A Letter From Our Pre Green Line Records has become a home for so many extraordinary students over its two decade history, fostering a community of entrepreneurs and creatives alike. Since my zoom meeting introduction in July of 2021, I too have made Green Line a home, having the opportunity to dabble in artist management, recording, and film sync, all within the last three years. There’s not a doubt in my mind that this label will continue to be a home for the rest of my college career, and on for so many others. Coming from the west coast, I had little to no experience with Boston, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the incredible myriad of sounds and genres coming out of such a welcoming local music scene. More than just a Northeastern community, Green Line has formed wonderful bonds with so many artists and schools within the greater Boston area. For such a competitive industry, Green Line prides itself on putting education and fun first, facilitating music creation, marketing, and events while providing teaching moments for members.
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I’m so proud of our members for making magic happen! A&R has pulled together some really cool folks; we have projects for our signs Caramel and Girlband underway, and I’ve done everything in my power to not leak the demos, they’re way too good! Our Recording department has done a beautiful job with recording and mixing these projects, equally creating a comfortable environment for these artists to thrive in. Events has put on several banger shows this semester, including but not limited to a winter local Boston showcase, a hyperpop medley, and a showcase of our own Northeastern student body! Have I even mentioned Good Dog Licensing? In less than a year and a half, this amazing team has established what very well may be the first Student-run music sync firm, helping put music to video for local media makers and beyond. Creative Services and Social Media; they have created the look, the stickers, the covers, the documentation… basically everything! Music
pairs so wonderfully with visuals and stories, and these two departments have left no stone unturned making that happen. If you haven’t caught it, Green Line has just put out the first issue of our On Track newsletter, which extensively chronicles our recent work; CS worked tirelessly to bring it together. I’d be remiss to not mention the phenomenal work of our Operations Manager and Vice President, who have both made everything this semester possible with their dedication. If it weren’t for them, our organized chaos would be just chaos. Thank you again to our members, artists, and eboard, I’m so grateful to know that this home is thriving :) Cheers! Finn
esident Our E-board President: Finn McCormack Vice President: Michelle Wu
Heads of Recording: Jonathan Klopp & Sumant Sagar Head of A&R: Victoria Higgs Heads of Events: James D’Elia & Gabby Rinaldi Heads of Creative Services: Praagna Kashyap & Brendan DiTullio Good Dog Licensing Heads: Matt D’Andrea Social Media Manager: Olivia Watson Operations Manager: Cami Parrish
Featuring... Each spread in this zine was written and designed by a member of our talented creative services team. We can’t wait to showcase the variety of styles and ideas that they each came up with. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Cover photo by Vika Brennick
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Charlie XCX’s Emergence into the Film Industry
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Harry Jenko
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Lost Shaker of Salt: A Jimmy Buffett Memoir
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Madison Beer’s SIlence Between Songs
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Duster: From Beyond the Stratosphere
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A Swift Revolution (Green Line’s Version)
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50 Years of Piano Man
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Claire Rosinkranz
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Women in the Music Scene
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Sweet Like cupcakKe
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Written By: Sydney Wertz
Designed By: Vanessa Ashley Balin
HER EMERGENCE INTO THE
2023 FILM MUSIC INDUSTRY 5
While Charli XCX is not new to the pop music industry, 2023 has been her year for music. From her popular single from the 2023 film, Barbie, to her score for the film Bottoms, she has proven herself as an unstoppable force. Getting her start on Myspace and navigating through numerous sub-genres of pop, including hyperpop and indie pop, she manages to bring her unique sound to any project she works on. Earlier this year, Charli XCX released “Speed Drive”, a fast-paced, upbeat tune that accompanies a chase scene in Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023). This track is unlike any other on the Barbie soundtrack, merging Charli’s signature sound with her affinity for car references in songs. Mark Ronson, the producer of the soundtrack, admitted that Charli was one of the first people he called to collaborate with, and considering her hyper discography, including tracks like “Vroom Vroom’’ and “Crash”, it’s clear that he made the right choice. While Charli’s distinct style causes “Speed Drive” to stand out from the other tracks on Barbie The Album, it still manages to sound cohesive with the rest of the female-oriented album. Nestled between tracks by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, KAROL G, and Dua Lipa, and utilizing an interpolation of the song “Mickey” by Toni Basil in the chorus, this song perfectly matches the fun, playful energy that the film exudes and promotes the messages of female solidarity that are heavily marketed throughout Barbie. In addition to her single for the Barbie movie, Charli kept herself busy this year as she worked with Leo Birenberg to co-compose the score for the queer comedy Bottoms (Emma Seligman, 2023). This synth-oriented score, which also happens to be Charli’s film score debut, contributes to Charli’s previously established association with actor and screenwriter Rachel Sennott, who has a lead role in the film. Having previously written and recorded the single “Hot Girl’’ for the film Bodies Bodies Bodies (Halina Reijn, 2022), which also featured Sennott in a lead role, the two artists’ fanbases seem to have merged. Additionally, Charli XCX’s strong allyship to the LGBTQ+ community made her an ideal artist to compose the score for a film so focused on its queer characters and their relationships, which was noted
