(carook Photo by Libby Danforth)

Music has often been at the forefront of driving conversations that expand our understanding of the human experience. It can lead to greater awareness, connection and even enact change. As a reflection of the times and a way to embrace and celebrate one's truest self, music’s ability to reach others in powerful authentic ways is unmatched. We had the privilege of hearing from alt-pop artist corook, indie rock duo Girlpool and Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff about how music has given them the ability to freely express themselves, why representation and inclusion is so critical to community, and what progress they’d still like to see.

What first motivated you to make music?

corook: One day in middle school, my mom heard me singing Sara Bareilles’s song, “Love Song,” in the car. She told me I sounded good and basically forced me to audition for my school’s talent show. I got into the show, and it was my first time performing for an audience. I was friggin’ terrified, and I don’t think I sang very well, but it was the most inspiring thing I’d ever done. I felt deeply fulfilled and challenged, and I became obsessed with music after that.

Alynda: I was searching for community. I wanted to be in a band because I wanted a family. I wanted to write songs because I wanted to feel my own power in a society where I often felt silenced and in danger. Music became my sanctuary.

Harmony (Girlpool): I was always really obsessed with singing from an extremely young age. And I also loved writing. It just felt like the most natural thing to try to write something to sing for myself. Once I started, I realized how cathartic and healing it was, and have not truly been able to stop writing since.

Avery (Girlpool): When I was in first grade, my mom took me to a Joan Armatrading concert at a Borders book store in Westwood Village. She was playing the acoustic guitar and singing, and I thought she was the coolest. I wanted to learn guitar from that point forward.

What gear or musical tools really unlocked something creatively for you?

corook: Learning to produce in Ableton has been, by far, the biggest creative unlock for me. There are so many elements to music that are inspiring to me. I love playing guitar. I love writing lyrics. I love mapping out a drum groove and deciding how the vocal should sit in the song. Producing gives me control over every part of a song that inspires me.

Alynda: I learned to play music and write from folk songs. Now, I experiment with different tools and influences. The SP-404 sampler, the OP-1 and any Moog I have been able to play with has unlocked a whole new world for me songwriting-wise.

Harmony: When I was initially given a nylon-string acoustic guitar at 13, that’s when I really felt capable and enabled. Since then, I would say vintage little Casios (SK-1, PT-80) really opened things up for me. I love writing songs on little keyboards with just one of the built-in drum machines going in the background.

Avery: Definitely the guitar. That was the first musical tool I had access to that I was super curious about. Playing guitar taught be about that “creative Leap” feeling, where you don’t know what it’s going to sound like, but you go for it and try it without fear. I think overcoming fear through creativity can change the way you navigate your whole life.

Pictured: carook (Credit: Libby Danforth)

The stage is a place of honesty and vulnerability. Can you speak to its power—either in your own experience as a performer or being moved by other great artists sharing their authentic voice?

corook: I just played my first shows this year, and the best part about playing was the moments of silence. I put long pauses in songs at lyrical points that I want the audience to really hear. I thought maybe it’d just grab some attention, but instead people started yelling things in those moments. Like, when I would sing, “My best friend left when I told her I’m gay,” people would scream, “Me too!” or, “Fuck that!” or, “Noooo!” or, “I wouldn’t do that!” I didn’t plan for that to happen obviously, so the first few times, I was shocked. I realized that my vulnerability in sharing that story makes them feel seen or represented or upset, and they feel safe enough to say something back to me.

Alynda: On stage, I’m able to escape the anxiety of everyday life. I’m able to transform and channel the deepest parts of myself. I think it’s very healthy to be able to disconnect from the self we’re pushed to be in our everyday lives, and to be reminded of the true parts of our soul.

Harmony: Yes, the stage is truly an incredible place to free oneself of different burdens through song. It feels very liberating, and every day what is being freed feels different.

