Rising Artist Spotlight: An Interview with aftrr

Photo courtesy of aftrr

UCLA Radio’s Rising Artist Spotlight aims to highlight upcoming artists who have demonstrated unique creativity and talent through their music. Through interviews and features, we delve into their journey, influences, and aspirations, giving listeners a glimpse into the future of music.

Born from a childhood of EDM and internet music scenes, LA artist aftrr makes music that reimagines the genres he grew up on. In his first full album, aftrrLife, he explores what identity in sound and creation can be, all packaged in eleven dynamic, dance-ready tracks. I sat down with aftrr to discuss the creative process, community on the internet, consistency, and what lies ahead.  

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity purposes

Interviewed by Anna Guan

Anna: Could you give a quick intro about yourself and the music you create for anybody who hasn’t listened yet?

aftrr: Hi, I’m aftrr. I’m an artist based around Los Angeles, California. I make — it’s hard to describe. The easy term that people give me is hyperpop, which I’m fine with. But if I was to be more specific, I’d say electronic, pop, electroclash, and things like that. Very much in the internet space, where I’ve been growing from and doing for a few years now. With the aftrr page, it’s been going since like 2022, but I’ve been making music since like 2017-2018. 

Anna: I saw the first stuff you released on Spotify was around 2022, but you said you started in 2018? How did you get into music? Was it primarily because of that internet space?

aftrr: Yeah, totally. I vividly remember being in school and growing up, I was always on SoundCloud. I used to listen to a lot of EDM and trap remixes of popular songs on SoundCloud back then. Around 2016-2018 a lot of the underground rap was all on SoundCloud, so that’s when I was heavily invested into it. That eventually led to those Genius videos on YouTube. The “Deconstructed” videos and videos of people breaking down their lyrics. That’s when I first started music, as a producer first and making beats. 

Anna: You mentioned SoundCloud, and I was actually looking through it — you have so much stuff! I scrolled all the way down to “Jade,” which was only two or three years ago, but just in that span you’ve released so much music. How do you manage to create consistently and at such a large scale? Is there a reason why you choose to have a bulk of the music you release be on SoundCloud?

aftrr: It’s crazy, because I remember at the end of 2021, I decided I was gonna see where it goes. Basically, I was gonna try really hard and be consistent. Throughout 2022, I was dropping every other week. I would drop a song, promote the next one a week later, and then drop the week after.

And honestly, it wasn’t that hard because back then, I wasn’t producing my stuff. I started as a producer, but when I started doing vocals, I felt like I wasn’t good enough yet to make my own beats. I would just work with friends a lot, so it was way easier to output that much — and wait sorry, what was the second half?

Anna: It’s okay! Yeah, I saw a lot of your earlier works on SoundCloud have features on them, but the second part was is there a reason why you choose, even now, to put such a mass amount of your music on SoundCloud? Do you feel a stronger sense of community on internet platforms like SoundCloud and Discord with how people can comment on specific sections and stuff like that?

aftrr: Yeah, SoundCloud and Discord. I feel like if you’re an artist where maybe you’re not really known locally, but you have a lot of presence online, that’s where a lot of that pool comes from. SoundCloud especially — depending on what space you’re in — but for upcoming artists, I feel like SoundCloud is a good gauge of your hardcore community. Everything starts on SoundCloud. That’s where a lot of the people that are die-hard fans find you, so I feel like it’s important to keep that side of the community strong.

I also have songs that I put on SoundCloud, and I haven’t put anywhere else because for one, it’s free, you don’t lose anything if you post on SoundCloud, but it’s almost kind of like another social media page. You could just post and put it out there, but it’s not as official as Spotify. You don’t feel that type of pressure that comes from posting on those platforms, you know? So that’s how I view it — definitely a big part of a community.

Anna: What would you say your top three songs that are on SoundCloud, but not on Spotify are right now?

aftrr: I’d say “the less I know (VIP)” version, which I do plan on putting on Spotify, I just don’t know when yet. And some others probably wouldn’t be my main page, because I do have a second SoundCloud account, just aftrr backwards. I have a song called “dbl_dutch” with my friend Mar and some older stuff on there which I really like. So honestly, anything from that page.

Anna: When you’re producing so much music, and especially with the internet space and the communities you have, how do you wade through music and choose what’s released officially, what’s released under aftrr on SoundCloud, and what’s released on your second account? What’s the thought process there? 

aftrr: Say I’m starting a new project file, I already have in my mind usually that what I’m about to make right now is gonna go on that page. Because also, my process is very slow. I’m not the fastest worker, so it’s very rare that I’ll have an abundance of unreleased or finished songs. Damn near everything I make ends up getting uploaded in some form.

