Berklee student Annie Elise drops the track Open Eyes.  Annie gave a talk at TEDxLancaster that became the most-watched TEDx talk on the subject of synesthesia which physically makes her see sound and hear color. The song was premiered as part of the #iVoted festival on election night 2020 where top streaming artists from swing states were asked to perform a few songs for voters.
Annie notes, “I loved being able to create sounds that produced colors I liked. It felt like being a conductor of an orchestra, except I was a conductor for color.” Influences from artists like Bad Snacks, Lila Drew, and FINNEAS helped her find a production niche in combining light vocals, live violin, and synthesizers to create music”. Check out the track on KOAR’s Indie Invader Playlist.

Despite the go ahead from the scientists, Guns N’ Roses are rolling the dice and forging ahead with a tour slated for next November. Even with a vaccine, Fauci urged that public measures should still be in place, that means masks and social distancing. I’m not sure what this will look like. Will people show up?

GNR will play shows in Australasia, beginning on November 21 at Metricon Stadium. The tour presented by TEG Dainty includes stops at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney’s ANZ Stadium and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
“Announcing an international tour of this magnitude as we come out of the most challenging year in the history of live entertainment is truly gratifying,” comments Paul Dainty, president & CEO of TEG Dainty.
“We’re all eager to return to business as usual,” he continues, “and who better to lead the charge into international stadium touring than the mighty Guns N’ Roses.”

21-year-old pop singer and songwriter Salem Ilese drops a new track “Coke & Mentos,” released via 10K Projects/Homemade Projects. She first made waves in 2020 with the song “Mad At Disney.” The track gained traction on TikTok, sparking the creation of over 3M videos, and has been featured on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist. The Cali girl dedicated herself to writing songs everyday eventually attracting pub companies and signing with 10K Projects. Give it a listen…

Oslo’s indie pop artist CELIIN drops the track Marylin. This is her third and final track from her love letter trilogy. You can check out the video here where she channels Marylin Monroe. Blending alternative with dark pop, CELIIN draws inspiration from BANKS to Lana Del Rey to Nothing But Thieves.  CELIIN’s previous tracks Leonardo and Nasty Human are really good as well.  It’s tough to pick a favorite, but that’s a good thing. Check out the track on KOAR’s Indie Invaders.

Have you ever asked yourself how a mediocre artist made it? Some are better salesmen and promoters than they are artists.

Artists must be 100% true to themselves. Don’t expect loyalty when you can’t provide honesty.

Artists don’t structure their lives around the opinions of others and aren’t swayed by social feedback.  Kanye will buy Universal Music Group and he doesn’t care what you say. He will run for president and doesn’t care if you think he is suffering from neurosis.

Artists don’t mind not knowing what the future holds.

Artists can laugh at themselves when they make mistakes. Adele stopped singing during her Grammy performance after realizing she was off-key. “I’m sorry, I can’t mess this up for him [George]”. The crowd cheered her on and she ended up receiving a standing ovation.

Artists build long lasting relationships with a few people instead of superficial friendships with many people.

Artists live in the moment instead of sticking to a routine.

Art and creativity is a process, not an endgame.
Musicians must make music, artists must paint, poets must write if they are ultimately at peace with themselves.

Artists let their true self emerge.

Artist make honest statements daring to be different, unpopular, and nonconforming.

Some of the most iconic artists and figures are neurotic and manic. It’s channeled in their work,

There are amazing singers who will never pick up a microphone, and songwriters that will never write down their thoughts, and painters that will never paint. It’s heartbreaking.
It saddens me that there are amazing artists who do nothing and are content watching mediocre artists clog up playlists and perform at award ceremonies.

Artists who try to get rich quick end up going broke instead.

Artist aren’t just looking to make a good living, they’re looking to make a statement.

It’s nice to have one hit song, it’s better to have two hits. Just ask Lewis Capaldi who called himself the one hit wonder. Now he has to live with having two mega hits.
Artist learn to shut out the noise of the world.