Black Alt Magazine

When it rains it pours. Last month, the one and only Lilith Ai reached out to me about reviewing her new album, Serial Killers Prefer Blondes , and me being me...I leapt the chance for an interview. I am so grateful to have completed this with her on September 29, 2024 .   Congratulations on Serial Killers Prefer Blondes . I was honored to get access to your private playlist. How are you feeling right now?   About the album? Or generally? I feel proud that I did it, completed it you know with almost zero funds and then made a vinyl. It was a blessing meet the individuals that helped me in the ways they did to make it happen. I very great full for that.   You're on vinyl too? Impressive. How does one even make that happen this day in age?   I met Kimya Dawson and she introduced me to this dude Clyde that runs a tiny label in the US.  They made the vinyl; it's a super small run. It's been amazing; I'm so happy with it. Also Kimya Dawson is the nicest person...

This is another months-long interview in the making (our musicians are so very busy!!!). I was really happy to get a hold of singer-songwriter Xkaii after first hearing his music earlier this year. I often repost his famed cello covers. I was ecstatic to complete this interview with him on September 29, 2024. How do you pronounce your stage name? And where are you based? My stage name is pronounced "Sky," just like the sky above us. I’m currently based in California U.S., but I was born in Zambia and have also lived in Rhode Island, Germany, and the Netherlands. Your music is INCREDIBLE. How many instruments do you play?   Thanks so much for the love! I play guitar, bass, cello, piano, and I sing—all self-taught.   When did you start learning music? Does it run in your family?   I started learning music when I was pretty young, just experimenting and figuring things out as I went. As for whether it runs in my family, not really in a formal sense, but there’s always been...

Image Credit: Billboard   So the talk of the town is, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter got snubbed by the Country Music Awards, and everybody's writing think pieces as to why that happened. My two cents is...have y'all met Reyna Roberts ? Alaskan-born, Alabama and Californian-raised, Reyna has a fascinating history. She was born premature, so her parents used music to aid in her development. She started learning piano as a small child and at one point, had to practice in a storage unit for years.   In high school, Reyna wrestled both boys and girls; she was a terrible wrestler but never gave up. In fact, she start writing songs when she developed a crush on the team captain. That seems to be her MO; she's watched so much Supernatural she even wrote a song about Dean Winchester.    From 2018 to 2020, Reyna attended songwriting camps to improve her craft and make industry connections. In 2023 she dropped Bad Girl Bible, Vol. 1 , and when you listen to her music, her har...

This interview has been a long time in the making, literally months (in case some of you are wondering what takes so long). The amazingly sweet Nat Douglas was kind enough to take time out of his exceedingly busy schedule to talk to me, and it was an honor to complete this interview with him . So, Nat...you are the bassist for This Dying Hour . For people not familiar with your band, tell us about TDH. TDH is a metalcore band from the UK, born during the Myspace era. We've seen our fair share of lineup changes and rough patches, but we're still here, kicking stronger than ever since 2021. Lost a couple of original members along the way, which hit us hard, but the support from their families and the community kept us going. Now, we're gearing up for another EP release, and I couldn't be more excited. So you're based in the United Kingdom. What's the alternative scene like there? The alternative scene in the UK is a melting pot of creativity and passion, deeply ...

Credit: Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean Happy Black History Month, fam! Today's Black country bae is Kentucky-born singer and songwriter Tanner Adell . Now, I just recently learned about Tanner through the Black Alt Mag Facebook page, via a comment under the Chapel Hart (see how we work together)? I challenge you: Google this woman right now. There's next to nothing on her. Overnight, Tanner has become a country favorite of mine, even as her detractors swear she isn't "really country". We seem to  be hearing a lot of that lately by people who really don't want Black women in country music. Which sucks for them because there are plenty of Black women already in country music and have been since Black people created country music.

L to R: Trea, Danica, Devynn So my little rant about Lenny Kravitz making a good point got me thinking: I need to talk about a few, very specific Black country artists on here, because they're basically in the same boat as their alternative cousins (though admittedly a little better off). Enter Chapel Hart .