The Indie Glow-up! Vol 3: Breaking Out of The Box
Shit, you gotta glow one day! It just takes some time.
Just A Thought 💭
I have a question for you. What has you boxed in? What in your life dictates who and what you should be? When we are young, we are 100% imagination, and as we get older we learn to climb inside boxes that tell us how to act, who to be, and for a lot of artists, what to sound like.
I remember the first time I heard “Prom Queen,” the lead single from Lil Wayne’s 2009 rock-hop release. It was bold and experimental, and coming off his biggest album ever — Tha Carter III — in 2008, it seemed to be the sharpest left turn he could make. Rolling Stone claimed, “It was the worst album ever made.” But for me, it was the second time I felt really seen in music. The first was Collision Course, the mashup album from Linkin Park and Jay-Z, and the second was Lil Wayne’s Rebirth.
The latter album spoke to a part of me that I never really acknowledged among my community of hood niggas and white elite, for fear that no one else would understand my place in it. The side of me that screamed lyrics from artists like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco discreetly in my room when no one was home. Rebirth was a golden hour snapshot of a person who decided to be more than he was on the surface, no matter what anyone else said.
A couple of weeks ago, after hearing rave reviews, I decided to turn on Lil Yachty’s new album Let’s Start Here. If I’m honest, I have only heard a couple of songs from him — which is probably why when I met him at a vintage t-shirt store in LA, I decided not to ask for a picture — and the ones I have heard just so happened to be playing somewhere I didn’t control the music. I guess him being about 10 years my junior, I just felt a disconnect with his somewhat off-beat rhyme schemes and super minimalistic instrumentation. I’m a rock kid after all.
After opening my Spotify app, and pressing play, I realized that for the 3rd time, someone got me, and to my surprise, it was Lil Yachty. This album is one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time. This psychedelic rock album, created by a Soundcloud rapper, takes you on a journey of who he is underneath the beaded braids, interviews with drake, and vintage tee’s.
Even in the moments where Yachty’s voice is not able to effortlessly carry the weight of his melodic lines, it doesn’t matter because he is being himself and doing it in a way that only he can. This makes it one of a kind! He truly allowed himself to step out of that Soundcloud rapper box that people put him in, and for the first time in a long time it got me thinking about the boxes artist are cast into and not allowed out of due to the commercialism of the music industry.
We, as artists, are forced oftentimes to stick to a genre, and not deviate for fear that our supporters won’t continue to buy the music or come to the shows. And it begs the question, how many times did this ceiling placed on artists and their expression prevent us from getting beautiful pieces of work that lived outside of what the artist’s more routine expression was? How many times did a label say “No” to distributing something that could have allowed for more representation in genres that lacked diversity of perspective?
Most people live their lives in a straight line, never deviating from what they are “supposed” to do and who they are “supposed” to be. But what kind of life is that? We have infinite galaxies and worlds of expression inside of us, and to silence those voices, stunt growth, and limit perspectives in the world, is such a loss.
So, I ask you again…What has you boxed in?
💡New Revelation:
Growth is cultivated from a deep understanding of self. It doesn’t matter what you do, the only way you will grow is to fertilize, cultivate, and care for every part of you. As we get older, we believe that there is only room for certain parts of us. THIS IS A LIE. The layers of you are infinite and immeasurable and the best thing you have ever created, the best love you have ever shown, and the greatest you will ever be are tucked away in the daily study of those layers.
📢 Ticket Prices Are Outta Fucking Hand?
🎫 There was a time in history when the only time the common people heard music was in a religious setting. Besides that, for a great portion of history, music was commissioned and consumed by the societal elite. The elite were serenaded by stringed instruments as they floated around the rooms of their elaborate dinner parties and politicked, flirted, and drank to the sounds of their time. Those who had little money and influence did not share this privilege.
It was not until the creation of music venues in local towns, that music became semi-accessible to a wide demographic of people. Even then there was a class system in place that allowed for more or less accessibility in the venue itself, but ultimately everyone could partake in some form or fashion.
Live music has persisted in this tradition for hundreds of years, and in some way evened the playing field for people to enjoy their favorite artists. Yes, some people get front-row floor seats and others are scrapping the heavens of the nosebleed seats, but everyone is in the building. Now even that is in jeopardy.