by director Seligman when discussing her decision to work with Charli. Like “Speed Drive”, many of the songs on the Bottoms score are used to underscore action-packed sequences, typically fight scenes. Tracks such as “BOTTOMS”, “Need to Stop the Game”, and “Setting Up the Bomb” deliver strong, electronic melodies that effectively accentuate the on-screen action, from the build-up to the aftermath. While Bottoms has its fair share of fight scenes, it also contains numerous romantic scenes, backed by tracks such as “Study Buddies” and “Be With”. These songs are significantly lighter and dreamier, strongly accentuating the yearning glances often passed between characters throughout the film. The resolution of the film is backed by Charli’s song “party 4 u”, released in 2020, which ends the film on an equally light and dreamy note, leaving the characters optimistic about their futures. One of the defining characteristics of the Bottoms score is its ‘80s-inspired sound, a result of its heavy reliance on synth. With Bottoms being a new take on the preexisting raunchy teen comedy genre, the score’s retro sound helps the viewer create strong associations between this film and the past ones that it draws inspiration from. As Charli XCX continues to expand her role in the music industry, it can be assumed that she will seamlessly merge her signature sound with the sound of whatever project she may take on. Her work on the soundtracks for Barbie and Bottoms serve as testaments to this claim, and I can only hope that her voice spreads to more film projects in the future.
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HARRY JENKO
@harryjjenko @devstacksx
The Boston rap scene… Where do you even begin when discussing this awfully quiet corner of music in such a booming city? For starters, the scene hardly exists. Boston and cities nearby have been home to some successful rappers in recent times; B.I.A, Cousin Stizz, Joyner Lucas, and Millyz to name a few. These artists follow traditional rap paths as lyrical, witty rappers with cunning bars and relatively generic flows. Though this talent is great, Boston has always been lacking in the underground rap scene that has millions of fans across the country in a chokehold. Enter Harry Jenko, the 22-year-old music manager from Boston, MA. Harry Jenko started his career not too long ago in Boston making music videos and having a deep love for the underground rap scene. After connecting with friends Bonxpf and Lebxanon, he was taught about underground artists such as Summrs, Yeat, and Kankan before they had blown up. After discovering a whole new side of rap, he felt motivated to cultivate this subgenre and develop his own artists in his city, Boston. Jenko started his journey by connecting with local young talent Rich Amiri and Devstacks. From the start, it was clear Amiri had the most potential. Relocate was the song that put people onto him first, and from there it was only up. Amiri dropped Walk in, in 2021 and jumped up the charts, quickly 7
earning a couple million streams across platforms. Devstacks also garnered significant underground attention with singles like “Where Yo Swag” and “4PF” gaining millions of streams apiece. After Jenko saw his artist’s success, he created Afterlife Presents, a management and events company with partner Nissim Hershkovits. Once a roster of artists had been established, cosigns and collaborations came easily and consistently. Fast forward to 2023, and Jenko’s success in the industry is greater than many will come close to achieving. One of the earliest leads that propelled Jenko and his artists to where they are, came from Internet Money. This talented group of producers and creatives is based out of LA with billions of streams and plaques attributed to their name. Taz Taylor, founder of Internet Money, along with Nick Mira and Rio Leyva stumbled across Amiri’s music and quickly began working with him, producing dozens of songs over the past couple of years together. The massive influence and following of these producers have solidified Amiri as Harry Jenko’s chosen one. Beyond this impactful cosign, Jenko’s hosted countless concerts through Afterlife Presents with artists like Autumn!, Yung Fazo, Slump6s, and Tana. Following these concerts with his artists as openers or simply being hosted under his company’s name, he has been fortunate enough to put his own artists on tour. Rich Amiri
has his “Ghetto Fabulous” tour that has been going on since September 2023. Similarly, Devstacks has been accompanying Dom Corleo and FourFive on their tour. As for the future, Jenko’s looks bright. With his alreadydeveloped artists flourishing, he looks to develop new talent under his belt such as Jaydes and Shiao. These artists already have millions of streams to their name so it seems Jenko will have comparable success with these guys as he’s had with his other artists. Jenko has triumphantly filled a void in the Boston rap scene that desperately needed to be filled. He’s helped put Boston rap in the underground discussion for the first time. I can’t wait to see where he takes his artists and his label moving into 2024.
