New Music From Kelsey Blackstone and MANU XAVIER

 "Willow" - by Kelsey Blackstone

Release Date: June 14, 2024

What You Should Know: "this song is about growing older, things changing & accepting them even if it’s painful, and appreciating the important things that remain the same <3 if you’ve ever felt like Willow does in our song & you’re missing some of the magic from simpler times, I hope this music inspires you through it"

Find It: Spotify or Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "Leaving Boston (Live)", "505"

Previously on Section 36: "Kelsey Blackstone Visits Section 36 Music!", "Tour Tips from Kelsey Blackstone"

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 "Shelf" - by MANU XAVIER

Release Date: June 28, 2024

What You Should Know: "MANU XAVIER is a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist who has already become a beloved figure in the Boston scene. Representing the Modern Rock genre, Manu’s original songs delve deeply into self-discovery, exploring sexuality, facing coming-of-age issues, and finding her own artistry. With inspiration ranging from Led Zeppelin to the Arctic Monkeys, she has created a signature sound characterized by her metaphorical lyrics and clinging motifs. If you’ve been waiting for a female rock’n’roll artist worth your attention, you should definitely listen to SHELF, which is available on all streaming platforms!"

Find It: Spotify or Apple

Previously on Section 36: "Introducing Rock Artist Manu Xavier..."

Julia Adrian Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! I'm sure you have all listened to Julia Adrian's recent single, "Elephant in the Room". Now you get to learn a little bit more about this inredible artist as we talk about the song, her goals, and more!

So, let's see what happens when Julia Adrian visits Section 36 Music!

I absolutely love your recnt single “Elephant in the Room". What can you tell me about it?

I actually wrote it a few years ago, when I was thinking about a pretty uncertain situation. I had a friend and didn’t know where we stood, and the phrase ‘elephant in the room’ kept popping into my head.  It was both exciting and anticipatory, and I wanted to create the production ideas to mirror a ‘whisper’ and the tension-filled situation.  I decided to write about it from a playful lens, and that’s how we got here!

What was your favorite part of the recording process?

I loved recording this song and seeing how it progressed from the first day to where it ended up.  My favorite day of the process is always vocal day because we really hone in on the vocal artifacts and the detail of how I sing each line.  I love finding unique harmonies to support the lead vocal.  We tried to make the vocal edits and the breathiness reflect the suspense filled vibe of the song.  The best feeling is the last day when all the finishing touches come together and we do the first listen through of the final song.

Originally from the Northeast, you’re now based in Nashville. What has that move done for you and your career?

It’s been incredible.  Nashville is such a wonderful community of people that support and help each other.  There’s such a high concentration of creatives whether that be artists, writers, musicians, photographers, etc.  Nashville has changed the way I view this path and has made me feel so incredibly supported.  

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I have so many.  I love the style and vocals of Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones.  I grew up being inspired by Ariana Grande’s harmonies and vocals, and Taylor Swift and Julia Michael’s lyricism.  More recently, I enjoy listening to artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Renee Rapp, Olivia Rodrigo, Maisie Peters, and Chappell Roan.

What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?

It’s definitely difficult to decipher advice and constructive criticism from opinion.  I’ve learned to listen, but take everything with a grain of salt.  Music is so subjective and there will always be someone who connects with your music and loves it. You just have to find that community.

What are your immediate music goals?

I would love to create a live show that people are excited to come to, with songs people want to sing to, but also feel both fun and cathartic. Similar to the live shows, I want to create a community of people who understand my sense of humor and relate in some way to the words I am singing.  I also love writing for other artists and connecting with them as people. 

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Love her attitude about finding her community. Perhaps it's with Section 36!  

As always, I want to thank Julia for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram, and Spotify  to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Julia, and good luck reaching your goals!

Elle Sera Talks About "All Over Again"!

I love being able to go behind the scenes on anything, and see what's going on behind the curtain. I especially love the stories behind songs. Where they came from, what they mean, anything. So I was thrilled when Elle Sera wanted to share the story behind her recent single with us. Let's see what she had to say!

