Can I say that I love black women?

The ability to know self and know your sister…

Without a doubt we can be whatever we believe is real for us. Stepping outside of ego and living inside of anxist.

The story of the underground indie scene is a tale we all know the basis of. Ever notice though, that the chapter of categorizing the title “indie” itself is unwritten? How many artists do we know that are categorized indie but have full financial backing by one label or another? Better yet, how many actual indie or underground artist are out there who have had their entire aesthetic stolen by a mainstream artist? The worst:  when the indie artist finally gets noticed and is forced to totally buy into a life that they never thought they’d sign the paperwork for.

The need to take it past the download has become almost a requirement if you want to stay afloat in a sea of online famous musical newcomers. Executing the steps to set yourself apart from the crowd can almost limit you to a corner of the market that may take from you more than what it can return. We see it every quarter. An artist comes out with a single before an album, videos before the EP, and a machine made of publicists, A&R reps, and marketing team that can make anybody have an anxiety attack from their sales pitch; branding at its finest.

The scene is set with clothing designer friendships, images of events you only hear about, and trips that were bought on behalf of the label, to let it be known that it is still a business. So when looking at the music charts and noticing that most of these artists still get to market themselves as indie or alternative (based off a sound they’ve bartered), the real talent becomes smothered by unwanted expectation.

It’s the feeling of your (artistic) purpose being categorized and profited off of, when all you ever remember getting from being labeled indie was isolation and probably an obscene number of journals with poetry and quotes about how much everyone sucks for limiting your creativity and expression. Now being the “alternative and weird artist type” will get you 10,000 followers on Twitter and a bunch of really cool cameo photos and tags on your Instagram page. The most interesting part is that, that’s just where the story begins.

We look at the scene over the past 6-7 years, and we can find a number of artists who have political, social, or liberal views being catapulted into a mass market and then only have the option to morph into a mainstream top 40 pop artist, and have their messages be changed and or cut out. I can only help but to reference the early 90’s when there were all of these amazing bands, and hip hop artists who genuinely got to make music for their audiences. A Tribe Called Quest, Nirvana, honestly even bands like The Goo Goo Dolls, and Garbage had the freedom and the space to curate a sound and vibe for the demographic that they themselves represented and came from.

I think everyone knows that there are still socially aware artists and curators who are present in the industry currently and we know that they stand firmly in what it is that they believe, but the key to the lock has gone from the actual desire to change the social and political standard to more so making a profit off of being counter culture and convincing others to join in versus educating the audience on why exactly the system they’re rebelling against is corrupt in the first place.

The need to be specific isn’t really necessary in reference to the new artists in particular who are trying their best to stay inside of themselves, because anyone with the courage to tell and share views and opinions artistically is by far one of the bravest things a human can do. The respect from the mainstream comes from this, but it also breeds their fear and the need to conquer and control.

When the lurking vulture comes it’s in the moment where the creative hasn’t received the proper amount of gigs, the right amount of support, or even proper encouragement from their audience. Wounded and lying there with no idea they are in all actuality about to become prey to the ones who flies overhead, the attack is on. Indie is the wounded soul of a creative who has decided to remain independent in a world where it can often be safer to be a part of something bigger than you creatively.

Quickly it goes from you being a local favorite, to you becoming a rather cheesy version of the artist you once were. You go from writing about things that used to move your soul, and make you feel encouraged to now making sure that what you’re making is for everyone versus for the people that actually need you.  

It’s become a job for you and now you have to wear what the hired stylist has pulled for you, you gig at the venues that your new manager has plugs in, and of course you have all these really cool friends who probably want to steal every bit of your aesthetic and leave you in the cold once they’ve stripped you naked of your originality. The bright side you ask?

For the recognition of course, with success comes the storm that is known as celebrity. It’s like that really bad reality show you can’t stop watching because it feels so real and accessible, except in this case – it’s your life and now you’ve become the property of someone else and their expectations. Remember those artists you said you’d never turn into because your message and your happiness would always be more important? How about when your favorite artist took their own independent label and then still signed to majors?

Dinner is served, and revenge is a dish best served cold. It can be a lonely place the mainstream, but when it’s all said and done history will repeat itself by feeding off the underground and the indie, because the innovations have to come from somewhere right?

By: Betty Fireall