Sophie Moser 0:02
Hey, I'm Sophie.
Sophia Barber 0:04
And I'm Sophia.
Sophie Moser 0:05
And this is the That's Showbiz, Baby! podcast.
Sophia Barber 0:12
Hey, everyone, this is Sophia. Welcome to our first episode.
Sophie Moser 0:17
Hey guys, I'm Sophie, we're really excited to have you here. We wanted to reintroduce ourselves just so you can distinguish us. I know it can be a little confusing with the names, but we are in fact to different people. And yeah, so we just wanted to give a little intro about ourselves. We're both Junior music industry majors. And we actually started an event production company together, which we rebranded over the summer, and are calling Sophia Productions, which is fitting. And yeah, we're just really excited the podcast is going to kind of be a project that's a part of that. And we're really excited to get to know more about the music industry through this. And for me, in particular, I'm really interested in music law. And I really like kind of the digital marketing side of things and branding. All of that is really interesting to me, but definitely just really excited about the industry as a whole and what it has to offer.
Sophia Barber 1:17
Yeah, I have a slightly different interest than Sophie. Of course, we both love event production. I'm also super interested in music for TV and film or music sync. And I love music history, and I'm a popular music studies minor. So hopefully Sophie will let me give some music history facts on one of these episodes. Today, we are going to start off the episode with a little segment we like to call hot takes on the Hot 100 where we go through billboards, Hot 100 charts, and give our thoughts. To be honest everyone today, we kind of have some lukewarm takes. We actually almost kind of like most of the songs on the Hot 100 so hopefully, there'll be some more interesting content going forward but we are going to start with number one on the Hot 100 which is "Dynamite" by BTS. I'm not a member of the army Sophie are?
Sophie Moser 2:15
Um, no.
Sophia Barber 2:16
a BTS army member? I enjoy their music. I think it's good, but I'm not a Stan. But today it's on the Hot 100 and it's a fun fast paced song that has disco and funk influences, which is a trend I've really been loving especially on Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, I thought it was really cool. And it kind of has a broadly appealing retro sound and their music video has a lot of pastel colors and is super sundrenched. It's a perfect song for summer. It's a little more poppy than what I would normally listen to, but I enjoy it. And this song is actually the first- or BTS became the first entirely South Korean act to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with this song. And this is- even with their huge fame they didn't hit the top spot on the Hot 100 until they released a song entirely in English, which this is their first song entirely in English. Part of this is because U.S. radios don't really play non-English pop. Which- and radio plays a large part of determining the Hot 100. This is unfortunate but hopefully the song will open up new fans to listen to their songs that are in Korean. So those are my thoughts Sophie, what do you have?
Sophie Moser 3:38
Yeah, totally it's cool to hear some of the background info around that song I didn't know all of that um but I'm going to take us down to number three on the charts we have "Holy" by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper which is new on the charts and to be honest, I don't hate this song. And I went into it with really high hopes though.
Sophia Barber 4:00
Me Neither
Sophie Moser 4:01
and I was kind of like maybe a little bit let down. Um so that's my um, lukewarm take on this song. I think the-
Sophia Barber 4:10
It was fine.
Sophie Moser 4:11
It's like good but it wasn't like wow um but I have to say the beginning was a little like eh left me wanting more but the end I enjoy a lot more I think the end is really cool. And kind of how the song grows so yeah, kind of left with a you know some mixed reviews on number three, which is-
Sophia Barber 4:33
Yeah, I still like it more than "Yummy"
Sophie Moser 4:36
Yes, that is I would agree with that statement. And then we also wanted to just highlight number five on the charts which is "Mood" by 24kGoldn featuring featuring Iann Dior. I don't really know how to say that name, but, um, we just thought it'd be really cool to give 24kGoldn a little shout out because we went to school with him for a while before he left and started doing his thing. And we both really love this song. Also, like weirdly listened to it at the same time without planning it on occasion.