“ALL OVER AGAIN” has served me a few different story lines and inspiration points through the life it’s had since inception so far.  While it may have had some roots in the “I’ve got to get over this person” vibes in the impetus it certainly took a winding road with me as my internal landscape evolved when thinking about love, relationships(of all kinds!) and how my body & brain processes it all. 

There were some big lessons that surfaced through the ability to just get this song out of me and written.  Took me a few years to sit with the feelings and have enough rear-view-mirror perspective that freed me to pen it and seemed effortless in the task when it did push through, gratefully.  I’d say this song even helped me understand why I had to process with a fervor of replaying scenes, words and moments to the point of overwhelm.  And it started to seem like a chore to put so much into keeping my mind on a merry-go-round. So rather than beat myself up for that and with that I looked at what my brain was doing and why it felt it needed that.  Putting on a different hat to birds-eye view it all allowed some space to process how I WANTED TO think and not be bound by the patterns, habits and poor conditioning I’d been programmed with as a child. 

I began to look at love and relationships and the relating to my own thoughts with a whole other perspective that was SO refreshing.  I’d like to think of myself as moving from “over-thinker” to “active deep thinker”.  So this song is for anyone who might do the whole “replay a scenario” over and over in your head. While in itself it can be a gateway to processing, just know the point in which it’s not serving your highest interest. 

Thanks for listening!

More Behind the Scenes of "Should've Known" with Duda

Duda continues to bring us with her through the songwriting process of "Should've Known". In this case, she shifts to taking us to the photo shoot for the cover art and video. She, of course, discusses that corset top you're all talking about. 

Here's what she had to say!

Let’s talk about the photo shoot now, because everyone loved the photo shoot. It is beautiful I must say. So the photos were taken by my friend Marina and the backstage video was taken by my roommate Allie. We took the photos in a beautiful place and I noticed that everyone loved the playing cards corset top because it is just gorgeous. It was handmade by Marina. She hand glued the playing cards one by one. I was initially trying to do it myself. This all came together the day of the shoot. We had another idea that didn’t work out. Then Lyla Tess, helping out with management, came up with this crazy idea of the playing cards corset top. I remember I was like “That’s not gonna work out”, but she said to try it. You never know. I started gluing it 1.5

hours before leaving for the shoot, and it started not working. And then Marina showed up with fabric glue and made it work and make it fit me. So it’s like perfectly fit for my body which is so nice. At the end it was actually glued on me. The playing cards visually tells a story of a game player who loves the game of going out with guys and saying that didn’t work out and tries another one. I still have the corset top. It’s beautiful and molded to my body which is so funny and I love it so much. It made me feel like I was in a fashion show and a real artist, performer, pop star.

Social media for the song is going going so well. (Lyla Tess Again) I am very present on TikTok. Nice to explore that and bring it to Instagram. So excited about this release, and everyone knows I put so much into everything I do. 

All the hard work definitely shows! "Should've Known" is such a great song. You should be sure to listen to it for yourself.

Thanks again, Duda, for sharing this story with us.

Bee Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! I'm sure you all know bee from her debut single "watch you go again". Now's your chance to learn a little bit more about the artist behind the magic as bee talks about the song, her influences, and more!

So, let's see what happens when bee visits Section 36 Music!

Your recent single, “watch you go again” is just fantastic. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you! watch you go again is my first single! I co-wrote this at Berklee early in the spring semester with my friend and producer, Luke Giles. We spent a lot of time finishing a demo throughout March, and then got into the studio in mid April to record the final version.

What was your biggest surprise about the recording process?

I've only ever recorded my songs in my bedroom in my childhood house, so the whole concept of finally getting access to studio time was super fun. I got to work with my very talented friend Kirsten Kirk as a studio engineer for a couple sessions. The most surprising part of the entire process was the fact that I got to sneak some secret vocals into the song from my friends!

You are currently studying at Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you?

I thought that I was going to be a softball player coming out of high school. After one year of playing softball, I knew I wanted to be at Berklee. I really love being here and meeting other artists and musicians. Also, I knew that above anything else, I wanted to improve as a musician in every way possible. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

Beabadoobee, Clairo, The 1975, Juliet Ivy, and The Japanese House are some of my biggest writing influences. This past year I've gotten so into indie pop, but I grew up on mostly alt rock like fall out boy, origami angel, and paramore.  

