So long, Spotify: Reflections on creating content and speaking my truth

And that’s a wrap. Today is my last day at Spotify. Since February 2017, I was a writer on the Originals Team that brought original audio and video content to Spotify for the first time. I worked largely on video content for RapCaviar as I watched it grow from 5 million to over 10 million followers as the second largest playlist on the platform.

I came into the role armed with my writing chops, my early foundation in journalism, and my most recent artist relations experience I developed previously at SoundCloud.

Video production though was a new world, so I was excited to learn as much as I could. I’m grateful for how much I’ve learned and grown, even bridging over to creative producing. I sharpened my skills in conceptualizing creative ideas, writing and pitching treatments, understanding the ins and outs of being on set, and interviewing artists.

Artist relations always went hand in hand with my role as a writer. Helping bring opportunities for artists and creators I believe in, especially emerging artists, producers, and women brings me joy. Big thanks to all those I’ve gotten to cross paths with, work with, and support throughout my time at Spotify. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and brought to the table. Some of my favorite memories include:

• Covering the underground movement Denzel Curry started in Carol City that marked its place in Miami hip hop history and whose sound inspired a new generation of SoundCloud rappers

• Bringing spirituality and hip hop together by inviting Imani, The Hood Healer, through to do Trippie Redd’s first spiritual reading and a special group reading for International Women’s Day dinner with City Girls, Kali Uchis, and Molly Brazy

• Having 6LACK cook chicken wings for fans at his favorite American Deli in Atlanta

• Telling the story of LVRN and their establishment as a creative, hardworking management company as they celebrated the opening of their new office and studio in Atlanta

• Visiting legendary, solar-powered Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, a special recording studio that reverberates positive energy and love because of the Tree Sound team and where artists like Outkast and Future have been recording in for years

• Exploring the history of Go Go music in D.C. and its influence on GoldLink’s At What Cost

• Bringing some of my favorite producers through to help tell their stories which contributed to the growth of the Visualize producer series and playlist: DJ Dahi, Take A Daytrip, Teddy Walton, ThankGod4Cody and Carter Lang

• Organizing and hosting the first ever Women@Spotify LA panel and networking mixer event where I invited women filmmakers to share their experiences and advice in celebration of International Women’s Day

• Concluding my final week and final video project on set in Philadelphia with Tierra Whack whose music and originality has inspired me to take greater leaps and to always be myself

I’m grateful for the challenges and learning experiences that remind me to always speak and stand in my truth. Perseverance and resilience continue to build my character and strength, and having integrity gives me the courage to move forward. Key takeaways and reminders:

• Trust your gut, know yourself, and stand for what you believe in. I’ve shared this in previous takeaways, but it’s worth repeating.

• Share your hard work and accomplishments to advocate for yourself, but don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve been on a continuous journey of sharing my voice and consistently talking about the work I do. Sometimes I may want to lay low, and that’s okay. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t share every moment you’ve created and every contribution you’ve made. The work will ultimately speak for itself, but revel in things that you do want to celebrate and share with others.

• Know who’s in your court, stick with them, and tell them you love them. I’m grateful for my supportive family and tight circle of friends who remind me that I am loved, supported, and seen. Congruent energy is key.

What’s next for me? I’ll be sharing more updates about my next moves soon in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’ll be decompressing and working on some projects I’m excited to build and grow.

You can get in touch with me by heading to the Contact page on my website or feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. If you’ve been following along with me on my journey in music since the early days, thank you for the continuous support. Here’s to new beginnings.

My first music showcase: April + VISTA, Ivy Sole, and Bathe

Last Thursday I hosted and curated my first music showcase at Forecast Recordings, a boutique recording studio in the Arts District of Downtown LA.

April + VISTA from D.C.
Photo by Stephanie Salinas

Bathe from Brooklyn, NY
Photo by Stephanie Salinas

Ivy Sole from Philadelphia, PA
Photo by Stephanie Salinas

Jane Shin from Los Angeles, CA.
Photo by Stephanie Salinas

It was a lovely night of music with three talented East Coast-based acts: April + VISTA, Ivy Sole, and Bathe. It was also April + VISTA’s first headlining LA show and Bathe’s first show in LA.

Curating my own lineup has been on my music bucket list for some time. As an avid concert goer since high school and a lover of live music, I was excited to find myself full circle, curating and organizing my own music line-up. Thanks to my friend Hollis, a singer-songwriter who also moonlights at the director of the studio, I was able to cross that off the list.