Sophia Barber 5:16
Yes we do. All right, and to go back, well, I guess not back to go down to number nine on the Hot 100- we're probably only going to go like look at the top 10 for future reference. So we're at number nine with "Savage Love", which is a song by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo. So Josh 685 is a 17 year old from New Zealand who posted beats on YouTube. And he collaborated with Jason Derulo for this song. Honestly, I don't think this song is great. It's not bad, but I don't think it's a huge standout. There's not just really, there's just not really anything that's super interesting to me about the song. But also, this could be my bias because it blew up as a huge Tik Tok sound where people were doing a dance and sharing their culture and their family. And I thought that was cool. But now whenever I listen to the song, I just think of Tik Tok and it's kind of hard to listen to. And I, I'm kind of shocked it made it to the Billboard Hot 100. But I think it's partially because Jason Derulo was so famous and is kind of having a comeback into a new generation of fans. And because it's a Tik Tok song, so streams came from that. And those came together to make it popular. They also just did a remix with BTS, which made it even bigger hit. So overall, I guess I'm not super surprised it got popular, but it's not that good.In my opinion.
Sophie Moser 6:53
Again, just not not the wow factor. We've been missing the wow
Sophia Barber 6:57
Exactly
Sophie Moser 6:57
On some of these songs, which, honestly, I feel like Tik Tok can do that for me. Like, if I hear it enough, on Tik Tok, I'm like, I don't really want to listen to it. Like off the app.
Sophia Barber 7:08
Exactly.
Sophie Moser 7:09
Um, but for our last song, we wanted to look at number 10 on the charts, which is, "I Hope" by Gabby Barrett, and this is the version featuring Charlie Puth. And I think this is my, like, hottest take of the day. Um I don't really like the version of Charlie puth as much. I prefer the one that's just her. I think it's a really cool song. I really like her voice. I think she has a really good voice. I think the lyrics are clever. But I just I don't know, the Charlie Puth version doesn't do it for me.
Sophia Barber 7:40
Yeah, I will agree that it's not my preference of a song I can see where if someone put it on, I wouldn't be offended. I wouldn't ask them to turn it off. But the version with Charlie puth is kind of like eh.
Sophie Moser 7:55
Yeah. Just a-
Sophia Barber 7:56
Lukewarm
Sophie Moser 7:57
an eh moment. Well, anyways, we are excited to welcome a guest to our first podcast. Um, so yeah, excited to hear more from her.
Sophia Barber 8:15
Today, we're chatting with Liza Kaye, she is a very talented pianist from Dallas, who's now a fellow USC student in the popular music program. She started producing her own music and has now discovered her passion for the business side of the music industry through management and A&R. Which, for those of you that might not know, stands for artists and repertoire. And A&R people are responsible for discovering and developing new artists. So we're really happy to get her insight because she has unique views on balancing being a musician and having a love for the industry side of things. So Liza, it's good to have you. How are you?
Liza Kaye 8:57
Doing good. Excited to be here!
Sophia Barber 9:00
Amazing. How's your quarantine going so far?
Liza Kaye 9:04
Quarantine. Um, I guess it's the best given the circumstances that it could be, I'm still able to make music with friends. Um, opened up a lot of interesting opportunities that I can talk to people like online with, um, that's cool. It's just definitely interesting adjusting to like classes and all that.
Sophie Moser 9:25
Yeah, totally. I think it's been an adjustment for everybody. But, um, okay, we want to start off the episode with some music recommendations. So not to put you on the spot but do you have any artists or songs you've been listening to and loving recently?
Liza Kaye 9:42
Okay, what have I been listening to? The new Brandy album, I would say is a winner. There's a bunch of songs that I just like can't stop listening to off of that album. And so that's definitely been one. What else have I been listening to a lot? I've been getting into randomly, like, chill house music, which I've never gotten into before. So like disco machine remixes with Diplo. It's not like too in your face, but it's pretty like chill. That's been fun. And then a lot- I'm really excited for SZA's new album. So her single that she just put out I'm really into. So I'm excited for the future for that.