Written by Jaoquin Crosby-Lizarde Designed by Zozo Tahawi 8
On September 1, 2023, musician, philosopher, and modern-day pirate Jimmy Buffett set sail for the great beyond. Parrotheads everywhere were devastated–including myself. Margaritavilles across the nation lowered their flags to half mast in memory of their founder, and tributes started to pour in from fellow musicians. If there was ever a time to reflect on Buffett’s long, successful, and tipsy career, now would be it. Sit down, crack open a cold one, and enjoy the tale of a man who built an empire. Buffett’s musical genre goes by many different names. Some call it Gulf and Western, others call it Tropical Rock, while Buffett himself named it “drunken Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll.” Regardless of its name, Buffett pioneered this island escapist genre, striking a chord with millions around the world. From the outside, Buffett’s music seems to have a simple message: enjoy life, and have a few drinks while you’re at it. While this is undoubtedly true, Buffett was also a talented storyteller, drawing inspiration from his experiences living in Key West and traveling the seas on his array of personal boats and planes. For every upbeat “Cheeseburger in Paradise” or “Boat Drinks,” there’s a more heartfelt “A Pirate Looks at Forty” or “Son of a Son of a Sailor” to balance the scales. Buffett specialized in crafting misfit characters, detailing their drunken exploits and profound lamentations. A favorite of mine is “I Have Found Me a Home,” a tune written about Buffett’s own search for belonging and how, as his career kicked off, he found himself a new home in Key West, Florida.
you make Margaritaville. He originally founded Margaritaville as a place where he could perform whenever he wanted. If times got tough and there were no other gigs, he could always fall back on Margaritaville’s stage. The Margaritaville concept exploded in popularity, and now boasts twenty-three locations across the globe. Walking into one of these establishments, you’ll be greeted with plastic palm trees, comically large blenders, and tacky ceilings painted with dramatic tropical skies. Its a near perfect incarnation of everything Buffett advocated for. However, despite his drunken persona, Buffett was a dedicated entrepreneur and businessman, always seeking out the next venture. He expanded Margaritaville into resorts and casinos, published two novels and a memoir, and created his own brand of beer, just to name a few. Through it all, Buffett stayed true to his escapist lifestyle, claiming “I’m not the first one to do it, nor shall I probably be the last. But I think it’s really a part of the human condition that you’ve got to have some fun.” Jimmy Buffett became many things throughout his career–musician, performer, actor, best-selling author, restaurateur, mixologist–but he never lost sight of what mattered to him. Buffett’s death on Labor Day weekend marked the changing of the seasons. Summer has begun to cool off, and a frosty winter lurks on the horizon. But Buffett’s tales of drunken summer days and heartfelt tropical memories will keep us good company. Next summer’s just a trip around the sun away.
Speaking of Key West, it was here that Buffett founded one of the tentpole ventures of his career. After achieving newfound success with his first batch of albums, Buffett was presented with an exciting opportunity. If life gives you lemons, 9
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Until the Next Song Starts: A Review of Madison Beer’s
silence between songs “Did the world stop spinning?” blares through my headphones as Madison Beer sweetly introduces the opening track of her sophomore album Silence Between Songs. Created with longtime collaborator Leroy Clampitt, Silence Between Songs is a 14-song album, ranging from lustful pop songs to emotional heartbreak anthems that touch on multiple decades of music, creating a timeless body of work. The first song, “Spinnin,” just brushes on the vulnerability that is a very prevalent theme throughout the album. This track specifically illustrates the sensation of feeling stuck in a monotonous routine, likely representing how it feels to deal with poor mental health such as anxiety or depression. Beer dives deeper into these darker themes on multiple other tracks like “Envy the Leaves,” “17,” and “At Your Worst.” Earlier this year, she released a memoir, The Half of It, where she revealed her traumatic childhood and all of the learning curves she experienced while having the shadow of fame following her for the majority of her life. This book acts much like a prologue to this record that was released in mid-September of this year. Arguably, the most emotional track on the album is track 5, “Ryder,” named after her younger brother. On this song, Madison apologizes for her inconsistent presence in his life, as well as taking accountability for their short-lived youth due to her rise to fame at only 13 years old.
