humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of music professionals, amateurs, inspiring students, celebrities, lifestyle influencers, and general feel good human stories in the music sphere.
My Exclusive Interview With Amaiyah
99.9% of Spotify listeners haven't heard one of the best albums of 2026. Fortunately, we're about to change that. Amaiyah's The War of Venus is a haunting soundscape with ghostly vocals, apocalyptic imagery and a dark, simmering vibe that makes you feel like you're crawling through a war zone--and if you ask me, ten Spotify listeners just aren't enough. This record is equal parts strange and mysterious, and this interview dives into the surreal landscape that turns Amaiyah's music into a trip to another planet.
By Kaitlin Shanks17 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Kirstie Gregory
Some songwriters can do it all, and Kirstie Gregory's not the type to limit herself to one genre. From folksy tracks to soft, ethereal vocals, her discography covers a wide range of subjects, genres and moods, making her a versatile artist who can tackle any assignment you give her. Essentially, there's something for everybody--and once you've learned about her process, check out her full-length album, This Is The End, to hear the full spectrum of her talents.
By Kaitlin Shanks18 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Sirena
When you listen to sirena's music, you're diving into a shadowy world of late-night performances, dark city streets and angelic harmonies that practically lift you off the ground. In fact, her music and aesthetic are so intertwined that it seems like a mistake to enjoy one without the other. This interview dives into the thought process behind her hazy blue snapshots and deep, passionate records--and once you return to the surface, you'll feel like part of your subconscious is irrevocably changed.
By Kaitlin Shanks19 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Camilla Manor
Forests, blue skies and summer breezes are a few of the things that define Camilla Manor's aesthetic, and she skillfully incorporates her love for nature to create relaxing bedroom pop--which, occasionally, has a dark undercurrent beneath the cozy, lo-fi production. She's also found success as an online fitness instructor, with over 30,000 subscribers waiting to see what she'll post next. Her first album, Loop-de-Loop , takes inspiration from a variety of places--her childhood, her relationship, her trips to Big Sur--to create a cohesive work that practically spans an entire lifetime.
By Kaitlin Shanks20 days ago in Beat
If All of the Raindrops...
Today was a long day in many ways, and it took a lot out of my inner “battery,” so I was feeling a little grumpy by this evening... however, while tucking my kids into bed, a song came on their music box that I just really felt the urge to share with my readers.
By Adora Hooper20 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Siichaq
Siichaq (pronounced "sea-check") is an indie artist, but she's not one that you can easily pin down. She blends a variety of sounds, themes and genres into her musical soundscapes--and just when you think you've got it figured out, she surprises you again. Her latest album, The Righteous Sword , is so complex that this interview doesn't quite cover everything. Fortunately, you don't have to imagine what it sounds like: once you've learned about the songwriting process, you can listen for yourself and enjoy the transformative journey.
By Kaitlin Shanks22 days ago in Beat
Notes from the Mind Palace
Karaoke isn’t just singing for me — it’s a personality test, a confession booth, a therapy session, and a threat all rolled into one. My lineup is chaotic on purpose. It’s designed to confuse people, amuse people, scare people, and remind myself that I’m still alive. I also do it alone. So there is that.
By Syl De'Vil24 days ago in Beat
Notes from the Mind Palace.
Music doesn’t just “inspire” me. It rewires me. It grabs my skull like it’s trying to tune a radio, and suddenly every part of me snaps into alignment. My thoughts stop tripping over each other. My nerves stop buzzing. The world gets quieter, even when the volume is stupidly loud. I don’t listen to music — I use it. The louder the music gets, the quieter those internal voices become — the ones that try to tell me I’m nothing, the ones that show up when I’m tired or hurting or stretched too thin. Volume becomes a shield. Bass becomes a boundary. A song becomes the thing that steps between me and the parts of my mind that don’t always play fair. It even helps with the autoimmune pain. Not in some magical “healing frequency” way — just in the way drowning in sound gives me something stronger to focus on than the ache. When the music is loud enough, my body stops screaming for a minute. I get a little space. A little breath. A little control. It’s the switch that flips me from “overstimulated parent with seven kids doing parkour through my sanity” to “feral writer pacing the room like a crow deciding which shiny object to steal.” If the song hits right, my whole brain goes cinematic. I stop seeing words and start seeing scenes: fog rolling in, headlights cutting through it, someone yelling in the distance, maybe something crawling out of the dark that shouldn’t exist. Music is the fuse that lights all of that. People think playlists are just background noise. Mine are battle plans . Each song is a mood, a memory, a weapon. Some tracks drag me back to Maine. Some drag me into the fog. Some drag me into the parts of my head I don’t talk about unless I’m writing. And some songs hit so hard I feel like I’m remembering a life I didn’t actually live. Music is the only thing that can match