Sophia Barber 10:22
Awesome. I feel like it's a good time for house music because we're, you know, in the house all the time, so we got to keep it interesting. Get some stuff to play.
Liza Kaye 10:31
Yeah, it's nice.
Sophia Barber 10:34
So when did you start playing piano slash did you learn other instruments? Or is it mostly just piano?
Liza Kaye 10:40
Um it was mostly just piano growing up for me. I started when I was nine. But my dad is a piano player. So he taught me like here and there. And then I started like formal lessons at nine.
Sophia Barber 10:53
That's awesome.
Sophie Moser 10:55
Yeah, so since you were a student at USC, and what made you decide to come here, decided to go to college for music, even that can be like a tricky choice for some.
Liza Kaye 11:07
Um, well, first of all, USC was like one of my top choices, also just on location, because I knew like the whole music industry is essentially in LA. Um so I knew that opportunities would be very likely in LA versus going somewhere that doesn't have as big of a music industry. Um, and then also just the program itself. My I'm in a really cool performance program. And I knew if I wanted to go into the industry side of things, it'd be important to meet people that are the artists and the songwriters and producers. So it's like, set me up in a cool way to meet all the people that I need to meet, like, within an industry.
Sophie Moser 11:44
Yeah, totally. And what have you kind of in pre-Corona times before all of this stuff has kind of changed up, what were some of the things you were working on some of the things you do in your program, stuff like that?
Liza Kaye 11:57
Um, well, my program is a performance major. So I was always rehearsing, getting ready for a show. I remember there was a time last year for like, three months, it was like, okay, I have a show every single weekend. And it was like, okay, wow, very overwhelming, but really fun reflecting on it now, because there's no live shows. So lots of live shows, um, and then just going to shows was always so nice. Or being able to support my friends shows, even if I wasn't playing in them, but just going to everyone shows. So that's one of the things I probably missed the most out of all this being able to be outside in, at like a live concert.
Sophie Moser 12:36
Yeah, totally. I miss concerts to. So Sad.
Sophia Barber 12:39
Yeah same. So what about either just your interests, or the classes you were taking in the popular music program inspired you to pick up the industry minor, which, for people listening, both Sophie and I are both music industry majors.
Liza Kaye 12:56
Um, well, I think that when I started school, I knew that I didn't always want to be a full time pianist. And that's what I'm in the Pop Program for. Um, so I knew that I wanted to do something else with that, whether that was production or industry. And I think when I met one of my best friends, Jordyn, I started doing, I started playing piano for her and I started producing with her. But for her, I saw like, all this crazy potential in her and I was like, Okay, I kind of want to do more than just be on the music side with you. And that's when I started managing her. And then that kind of opened up a lot of things. And I started interning and for, like, working with labels, doing studio time, kind of getting away from just the performance field, while still keeping it like incorporated in my life. So working with Jordyn and starting to manage her kind of opened my eyes to like, wow, there's a lot of things that I can be doing here.
Sophie Moser 13:48
Yeah, totally. We were gonna ask about that. I think that's something unique, maybe you don't see as much people in the performance program who are also taking on something like that. And we think it's really cool that you're managing Jordyn, you guys have such a close friendship. And, and maybe just if you could elaborate more on like, what kind of makes that collaboration work? Or even some of the challenges that come with, you know, working with someone who's so close to you?
Liza Kaye 14:15
Yeah, well, so, basically, Jordyn and I are like, every single thing, it's like, we're best friends, but we're also roommates. And then, um, like I said, I produce and play piano for her and now I manage her, so it's kind of a lot, but um, I think it works because we started off with just a friendship, um, it never started off with anything else. And then from there, it went into a deep musical relationship where we were playing and producing all the time. And I think it's an important relationship to establish if you're going to go into a business relationship with someone if you're able to establish some sort of musical relationship, because if you like if you're a musician, I think that that's one of the most important relationships that you can get because it's- There's this sort of like trust, they can understand your music and play it and produce it something that you would be singing on. It's like, okay, they kind of understand like, my vision, my projection. Um, so for that it worked because it went in stages. I was like, okay, we're really close friends. Okay, we're doing lots of music together. Okay, now we can combine both of those two. But um, yeah, I guess like difficulties would be like drawing the line like, okay, today, we can have like a friend day like, we can go hang out at a park or whatever. But then it's like, oh, no, but I want to write music I want to- so it's like, sometimes you got to be like okay let's be friends today. And then tomorrow, let's write music. So yeah, definitely has its ups and downs. But lots of ups.
