Shade ♣

I've been really into underground lately and been really addicted to the whole "electronic" music that's been putting out lately and I've always been a fan.

it reminds me of the earlier variation we had in lockdown when everyone was listening to #brooklynbloodpop and I genuinely believe that what carried and transformed into what kind of electronic music we have these days. artists like slayr, tiffany day, fakemink, feng, echstacy, effie (to name a few that I actively keep up w) are refreshing and have a great talent when it comes to their art.

lately I've noticed how much misogyny and negativity is integrated into just being an independent artist trying to push your music out into the world.

THE MISOGYNY

I had been gatekeeping this duo I adored, and lately martin posted a song of theirs too. they're called “ear” and they're a boy-girl duo. I joke a lot about how much music matters to me and this post was initially written to discuss music itself right after martin posted their song.

as a woman and as someone who wants to make music one day, it moves me to my core when I discover there's a woman's touch behind the music I'm listening to. it's a genuine moment where I pause and reevaluate my initial approach because it's one thing to find a song you like, its another to find someone like you made it. a woman in a space making music you enjoy.

but now I'm starting to notice a pattern— the absolute misogyny, objectification and performativity directed towards every artist and some genuine listeners of this genre; and music as a whole.

music has always stood as a symbol of art, one of the purest forms of communication and expression we as people consume and create. overtime, it's become something so meaningful that we base judgement of other people off their tastes alone.

but it's getting to a point where it's almost frustrating to witness how objectifying it becomes to just make and enjoy music. if you listen to something not well known— you're a "poser,” and if you listen to something popular— you're “basic.” if you're listening to sabrina carpenter, you're “just a girl listening to girl music” if you listen to opium artists, you're not a real “fan” because a man listening to the same thing is just going to be called “different” “hard” “niche” “good taste” “knows real music”

it's gotten to the point that artists as women cannot exist in the same space as men anymore without there being a sexual undertone to their work. are the duo of "ear" in a relationship? are they not? does it matter?

why should it matter? existing and enjoying music has always been something we've done for generations; music is culture, it's a language, it is intimacy and it is love.

as I grow, I realize how many people are genuinely desperate for something to make themselves seem “interesting” or “unique” solely for the title of being. and these very people are polluting the smaller spaces like this— clinging to the very artists they consume. one can begin to think— “is there genuine enjoyment to the music they're consuming; or, is the music being consumed because it's just not popular right now?”

more on this later ^

there's a dehumanizing lens women are viewed with when it comes to enjoying music these days. it makes me want to ask the questions, why can't a woman be as successful as a man without assuming that she's sleeping her way through the industry? why can't an aspiring artist bloom like they should in an industry where experimenting should be rewarded?

ear has been one of my favorite artists for a bit. they're engaging people and they are just artists in a sea of others. they have a rawness to their craft you can gauge by watching the people behind the album covers. their music moves me to tears; but there is no space welcome for me as a woman. as a girl. people first assume my gender and sexual habits before they even take a glance at my art— what I'm here to do. it must be exhausting to be seen for what relationships I'm building when I'm in a creative space trying to share my art.

if people even gave ear a chance, they'd recognize why there's so much genuinity around their work's sound.

I don't know. this kind of shit spoils your day and your space. i hope there's a genuine change when it comes to a community like this. there's insecurity lurking in the cracks, every joke is in bad taste because it's about a woman in the industry just doing what she can. and others point and laugh because it's okay to make a joke like that when there's not a woman around.

but there are women around. there always will be, their influence is undeniable. where does so much malice come from? I don't understand. im tired of everyone craving so much "originality" they forget the entire point of creating music is recycling what was already created and making something new out of it.

this is a genuine problem in the industry and it's fanbase. we see it all the time; the primest example being performative “males” with their matcha, wired headphones and a book they don't seem interested in, just to seem appealing. poeple listening to music they don't genuinely enjoy to just seem more dynamic, or consuming media they don't really enjoy just to belong in a space.

i believe a large majority of the artists' fanbase carry this lack of personality into the space all the time. oddly enough, as discussed with misogyny, it's clear that this kind of demeaning behavior directed towards women is definitely not to find community with women— but instead with other men present.

misogynists clearly prioritize presenting an image that harms women while trying to seem accepted by other men in the community. it's a performance, in a way, to fit into a certain group and feel a sense of validation. performance takes many faces, and misogyny is only one of them.

most people don't listen to music with their ears at all.