that classic sound and revamping it to fit the modern age, and this style sounds effortlessly natural. The meaning of the record’s title is revealed on its title track, “Silence Between Songs.” Over a bossa nova and sultry jazz melody, Beer angelically sings about how lonely the silence is when a song is changing on a record. The world you were just in while listening fizzles out and you are once again back in reality, that is, until the next song starts.
The last track on the record is called “King of Everything,” which is rumored to be about artist manager Scooter Braun. On this raw yet powerful ballad, Beer criticizes the unnamed “king” for taking advantage of young artists and using them as stepping stones to get to the top, no matter the cost. But Beer claims that this “crown” will only last so long, and he will get what he deserves, ultimately becoming the “king of nothing.” Overall, this record has a track for everyone. Whether you tune in to find a song about heartbreak, love, lust, or just wanting extensive harmonies and impressive vocals, you will find it on this record. Beer’s music is constantly overlooked by the public despite her Instagram profile consisting of over 37 million followers. Why does her music gain little traction with the GP despite her evident popularity? The answer lies within an issue that all women face; their talent or other attributions being reduced down to appearance. In other words, the socially constructed “pretty privilege” looks to be a As you continue throughout the record, Beer’s mudisadvantage to Madison and her career in music. sical influences become more and more apparent: Silence Between Songs shows that sonically, she is Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, as well as the classics a force to be reckoned with; as soon as her music is like The Beatles and The Beach Boys all seem to taken seriously and people recognize her undenihave left their mark on this young singer. On her song “Showed Me,” Beer interpolates 60’s hit “You able talent, I have no doubt that she will become a Showed Me” by The Turtles; she has a way of taking pop icon. 11
Written by Gianna Leone Designed by Naseem Mohideen 12
The musical universe of Duster’s iconic albums and equally influential side projects just gained a stellar addition. The slowcore giants’ latest album is not a new work, but rather a collection of soothing relics from the San Jose band’s past. The surprise release Remote Echoes is made up of fourteen four-track demos which, before late September, could only be found on copies of cassette releases Christmas Dust and On The Dodge. The 1996 tapes were Clay Parton’s and Canaan Dove Amber’s first works together, previously left to float around in digital files and on YouTube until “Remote Echoes” allowed for their return. Easy streaming access to some of the band’s rarities is a treat for dedicated Duster fans, and the sudden release of these early works onto new platforms begs the question of whether the recent surge in Duster’s mainstream popularity is the motivation behind the organization of Remote Echoes. Thanks to TikTok, they’re no longer the underground group that they once were, and the excitement surrounding this record serves as proof. On the opening track, “Before the Veil,” it’s clear that the next half hour of listening will be filled with Duster’s signature staticy output. Against the steady backdrop of lo-fi hissing, ambient guitar riffs are layered over lyrics that give listeners a glimpse into brief moments across space and time, from dreaming of John Coltrane to passing nights in solitude. The simple style of storytelling throughout Remote Echoes caters to the stoners and loners that made up a good deal of Duster’s early cult following in lyrics like “It’s too late for that, I missed it again / A friend is what I need right now, a friend / Cigarettes and coffee would be nice / Too.” Sonically, tracks range from their pioneering slowcore sound to a vaporwave jam on “Testphase” that stands out from the rest of Duster’s catalog. “Country Heather” gives space rock a
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southern twang, and “Lost Time” sports some of the most prominent, thrumming bass on any Duster track, coupled with a beautiful melody that crashes in gentle waves. It’s also a perfect example of a Duster one-liner, with the sole lyric “I can’t sleep tonight” encapsulating the quiet melancholy that is a staple of the group’s music. Although the record was well received in terms of its sound, Remote Echoes is disappointingly concise at times. Many of the shorter tracks are awkward as standalone songs, but when put together, the snippets are a perfect representation of the sound that carried over to Stratosphere, Duster’s well-loved first album. It’s easy to hear the building blocks of the band come together in the slow, syrupy guitar on tracks like “Untitled 59” or the transient lyrical format of “Cigarettes and Coffee” and “The Weed Supreme.” Despite the track lengths leaving fans wanting more, the record proves that Duster has created a sonic style that stands the test of time — few bands can boast such a consistent sound. Amidst the cigarettes, coffee, and weed, you can always count on Duster to evoke genuine emotion. One of the most poignant moments of the record occurs when former Christmas Dust track “Moon in Aries” closes with a warm, haunting rendition of “Jingle Bells.” It — along with countless other pieces of Duster’s discography — wouldn’t be out of place on the Voyager missions’ Golden Record, serving as a testament to the art humanity creates and the hope that there’s someone else out there who can hear us. Somewhere between Earth and the moon is Duster, asking if anyone’s there to listen.
