Monday, June 9, 2025

Alex Hoskyns Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor
Alex Hoskyns recently released her debut single, "Secondhand Love", that you need to listen to as soon as possible. I was thrilled she wanted to visit with us to discuss the single, her musical goals, and more!

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

I absolutely love your recent single. “Secondhand Love”. What can you tell me about it?

Secondhand love was the first song I wrote in college. I was essentially starting over making friends, and I was thinking about the types of relationships I wanted to build, and the mistakes I made in the past.  It is a piece that combines my love of folk and cinematic instrumentation, reflecting on the feeling of being someone’s second choice/last priority, and feeling like you are constantly compromising by accepting that.


What was your favorite part of the recording process?

The song was produced by Carlee Morales, and we recorded in Valencia, Spain. Both of us were only just starting to learn the ropes of working in the studio, and it was just super fun spending all the time in the studio experimenting with different samples and ideas. I feel like it is just as much Carlee’s song as it is mine, and I loved seeing how her ideas really brought my lyrics to life. 


What do you enjoy most about performing on stage in front of an audience?

I am a very shy person, and I think a lot of people don’t expect me to have the voice or presence that I have. It sometimes feels like I’m Clark Kent, and I get it show my true self on stage. I find it like just seeing the surprised reactions of people, but also showing them that people can be a lot more/different than you expect. 


Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I am inspired by big voices, like Ray Charles, Nina Simone and Tower of Power. However, compositionally I take a lot of inspiration from João Gilberto, Adele, and Gregory Alan Isakov. It is definitely an interesting mix that I’m still trying to navigate.   


What is the most challenging part of your music career?

For me, it has been choosing what things to focus on and when. Performing was my first love, but while in school I really networked and studied the film and tv composer path. Its hard to juggle wanting both those things, since both really require you to be “all in” in terms of time, and focus. I also feel like I have two different sounds. I write a lot of folk music, but when I perform I also do a lot of funk, blues. In my head those are two very different things, and I’m still trying to find out how to combine those into one project that feels cohesive. 


What are your immediate music goals?

I’m headed to Valencia Spain to pursue a Masters in performance and production. I really wanna try the artist thing, potentially going to the UK and really just writing and performing as much as I possibly can. I always say yes to any opportunity and hope that’ll take me to the next one. 


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That sounds like a great plan to me

As always, I want to thank Alex 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, Alex, and good luck reaching your goals!


Friday, June 6, 2025

New Music From Amira Noor, Asmi Aderay, Pragya, Isabelle Gitlin, ISA!, Céline Marie, Pitch Slapped, Georgia Chess


"Tried" - by Amira Noor


Release Date: May 30, 2025

What You Should Know: "Excited to share this special song with you guys."

Find It: Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2025 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Amira Noor Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Confess to Me" - by Asmi Aderay

Release Date: April 11, 2025

What You Should Know: "Confess to Me is more than just a song to me - it’s a late-night emotional confession set to melody. With every note, I’m sharing the heartbreak and feelings we often keep hidden. I hope it connects with you like a secret between friends."


Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2025 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Asmi Aderay Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Picking at the Seams" - by Pragya

Release Date: May 9, 2025

What You Should Know: This debut EP is one you won't want to miss!

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

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"It Still" - by Isabelle Getlin 


Release Date: May 23, 2025

What You Should Know: "Thank you to my family, particularly my grandmother Zoya. She served as an inspiration for me on this and I want to dedicate it to her. She was a talented working actress from St. Petersburg, but was unable to continue pursing her craft and passion after immigrating to this country for her family."

Find It: Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2025 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Isabelle Gitlin Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"The Flow" - by ISA!


Release Date: June 6, 2025

What You Should Know: "This song is particularly special for me as it was not my first first first ever written, but for sure my first fully finished and produced all on my own. "

Find It: Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2025 in Section 36",  "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36:  More ISA!

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"Showtime" - by Céline Marie

Release Date: June 6, 2025

What You Should Know: 
It’s an EDM / Techno track, a fusion of the sub-genres Peak Time, Industrial and Minimal Techno, and the lead single of her upcoming EP “Showtime”.

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

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"
Are You That Somebody?" - by Pitch Slapped

Release Date: June 6, 2025

What You Should Know: A must-listen release from this incredible group.

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

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"Ascot" - by Georgi Chess


Release Date: June 6, 2025

What You Should Know: "“Ascot” is this really bitter song about unrequited love. I’m not really into writing “sappy” love songs, because music like that makes me feel a little hopeless. So majority of my “sad” songs end up becoming these angry, gritty rock tunes, because that feels more empowering to me in a way."

Find It: Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2025 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Amira Noor Visits Section 36 Music!"


Thursday, June 5, 2025

Recording "The Flow"

 By ISA!

