Profiles

Chanti Darling’s Debut Album Is a Dance-Fueled Vision of the Future

At Chanti Darling shows, dancing is essentially an act of communion. “I want to give people the opportunity to engage with the music on a more intimate level,” says Trü from behind a pair of impossibly dark shades in a Belmont bar on an impossibly hot day. “I set the intention [of dancing] very clearly. You’re on a date with them basically—you’re trying to woo them into fully engaging with you. I guess it is an act of charming.”

After Her Breakout Album, Natasha Kmeto Wants to Expand Even Further Beyond Niche Electronica

It’s somewhat surprising Kmeto is moving away from auteurism. But when she first moved from Los Angeles to Portland, Kmeto wasn’t planning to become a solo artist at all. “I liked being in bands, and thought I was going to gear myself toward singing backup, or doing studio or songwriting work,” she says. “I hadn’t launched anything solo, and never really saw myself doing my own thing. I was scared to.”

Portland’s KayelaJ Has Been Rapping Since She Was Six. Now, She’s Releasing Pro-Stripper and Queer-Identifying Anthems

Johnson started releasing singles as KaylelaJ in February. She’s currently working on her debut mixtape, Homage, on which she raps over samples from 25 different women-of-color rappers. It’s a satisfying retort to a common narrative. Cardi B and Lauryn Hill might be the only solo women rappers ever to top the Billboard 100, but that doesn’t mean women in rap lack hits. “All of these women, it’s not them, it’s society,” says Johnson. “Nicki Minaj can just post a selfie. All in the comments, you just see stuff about Cardi B.”

Portland Songwriter Anna Tivel Highlights Life’s Hidden Stories

“I’d rather sit at the edge and watch everybody. It’s less helpful for other parts of life,” says Tivel over a spotty phone connection while on a train from Suffolk, England, where she played a festival. “Turns out it’s helpful for songwriting.”

Meet the Portland Producer Who Has Amassed Millions of Streams on Spotify and a Following in Korea Without Ever Playing a Hometown Show

On the cover of his album “Skyscraper Anonymous,” Yung Bae wears a yellow cable knit sweater and khaki pants, and offers a bowl of fruit to an inflated flamingo floatie. The Portland producer sits in front of a backdrop that’s found in seemingly every school portrait taken in the ’90s—pale blue with a nondescript texture somewhere between marble and tie-dye. The photo sums up his entire brand.

Tribe Mars are Bridging the Gap Between Portland’s Indie and Hip-Hop Scenes

Already, the spacey, improvisational jazz and hip-hop collective has established themselves as prolific performers. But Tribe Mars’ dedication to music with a higher purpose might explain why, in their five years of existence, Tribe Mars has never released an album. But this week, the band is finally releasing their self-titled debut.

Portland Hip-Hop Isn’t New. DJ Klyph Wants to Make Sure the Scene Can Move Forward Without Forgetting its Past.

Now that Aminé has a triple platinum single and the Last Artful Dodgr is Instagramming videos with Mark Ronson and Christina Aguilera, it’s known across the country, if not the world, that Portland is a hip-hop powerhouse. But praise of the scene’s current wave is frequently marked by one minor blip that has major implications—the assertion that it’s surprising to see a rapper rise out of Portland.

Uada Is Portland’s Anonymous Metal Collective. But Is It Really Possible for a Band Not to Have an Image?

Remaining faceless could be considered a gimmick of its own. Performing in black T-shirts would arguably be less of a distraction, and as far as honesty goes, who walks around in a black hood all the time?

A Portland Composer Wants to Take Classical Music Out of its Ivory Tower

Classical composer Christopher Corbell understands if you’re not into opera. If anything, it’s not your fault. “These opera companies, they just chug away at these 150 operas year after year,” he says. “At some point, we have to start telling our own stories.”

On Her New EP, Portland MC Raquel Divar Takes Control

The title comes from the chorus on the smoky “Smith n’ Wesson.” But it’s also an ode to Missy Elliott’s “The Rain” and a general claim to power. “There’s a lot of references about just like running shit and being boss,” says Divar. But that raw bravado is new for Divar.

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