4 years in his career. 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/03/us/khalid-el-paso-concert-500000-trnd/index.html

Andrew, Scottie. “Khalid Felt Helpless after the El Paso Shooting. So He Raised $500,000 with a Benefit Concert.” CNN, Cable News Network, 3 Sept. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/09/03/us/khalid-el-paso-concert-500000-trnd/index.html.

The "American Teen" from the city of El Paso has always carried his hometown roots with him no matter where he goes. He has dedicated multiple songs to the Suncity and has put the city on the map for everyone to know where he is from and what it means to him. In 2019, when he was only 21 years old, Khalid hosted a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of the El Paso shooting that took place in September. He spoke very deeply about how the tragedy affected him and the issues of gun violence around the world, and wanted to give back to his community that he says gave so much to him.

https://www.gq.com/story/khalid-is-here-to-save-the-soul-of-america

III, Ira Madison. “Khalid Is Here to Save the Soul of America.” GQ, GQ, 23 Jan. 2018, www.gq.com/story/khalid-is-here-to-save-the-soul-of-america.

Khalid became a star at the age of 18 when his debut "Location" was a hit around the world. He is leading the change for R&B's future and the future of the world, led by the American teens. He creates his music that makes you feel good and just makes you want to dance. He uses his feelings to create such authentic music that doesn't fit in a genre, it's just a mood and a moment which makes him so unique and unlike anyone else. 

Banksy

Banksy is an anonymous British graffiti artist, and one of the most famous living artists in the world. He has been able to keep his identity unknown for over thirty years. He has produced many powerful images from London, to Utah, and several other locations. Banksy makes art that brings attention to current issues. His artwork is so compelling it leaves people wanting more. In 2013 Banksy set up a street vendor cart in Central Park and sold his pieces for $60, not letting his real identity be revealed. The next day he posted on his website letting people know it was from him. Banksy has inspired many people and he spreads messages across the world dealing with politics, art, philosophy, and more. His street art and graffiti has brought success to other artists in this media. A painting by Banksy was sold in London for $1.04 million, once sold the canvas began to pass through a shredder that was installed into the from, some people consider this the “Banksy Effect”. 

https://www.banksy.co.uk/shows.asp#

This is Banksy's official website. Here you can see his artwork that is presented both inside and outside. It also gives you information where to send questions, as well as threats. This website displays shows that are being put on by people that are fake.

https://www.streetartbio.com/artists/banksy/

This website goes into detail about Banksy’s life. It gives information about the work he does and his style of work throughout the years.

http://walledoffhotel.com

This website takes you to The Walled Off Hotel. Here you can view rooms that have been customized by Banksy. 

SZA

How SZA Beat Depression and Cracked the Top 10 With ‘Ctrl’


Morris, Alex. “How SZA Beat Depression and Cracked the Top 10 With 'Ctrl'.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/how-sza-beat-depression-and-cracked-the-top-10-with-ctrl-128463/.

       In this 2018 Rolling Stone article, Solana Rowe (also known as SZA) explains her rise to fame as well as the trials and tribulations that led her there. Growing up as one of the few people of color in her neighborhood, SZA dealt with bullying and being ostracized by her fellow peers. Solana's father was also Muslim and she wore a hijab in her youth; it was clear she faced her fair share of uphill battles. After dropping out of college and couch surfing, she fell into a deep depression and turned to the "one thing she didn't suck at": music. SZA explains her own disposition as a "run-on-can’t-calm-down-waves-of-emotion kind of thing" and does not shy away from emotional outbursts. This is exemplified in her music: mellow, chill beats with lyrics that are far from mellow or chill. Her past traumas are huge points of inspiration in her music.

The Rebirth of SZA

Carmichael, Emma. “The Rebirth of SZA.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2020, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sza-interview-new-music-950364/.

           This 2020 Rolling Stone article was different from any interview Solana Rowe had done; it was her first interview in a year. Since the success of her 2016 album Ctrl, many things in SZA's life has changed. For one, her grandmother (who makes different cameo appearances on many of her songs) and her aunt passed away. Many factors, such as the quick rise to fame, led Solana to a place where she was "just trying not to die". Due to the success of Ctrl, her eager fan base has been prodding her about the release of her next album. SZA's perspective is this: she needs to find herself and get well so she can accurately depict the woman she is today. For the past year, she has been immersing herself in healing practices and staying away from the spotlight. As she puts it, “You really have to choose to feel better. You have to. Because if you don’t, you just die.” Throughout all of the anxious waiting for her next album, one thing can be certain: it is definitely going to be good and real. 

