Joji, Scarlxrd, and the Weeknd - Musical Influences

Everyone has their own favorite type of music. While I like to keep an open mind to all forms of music, my ears always deviate to hip hop music and R&B. However, my tastes wouldn’t be considered “mainstream.” In fact, a lot of the music on my Spotify playlist are dark, intense, and experimental. To me, these songs are honest and fun (in their own senses), and they inspire the way I approach my own art, especially when it comes to photography and film.

JOJI (a.k.a. Pink Guy, a.k.a. Filthy Frank) - Eccentric YouTube personality, meme lord, angsty and somber singer - Joji has grown to be one of my favorite artists to come out of the lofi hip hop/R&B movement. His songs of heartbreak and loneliness are two of the biggest themes of his music, and I’ve always found it fascinating that his soft singing voice comes from the same guy who cooked ramen in a washer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybl-u1uq2Co). I hope Joji keeps up his haunting style of hip hop because it’s something we don’t see everyday - an Asian man with a personality in hip hop music!

“Slow Dancing in the Dark,” Joji

Scarlxrd - While he hasn’t had the same mainstream success as many contemporary artist, Scarlxrd’s music is the most intense hip hop act out of Great Britain. In a genre I would dub as “trap screamo,” Scarlxrd reminds me of XXXTENTACION, an American rapper murdered over the summer of 2018. His aggressive screaming, effortless rapping, and fearless playfulness are all interesting aspects of his musical act. However, it’s his fashion that grabs my attention the most, especially in his music videos. Blending military-style clothing with anime levels of absurdity, this man has style!

The Weeknd - More than any other artist, the Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, has inspired me more than any musical artist. If I wanted to emulate any style of music into visuals, it would be the Weeknd’s. His dark atmospheric vibe with his depressing lyrics often throw me into an existential swirl, and I feel as though my best art comes from this place - one of vulnerability and honesty. In my opinion, a lot of artists focus on aesthetics rather than the deeper meanings that can be explored through art. While the Weeknd might sound like a Michael Jackson knock off, his art, while aesthetically pleasing to listen to, also presents a much more honest view on our personal relationships to other human beings.

Starboy, The Weeknd’s comic book tie-in with his album of the same name

Why mention music in a photography class? - As a filmmaker, I am a very visual person. However, unlike a lot of other filmmakers I know, I try to draw a lot of inspiration from sources outside of video and film. In places such as literature and especially music, I often find myself pondering about the ideas and emotions that affect me the most. While I used to play the violin, I find that the modern music era is far more interesting and introspective, and, through music, I feel as though I can access the more emotional and vulnerable side of me that I can express through my art.