Welcome back to another #5MinsWith feature, where we introduce game-changing creatives in the music industry. For this feature, we invited Color Of Music Collective’s Social Media Leader and Contributor, Emily Yankana, to learn more about this fascinating platform.

large_E0B0EEA3-2130-41CC-8600-9B592696B070.jpeg

medium_E0B0EEA3-2130-41CC-8600-9B592696B070.jpeg

small_E0B0EEA3-2130-41CC-8600-9B592696B070.jpeg

thumbnail_E0B0EEA3-2130-41CC-8600-9B592696B070.jpeg

E0B0EEA3-2130-41CC-8600-9B592696B070.jpeg

“The Color Of Music Collective is an inclusive environment where LGBT+ and POC voices are amplified in discussions regarding what is happening in the music industry right now.”


###### **The Quarantine Mixtape:  How would you define Color of Music Collective to someone who has never heard of it? **

**Emily Yankana:** The Color of Music Collective is an initiative that brings together panelists from all the sectors of the music industry, specifically from POC and LGBTQ+ communities (that's our main focus!). Through our biweekly panels, we hope to increase diversity and inclusion. We aim to be a force to be reckoned with and be leaders within the music industry. Through the Collective we want to place more of an emphasis on increasing conversations surrounding these topics.

###### **TQM: How was this platform created? What was the inspiration behind the Collective?**

**EY: **Our founder, Mia Van Allen, realised during her internships in the music industry that there weren’t that many people that looked like her. Those experiences led her to recognise the lack of representation for <people of color> in the industry. Similarly to co-founder Carla Hendershot, who in her work experience wasn't surrounded by people who identified as <LGBT+> like her.

Mia pitched the idea to Carla and it all took off from there! I was later brought in to help with the social and digital side of things. That’s how the Collective came to be!

###### **TQM: How did the team evolve from there? How many people are involved? **

**EY: **It was a combined effort of advocating and looking for volunteers within the college scene and online groups. We wanted to create a platform that would empower our volunteers to reach out to their own communities and create meaningful impact elsewhere.

It's really crazy to me, we now have over 100 volunteers! The great thing is that they all have something to show, they all have their own skills and their own work that they get to share on our feed. We let our volunteers pick the path they want to be on. 

![ColorOfMusicCollective-Logo_CircleCrop.png](https://bucketeer-5a8ae918-5ea2-4eb8-aeb4-3d222713feda.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Color_Of_Music_Collective_Logo_Circle_Crop_0ad021636b.png)

###### **TQM: Can you tell me more about the Mentorship Programme? **

**EY: **Our Executive Director, Marcella, alongside Mia and Carla, wanted to give back to the volunteers, they wanted to create opportunities for them. That’s how the Mentorship Programme came to be. We matched up our volunteers with different mentors for a 10-week programme. Everybody has their own projects, they are all working on growing their confidence and working on their feedback. It’s a really exciting programme and I'm really looking forward to seeing it grow!

###### **TQM: On a more personal note, how did you find the Color of Music Collective?  How did you become the Social Media Leader and Contributor? **

**EY:** Mia and I met in college and became friends instantly: we both had the same ambition and drive. She came to me with the idea of the Collective while she was still having preliminary conversations with Carla. She wasn’t sure what to call it... I suggested we should name it ‘Color Of Music Collective’ because color defines more than just our race or religion, it's all-encompassing! 

We both came from Public Relations and Communications, I graduated last year and have been working ever since. Mia asked me to run the socials as I'm more focused on the strategic, digital and content creation side.

With the help of our great volunteers and amazing graphic designers we all work as a functioning team: they help me write the posts and plan our larger showpieces... It's a lot of planning but we are constantly developing all parts of the Collective!

For example, our panels are very time consuming, finding the right people to chair, making sure everything is ready to go…

![73FEA855-4CE5-4EBB-94AE-43CFB3056533.jpeg](https://bucketeer-5a8ae918-5ea2-4eb8-aeb4-3d222713feda.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/73_FEA_855_4_CE_5_4_EBB_94_AE_43_CFB_3056533_f3f4cfa4c2.jpeg)
[The Future of Live Music:Post- COVID Panel ] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6FxdifTRBY&t=6s)


###### **TQM: Where do you see the Color of Music Collective going in the future? What are your goals? **

**EY:** On the topic of panels, when I’m sitting there I can’t help but feel empowered. These conversations need to be heard, people are recognising the importance of social movements and people who didn’t have a voice are now coming forward and standing their ground. We are getting the conversations started! We have started to invite  speakers from all sectors of the industry, they all highlight the same problem: we obviously need change to mitigate those issues and prevent them from keeping people suppressed. We want to hear everyone's voices!

I think these panels play a pivotal role in creating conversations and mitigating change. At times we've had panelists saying that it's the most refreshing thing they have been part of in a long time! Going forward, we want to definitely continue our work with our panelists. 

Additionally, one of my favourite parts of the Collective is to see our volunteers thriving. For example, some of them wanted to include artists and musicians into these game-changing conversations. We took this and created a section of the Collective dedicated to this purpose called ‘The Cultural Reset’. It's been really exciting to watch our volunteers come up with their own ideas and develop them within the platform. Our volunteers ARE the collective and are the ones who will take it on in the future. 

