1/ So First Off - Tell Us your Name, City and Country and what you currently do for a living?
Azwani Monroe - Music to Curator
My name is Azwani Monroe from Los Angeles, California and I'm currently going to SCAD for graphic design.
2/ Is This Something You Always Wanted To Do? What Do You Enjoy About It?
Playlist curation has always been really fun and I'm so glad that I found Music to because it allows me to share new music with a much larger audience. My favorite part about adding new songs to my playlist is the interaction you can have through listeners through social media.
3/ Tell Us About Your First Musical Memory - Why Do You Think You Remember It?
The first musical memory is riding in the car with my mom and singing along to Killing Me Softly by the Fugees. My parents always loved to play R&B so naturally I fell in love with that song and I got so excited every time it came on the radio. I remember it most vividly because that was one of the first songs that sounded amazing to me and I couldn't get enough of it. Now that I'm thinking about it, that memory is probably where I got the idea for my playlist.
4/ Who Did You Make Your First Mixtape / Playlist For - What Was The Result - Did They Dig It?
The first playlist that I made was for me and my group of friends. We all listen to the same music so I took it upon myself to create a collection of great tracks that we could play in the car or while hanging out. After I created it, they fell in love with it! I actually met on of my best friends because they liked the music that I had be playing.
5/ What Made You Go Online And Search About Music Curation?
After making playlists for all of my friends they said that I should look into this as a career and that when I found Music to. It was the first result on google and the rest is history!
6/ Tell us about the name of your Playlist - where did that come from?
The name for my playlist, Watch the Waves, came from the feeling that I get when I'd be at the beach with my friends hanging out and enjoying the day. The music that I add is all centered around a groovy R&B vibe that puts everyone in a good mood. There are tons of great songs that are a part of all different genres and I feel like my selection of music is perfect for those nice summer days when you have not a care in the world.
7/ What does a track have to have to make it onto your list, is there something special that you look for?
It's actually quite hard choosing a song to add to my playlist. There are a ton of songs that are submitted to me and recommended by my friends but sometimes it just doesn't hit my ear right. I find that the best tracks have delicate vocals with a smooth melody or baseline that makes the overall project seem really smooth. I don't want to add any pop or fast pace music music because I feel like it disrupts the vibe. When I choose songs I imagine riding in a car or laying on a beach and just relaxing without and loud audio playing in the background. It all has to be relaxed and flow.
8/ What can an artist do in their track submission to your list to ensure that you'll listen to their track?
I'm so fortunate to have so many people submit music to me. I listen to everything that I get sent, but not every song fits the aesthetic that I want to convey with this playlist. The best artists that sound similar to Masego, Skizzy Mars, H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar are what I search for when I look through the submissions.
9/ We know - these change all the time - but as of this week - what are your all time top 5 favorite tracks.
Ahhhh this question is so hard!!! As of right now I think my favorite 5 tracks are:
- We Fcuk by JAYLIEN
- City Kid by Turk
- RexxLife Raj
- Fatal Outro by Lord Bones
- ATM by J Cole.
10/ And finally - which Music to Curator should we interview next?
I nominate Johnathan from Music to Procrastinate To