the chaos in my head without getting drowned out. It’s the one thing that keeps me steady. It’s the one thing that makes the stories come out clean instead of tangled. Music doesn’t just affect me. It possesses me. And honestly, I let it — because it’s one of the few things that makes the noise inside me survivable. Music doesn’t just affect me — it kidnaps me. It drags me by the hair into whatever universe it feels like throwing me into. And the louder it is, the quieter everything else gets. The voices that tell me I’m nothing? They get smothered under layers of distortion and screaming. They can’t compete with a sonic avalanche. I listen too loud everywhere. Car? Loud enough to rattle the bolts out of the doors. Shower? Loud enough the shampoo vibrates. Headphones? Weak. Earbuds? Pathetic. Party speaker? Coward. Nothing gets loud enough. So I keep turning it up anyway. Because when Yeah Yeah Yeahs — “Y Control” hits, something in my chest snaps awake. It’s like someone kicked the generator in my soul and yelled RUN . When Tegan and Sara — “Dark Come Soon” comes on, the world finally dims enough for me to breathe. Tiger Army — “Valley of Dreams” drowns the autoimmune pain under rhythm and pulse. Choking Victim — “In My Grave” lights a match in my ribcage and tells the darkness to fight back. Rancid — “St. Mary” is every too‑fast drive I’ve ever taken. Bad Brains — “F.V.K.” is adrenaline in audio form. Talking Heads — “Psycho Killer” is the part of my brain that laughs at the chaos, and shakes her butt a little at the sound. Social Distortion — “Far Behind” is grit and memory. something I would rather keep to myself. Bad Religion — “Generator” is the spark that keeps me writing. reminds me that there's more than what you see. Dramarama — “Anything, Anything” is the scream I never let out and the song I sing every time I feel like I could fall in love. then remind myself that love... its not for me. Then there’s The Church — “Reptile” , crawling under my skin like electricity. And Misfits — “Devils Whorehouse” , kicking open the door to the feral part of my brain. But you want chaos? Here’s chaos: Otep — “Special Pets” makes my blood feel like it’s boiling. It’s the one that shuts the internal voices up because they know they can’t compete with that kind of rage. Tool — “The Pot” hits like someone dropped a brick through my skull and rearranged the furniture inside. Mudvayne — “Dig” isn’t a song — it’s a detonation. It’s the moment the world goes white‑hot and I stop feeling anything except the beat. Volbeat — “Still Counting” is the soundtrack of every time I’ve said “I’m fine” while absolutely not being fine. Marilyn Manson — “Kill 4 Me” slinks through my nerves like a threat wrapped in velvet. Chevelle — “Take Out the Gunman” is the pulse that keeps me upright when everything hurts. Incubus — “Nice to Know You” is the moment I slam the door on the past and don’t look back. A Perfect Circle — “Magdalena” turns my brain into a cathedral full of ghosts. Straight Line Stitch — “Conversion” is the part of me that refuses to die, even when everything else is screaming. Wage War — “High Horse” is the moment I stop apologizing for being loud, chaotic, messy, and alive. "Teeth" the song that reminds me exactly where I stand with those in my life. These songs aren’t just tracks — they’re weapons . They’re shields. They’re pressure valves. They’re the only things loud enough to drown out the parts of me that try to drag me under. Music is the only thing that matches the chaos in my head without getting swallowed by it. It’s the one thing that keeps me upright. It’s the one thing that makes the stories come out clean instead of tangled.
By Syl De'Vil24 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Chloe Drallos. Top Story - September 2026.
With Western-inspired aesthetics and dark, unsettling videos, Chloe Drallos doesn't just release albums: she builds a surreal world with mysterious figures, Americana imagery and echoing vocals that make you imagine a cowgirl riding alone at sunset. Her latest record, The Cave , is a haunting addition to her discography. In this interview, I learned more about The Cave , her conglomerate (it's not what you think!) and how she used her influences to shape the Acid Western genre.
By Kaitlin Shanksabout a month ago in Beat
Long Live the true King of Rock n Roll Mr. Ozzy Osbourne!!
To Ozzy Osbourne From Rikki La Rouge IT IS SHOCKING AND SADENING I HOPED THAT OZZY OSBOURNE WOULD LIVE FOREVER. HE WAS IMMORTAL, A GOD AMONGST MEN. OZZY WAS BORN IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND AND HE TOOK HIS FINAL BREATH IN THE TOWN OF HIS BIRTH. I LIKE TO POUR A LITTLE OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE I DRINK UP WHEN A STAR WHO MEANS SOMETHING TO ME IN THEIR HONOR AND IT WAS NO DIFFERENT FOR THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS HIMSELF OZZY OSBOURNE! OZZY AND RANDY RHODES ARE UNITED IN ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN. MY HEART 🖤 GOES OUT TO OZZY AND HIS FAMILY, I CANNOT BELIEVE I AM WRITING THIS TRIBUTE TO OZZY HE SHOULD STILL BE HERE.
By Revista Miko:XCI about a month ago in Beat
14 Songs I Found on a Burned CD from 2007
Before streaming took over, you had a few options for listening to your favorite songs: waiting for the song to play on the radio, trying to catch the music video on TV or paying $15 for a CD that might have only one good track. As a child, I fantasized about owning a CD that magically played all my favorite songs. Unfortunately, this seemed like a fairy tale until Napster and Limewire disrupted the music industry, allowing users to download virtually any song for free--albeit illegally.
By Kaitlin Shanksabout a month ago in Beat