My favorite pard of recording "The Flow" was the main recording part. Even though all the moments were special in their way! Anyways, I was extremely lucky and managed to record most of the band in one session. It was the beginning of the spring semester, and I was planning recordings of another song (yep... soon hehehe) when my engineer friend asked me if I could also cover a full band session. Mind you, this was less than a week after my landing back in Boston after winter break so I was JET LAGGED 
😂 

Anyways, I managed to pull through the sleepiness (and the flu) and got together an awesome band that could work with me. My goal initially was just to get a good take out of drums, and we encountered quite some challenges with the equipment that made me fear we'd run out of time. But instead we managed to get a magical piano moment and awesome flute takes too! Bass and percussions were rerecorded separately (and these are two other hilarious stories), and the vox recordings were an odyssey, but so worth it.

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I want to thank ISA! for taking the time to share this story with us. 


Be sure to follow her on Instagram, and pre-save The Flow to be sure you won't miss it!


Thanks again ISA!


Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Georgia Chess Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor
Georgia Chess has a new single, "Ascot", on the way that you won't want to miss. I was thrilled she wanted to visit with us to discuss the single, her musical goals, and more!

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

I am really excited about your upcoming single. “Ascot”. What can you tell me about it?

“Ascot” is this really bitter song about unrequited love. I’m not really into writing “sappy” love songs, because music like that makes me feel a little hopeless. So majority of my “sad” songs end up becoming these angry, gritty rock tunes, because that feels more empowering to me in a way. 


This song in particular took me a while to write. I came up with the initial idea for it when I was 15. I had a huge crush on this guy in my friend group. He was the lead singer of this little rock band, and I thought he was super cool. Unfortunately for me, he started dating someone else, so I knew it was never meant to be. That was my inspiration for the first verse and pre-chorus, but I didn’t really know how to finish it. It wasn’t until a few years later when I wrote the guitar riff that I was able to finish the song. The lyrics I had initially written fit perfectly with the vibe of the guitar. Plus, I had lyrics from another song that I was planning to scrap. So I had all these fragments that I was able to piece together into a song, and that’s how “Ascot” came to be.


What was your favorite part of the recording process?

Normally, I record all my songs by myself, just me and my laptop. I would record vocals, guitar, bass, and keys, then send that off to my producer (Django Beaudoin) so they could record drums and put together the final mix. “Ascot” was a bit different, though, because this was my first time recording in studio with a full band. It’s a much different experience with other people in the room. You feed off of each other’s energy, and that’s something you can’t get when recording alone. I’m very lucky that most of the musicians and producers I collab with are my close friends, so it felt like we were just hanging out and recording some cool music.


What do you enjoy most about performing on stage in front of an audience?

As a kid and a young songwriter, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to perform. And when I did perform my songs for people, it was usually just me and my guitar. Acoustic sets can be fun, but I really wanted to play with a band. I would spend a lot of time watching videos on YouTube of my favorite bands or artists playing live, especially during quarantine. I have this specific memory of watching Arctic Monkeys’ 2013 Glastonbury set, and thinking “That’s it! That’s what I want to do!”. So now when I play with a full band, it’s like I’m finally fulfilling the dream that younger me always had. It’s really gratifying to see. It’s also great to see the songs come to life. The music becomes this real, tangible thing instead of just a melody in my head.


Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My first influence was my dad, since he was the person who taught me my first guitar chords. He also was always playing music in the car, so he introduced me to bands like Queen and Led Zeppelin from an early age. My mom, on the other hand, introduced me to artists like Frank Sinatra and Amy Winehouse, so I really got the best of both worlds. As I got older, I became really obsessed with early 2000’s riff-rock - bands like The Strokes, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age. I would lock myself up in my room and spends hours learning their songs on the guitar by ear, and that was how I learned to write my own guitar parts and riffs. 


Lyrics are very important to me. I’m very particular about what words or imagery I use, and I believe that’s largely to do with my musical influences. Fiona Apple has a way of saying so, so much while simultaneously being really concise, and she does it all through metaphors. She’s honestly one of the most impressive lyricists I’ve ever seen. Additionally, Alex Turner’s writing opened up a whole new world of lyricism for me. He has this way of writing that is very abstract and layered, and the worlds that he creates through each song are kind of magical. So I’ve adopted that same kind of surrealism and use of metaphors into my own writing.


What is the most challenging part of your music career?

I like to believe that I have become more confident since starting my music career, but I still struggle with putting myself out there. Posting or talking about my music consistently feels like saying, “Hey! Look at me! I’m super important!”, and that can be a real struggle for someone who doesn’t like drawing attention to themself. But the thing I’ve come to realize over the past few years is that there is no lack of space in the music world. There’s enough room for every artist to share the music they’ve created, and I have to remind myself that that includes me too. I also think about all the artists I love, and how much joy and comfort their music has brought me. So if my music could potentially do the same for someone else, then I don’t want my ego to get in the way of making that happen.


What are your immediate music goals?

After “Ascot”, I plan on releasing a few more singles this summer. Plus, I have a bigger project in the works, but I don’t want to reveal all the details just yet! I’ll also be moving back to my hometown of Los Angeles later this year, so I’m excited to continue my music journey there. 


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I can't wait for all these plans to be revealed!

As always, I want to thank Georgia 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, Georgia, and good luck reaching your goals!