   An Intimate Look into the Mind of SZA

    

   White, Ryan, and Petra Collins. “An Intimate Look inside the Mind of Sza.” I, 13 Apr. 2018, i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/7xd75a/sza-petra-collins-the-new-fashion-rebels-issue.

          In this Vice interview, Solana Rowe is interviewed around two years after her first album Ctrl came out. She speaks about her new found success and the difficulty of being famous. SZA explains that coming out with an album and touring allowed her to overcome her biggest fear: being completely herself for millions of people. Solana explains her relationship with fame and the people in her life, as often the two are intertwined. In terms of her new music, she is trying to find a balance between simplicity and complexity. SZA says, "I know it’s going to get way more chaotic. I’m really excited to find the extreme moments of beauty in that. I think it’s going to become really fucking interesting..." 

          In terms of my own opinion of SZA's artwork, she has been one of the most relatable artists for me and a lot of people my age. While a large portion of her fanbase (including myself) have not experienced the things she has in her life, her music seems to speak to all hurts. As she states in multiple different interviews, she is not afraid to shy away from hard emotions; it definitely shows in her song lyrics. As she goes back and forth from embracing her sexuality to questioning her worth as a woman, she exemplifies the 20-something era of young adolescents. 

       

Grimes (Claire Boucher)

Grimes, Claire Boucher, is an eccentric electropop music artist who started making music in college while attending McGill University. She was studying neuroscience and electroacoustics (how the brain reacts to music). Some people may know Grimes as Elon Musk’s girlfriend and mother to their child X Æ A-12 (pronounced “Ash”). Her strange and unconventional music as well as her presentation makes her stand out not only as a musical artist but as a style icon. Grimes, although her music is mostly electropop (songs like “Oblivion” and “Artangels”) she dips into semi-acoustic music as well on her newest album, Miss Anthropocene, where songs such as “Delete Forever” have a softer sound to them. 

https://www.npr.org/2016/04/27/455769676/feeling-this-a-conversation-with-grimes

This first link is an interview with Grimes featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” It discusses the beginning of her music career to now, as well as her terrible stage fright. This article discusses her personally more than her music. 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/31/claire-boucher-grimes-art-angels

This second link is Grimes speaking about her different albums and evolution of her music.

My favorite Grimes song is "Easily" from her album  (linked below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whxEpX-mHf4&list=OLAK5uy_kDbq9lg1tEGiuTY7KlV3xjTZzClf4quAE&index=9&t=0s

Erik Parker and work ethic

Eric Parker

Eric Parker is an action sports photographer who works with Teton Gravity Research. Aong with being at the top of the game with action sports photography he is also at the top of the game in whitewater kayaking and skiing. This is how he gets such incredible shots. I find his work so inspiring because he goes the extra mile to get these photos, he is doing exactly what all of the professional athletes hes with are doing except he has all of his camera gear. Along with this he has to go ahead and go behind and catch up just so he can get the shot. His work is really inspiring, going places many other photographers do not.

https://www.tetongravity.com/feature/adventure/tough-fun-team-3-trip-report
A write up on Eric in TGR about a trip he was on last spring.

https://www.tetongravity.com/feature/ski/feature-journal-if-theres-a-will-theres-a-way
A write up TGR did on Eric about how he goes above and beyond to get the shots that he does.

Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist that works in both the fine arts and commercial media. He is known for adapting the traditional forms of japanese art and making that fit into popular culture. He blurs the line between high and low art through his sculpture and painting as well as his fashion, merchandise, and animation. Takashi Murakami became most famous in the early 2000’s for his superflat movement. SoFlo Superflat describes an art genre started in Miami in the 1990s. It is an urban pop art movement in South Florida that combines super bright colors and ultra flat images. Since, Murakami has designed album covers for musical artists like Kanye West and Kid Kudi, has toured in museums all over the world, and has his famous art style displayed as paintings and sculptures that he has also used in the fashion industry.