Sophie Moser 15:41
Yeah, that's really cool. Um, what does your kind of maybe weekly responsibility look like with managing Jordyn?
Liza Kaye 15:50
So lately, she, she's go- in the future, she's going to be releasing three singles, like in the next couple of months, we haven't released in about half a- a little over half a year. Um, so what that looks like for us lately has been like, okay, who's gonna shoot the cover art? So we have to, like conceptualize the cover art first. Like, what outfits is she gonna wear? Is there gonna be a theme to all three and cohesiveness. So we've been reaching out to photographers in the past couple weeks, and then setting shoot dates, like, you got to have calendar, because things will sneak up on you. And then there's like, last touches that we have to put and this is where like, the music side comes in, because I have to go on Wednesday, like re-record a part that- a piano part that I added to one of the songs we're releasing, and she wanted to add something different. So we've been doing that. And then, right now I'm kind of really wanting to get a distribution deal with her. So I've just been meeting with a lot of people and just pitching her as an artist. So lately, it's been focused on those three singles that are coming up, like what can we do to make these kind of gain more listening?
Sophia Barber 16:56
Yeah. Do you and maybe Jordyn too ever feel that there's pressure from professors, peers, just life, to establish yourself and your career in college, because the music industry is so unstable after you graduate? I know, I definitely feel this pressure. But I was wanting to get your thoughts on that.
Liza Kaye 17:17
It's interesting, I feel like there's a lot of pressure among your classmates, because everyone's like, so hungry to get going. And everyone is actually like doing their own thing, especially this year. Like, I've noticed that, like, everyone's really just doing their own s***. And I feel like we don't feel that pressure from professors, though, because they kind of tell us the opposite. They're like, slow down, you're gonna learn all this stuff, you're gonna have so much time to really, so much time to do x y and z, just like take in and learn. But sometimes it's like a disconnect, because it's like, okay, like, I kind of want to start right now. But they're telling me to do this, and then my peers are doing this. So it's important to just like, realize that you have your own timeline, and just go at your own pace really.
Sophia Barber 17:59
Definitely.
Sophie Moser 18:01
Yeah, totally. I think that's something that comes up a lot in the college experience, like specifically around internships, there can sometimes be a pressure of like, oh, have this at this time, you know, um, and on that note, like, is that something you're interested in? Is that something you've done, like internship wise, outside of the kind of USC sphere?
Liza Kaye 18:21
Yeah, I started interning pretty early, honestly, in high school. So my first internship, I went to Cape Town, South Africa, and I interned in a recording studio, and that's kind of where I was taught how to produce. So I started with that. And then the next year, I was like, Okay, I kind of want to do something similar to that. So I went to London did a similar type thing. Um, and since then, I've just kind of continued interning, because you can learn a lot and figure out oh, like, I really don't like that, or I really like this. And it kind of helps you narrow down what you're about. And then in college, I interned for Atlantic Records my freshman year, and that was cool. It was more like digital marketing stuff. But I don't know some of the internships, it's like, not a lot of hands on learning. Um, it looks good for the resume, like you're around cool people. But a lot of the time, it's like, okay, what did I actually take away from that? So right now, I'm more focused on like building relationships with people and like getting some type of mentorship rather than a set internship. Like, I'd rather not have an official like internship, I'd rather just get advice and like, have someone to call when I have questions type thing.
