1/ So First Off - Tell Us your Name, City and Country and what you currently do for a living?
Kara Bradford - Music to Curator
Hi there, my name's Kara Bradford, I'm living in Pasadena CA in the USA, and I'm currently a student, swim coach, and songwriter!
2/ Is This Something You Always Wanted To Do? What Do You Enjoy About It?
I make playlists for myself pretty constantly, so making the switch over to doing it professionally was as easy as pie. I love being able to share the amazing songs I find, as well as songs that I love. I also love getting to utilize my skill in prose to describe what I'm listening to and why I love them! Sharing music has always been a joy of mine, so curating for me just makes sense.
3/ Tell Us About Your First Musical Memory - Why Do You Think You Remember It?
My first musical memory was listening to '8 Days a Week' in the car with my family. It was summer, it was bright out, I think we were on our way back to the swimming pool. One of my sister's in the car suddenly got very quiet and noted, "but there are only seven days in a week, I hate this song." And I remember laughing, even at a very young age, at how she didn't understand that the extra day was the point of the song, to note that he has more love for her than there is time in the world. I always had this really strong grasp on music, the lyrics and the melodies, and that only grew as I got older.
4/ Who Did You Make Your First Mixtape / Playlist For - What Was The Result - Did They Dig It?
I made so many mixtapes when I was in high school. At one point I think I had thirteen in the works at once. I just put out a post on facebook and asked if anyone wanted a mixtape and they said yes and I worked on them for HOURS. People loved them! They kept them in their cars and whenever we were driving together we'd put them on and sing. Music was definitely my thing back then, and still now.
5/ What Made You Go Online And Search About Music Curation?
To be perfectly honest, I was looking for playlist placement for some of the songs I have written and I stumbled upon musicto. After submitting my own tracks, I realized I really liked talking about music in the style I described and thought... hey I could do this. I could not only DO this, but BE GOOD at it. So I applied to be a curator and the rest is history!
6/ Tell us about the name of your Playlist - where did that come from?
As far as Bleed Neon goes, the entire point of that was the concept that we all inherently have light and electricity in our bodies, that glows and fuzzes and keeps us pumping and human. The idea that if I was running through the night like a crazy kid and I got hurt that light and brightness would come out was a pretty idea to me. That instead of pain, there would be beauty. I wanted to encapsulate this idea of youth in a concrete, emotional way. That's why Bleed Neon came to be!
7/ What does a track have to have to make it onto your list, is there something special that you look for?
It honestly is the most contrived thing in the world sometimes. There's a checklist almost, but it's so difficult to describe. The first thing I look for is a song that creates a mood with the music quality to it. The mood doesn't have to be specific, but mostly I look for: mystery, intrigue, happiness, youth, sexiness, fun, etc. Things that are bright and upbeat. If a song impresses me with the musical quality, then I go to the vocal. The vocal has to be clean, pleasant to hear, with a smooth quality that feels like summer. If the vocal impresses me, often times I'll listen to the production. Are there clicks? Is it mixed well? And lastly, it has to make me WANT to listen to it. I don't choose any songs I don't personally connect with. It can have all of those things, but if it doesn't make me feel then it's not right for BN!
8/ What can an artist do in their track submission to your list to ensure that you'll listen to their track?
I listen to every track that comes through no matter what, but it definitely stands out to me when the "reason why I should love it" is clear and concise. A recent submission tried to emulate the prose style I use in my blog posts and that really impressed me. It showed me they weren't just trying to plug their track but that they have a respect and admiration for what I do as a writer. Never hurts to butter up the blogger!
9/ We know - these change all the time - but as of this week - what are your all time top 5 favorite tracks.
- Oooh boy. Okay.
- My My My! -- Troye Sivan,
- Wake Me Up -- Fickle Friends,
- Winterbreak -- MUNA, She's American -- The 1975,
- Run -- Hozier
10/ And finally - which Music to Curator should we interview next?
Let's go ahead and do Azwani from Music to Watch the Waves!