More In-depth Information

http://takashimurakami.com/biography.php

This website is a tribute website to the artist, with the most information in one place I could find. It has an in depth biography and different tabs to access his art, films, books, and even to shop. If you are looking for more information on Takashi Murakami’s background, education, or an in depth biography, I would recommend checking out this link. 

Murakami Sculpture in Versailles

Motives Behind His Work

https://www.thebroad.org/art/takashi-murakami

This website has a long biography at the beginning of the page with in-depth explanations of some of Takashi Murakami’s most famous work. It explains motives behind some of his famous characters as well as what inspired him to create some of his most famous works.

Louis Vuitton Murakami

Murakami’s Art

https://www.artsy.net/artist/takashi-murakami

This website is great for exploring the different types of art, both recent and older, that Takashi Murakami has made. It has everything art wise (focusing more on high art rather than his commercial work) displayed with costs and descriptions. If you’re interested to see what types of art Murakami does, I would recommend exploring this link. 

Kanye West Graduation
Album cover

Joe Hisaishi

Joe Hisaishi

Mamoru Fujisawa, though known professionally and world wide as Joe Hisaishi, is a Japanese composer and musical director known for over 100 film scores and several albums dating back to 1981. He is associated with and known for composing the film scores for animator Hayao Miyazaki (creater of films like Spirited Away, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, etc.), having composed scores for all but one of his films. He was also a student of legendary anime composer Takeo Watanabe (Cutie Honey, Candy Candy, Lone Wolf and Cub, Mobile Suit Gundam).

Joe Hisaishi's music is beautiful and known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic, European classical, and Japanese classical.

The first time I heard Joe Hisaishi's music was when I watched my first Miyazaki film: Spirited Away. My father introduced me to the various Miyazaki films (Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, etc.) when I was young, and later when I wanted to just listen to the film scores from his amazing movies, I discovered Joe Hisaishi. It blew me away that the music for the majority of the Miyazaki movies that I had so come to love had been created by Joe Hisaishi. Having played the piano since I was in first grade, I knew for myself how much skill it takes to play an instrument. Therefore, it is even more amazing to me the skill and talent it takes to create music and such works of art. The sheer musical genius it must take to be able to create the music that so enhances the storylines of the Miyazaki films, it left me in awe.

Interview where Hisaishi describes his Creative Process

https://kotaku.com/composer-joe-hisaishi-describes-his-creative-process-1841442868

-An interview with Joe Hisaishi by Brian Ashfort, where Hisaishi answers some questions about himself and his creative process in creating music, and how it differs depending on what he's creating music for.

The John Williams of Japan

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1405-the-john-williams-of-japan-joe-hisaishi-in-9-songs/

-An article about Joe Hisaishi, his history, and a few highlighted songs from his career.

Short biography of Joe Hisaishi's life as a Japanese composer and musician

https://peoplepill.com/people/joe-hisaishi/

-A short biography of Hisaishi's life over the years, his career, highlights, awards, and an extensive list of his work.

If you've never seen the Miyazaki films or heard Joe Hisaishi's music before, below is a video of Joe Hisaishi's Budokan Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert. Watch, be amazed, and more importantly, enjoy!

Foster The People

Foster The People in Spokane (2017) Taken by me, Payton Norberg

Foster The People is an indie-pop/rock band formed in 2009 from Los Angeles, California. Foster The People broke through the indie-pop music scene in 2010 with their hit "Pumped Up Kicks" from their first album/EP, Torches. The band originally included three members; Mark Foster, Mark Pontius, and Cubbie Fink. Cubbie Fink left in 2015, and the band added Sean Cimino and Isom Innis. Mark Foster, the genius behind the music, is the writer, lead singer, guitarist, and pianist. Mark Pontius is the drummer, Sean Cimino plays guitar, piano, keyboards and backing vocals, and Isom Innis mostly plays piano, keyboards, and percussion. Mark Foster writes virtually all the songs but always gets input and help from his fellow bandmates. Foster The People have 3 albums; Torches (2011), Supermodel (2014) and Sacred Hearts Club (2017). Each album has proven their creativeness, talent, and range. Foster The People won Top Rock Song at the Billboard Music Awards in 2012 for Pumped Up Kicks, along with 4 nominations in other categories. Foster The People have been nominated many times for their albums and songs, and are recognized as an iconic and influential indie-pop band in the 2010s that shaped the genre for the upcoming years. Foster The People has been my favorite band since I discovered them in 2012. They are now one of the biggest bands in indie-pop, but I hope I can show more people their breathtaking music. 