What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?

Right now my biggest challenge is making the absolute highest quality music that I can. I want to take a lot of care with my upcoming projects to make sure they're the best art I can create. 

What are your immediate music goals?

I would love to release more music! I'm working on new music currently, and I can't wait to start sharing these new songs, since they mean so much to me. My biggest goal for this year is to open for other musicians, and release new music that I'm proud of.

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Those are great goals. I know I'm excited to hear that new music!  

As always, I want to thank bee for visiting with us, and for sending along the picture to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram, and Spotify  to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again bee, and good luck reaching your goals!

New Music From Christiana Berenguer, Sydney Mira

"ADHD" - by Christiana Berenguer 

Release Date: June 5, 2024

What You Should Know: "It’s been a minute since I released something & I’m so proud of this one I did with the incredible @sansoltheartist once again. This is a peek into my brain & how navigating my ADHD is something I struggle with daily."

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "Draw the Line", "Not In Love", "In My Head", "Bad Words", "Everything/Nothing", "Excuses"

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like from Section 36", "What 2023 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Christiana Berenguer Visits Section 36 Music!", "Singing at Fenway"

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"Don't Step" - Single by Sydney Mira

Release Date: May 31, 2024

What You Should Know: "To all the girlies who’ve been bothered by some loser guy when they were just trying to have a fun night out, this one’s for you "

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "SnipSnip", "Candy Necklace", "Bite"

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "What 2023 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Sydney Mira Visits Section 36 Music!"

Alexa Name's 36 Favorite Things!

I’m sure you know Alexa Name from her incredible music, including her single "TENSION HIGH", which I hope you've listened to often.

To go along with that release, I thought we should learn a little bit more about this artist, by learning a few of her favorite things! Let's see how it goes...

What is her favorite...

Animal? Polar bear and penguin!
Disney song to sing? “Just Can’t Wait to be King” or “Be Our Guest”
Crayon color? Sky Blue
Coffee order? I rarely drink coffee because it makes me super jittery. My go-to is always an iced matcha latte with almond milk.
Football team? I don’t watch football except for the Superbowl so I’m rooting for all teams haha
Vacation spot? NYC or London
Place to shop? Concert merch tables
Star Wars character? Baby Yoda
Winter activity? Skiing
Beverage? Tea…flavor always changes depending on my mood.
Restaurant? I try to eat really healthy so I mostly eat at home. However, when I’m in LA, one of my go-to’s is Kreation Kafe
Book? “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky 
Song (Can be yours)? Each and every single Dua Lipa song (especially from her first album). 
City? Los Angeles
Ice cream flavor? Vanilla & Mint Chip
Shape? Hourglass
Article of clothing? Crop tops and cargo pants
Place to walk? Love walking everywhere! Living in Boston was so good for that!
Season? Summer
Cookie flavor? Chocolate chip…duh
String instrument? Guitar
Color rose? Classic red
Superhero? Wonder Woman
Body piercing location? Ears
Candle scent? Orange Blossom
Thing you did in the last 24 hours? Released my newest single, “TENSION HIGH”!!! 
Cheese? Pecorino Romano
Female musician? Adele
Disney character? Lumière
Social media platform? It’s a tie between TikTok and Instagram
Type of big cat? Lion
Summer activity? It’s concert season, so going to all of the concerts that I can!
Toy as a child? Yo-yo! I used to spend hours playing with it and learning how to do little tricks.
Smell? I’m so into smells. Anyone wearing a good perfume/cologne instantly wins a point. Favorite one at the moment is Baies by Dyptique.
Souvenir to bring home? Always a hoodie or a mug
Section? The one and only…36!!! 

That was fun!

As always, I want to thank Alexa for taking the time to do this with us. It's always nice to be able to learn a bit more about a favorite artist.

Be sure to listen to Alexa and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and/or Spotify. In fact, go do both right now! 

Thanks again Alexa!