written by Olivia May designed by Archana Kalahasti
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Stemming from the origins of Reading, Pennsylvania, Taylor Alison Swift found herself always drawn to the magic and passion that music gave her. From writing songs for her ninth-grade talent shows, to eventually moving to Tennessee to pursue a full-on career in country music, she had no issue taking risks in the entertainment industry. Following the signing with record label Big Machine Records and the release of her debut album Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift’s rise to fame only continued to skyrocket. Whether it be her winning album of the year for the first time at the 2010 Grammys or the infamous Kanye West interruption at the VMA’s in 2009, Swift made it very evident that she would be here to stay. Originally a country artist, Taylor Swift did something that many other artists would not be capable of doing: genre-switching with multiple albums. Following the pop-country hybrid that was her fourth studio album Red, Taylor reached out to geniuses such as Max Martin and Shellback to develop what would be her first full pop album, 1989. Following 1989 came reputation and Lover, and then yet another genre switch: alternative folk-pop. From this position, she released back-to-back quarantine albums folklore and evermore normalizing the idea of genre crossing and managing to stay relevant to years of devoted fans and music industry critics.
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From her Lover era and beyond, Taylor was faced with scrutiny and despair following the selling of her master recordings for her first six studio albums. To retain control over the songs she had written for almost two decades, she embarked on what may be seen as the biggest “screw you” to the music industry: she decided to re-record her first six studio albums as being a songwriter on every song in her discography gave her the legal right to do so.
With the release of her re-recorded versions of Fearless and Red in 2021, and Speak Now in 2023 during her ongoing Eras Tour, Taylor has inadvertently inspired artists to look more closely into their contracts and maintain control over their music from the jump. More recent artist Olivia Rodrigo cites Taylor as the main reason why she was able to own her master’s immediately, despite being so young and not having an extensive collection of music. As explained with the release of her version of Speak Now during her ongoing tour, Taylor Swift has truly redefined the idea of what it means to be an entertainer. The “swiftie-mania” that had caused a massive destruction to the Ticketmaster site in November of 2022, was a result of her extensive popularity and cultural impact as a pop icon and figure. Within the tour, Taylor takes us on a journey of 10 different eras with glorious art direction, creative design, costumes, and fun. Swift manages to sing a sizeable setlist of forty-four songs for a little over three hours, multiple nights a week as an entertainer. Wrapping up her U.S. leg that had made over $780 million, The Eras Tour is now the highest-grossing solo female tour and the second-highest-grossing tour of all time, which ultimately provided critical and severely needed boosts in the economies from multiple cities coming off a global pandemic. Taylor’s normalization of new commonalities within the music industry, combined with her above-average fan interactions and performance abilities truly makes her an artist, versus simply a singer or entertainer. Her significance and impact will only continue to grow and inspire those rising after her, making her a legend in the making, while consistently reminding everyone around her that music can still connect us all.
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50 YEARS OF
PIANO MAN A br brief histor histor y of Billy Joel
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In more recent years, Joel has stopped touring around the world, opting instead to stay home and play at Madison Square Garden, where he began his residency in January 2014. Prior to his residency, Joel held the record for most consecutive performances by an artist at the Manhattan venue at 12 in a row. Starting in 2014, Billy Joel played one show a month at Madison Square Garden as long as his fans kept showing interest. On July 18, 2018 Joel had his one hundredth show at the venue, that day henceforth being known as Billy Joel Day in New York.