Avery: Performing has taught me so much about allowing—stepping completely into the experience of expressing an emotion and also connecting with others who resonate with it. It is one of the most sacred experiences. The power to allow yourself to go in “all the way” toward different emotions, I think, can be very healing and can also cause deep connection with others. Witnessing other performers go “there” also brings me so much energy. It’s euphoric to see someone be so human and themselves.

Music creates connection and empathy in a way few things can. Can you speak to music’s unique ability to drive inclusivity and build community?

corook: Being a very new artist, I feel really lucky to have access to the people who are listening to my music. They’re messaging me on Instagram. They’re saying hi at the merch table, they’re commenting on my TikToks. I have no control over the people who follow me or like my music, but everyone I’ve met so far has been a lot like me. I feel like my music has created a community for me. We’re a bunch of queer, weirdo nerds that just love being goofy.

Alynda: I know music saved my life. I started going to punk shows at 14 and met friends, learned about who I was and, most importantly, knew I wasn’t alone.

Harmony: Yes, I was talking to my friend last night who was at Primavera in Barcelona a few days ago, and he was saying that during the Pavement set, it was incredible to see trendy 16-year-olds singing all the words while standing next to 70-year-olds who also knew all the words. I feel like that captures the image of what music can do—connect people who may not necessarily feel naturally connected (but inevitably are), and finding that connection through art they both connect to or see themselves in. As a teenager who felt like an outsider, music was the only thing that made me feel on the inside of anything. Once I found creative freak friends who shared the same interests going to DIY shows, my life changed dramatically.

Avery: I think music is such a psychedelic thing, because it has the power to transport someone into an energetic field that the musician guided them toward. If it comes from a vulnerable and heart-opened space (from the artist), that intention carries to the listener. I think it has the power to open your heart and move you closer to your own truth.

Pictured: Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff

In what ways has the music community evolved since you started making music and performing? Are there ways you’ve seen music lead to change?

corook: I started making music when I was really young, and I think my music community has changed with me. I was in the closet when I started making music, and I learned how to craft a song before I learned how to be myself. I think in times of change within myself, music has shown me what I’m going through when I couldn’t see it on my own. And when I change, my community does as well. I have chosen new people that I feel safe to be myself around, and it continues to grow and evolve just like me.

Alynda: I’ve seen more collaboration happening. I love throwing away the idea that we’re in competition with each other as artists. I hope that culture of support continues to grow. I see more queer artists on the road then I did when I first started touring, but I feel like that reflects the audience more than the music industry. Audiences want to hear more from voices they have not been able to in the past.

Avery: It’s hard to say, because my experience of the industry is so specific to just my own, but I think through the internet, it’s become a lot easier to produce music and put it out there in the world, which is amazing. Being heard feels a bit more accessible. It’s not just about getting lucky if you’re chosen by a record label.

Who’s making a difference right now? Who do you look up to or respect?

corook: I look up to and respect anyone transitioning, anyone coming out as non-binary, anyone that is brave enough to get to know themselves as intimately as possible in a world that discourages it. Every queer person that is exploring, expressing or learning to accept their queerness is making a difference.

Alynda: I will always look up to Patti Smith. She has been my guiding light since I was a kid. I love current artists like Anjimile, Palehound, Big Thief, Special Interest, Hand Habits and Ezra Furman.

Avery: The musicians who push themselves to the edge, closer into themselves and create work that inspires others to be authentic and honest.

Pictured: Girlpool

What are your hopes for a more inclusive future music industry?

corook: I want more women. I want more queer people. I want more diversity. I want to be able to call anyone in the industry and say, “Hey, I’m looking for a non-binary front of house,” and they can easily list off five names. For now, I will continue to grow my list and pass it around, and I will encourage the people around me to do the same.

Alynda: I want more BIPOC and queer people to hold positions of power in the industry. And I want artists to be treated more humanely, with proper funding toward their development and support in their mental and physical well-being.

Keep up with corook, Hurray for the Riff Raff and Girlpool.