Everyone had heard about the Taylor Swift ticketing fiasco. Thousands of tickets were bought up by Ticketmaster themselves and redistributed at higher prices. Ticket prices ranged from $1,000 for nose bleeds to $20,000 in price. Who the fuck can afford that? This illegal and selfish act not only violates anti-trust and price-fixing laws, but it’s a clear and flagrant depiction of the effect that greed and commercialism are having on the experiences that we cherish. I mean $1,000 for nose bleeds is fucking crazy.
I often say that seeing live music is one of the most human things that we do. Thousands of people making the decision to give all of their energy to a person on stage is beautiful, and the closest thing to magic that we have in this world, and yet it feels like we are returning to a time where music, and more specifically live music, will not be able to be enjoyed by everyone.
Recently, I experienced a situation where an artist who is on the rise currently came to NYC on her tour. This artist underplayed venues, which is a common practice in the industry that allows for a demand to be created and helps the artist to sell out venues. She sold out two shows in a row and added a third date to her NYC stop. The first two nights were priced at $25. For the third night, the ticketing company AEG bought up all of the tickets for the show and repriced them at $250 for a general standing room. My question was: how is it okay for them to price tickets at $250 in the same market where the tickets were 10x less a day prior? How is this not being regulated and looked at? Needless to say, I was not able to see the artist.
If we don’t stop this practice, sooner or later concerts will only be for the social elite again, and a world where everyone does not have access to their favorite artists’ live shows is not a world I want to live in. Do you?
Helping Others In Their Glow-Up
At Empire State Music & Arts Festival, I not only book indie artists to play shows, I also help them, as well as companies and orgs, through a number of services: artist accountability management, event planning, artist development, performance coaching, booking, and so much more.
In the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some new clients and consulting with partners in the concert curation space. On March 18th of this year I partnered with Hip-hop Neva dies and Waffle Records to produce an amazing Jazz hop fusion show at Nublu NYC. The House was packed to capacity, and the vibes were pristine. People didn’t want to leave it was so good! My goal is to help others achieve similar success in curating events. From the day-to-day scheduling to Emceeing and stage management, I want to help others facilitate inspired and unforgettable experiences!
If you’re a curator and know what your goals are but are having trouble reaching them (or are looking for support in gaining clarity on them), I would love to speak with you to figure out how I can help you. I’ve opened up some times this month to connect, and I’d love to meet you! Whether it’s to discuss one of my services and how I can help; or to connect and expand your network. Click the link below to book a spot. I look forward to talking!
“Kerry Blu is a great team player, with working knowledge of many facets of live productions, coordinating teams of talented individuals capable of executing high-quality productions.”
- Stanford Reid
🎧 Indie Music Podcast Anyone?
The Process officially finished its first season! In case you’re new here, it’s a podcast where we explore the moments and experiences that shape creatives, and one that helps answer the question: “How are dope artists made?”
Catch up on these transformative episodes, with indie artists Precious Gorgeous, ReeCee Raps, Mandella Eskia, Natalie Carr, and Aeri! New season coming soon!
🎵 Listen to The Indie Glow-Up Playlist
Discover the best, the brightest, and the future of the music industry with ESMAF’s Indie Glow-Up Playlist: a monthly playlist that highlights phenomenal artists on the glow-up from all walks of music!
This month’s playlist includes artists like LANNDS, Kenny Beats, Nik Moody, Hana Eid and more!
Upcoming NYC Shows!
🎟️ April 23rd, 2023 @Sultan Room Brooklyn, Doors 6:30 p.m., featuring: Lillimure, Jake Brewer, Eaglin, and Sugarmama!
🎟️ May 20th, 2023 @Nublu, Doors 7pm featuring: Nik Moody & Kerry Blu!
Concerts in Random Places
Have you checked out our new digital concert series Concerts in Random Places, yet?
Concerts in Random Places allows viewers the opportunity to witness amazing artists from all over the world performing their favorite songs in small businesses and local establishments of NYC!
You can watch and listen to R&B songstress Emelia Vero and 2022 festival headliner Juice perform live now.
Top 3 Glow-Up Tips Of The Month
Looking for amazing video production at the best prices in NYC? Check out MC Electric's artistry! Tell them Kerry Blu sent you!
Looking to understand who you are on a deeper creative level? Check out The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron!
Looking for a really cool songwriting camp? Wanna meet new artists, and producers, and get access to a week of intensive of songwriting, networking, and industry parties? Check out Anti Social Producers Camp! An annual week-long songwriter and networking conference taking place in NYC this (and every) June! They extended their submission deadline.