Hidden Tunes: bixby, starfall & Joon

 

By Han,

Introducing the trio of bixby, starfall, and Joon. I discovered these 3 young artists on Spotify on a random day while trying to explore new songs and I was taken aback at how consistent the quality of their songs were. It was banger after banger. Each song they put out felt like it was put out with soul and pure emotion. After a bit of research, I found out they are close friends in real life and frequently collaborate on different aspects of each other's music. They've helped each other in terms of music production, background vocals, and also songwriting. It's very clear that each of them has a strong passion for music and it's always heartwarming to see bonds that were created out of the universal language of music. Here are some of my favorites from them!

*bixby - taste of melancholy

I just need to point out how poetic the title sounds. I was immediately interested in how the song would sound just from the title alone. As you would guess, the lyrics talk about being upset over a failing relationship and begging to communicate with the partner. The song's length comes at a surprising 1 minute and 44 seconds, a short song even by today's standards. But the strangely mellow yet upbeat instrumental keeps you on your toes for the entire song and leaves you wanting just a little more. bixby's vocal performance is also phenomenal, the subtle growl in his tone tells an emotional story. The way each line was delivered makes it sound like he's speaking straight from his heart.

*starfall - talk to me

Of the 3 artists we're talking about, starfall might have the widest vocal range and he's not shy to highlight his vocal quality in his songs. 'talk to me' is an especially great standout from his discography as it is one of the few R&B tracks that he has, if not his only R&B track. His soulful vocal tone mixed with his wide vocal range makes for one captivating performance. The song is about expressing his frustrations about the lack of communication from his partner. Albeit a bit similar to bixby's earlier entry in this post, the song's production is sultry and sexy compared to his more grounded love songs.

*Joon - take it back

I've highlighted bixby's strong music production and starfall's incredible vocal range, in Joon's case, I'd consider him to be one of the stronger songwriters out of the 3. 'take it back' is a mid-tempo ballad about failing to move on from someone and wanting them to take him back. One of my favorite lyrics is "touch my fingertips to water. I guess you'd let me drown in your hands, and so far you did all that, just take it back." The touching lyrics combined with the laid-back guitar instrumental hit me hard in the feels. This is also a personal favorite of mine because it is one of the songs that made me want to start singing again. Nowadays, I use this song as my go-to vocal practice and it has been great for helping me recognize my vocal tone and abilities.