Foster The People not only has amazing music, and to me, not one bad song, but they also recognize their huge platform and use it for good. Mark Foster, the owner of the Foster The People Twitter account, regularly posts about politics, as a progressive activist. Foster actively recognizes the inequalities in society and the media today and uses his platform to address and call attention to it. Mark Foster (and the rest of the band) have addressed multiple times their opposition about Trump and his administration, and the racist, sexist, xenophobic, and corrupt ideologies he has. Foster The People are constantly advocating for change and helping people do so by informing and providing directions on how to get involved. This band not only provides us with great, talented, and mesmerizing music, but also uses their platform for good.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2014-mar-29-la-et-ms-foster-the-people-supermodel-story.html

This link to a Los Angeles Times article explains the political agenda of Foster The People's second album. Mark Foster is interviewed since he writes the songs, and explains the political agenda he wrote about on their second album, Supermodel. Foster explains how the album sort of "exposes" modern day politics, and the people we tend to put on Pedestals. Foster draws attention to Western culture, consumerism and the dangers of Capitalism. He says that we tend to "worship" politicians and make them a huge celebrity.

https://relix.com/articles/detail/spotlight_foster_the_people/

In this link, Relix showcases Foster The People and their new (at the time) album, Sacred Hearts Club. In the beginning of the article, the main keyboardist is showcased, sharing how much time and effort he has put into the album, with little to no time to relax. The band explains how they wanted this album to have a 60's/70's psychedelic rock feel. It in fact did, but they also included a lot of other genres on this fluid album. Foster and Innis started making the album in 2014, right after the Supermodel tour. The album ended up being a great success, and showed their fans and audiences how versatile and creative they can really be.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/02/politics/foster-the-people-mark-foster-pumped-up-kicks-gun-violence/index.html

In this CNN article, Foster focuses on the gun violence in America, and how he brought awareness to it in their breakout hit, Pumped Up Kicks. This article was written in November of 2017, when the Las Vegas shooting was still fresh and lingering. He explains that the song is about a boy fantasizing to shoot up his school. Foster says that he wanted to draw attention to gun violence with this song, hoping it would get better, but it in fact, got worse. Foster explains how the lawmakers have made little to no progress with the gun violence epidemic, and that needs to change. 

Travis Scott

Travis Scott 

Travis Scott is one of the most impactful musicians in the Hip Hop Industry. Born Jacques Webster on April 30, 1992 he began making music in the Houston suburbs. Though he dabbled with music in his teen years, it wasn’t until he dropped out of college that he really committed his life to music. He dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles and caught his first big break when he was hired as an in-house producer for the label GOOD music which was run by Kanye West. From there, Travis Scott’s career has only sky rocketed. His latest solo album, Astroworld, has earned him a Favorite Rap and Hip-Hop Album of 2018 award as well as an AllMusic Best of 2018 award. Whether It be from collaborating with Nike to make his signature shoes or to creating a pop festival in his hometown for the youth, Travis can really do it all. Now married to a global icon, Kylie Jenner, Travis is now a father to 2 year old, Stormi, It’s only a matter of time until he becomes a mogul in the rap game. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-travis-scott-became-musics-best-performer-761320/

Travis Scott is known for putting on a show. The main theme of performances is that everyone needs to be raging with energy and excitement, if the fans do this he promises them the best show of their life. 

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/travis-scott-mn0002998422/biography

Travis makes sure to let the people know where he is from, Houston Texas. This web sight gave all information there is to know about anything Travis Scott related. 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/4538342/kylie-jenner-baby-stormi-webster-dad-travis-scott/

This website gave a lot of insight on the different side of Travis Scott with his baby girl Stormi and his wife Kylie Jenner.