Writ ittten and Designed by Willo Will ow Pannozzo
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Written by Lana Clifford Designed by Ginny Williams
I was fortunate to meet Claire in a press conference hosted by UMG’s 1824. Emerging out of the Covid scene was a true California girl who grew up knowing two things: she would live at the beach if she could and she loved making music with her family. Claire Rosinkranz, an American singer-songwriter, wrote the summer 2020 jam we devoured called Backyard Boy after it gained some attention and went viral on Tik Tok. She was first Wintroduced to music by her dad when she was 8 years old helping him write jingles and songs for commercials. Since then, her family has always been her biggest inspiration when pursuing her love for music, especially songwriting. “My writing process is like journaling a blur of thoughts and then I kinda piece together what sounds good in my head” When I first met Claire she was beaming and so very approachable. She wore a star pimple patch, which I thought was just a cool sticker on her forehead, and was wishing for a recreation of the breakfast taco she had that morning. My first impression of her was that she is a free spirit and a girl trying to figure out life like all the rest. Just a few weeks ago on October 6th she released her newest album called Just Because. She described it as a coming of age movie soundtrack filled with feelings of ambition, optimism, hurt, and that's only a fragment of the story being told on this album. It was a happy coincidence that Claire pushed back the release of the album the first time to October. In her song Wes Anderson, she sings “Fallin’ out of bounce when October hit”. There had to be some
connection there but she merely just liked the lyric. Claire writes music in the moment when it comes to her, and it is usually very lighthearted, but Just Because brings out emotional topics. She spoke a lot about how the upbeat melody and production helped her cope with the dark topics and thoughts she was dealing with at the time. The sound she created molded with the polar opposite undertones found in her lyrics is a lot to unpack. Her song Sad In Hawaii was the first song to set the mood for the album, ricocheting into the other songs. Claire went to Hawaii and was sexually assaulted. When it happened, she didn’t know how else to process it other than through her music. “I didn’t know how to explain it to people, and I felt like I was drowning”. She had so much composure and really knew how to handle herself in such a vulnerable and open state. Her most precious and special song in Just Because is called Swinging at the Stars. The song is about craving invaluable experiences and adventures, and putting yourself in a position to take them. Claire's favorite line of lyrics is “want to be tired when I get to my grave”. Claire has a lot to say in her music, and in a way she embodies that lyric when she took the risk of sharing a part of her life in this album. I can't wait to see her perform it live. I'm sure we can expect great things from miss Claire in the future.
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Women in the Music Scene Despite our culture’s current love for female artists, from the rapid rise of Ice Spice to the longstanding fame of Taylor Swift, the music industry has historically been a male-dominated arena. Up to, and even after, the year 1900, it was the standard that “women would perform music, not make music.”In 1880, Chicago music critic George P. Upton argued that “women lacked the innate creativity to compose good music” due to their “biological predisposition.”When it later became acceptable for women to take part in music education, they became active in that role “to such a degree that women dominated music education during the later half of the 19th century and well into the 20th century.”
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Nevertheless, women were still relegated to the more passive responsibilities of the music industry. They were the educators and the performers, but were rarely accepted as creators of their own. As frustration mounted, female solidarity was solidified. Sarah McLachlan, angered by concert promoters and radio stations that refused to feature two female musicians in a row, organized the Lilith Fair – a concert tour and traveling music festival consisting purely of female solo artists and female-led bands. Occuring in the summers of 1997 to 1999, and revived in the summer of 2010, the Lilith Fair empowered female artists and challenged the notion that only men could draw a crowd. McLachlan showed women everywhere that they could be headliners, too.