THEREFORE; THE “PERFORMATIVE” BEHAVIOR

this part of the discussion is specific to the recent martin situation with matt proxy. to explain briefly, martin reccommended a song “knots” by proxy on weverse, which proxy didn't take too well to and started hating on cortis. I recently just said:

one can begin to think— “is there genuine enjoyment to the music they're consuming; or, is the music being consumed because it's just not popular right now?”

a common behavior many people, who aren't all the way genuine, is that they tend to engage with the content that makes them seem more interesting. but when it gauges some sort of interest or popularity, suddenly it's tainted, almost as if it's ruined. people claim it was "never good at all" that the clout was "just nostalgia bait" and it's just “old shit” rebranded. it feels like the initial liking itself was a performance to maintain until the content became mainstream, and suddenly it wasn't interesting enough to make you seem unique.

but the entire point of music is that there can only be so much uniqueness until some stuff starts repeating. that's why everyone can build their own unique sound, everyone can take what was present and create something new out of it. you can't be completely original, but you can be organic.

continuing off of this— the kpop industry was never built to be completely original, and there's no denying the amount of black influence on its growth. it exists, it is the reason the industry has excelled til this degree. there is culture woven into the very tracks that the korean entertainment industry circulates.

there have been countless moments where the industry and it's artists disrespect the exact people it takes influence from to build rap, dance and music as a whole from. blackface, misuse of AAVE, having a "hip hop" concept which doesn't pay proper tribute to the roots it's inspired from— all exist and continue to exist as kpop moves on.

it's okay to admit this. it's okay to admit that kpop is heavily influenced by black art. a lot of the times, I've noticed, when this conversation is brought up, is that a lot of people act like it's original and there's no inspiration; or that being influenced in itself is a bad thing because the influence in question it's not directly from the culture that's native to your own.

matt proxy posted these on his insta story. I agree with the message he pushes about black artists' influence on music and kpop as a whole. I just discussed this.

but from what I've noticed is that cortis has never denied any of this influence. they have been in the studio with black artists, creators and people who have inspired their voice and sound in countless ways. they have black role models, black artists who spoke for them and said they saw a talent in them. without their touch, cortis wouldn't be where and who they are. the documentary serves as a constant reminder of how much western and black influence has integrated within their art.

for proxy to claim “artists go through gruel expectations they cannot keep up with” in context of the kpop industry being exploitative, and then turn and show no empathy to the exact artists he references is downright hypocritical behavior.

as I mentioned earlier, women in spaces cannot be because everyone is too busy objectifying their existence. they do their best to make art in a space that clearly doesn't reward them as the artists they are— the need for autonomy as an artist/person lives within them and their work.

but of similar nature, i view young creators in the industry through a similar lens. they (cortis) are not women, so it's not ever going to be comparable— but I draw resemblance because of how much animosity comes from just trying to be in this space. whether as a woman or as a young artist (anyone, for that matter) trying to make it, there are so many people performing for an audience that they overlook that they were the one being supported.

martin recommended a song because it was noticable to him. it wasn't meant to be something grand, or heartfelt, or vulnerable— just “i fw this. u shd too.” that's it. the outburst from proxy, to me, seems to be a performance to fit closer into a different community he seems to be catering to, which is just plain....sad. because he got recognized for his art by another young creator in the industry doing what he is. whether martin had "75 people in a room" making music or just himself— doesn't take away from the fact that his sound was born out of some place that was honest.

no one is as unaccepting to something new as someone who has constantly curated what they deem is “suitable” for their image. that sense of control is dear when you care so much about how you're perceived. proxy doesn't care about cortis and he reacted the way he did, outwardly on his story, because it is what brings a sense of different validation— through performance.

he made good points about black influence, the kpop industry's methods of music production and artist mismanagement/mistreatment— but it all felt flat when he couldn't offer empathy to the very exact people he was sympathizing with earlier.

music is subjective and not everyone will click, so I'm not even upset proxy didn't fw cortis. but if it truly matters to you that your art reaches people and moves them, then you'd realize anyone can feel seen by your art. that includes creators doing the best they can in the industry they are already in.

quoting myself from this other rant I made here while answering an ask.

as I admire idols, I catch myself before I can let the comparison consume me. I hope that everyone can walk away from the trap that is comparison and always admire the idols for who they are— just kids in a system trying to be themselves. they're just artists trying to find what art means to them. they're not special or someone to idolize. they're people who's choices are as fragile as yours and mine. they have regrets, they have fears, they have morally grey things about them that they hide. they may not be who you think they are. to me, admiring someone is accepting all this yet still understanding why their work matters to you.

I hope people can see idols with the same grace they carry for themselves. the urge to defend yourself when you're being wronged, it's not something foreign to us. then why do we struggle to see idols as human? as people capable of the same emotions were often experiencing?

i feel for martin because this isn't the first time this has happened with him, but it comes from a place of genuinely sharing what matters to you, and I'd never encourage him to stop. it's not his fault, and he shouldn't "stop recommending songs". a lot of people joked about this after the situation, and I giggled too, I'd admit, but as I write this out, I realize why I don't truly stand with it.

funnily enough, it was martin who posted he tuned into "ear" in the SAME EXACT POST he recommended proxy in; he recced ear's recent track too. and because ear matters to me— I feel seen by that. I'll always feel seen by people trying to do what feels honest to them. even if they get hurt during it.

music is soul, it connects, it always has. there's organic people out there trying to create sound out of their ordinary lives, and I'm glad martin seems like that, I'm glad ear seems like that. it's a shame proxy didn't turn to be that way, but that's why it's important to recognize this other face performance can take. catering to an audience, talking as the hypocrisy consumes. but, just for a moment,

can we just stop performing and just listen to the fucking music?