Ayra Starr is having her face beat into oblivion for a photoshoot — a makeup artist hovers over her while we speak on Zoom. Unbothered, the 19-year-old musician proceeds to meditate on the beauty and calamity of being young. “You’re allowed to make mistakes,” she says, with expressive hands topped …
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When Rema thinks about the past two years of his life, a time in which he’s rocketed from Benin City, Nigeria, to global stardom, he’s reminded of the biblical story of David. “He took care of the sheeps,” says the 19-year-old rapper and singer, citing the way he’s tried to …
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Kelsie Hogue strolls into the Rolling Stone offices wearing a pink knit sweater adorned with cats, bright orange culottes and an oversized yellow fanny pack. Paired with her mane of neon yellow-green hair, the entire ensemble makes it look as though she’s drenched in highlighter ink. Looking closely at her …
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“No men, just sugar.” Clementine Creevy is reading the ingredients of a candy bar she keeps on a shelf in her living room. “Crush men, eat candy,” she continues with a grin as she turns it over to read the other side. The treat is a merch item for the …
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The O’My’s have been a band for more than a decade, shuffling through many members and releasing a fair amount of music in the process. But the experimental Chicago soul duo would prefer you view Tomorrow, their spacey and sensual new album, as their true starting point. “I finally feel …
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No one makes noise quite like Empath. On Liberating Guilt and Fear, the excellent four-song EP they released this spring, the Philadelphia quartet whirl psychedelic guitar, found sounds, New Age drones and more into an exhilarating 16-minute blur. In concert, they sound as much like a cosmic jazz combo as …
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While no shortage of American liberal-arts undergrads have wondered whether the degree they’re working toward will be any use in the real world, for 20-year-old singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, those doubts got too loud to ignore. “It got to the point where I would be in class emailing my agent,” says …
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