Sophia Barber 19:27
Yeah, that's definitely helpful resource. Oh, sorry, I interrupted you. But I also wanted to just ask you, because you've been an intern in three different kinds of music locations, so Los Angeles, London and Cape Town. Do you have a preference or do you notice differences on how the music industry is in those places?
Liza Kaye 19:49
I think I really do love London's music scene. It seems very, it seems a lot more like tight knit than LA's. Cape Town's is kind of still growing. When I was there, I was 16. So it was kind of more like music production based, rather than like thinking about the industry. But as far as London, it's kind of like, oh, if you know one person that's in with the music industry, odds are, you'll have a easy time, like kind of working your way up into that, Because it seems like oh, every single person knows everyone. I know they say that about LA, but LA is just huge. So it's like you do know one person that may help you that could not help you at all. So for London, I feel like things get passed around quick. People hear you quick. So it seems like it's a really cool like tight knit community. I definitely want to like, go back and work there at some point. And I think that my, I don't know, I really do like LA's music industry right now. Because mainly because I live here. So it's so accessible. But I don't know, I think London's might be just a little bit more genuine, than LA's. But LA's is pretty good, too.
Sophia Barber 21:01
That makes sense. That's cool that you get both perspectives so early on.
Liza Kaye 21:05
Yeah, that was nice.
Sophia Barber 21:08
So what do you see your post grad life looking like? As of right now, I know, it's crazy times because of the virus. But,
Liza Kaye 21:18
I've debated grad school doing some type of, I've looked at like Berklee's program that has, it's called like global entertainment business. I do like the obviously like global approach to the music industry, as I've kind of worked all around. And I would like to eventually have a career that is something I can do internationally. So a program like that would be really cool, or just going abroad for grad school. But at the same time, I would- if I could get a job like right out of undergrad doing A&R for like a major label or an indie record label, that would be definitely really cool as well. So I think it's kind of like, depending on what opportunities I have, when I graduate, either grad school and then come back to those opportunities or just kind of, hopefully, get some sort of like management or an A&R job.
Sophie Moser 22:09
So do you definitely see yourself going into more of the business industry side of things as opposed to staying on the music side?
Liza Kaye 22:19
I- So I think that like my ultimate goal is to be an A&R that is still involved in like my musicianship. So whether that's going into the studio with the artists that I'm A&Ring, and I'm not, I don't have to be like the head producer or anything, but I would like to like give input or like add keys parts, or whatever it is. So I don't want to like lose touch with my musicianship. So ideally, it would be a best of both worlds type situation where I can help the artists with their sound, musically, and also help them like grow within the business.
Sophie Moser 22:50
Yeah, totally. That's so cool. I mean, do you feel like there's a lot of people out there doing that? I mean, it seems like maybe that's a little bit more rare and could be a really cool niche, like something where you could do both.
Liza Kaye 23:02
I don't think there's a lot of people out there doing it, mainly because there's like a stigma that you have to be one thing, and I've heard it like a million times. It's like, Okay, are you their, pianist? Are you their producer? Maybe you can be a pianist, and producer, they might give you that. But if you want to like hop into, A&R and management it's like, Okay, what are you you're like, one thing. Um, and so that I think forces a lot of people that give up their artistry or vice versa, like, you know, just choose one, but I don't really, I'm not really like that willing to just be like, Okay, fine. I'm just an A&R. So, it's definitely like a rare percentage of people that do it just because it's so anti. And it's not technically like what is allowed, but yeah, I feel like I actually met someone recently that is an A&R doing a lot of the music side of things. So that was nice to hear. But a lot of the times I do hear that people like, one thing or the other.
Sophie Moser 23:54
Yeah, that makes sense. And that's really cool that you found someone who is doing something similar, you can kind of have that support and maybe mentorship.
Liza Kaye 24:02
Mm hmm.
Sophia Barber 24:04
I was just gonna ask, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems, at least for the management and maybe even the A&R side, it seems like you're learning a lot as you're doing. How have you been kind of figuring out what to do? And what route to take? Is it coming pretty naturally? Do you have a mentor or how are you learning those skills?