There was great energy in the room, thanks to everyone who came out to support these talented, independent musicians. Bathe opened up their set, entrancing the audience with their psych-inspired R&B sounds. Ivy Sole got the crowd energized with her poetic tunes and dancing ensued. April + VISTA sealed the night with their electric, moving set and previewed new music from their upcoming EP You Are Here.

April + VISTA, Ivy Sole, and Bathe are all carving their own lanes and sounds while creating from authenticity, love, and vulnerability.

I was honored to have invited them all to personally to be part of this showcase not only because their music is incredible, but also because I’ve met them at various points in my life so far. To be able to reflect back together on how we met and how far we’ve come since then is a reminder for all of us to keep going.

April + VISTA

April George and Matt Thompson make up the genre-bending duo April + VISTA from the DMV. April is a violinist, pianist, and vocalist. Matt is a bassist, producer, and engineer. Together, they create incredible soundscapes and stories through their music, influenced by everything from gospel and soul to futuristic, experimental sounds. Their music transports you to another place and lights you up.

I first heard of April when I heard her across GoldLink’s projects over the years. Her talent and voice blew me away and has played a significant role in the growth of his sound. I met her backstage at a 2016 GoldLink show at Social Hall in San Francisco. We stayed in touch through the Internet and our connection grew especially in the last year. Last year, I interviewed and wrote a profile on April for OkayPlayer.

A special highlight was that after their show on Thursday, their latest single “Own2” played on the KCRW airwaves, an hour before their flight back to DC on Saturday. Alignment in action is a beautiful thing.

Ivy Sole

Ivy Sole is a Charlotte, NC native who now resides in Philadelphia. She boasts an incredible amount of talent as a rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her writing is strong and poetic, heartfelt and healing.

I learned of Ivy when she appeared on the Fresh Finds playlist (shoutout to Athena Koumis) and we met for the first time last year as part of my 2017 Jane Shin Summer Tour across five cities–Miami, Atlanta, NYC, Stockholm, and London.

There’s always something to take away from her music and a lot of depth to it, whether it's a song about the rollercoaster-like feelings of being in love or about the fragility and simplicity of life. She has an upcoming project coming soon too, so stay glued to this one.

Bathe

Bathe consists of Devin Hobdy and Corey Smith-West who create luscious, psych R&B. I first met Devin in 2015 back in my SoundCloud days. He was one of the coworkers I instantly connected with right away as we swapped music links back and forth.

I didn't officially hear his musical talents until last December when he shared the band's demo of “I’ll Miss You” on his Instagram Stories. I instantly loved what I heard, we kept in touch about things since the start of the year, and I invited them to come out to perform their music live for the first time in LA.

Through my experiences working in digital music for the past 10 years, I often think about how artists “break” on the Internet. In this case, it was cool to invite a new band like Bathe to perform despite the fact that they haven't shared any music publicly yet. I felt it was a treat for people to experience their music live for the first time as opposed to a SoundCloud link. They have music coming out this year though so stay tuned.

Takeaways from the night

• Support emerging and independent artists. Sure, it's a saturated industry we're in, but it's an exciting time in music. There's a lot of incredible music out there, especially from new artists who are creating new sounds and taking risks on the daily. I’m thankful I’ve gotten a chance to work with emerging and independent artists over the course of my career, and I don’t intend to stop. 

• “Build the community you want more of." Community is everything. The right people will come. Don't worry about chasing after people or things that don't reciprocate at your level. Be mindful of what you spend your time on and with whom. 

• "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." I’ve always loved this quote from Steve Jobs, and I find myself thinking a lot about it in the context of heightened alignment I've been experiencing as of late. Not sure if this is a side effect of turning 30, but it feels good. I'm grateful for all the challenges and experiences that have led me to this point. Go after the things you want to do. If it sparks joy, keep doing it and follow your intuition.

Summertime musings

Happy July and Eclipse season,

The first half of 2018 is over. I hope you're enjoying your summer. As I parse through old journal entries from earlier this year, I reflect on the following things:

• What themes and learnings continue to arise since the start of the year?
• What seeds am I ready to plant?
• What old narratives must I let go?
• How am I continuing to honor my voice and speak my truth?