There is still work to be done. According to a study conducted on the music industry by Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, in 2023, 15.2% of nominees across six major Grammy categories – Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Producer of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year – were women. Across the 11 year span evaluated, only 13.9% of nominees in these categories (with the exception of Songwriter of the Year, which was not established until 2022) were women. Despite these disheartening statistics, women throughout history have shown that they are capable of overcoming adversity while fostering a community of solidarity, support, and strength. There is more to be done, but there are women who can do it. As we labor towards equality, it is important to avoid falling victim to a sense of powerlessness. Rather, we must acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of female artists while continuing to strive for structural change within the industry. At the Recording Academy’s inaugural awards show
in 1959, Ella Fitzgerald became the first Black woman to win a Grammy. Aretha Franklin won a record eight consecutive Grammys for Best R&B Vocal Performance from 1967 to 1974 and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Joan Baez championed civil rights and humanitarian causes throughout her career. In 2015, Amnesty International awarded her its top honor, the Ambassador of Conscience Award. Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire, and Natalie Maines of the band the Chicks took a bold stand in the early 2000s by criticizing President George W. Bush and American military actions in the Middle East. Despite losing a portion of their fanbase, they maintained their values and advocated for justice, challenging societal norms both inside and outside of the music industry. In 2019, Stevie Nicks became the first woman to be inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – once as a member of the band Fleetwood Mac, and again as a solo artist. These are just a few of the barriers women in the industry have broken down – there are countless more to name, and surely more to come. While statistics can seem daunting and grim, the more we celebrate one another, the more opportunities we create for women worth celebrating. Written by Julianne Panaro Designed by Olivia Watson
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Written by Noam Dor Designed by Ben Policy
Is there really a place for all artists in this industry? Shockwaves spread like wildfire on Northeastern University’s campus, when the student organization Live Music Association (LMA), in collaboration with the Resident Student Association (RSA), announced American rapper and singer cupcakKe as the headliner for their on-campus concert, Common Cents. Born Elizabeth Harris, cupcakKe has gained recognition for her sexually explicit lyrics, humorous 23
wordplay, and candid discussions of topics often considered taboo. She’s received both praise and backlash for her provocative style: some view her work as empowering and a form of sexual liberation while others find it offensive and inappropriate. With her music particularly attracting a younger fan base, one must wonder the impact controversial artists have on our society, especially on our youth.
In the past, LMA hosted big names such as Phoebe Bridgers, Laufey, and Faye Webster; compared to these indie performers, cupcakKe’s music is far more explicit and totally opposite. “We wanted to go for a genre shift from what we normally do,” said Joshie Antony, president of LMA, “We also have diversity goals of highlighting people of color and queer artists on stage, and cupcakKe represents both of that.” Olivia Leon, events chair for LMA, further explained that this decision for selecting a headliner isn’t fully random, “We also try to represent the student body as best we can, so we try to showcase a bunch of different artists and cater to the students’ diverse interests.” LMA knew there was a huge fanbase of cupcakKe at Northeastern, and the club really wanted to get more students out to their events, so it felt like the perfect choice to select her.
Joshie broke down what happens behind the scenes when deciding to book a big artist like cupcakKe, “It was just like any other artist as we went about it like usual. We first look for artists that are available and within your budget; then we narrow it down to just a few artists; then by rank-choice voting, our e-board decides who the headliner will be by whoever gets the most votes.” What might surprise most people to learn is that the university puts no limitations on which artists can and can’t perform on campus. The only restriction for LMA was booking an artist that fell within their budget. “We work with a production company, Pretty Polly Productions, that does all the booking for our concerts,” Olivia described, “They even at one point reached out to the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) and showed them the content of her lyrics to get approval, yet the university said,
‘We don’t censor our students,’ so we were good to go.” While the university had no objections to cupcakKe’s performance, LMA disclosed that no discussion about potential negative reactions from students took place. Would the students even go for cupcakKe’s performance? How would LMA confront any backlash brought from their announcement? At first, it seemed that responses from students were quite positive. “She was the last artist I ever expected to perform [on campus], but still an amazing surprise”, voiced one student. Another mentioned, “I was so excited! I love cupcakKe’s music and never imagined she would come here of all places and that she was approved!” However, there were a few occasions of subtle disapproval for cupcakKe’s concert. One student explained, “I didn’t go because I didn’t want to be associated with ‘that’. Her music is just too graphic for me.” One student even went as far as to say, “This was not the right place [for cupcakKe]. She must’ve been desperate for money to come here.” Nevertheless, like most professionals strive to do, LMA focused on the positive enthusiasm and high energy from many students. “We can understand why some people might have those reactions,” Olivia admitted, “but for the most part, the comments we got back from students were really positive.” Joshie also added that after the concert, LMA got a ton of messages on Instagram from students expressing how much they loved and appreciated cupcakKe’s performance. So, to answer the question above, the tale of cupcakKe and Northeastern might not fully answer if there is an absolute place for any and every artist in the music industry. Although it does exemplify how rewarding it can be when we stop censoring the creativity of artists and start making space for music that is not only varied, but defies the limits of societal norms. That’s what I call controversial.
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Thanks for riding with us. Doors will open on the right.
Photo by Katie Ma Zine edited & compiled by Brendan DiTullio