Songs for alt accounts, that’s the rare occasion that I make something with no intention of really dropping it officially. Those are usually just songs that I just make for fun or as practice, honestly.

Anna: Then to pivot to aftrrLife, your first official album that’s on Spotify. Could you walk through the creation process of that project, just because you said you’re very intentional and kind of slow with the stuff you make?

aftrr: It goes back to October last year, because that’s when I dropped the first single, which was “i reap what i sow.” Even before that song was out, like when I first made that song, I knew that with the style, the sound, I knew I hit something that I wanted to really pursue. Up until that point, I hadn’t really felt that I had a consistent view of things, stylistically. When I made that song, I committed to this idea of “okay, if I commit to this style for a while and this sound, where could I take it?” I’ve had a few EPs before, but that’s when I first had the idea of making a full length tape. 

The goal for it was to be a re-introduction of what aftrr is. For new fans and people that might not know yet, and also as a redefinition for older fans. When I put that project out there, it’s like this is aftrr — this is who I am now. Even just putting my name in the project, I really wanted to solidify, this is like the aftrr identity. 

Anna: Yeah, for sure! I felt like even just looking through all the covers for the single leading up to this album, they were all thematically very similar and it was obvious they were meant to be a part of a new project. What were the inspirations for you when you were creating these visuals, the sound, or the story behind them? What did you want it to signify about aftrr?

aftrr: That’s a good question. As far as sound, I grew up on a lot of electronic music before I pivoted to more niche sounds that I found on the internet. So I feel like me going to more of this EDM, dance-style sound was a call back to what I grew up on. Also, if I’m making a beat in that style, versus like a hip-hop beat, I feel like it comes very naturally to me. It was also something I was good at, so that’s why I wanted to do it.

As far as the story, there’s not much of a common theme from song to song or a story I’m telling, but a lot of songs are pretty personal. I don’t specifically write every single word, a lot of times I’ll punch in and freestyle, but a lot of it is true stories, and it very much is a personal project.

Anna: I also really like EDM, but I didn’t have that experience of growing up on it! Who do you listen to and who are you into now? Is it still like the same people?

aftrr: I don’t think so. I think when I grew up, a lot of what I was listening to would just be what I would find on YouTube. I would listen to channels like NoCopyrightSounds and that type of EDM. Like Monstercat and Trap Nation. I was listening to a good amount of trap EDM back then, which nowadays, I don’t know if I even like at all. It depends on the song for sure, but back then, the first names that come to mind are San Holo and deadmau5.

Anna: Yeah, I think EDM — not that it’s ever been super irrelevant — but especially now, there’s a huge resurgence in people enjoying EDM! I feel like it’s very tied to the internet and to what people say is “internet music” as well. It’s almost creating this new genre of dance, hyperpop, EDM stuff.

aftrr: Yeah, that’s true. I’ve noticed that too. The way I view things, like art in general, fashion, music, etc., is everything’s on a 18-year cycle, like they say. I think part of it is that trends come and go. But I feel like, with Tiktok and social media now, it’s a lot shorter.

The resurgence of a lot of EDM and EDM styles now reminds me a lot of early or mid-2010s pop music, like radio music. A lot of artists were incorporating EDM drops into their songs, and those were the big radio hits. 

I feel like that’s kind of what’s happening now, just in a more modern format. It’s definitely the trend now since the space is dictated by who’s up or who’s currently blowing up, especially on the Internet. Then that kind of trickles down through the rest of the internet and the industry even.

Anna: Who would you say is defining the genre, or even the broader music scene right now?

aftrr: It’s hard to say, because the landscape of music is so broad now. There’s so many people, and there’s so many ears.

For the internet and underground music, I feel like the obvious answer is 2hollis, which is crazy, because I’m pretty sure he’s from the same scene as me. That’s what I’ve heard, at least, that he was in the same position. He was on Discord, he was just making music, and he’s been doing that for years, so shout out him. I feel like when he’s blown up, it’s opened the doors for a lot of fans to explore more music beyond what they were listening to prior.

Within the EDM scene, I don’t know because I’m not too familiar with that scene. But, I do really like Knock2 and ISOxo. I’m a little biased, because I’m pretty sure they’re Asian! [laughs] But I definitely do think that scene has been evolving a lot in recent times.

Anna: For sure! I think that maybe I’m biased because I’m so into internet music or the internet scene, but I do see so many artists now coming from that era of being on Discord and making music. Definitely more within anything electronic.

aftrr: Yeah, it’s like that. It’s a post-quarantine era. All these people started probably during COVID, when they’re just in their rooms. That’s how I was. And then give it a few years, and you see where all these people ended up. 

