“Out on the town, dissatisfied with our situation, karaoke selection, and skirt-chasing success—or lack thereof—we decided in a flash that we had all the makings of a band, and (thank god for Alex's vowel) we had all the letters to make some semblance of a word,” Vocalist Z Berg tells The Untitled Magazine about the…
The Joy Formidable's philosophy toward music is as layered as their distorted string and choral arrangements, stating, “We love how fun and poignancy collide…We love to dance and have a leaning to melancholia.” The band was founded by vocalist Ritzy Bryan and her childhood best friend, bassist Rhydian Dafydd. The two met in their hometown of…
“We're sort of interested in whatever box you think we fit in, but ultimately we see ourselves as pop artists,” says Lizzy, of the elusive duo MS MR, on the many genres that have been used to describe their music – including "glitch pop" and "chill wave." “Those are labels we mockingly created when we…
Despite seemingly opposing tastes, Los Angeles-based pop duo, Io Echo, otherwise known as Ioanna Gika and Leopold Ross, consider themselves musical soul mates. "I love Enya, Yanni, Vangelis, Enigma, and other New Age artists,” says Ioanna Gika. “Prince, Nirvana, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Neil Young, The Cure, Aphex Twin,” chimes in Leopold Ross. Together they produce…
What does Maya Jane Coles—the UK-born house music producer and artist who is currently considered one of the rising stars of the industry, love most about music? “Everything!” she exclaims. “The fact that the same piece of music can make someone laugh, cry, smile, remember, forget, dance; it’s such a powerful medium and such an…
“When I was eighteen, my sister saved me from doing a beauty course in Southampton and insisted I come up to London, stay on her sofa and go to music school,” says London-based singer/songwriter Louisa Rose Allen. “After a year of living out of a suitcase, I ended up dropping out of music school, as it…
The 1975: Photography by Sylvain Deleu for The Untitled Magazine The 1975 sat down with The Untitled Magazine for an exclusive interview for The Music Issue 6. If you're unfamiliar with the band, know that their sound is a mash-up of anything from alt rock to '90s R&B, and their lyrics integrate their fascination with sex, love,…
"I think music is like air. We can’t live without it. It is such a fundamental part of human life. Music is used for worshipping, for mourning, for celebrating, to forget, and to remember. It gives us nostalgia. It gives us joy and sadness... I think it's a part of our wavelength and our way…
“I wrote 'Who Will Save Your Soul' when I was sixteen because I wanted to hitchhike through Mexico for Spring Break.” And with that, legendary singer and poet Jewel created what would become the seminal track for one of the best-selling debut albums of all time: 1995’s fifteen-time platinum Pieces Of You. Jewel’s back-story is…
“I don't know what it is about it that I love. I don't know why the sky is blue. I don't know why the grass is green. It just is,” Big Sean says, regarding the inexplicability of what he loves about music. The rising star began rapping by the age of 12, after a neighborhood…
“The Apollo Theatre's, fucking, the most harsh stage ever. Before I even said anything on the microphone, people started booing, and as soon as I opened my mouth, everyone shut up.” On that fateful night in 2009, Richard Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly, with a baby on the way and facing eviction from his…
“Most of the time, everything's going horribly wrong. So to have a show where everything runs smoothly, that's awesome. I expect the worst, and if everything goes better than the worst, then you're psyched. It's rock n' roll man, you never know what to expect from the crowd, the sound, anything,” When talking to the…
“I had a credit card, and it said Travis T. Mills on it. I was trying to think of a name regarding my MySpace page, and my friend said, ‘Dude, T. Mills. It’s super easy.’ And it’s my real name. Not like Lil' Travis or anything crazy.” And that’s the story of how 23-year-old Travis…
Kreayshawn, the 23-year-old Oakland-born rapper, video director and founding member of controversial White Girl Mob, says her favorite designer is Goodwill and listens to 'N Sync when she’s having an emotional breakdown – which she says happens frequently. Following in the footsteps of her mother, who was in a girls’ surf punk band, she started…
Patrick McMullan.com photographed The Untitled Magazine's Music Issue 6 Launch Party. See the coverage & event photos. See more: at http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/site/event_detail.aspx?eid=44076 Buy this issue from The Untitled Magazine's Store: http://untitled-magazine.com/store/product-category/print/
Long before she was the Baywatch vixen and MTV personality that we know today, Carmen Electra was Tara Leigh Patrick, the small-town girl from Ohio whose singing chops caught the ear of rock demigod Prince, who, incidentally, was the one who suggested she change her name. “We decided Carmen Electra was gonna be it. I…
Purity Ring formed in 2010 although it wasn’t until they released their first album, Shrines, that they made their mark on the music world. Within months of the album’s release they had become indie rock royalty, with Shrines widely recognized as one of the best albums of 2012. The Canadian duo, Megan James and Corin…
Those of us who dismissed Lady Gaga as a mere one-hit wonder in 2008 should all be wearing sackcloth and ashes now. Five years after the release of her scintillating first single, “Just Dance”, the venerable Miss Gaga has proved herself to be one of the most creative, intriguing and supremely unique stars of the 21st…
In the years since the millennial ball dropped and the Y2K scare passed without a whimper, the music industry and our culture at large have become barely recognisable animals of a different colour. The water cooler was eliminated in favor of wall posts and tweets, the smart phone gave us all the ability to be…
Iconic menswear designer and rock 'n’ roll enthusiast John Varvatos celebrated the 5th Anniversary of his New York boutique in April, located at the infamous CBGB’s in Manhattan’s lower east side. Known for his “obsession” with rock music and extensive collaborations with musicians, it is more than a fitting location for the brand. He is known…