If you would like to volunteer, don’t hesitate to get in contact on [colorofmusiccollective@gmail.com](mailto:colorofmusiccollective@gmail.com)


#5MinsWith Color Of Music Collective

Lockdown chats is back! Aka our interview series in which I go around Zoom calling all my favourite artists and see what they have been up to during lockdown.



large_5D436E6E-3187-4166-A895-DF10F8994C7F_1_105_c.jpeg

medium_5D436E6E-3187-4166-A895-DF10F8994C7F_1_105_c.jpeg

small_5D436E6E-3187-4166-A895-DF10F8994C7F_1_105_c.jpeg

thumbnail_5D436E6E-3187-4166-A895-DF10F8994C7F_1_105_c.jpeg

5D436E6E-3187-4166-A895-DF10F8994C7F_1_105_c.jpeg

For this first episode, I interviewed Greysha. The Norfolk (UK) born singer, who is just finishing college and is ready to take the music industry by storm. Her work ethic and passion for her project are truly inspiring. 

###### ** “I’ve always loved music. Female singers like Katy Perry and Selena Gomez, I was so obsessed with them! There were so many artists that I was so inspired by: the know how to portray a message and give people power and makes them feel great (...) I remember sitting in my mom’s car and thinking I want to do that! I want to help people through music!” ** ######

We talked about her creative process and the meaning behind the lyrics of her new single Aspirin (out now!)

![5.png](https://bucketeer-5a8ae918-5ea2-4eb8-aeb4-3d222713feda.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/5_85de357f7e.png)
Watch the full interview [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCrday0QB_E&ab_channel=TheQuarantineMixtape)

Greysha is managed by [MLR Management](https://www.instagram.com/mlrmgmt/?hl=en)





Greysha // Lockdown Chats 

large_Frame 1.png

medium_Frame 1.png

small_Frame 1.png

thumbnail_Frame 1.png

Frame 1.png

second banner

thumbnail_ezgif.com-webp-to-png.png

ezgif.com-webp-to-png.png

The Ghost of Helags is formed by singer-songwriter and producer, Teresa Woischiski and John Alexander Ericson. Currently based in Berlin, the synth-pop/ dream-pop duo are, in my opinion, creating musical gems while experimenting with their own sound.

Their new tracks ‘Chemistry’ and ‘Parallel’ are prime examples of that statement. ‘Chemistry’ is a beautiful blend of soft vocals with dark, eerie undertones which you can imagine being played in a techno party or on a late-night drive with friends. It creates somewhat of a dark, lush, futuristic atmosphere with its thumping beats, synth keys and muffled sirens in the background. This, accompanied by the beautiful vocals, make this track extremely fresh and add tons of texture. The track is addictive, even after the first listen, and leaves you wanting more. It has a powerful bassline, which combined with layers and layers of synths, is the highlight of the track. However, at the same time it also manages to focus on the soft, melancholic and dreamy vocals which give it that more “human” element. 

‘Parallel’ is the polar opposite of the atmosphere created “Chemistry”: it has pumping beats with headbanging synth keys, which are used to create tension for a good minute or so and then break up to dreamy vocals. The track shows a lot of experimentation, with a combination of arpeggios, synth and beats; you also have nothing but dreamy and blissful vocals to counter it which in the end product create a warm summer tune for everyone to groove too.

The level of experimentation shown on both tracks demonstrates the high skill level that this duo possess, they make music full of amazing soundscapes which make me eager for more! 

Words by Raghav 


Chemistry // Parallel

large_a3613711914_10.jpg

medium_a3613711914_10.jpg

small_a3613711914_10.jpg

thumbnail_a3613711914_10.jpg

a3613711914_10.jpg

New York band, Nautics, are back with a bang! Their latest single ‘Thoughts On The Ceiling’ was released on the 21st May. Although this was my first time giving this band a listen I was pleasantly surprised; I would usually not feel captured by the light house genre but this song really is quite great!

The first thing that caught my attention was the guitar rhythm. I found it very enticing from the first few plucks it made me want to listen on, which was a good start. The lyrics, which are sometimes robotic are very catchy in the way they merge with the instrumental. You could see yourself dancing to this in your bedroom or in a coming of age film. I’d say the 90s dance feel is well captivated within this song—it is much different to other songs I have checked out in comparison with ‘Electric Fireflies’. That song also does have the rhythmic indie guitar vibes but I can’t hear as much 90s influence as I can with the latest single. 

![spotify-photo-1591552125204.jpeg](https://bucketeer-5a8ae918-5ea2-4eb8-aeb4-3d222713feda.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/spotify_photo_1591552125204_0a6ccd9469.jpeg)

If I was to pick a favourite part of the lyricism it would have to be the chorus. The simplicity of it, yet greatness of it, makes you just want to get up and groove. It’s the ‘oh, oh, oh, oh I’m waiting for your love’ in the robotic tuning that really makes the dance vibe come in to play. Frankly, you could do any dance move (except maybe the romantic slow dance) to this tune. 

 It is just encapsulated with great vibes throughout it all, from the sprinkler dance to the hairbrush microphone. ‘Thoughts On The Ceiling’ truly is an indie banger!

Welcome to The Quarantine Mixtape

Supporting the emerging music scene

Reviews

Articles

Playlist

Podcast