LIFE
MUSIC
Meet Your Music Makers From newcomers to comeback kids, these are the artists to watch in 2018 BY KASEY CAMINITI
THE ROMANTIC RAPPER
POP’S PARTY GIRL
G-Eazy opens up about his most vulnerable album yet, The Beautiful & Damned
Charli XCX is a champion of female artists and a good house party
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P H O T O G R A P H BY B E L L A H O WA R D
referring to his ever-growing musical success and celebrity. That duality is the subject of his forthcoming third studio album The Beautiful & Damned—that, and the overindulgent lifestyle that comes with it. “There are distractions that come along with the dream like, not to be cliché but, being surrounded by liquor, sex and drugs 24/7 and leaning on some of those things too much,” he says. “The album’s about waking up one day and realizing that things have gone way too far.” Eazy, born Gerald Earl Gillum, has been chasing the fantasy of making music since he was a kid growing up in California’s Bay Area. The spirited rapper fully realized his musical dream in New Orleans during college, as well as his love for whiskey, which recently blossomed into a partnership with Stillhouse Whiskey. His rebellious image jibes well with the unique nature of Stillhouse, offering an authentic pairing. Following the success of his last album When It’s Dark Out, Eazy took a moment to look at himself and ask, “Am I still Gerald? It’s difficult telling personal stories on a hugely public platform,” he admits. “But, that’s the duty of an artist, to be vulnerable and get naked in front of an audience.” As far as getting personal goes, Eazy can’t help but giggle when I mention his girlfriend and fellow artist Halsey. “Halsey is … my girlfriend, and I’m really excited for her and proud of her,” he says. “She works harder than any artist I’ve ever met in life,” he says, before correcting himself. “She works harder than anyone I’ve ever met in life. I love to support her.” Listeners can expect a track to feature Halsey, one that Eazy describes as “a Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers, Bonnie and Clyde type of song.” He adds, “She sounds incredible on it. She has a really unique voice and it’s effortless. She’s very powerfully her.” With authentic collaborators and artistic risks, G-Eazy is pushing the envelope with this new album, while staying true to his introspective spirit.
P H O T O G R A P H BY B O B BY B R U D E R L E
“There are highs and lows,” says rapper and producer G-Eazy,
Remember back in the 1990s when Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were in a constant media-spun battle for the title of “Princess of Pop?” Fast forward to today: Those days of bubble-gum fresh, manufactured pop stars rivaling for an imaginary tiara are long gone. Cue music’s newest pop sensation Charli XCX, the selfproclaimed party girl and outlier in a sea of musical stereotypes. With a raspy voice that attests to her reputation as a nightlife enthusiast, she performs catchy hits like “Boom Clap,” “Break the Rules” and her pro-women single, “Boys.” Hailing from the English countryside outside of London, the 25-year-old singer, born Charlotte Emma Aitchison, grew up on ’90s pop music, specifically the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. The starlet credits girl-pop as her introduction to music, casually admitting, “All the things people think of as guilty pleasures, I naturally love.” Charli’s 2017 mixtape, Number 1 Angel, is an ode to her love of catchy pop mixed with full-throated female empowerment. “I like working with friends. I like the natural energy of making music with people you want to, not because of their profile or your label asking you to,” she says of her close-knit network of female collaborators, which includes CupcakKe, MØ and Uffie. Despite her provocative performances and colorful stage presence, Charli says she actually prefers being off camera, recently writing and directing the video for ALMA and French Montana’s song “Phases.” And for her most ambitious collaboration to date, Charli took a step behind the camera as the codirector on the video for her effortlessly catchy single “Boys.” For the song’s viral video, the songstress employed more than 60 men, including
G-Eazy, Diplo and Panic! at the Disco’s Brendan Urie. In the video, Charli’s squad of famous boy-friends playfully populate sterotypically sexy scenarios: Joe Jonas suggestively eats stacks of pancakes drizzled with syrup; Charlie Puth washes a car; The Vamps engage in a pillow fight; and Josh (The Fat Jew) splashes around in a kiddie pool of rosé—all against a millennial pink backdrop, naturally. “The guys were really into it. They completely got the vibe and that was really encouraging,” she says. On being a feminist, the singer says, “The more we speak about feminism in music, the bigger the conversation becomes. I’ve always been seen as someone who champions women in music. I think that’s always been a part of who I am.” Though her feminist identity may be at odds, somewhat, with pop music’s long history of objectification of women, Charli has found a way to weave her values seamlessly into her career, both in and out of the recording booth. While the champagne-drinking Brit is celebrated as an explicit party girl in the industry, her unapologetic lifestyle is also a major source of inspiration; she suggests that house parties are sites for growing up and making memories. “So much cool stuff happens at parties,” she says. “Whether you’re really happy and having the time of your life with your friends or you’re breaking up with someone, falling in love or missing someone, there are so many interesting dynamics going on at parties.” By embracing feminist politics, her sexuality and, of course, her right to party, Charli XCX has poised herself for icon status. Simultaneously, she’s cultivating a female-centric following and pioneering the next generation of pop stars, who root for each other’s success both onstage and at the after-party.
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