Updates

• I turned 30 in June and celebrated this special milestone in Kauai with my best friends. Called The Garden Isle, Kauai is the perfect getaway, serene and lush. More pictures on my IG. I don’t take my youthfulness for granted, but I’m always happy to clear up confusion about how old I actually am and have no shame in sharing my age. I'm a mature, grown woman, thank you very much.
• This year is already turning out to be a year where major shifts are occurring–more exploration of shadows, more growth illuminated, more meditation, prayer, pausing, breathing. Check out my mental health resources I've written about.

• I’m hosting my first music showcase on August 9. I’ll be bringing out April + VISTA for their first headlining show in LA, along with Philly’s Ivy Sole and Brookyln band Bathe at Forecast Recordings in Arts District, DTLA. Tickets are available at https://hiddensoundsaprilvista.splashthat.com/. If you're in the LA area, please come through and support these amazing independent artists.

Great reads

• My talented friend and writer Tasbeeh Herwees' The Fader cover story of rapper Rico Nasty. Rico is an incredible force from the DMV, and I can't stop listening to her music. "G-g-g-goodness gracious, I might give a fuck on a rare occasion..."

• The Creative Independent is a "growing resource of emotional and practical guidance for creative people." Lots of learnings and nuggets of wisdom shared through excellent interviews with all kinds of creative people across the board. This resource is also available in Japanese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish translations.

Jane Shin's favorites in rotation

Here are my favorite, recent tunes in rotation as of late. I'll be continuing to update this playlist on the regular:

Mental Health Awareness month

May is mental health awareness month. I'm passionate about raising awareness of mental health through my writing and building community in music. The stigma around anxiety, depression, and other mental health-related illnesses needs to be removed.

This past week was an important reminder of how far a little bit of self-care practice can go towards easing my mind and reminding me to live in the present. Here are some things that have helped me recently and some things I'm looking forward to:

Insight Timer: Meditation app

I’ve previously recommended apps like Calm and Headspace, but I recently came across Insight Timer, the biggest meditation community in the world. Thousands of meditation teachers upload guided meditations across a variety of needs–anxiety, stress, sleep, emergency, etc. I’ve been using Insight Timer every day and night, whether I’m meditating for a few minutes before going into work, or getting ready to fall asleep.

Notes from the Universe

This is one of my favorite things to receive in my inbox: Notes from the Universe.  Every morning "The Universe" sends you a note, personalized with your name. These notes are "designed to remind you that you have, indeed, been given dominion over all things." I tend to receive these brilliant, uplifting reminders at the right time. Sign up for them here. 

Breath work

I took a breath work class for the first time last week. Breath work involves controlled, rhythmic breathing to help release pent-up emotions as you focus on the here and now. It was an intense experience–first-timers often experience their hands cramping up like lobster claws. As the music started to get louder and my breathing aligned with the sounds bouncing off the walls in the room, tears started to pour uncontrollably. I left the class with a set of mantras and gratitude for all that I'm experiencing and working on. 

Sound baths

People getting ready for the Liminial sound bath at Marciano Art Foundation.

Sound baths are a great way to relax, release emotional trauma, and gain new insights and perspectives. I had the privilege of experiencing an incredible sound bath at the Marciano Art Foundation last week. It took place in a 13,000 square foot space that currently houses Olafur Eliasson’s Reality Project, an immersive light and sound installation. Jónsi of Sigur Rós, frequent collaborator Alex Somers, and composer Paul Corley performed Sigur Rós's newest mixtape Liminal live. On the project's site, they write, “Liminal views Sigur Rós as an eco-system. It identifies the connections and blurs the boundaries between work done and work to come; between brand new music and ideas barely yet nascent; between songs written 20 years ago and collaborations to be made tomorrow.”

I love that description so much. I felt and visualized those themes throughout the experience. I often dipped into the past, imagined the future. Breathing through it and immersing myself in the music allowed me to return to home, to the present. I also reflected on how much I’ve grown since my days in high school and college listening to and seeing Sigur Rós and Jónsi live. Here I was, more than a decade later, listening to their latest project in an unforgettable sound bath experience.

WE RISE LA: May 19-28

Organized by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, WE RISE is a 10-day pop-up festival of art and community building in Downtown LA from May 19-28. There will be talks, meditations, workshops and more to raise awareness and action around mental health as a civil right for all. I look forward to checking out some of the events this upcoming week. All events are free with RSVP. More info here.

Previous mental health related posts I've written

• Notes on Guilt and resentment / anger and patience from meditation class
• Self-care tips
• Notes on Essentialism