drop no.12 ~ march 2024
Some reflections of how far I've come as a video creator as I embark on my 27th journey around the sun.
The new live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender was released on Netflix last month. I still haven’t had time to watch it, but I was reminded how I started my content creation journey in earnest thanks to its spinoff series Legend of Korra. I had a fan account on Instagram where I’d edit screenshots from the series and learnt how to mess around on apps to create graphics and collages. It was also where I started recording and uploading violin covers.
I started with a short cover of the Legend of Korra main theme, and when that got a positive response from other fans as well as the composer, I started recording longer videos and uploading them to YouTube. (At the time, Instagram only allowed videos of 15-60 seconds on the feed.) To this day, my Avatar covers are still among the most-watched on my channel.
I’ve talked before about how YouTube is the one platform I’ve felt seen as a creator and musician. And as I begin to dream about being a full-time creative again, it’s YouTube and the small but faithful community I’ve grown there that dares me to believe that this time, I might actually succeed.
{ 3 drops of golden sound }
“Road Rage” by Krysta Joy
My friend Krysta just released her comeback single! I wrote about her first full-length album in my first drop and I’m beyond excited for what’s to come from her this year. “Road Rage” is a confessional highlighting Krysta’s relationship with her mother. Through all the ups and downs, despite the disagreements and difficulties, it’s a reminder that beneath all that is the profound love a mother has for her daughter.
“Upa Chalupa!” by Upasak Mukherjee
A mutual friend of mine and Krysta’s, Desiree moved to Boston to pursue her degree at Berklee. I subscribe to the Berklee YouTube channel and it’s always a pleasure to see her pop up in videos. She’s always brought a joyous energy to any ensemble and it’s so cool continuing to watch her grow as a musician from the other side of the world. The Two Track series by Berklee is such a great concept and I loved this four-way dialogue between percussionists. Who knew you could harmonise with just rhythms?
“Leave Me Alone” by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
iDKHOW is a band led by former Panic! at the Disco bassist Dallon Weekes that denied its existence until they were signed to a record label. Their sophomore album GLOOM DIVISION is great and makes me feel like I’m 19 again. But I always come back to this song, especially during my morning commute, as a way to psyche myself up for the challenging situations that I’ll have to deal with.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope to see you again at the end of next month! Here’s a still from Legend of Korra that I edited almost 10 years ago.
LoL,
rae
What a varied bunch of music you included here! So good.