Anna: When you’re mentioning that the scene has a lot of this 2010 EDM stuff, where they were incorporating EDM drops into the pop music of the 2010s, I think it’s so nostalgic! I was literally listening to Gym Class Heroes recently because of that. Are there any songs from your childhood or from that era of music that you’re interested in incorporating into your music?

aftrr: I like that question because I have a playlist of throwback songs, and a lot of them I do want to sample. I’m pretty sure I actually sampled Gym Class Heroes for one of my older songs. 

But I’d love to incorporate Lorde. I like Charli XCX obviously, and maybe [The] Chainsmokers. Maybe some Calvin Harris song with vocals on it. Mike Posner, Kesha, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and there’s a Tinashe song I really want to sample. Any of the hits from that era are just so fire. 

We’re definitely in that time. Two, three years ago, it was the y2k era, that resurgence. Like I said earlier, it’s a cycle. Now it’s the mid-2010s and the 2012-2015 indie sleaze.

Anna: How do you think things have developed and changed for you from releasing music since 2018 to solidifying where you’re going with this next project? 

aftrr: Honestly, everything’s pretty much changed. When I first downloaded FL Studio and looked up how to make beats on Youtube, I had no real goal. It was just something to do for fun, and that’s how it was for a good while. I grew up big on gaming, and I always thought that I would go pro on Counter-Strike or something back then [laughs]. 

But eventually, I just got more and more pulled into music, especially when quarantine hit. That’s when it really became more of a possibility that I could actually take this far. That’s also when I met and made friends with a bunch of other people that made music as well for the first time. 

Ever since then, it’s basically become my life. Since then, I’ve been able to do shows and really connect with people. Whenever someone tells me that the music has really impacted them in some way, that’s when I know I’m doing something right, and I just gotta keep going. It’s basically changed everything.

Anna: Speaking of all that change, you mentioned that you were gonna drop stuff under a new alias, separate from aftrr. Could you share a little bit more about that and how that music is different from what you’re doing now?

aftrr: I’m gonna be starting a new side profile called nero stasis. It’s still very early stages, and I don’t have it finalized yet. It’s definitely not like the more EDM stuff I’m doing now, probably more rap and calling back to what I was doing a few years ago. 

My goal with it is mostly as a fun passion project. Since I’ve been doing this new music as aftrr, I haven’t made other style songs like the ones I was making back then, and those were still fun to make, too. The goal of this new alias is to just have fun and bring back those types of songs with a lot of rap influence.

I plan on it still being self-produced, but I do want to also use that place to just work more with a lot of my artist friends and producer friends. I think it’ll be fun, and that is coming soon in the next few months.

Anna: Awesome! That sounds super cool. Are there any other new projects or things you want to touch on?

aftrr: Right now, I’m working on the next single. I think it’s been almost three months since I dropped the project, so it’s about that time to come back. This is the first time I’ve taken a break in dropping consistently, although three months since an album is pretty normal.

Anna: Yeah, it’s not long at all! 

aftrr: Before I would literally never spend more than 30 days apart from a release, which is crazy. But that’s also why I feel that I am where I am right now, because of that consistency. 

But anyways, I’ve been taking time with the next release. It’s still going to be in the same vein as what I’ve been doing before, but just a lot more elevated, a lot more refined. The way it’s looking right now, I could confidently say this is at least my best song and my favorite for sure, technically and skill wise. It’s definitely an evolution of what I was doing before, and I’m excited for that.

Since the project [aftrrLife], I’ve started to think that I want everything I put out to lead to the next project. I don’t want to drop 20 singles in a year and then just call it a day. I feel that I’m past that point now, and I want to start developing real ideas and real projects and albums. I think this next song will also lead to the next project, whatever that is, but it is still very early on. 

Anna: As you’re taking a little more time than you typically do between your releases and you’re wanting to ground your projects in a way that’s a bit more intentional, how do you think it’s changed how you view actually creating the music?

aftrr: That’s a good question. It really has changed. I put a lot of things into perspective recently, with music, and with my lifestyle in this time taken away from music. It’s all affected how I’m viewing my music as much higher now. It’s a lot more purposeful, and I feel like my potential has gone up a lot more.

It could be a bad thing to be very hyper-critical and be way too perfectionist. But I’m trying to have a good balance where whatever I put out is the best of what I can do. I’m not trying to be the best artist in the world, but I’m trying to be the absolute best that I can be, and that I know I can be. 

I’m just taking more time with things. I’ve realized there’s really not a rush to anything at all. There’s a demand, but there’s no real rush because music will always be there. So yeah, just taking my time with it and having fun. I’m refining everything and making sure it’s like exactly what I want to be. That’s the goal.