Liza Kaye 24:23
Yeah, I mean, um, when I first started managing Jordyn, I had no idea what I was doing, like okay I'll be your manager, whatever that means. Like for the first few months, I was like, Okay, seriously, don't know what I'm doing. But then I started just kind of trying to educate myself as much as I could. So I woudl go on like panels, there's a bunch of really cool panels, especially during quarantine where like, really cool panelists will come on, like women in management or women in A&R. And they give really solid advice and like, actual true advice about how to manage and it's kind of just about like, going with the learning curve. You can't really just learn how to manage until you start managing. So I've been doing things like that, watching podcasts watching videos on YouTube. And then also just reaching out to past people that have helped me. And they'll give me like advice on questions. Or sometimes I'll just like, take an artist and see their trajectory and kind of like, see what they did that was different from someone else to kind of try recognizing patterns. And then lately, I've been doing some sort of mentorship internship with this guy, Nick Jarjour, and he is a manager and an A&R. So it's kind of perfect. And his team will like, give me lots of help and tips about like managing Jordyn. Every week I have to check in and they're like, okay, so what did you do for her this week, and then I'll also pitch people and they get ready, they get me ready for like, learning how to pitch professionally and what they're looking for in a pitch. So that's definitely helped a lot as far as the learning curve. But I feel like, just making mistakes and like, realizing, oh, that release didn't go that well. Like, what can we do better on this one, it's just really the way to go.
Sophia Barber 26:00
Awesome. So through this podcast, a big goal that Sophie and I have is just learning more about all aspects of the music industry that we don't, that we've learned about briefly, but want to get into more. So besides like management and A&R, is there an area of music or the music business that you would like to learn more about?
Liza Kaye 26:21
Yeah, um, I think that entertainment law is really interesting. That's something that my dad does. And so I'm always like, coming to him with questions and stuff. But at same time I'm like, damn I really wish I knew like all of this. Um, I think it's definitely a really critical thing to have. If you're pursuing the music industry, so I'd love to know more about that, as well as also like sync is really interesting to me and like music supervision.
Sophie Moser 26:50
That's so funny that you say that, because I'm actually really interested in entertainment law and Sophia is really interested in sync. But I think that's cool. Because, at least here at USC, I feel like entertainment law can get a little bit of like, a bad rap with at least the other industry majors, like they don't really enjoy the classes, but I really like them. So it's cool that you like that too.
Liza Kaye 27:10
Yeah, you gotta know it.
Sophia Barber 27:12
Well- Yeah, the content is cool. The class is just really hard.
Liza Kaye 27:17
Yeah definitely.
Sophia Barber 27:20
Okay, so we wanted to kind of wrap it up with a fun question. So you're the guest on our first episode, but for our second episode, we're talking about Tik Tok. Are you on Tik Tok Liza?
Liza Kaye 27:33
I am on Tik Tok.
Sophia Barber 27:36
So our final question for you is what side of Tik Tok are you on?
Liza Kaye 27:41
I'm like, totally on the music side of Tik Tok. I have friends that are on the whole like Charli D'Amelio, like gossip drama side of Tik Tok. But I mean, I started posting like piano stuff for my- on my end and in result like the stuff that pops up because you know, that thing like listens to you. Like all my stuff is all music, so I'd say definitely on music Tik Tok.
Sophia Barber 28:03
Awesome.
Sophie Moser 28:04
Cool.
Sophia Barber 28:06
Well, Liza, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it talking to you. And can you tell the people where they can find you?
Liza Kaye 28:15
You can find me on Instagram. It is lzkaye2, number two, that's basically my username on like every platform so that's where you can find me.
Sophia Barber 28:26
Awesome. Thank you!
Liza Kaye 28:27
Awesome thank you guys so much for having me.
Sophia Barber 28:31
Thank you all for listening. You can find us on Instagram at sophia.productions. And please go rate download and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai