"Aidann, 9ruel, whatever you want to call her, creates while looking outward."
- 9ruel
Q: Tell us about yourself!
A: I’m a singer-songwriter from San Francisco, California, with an unwavering love for collaboration. I grew up playing in bands my whole life, which has since translated into me being a studio rat since coming to LA. My style is slightly grungy, slightly unhinged, and, while hyperbolic, always brutally honest. Art is what has always given my life meaning, making even the heaviest emotions feel like warm friends. My tagline: Living to feel, feeling to create.
Aidann is styled in the Narae long sleeve and Carrie skirt.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of making/writing music?
Great question! I think it’s shifted a lot over the years. At first, it was a personal outlet, and while making music is still largely therapeutic, I’ve felt more rewarded by collaboration over the last few years, whether it be playing in bands or in the studio.
Q: What is the inspiration behind your songs?
It almost always starts as a “slogan,” not even necessarily a chorus. I keep a pretty steady stream of audio and visual media to slowly sediment in my subconscious. That, paired with constantly checking in with myself, whether through physical writing or straight-up talking to myself, is where ideas come from. My songs are always a little political, a little unhinged, and a tad dissonant. I actually find that when I listen to less music, or to music that’s not at all like mine, my sound starts to get super interesting.
Q: What three songs do you think capture “you” the best for a first-time listener?
Parasocialite (not officially released yet, stay tuned!) is definitely the song that represents me best (my Brandy Melville performance is on my IG though!). It’s about my skewed identity with myself and the world around me, having grown up on the internet, with some Smashing Pumpkins-esque melodies and chord structures. If you want something that’s currently released, though, you can check out my first single, “Doomsday Dirtbag,” which mixes underscores-fishmonger-eque hyperpop (courtesy of my producer, Lux) with 2000s pop punk. Still super political, vivid, and unhinged. In terms of other stuff I’ve penned, I co-wrote this track by this dope up-&-coming
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about people, animals, and the planet. I think that many of my peers have come to realize that, in this day and age, nothing matters more than the well-being of ourselves, our friends, strangers, and the world as a whole. I’m passionate about media and am constantly seeking out films, music, internet rabbit holes, and short stories.
Q: If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
A: 1% of the world causes 99% of the world’s problems, so it’s highly systematic. Tax billionaires, for sure, but also make sure those funds are allocated in a way that doesn’t create new loopholes for the megarich to get ahead in other ways. That funding should go to education. I don’t think one should need to possess a college degree to receive hands-on instruction on media literacy. If that were taught as early as primary school, I think we’d all be a lot kinder to each other, and society as a whole would be more committed to protecting the planet, solving world hunger, and freeing people in and outside the US from oppression.
Q: What does your ideal day look like?
A: I don’t have my dog or cat with me at UCLA, but I’d probably wake up, hang with my cat while reading a book, and take my dog for a walk. Write some songs just me and guitar, meet a friend for lunch in Silverlake, before going to the studio (probably somebody’s home in Echopark), and then going to my favorite open mic (shout out Coffee Cartel in Redondo Beach!)
Q: What goals are you working towards right now?
A: I’m working on becoming more confident with putting myself out there as an artist (under the stage name 9ruel, I just started dropping music!) I love writing for other people, but I have some songs I know will probably never get placed, so why shouldn’t I just sing them? It’s a parasociality thing. I’ve never really posted friends and family on social media, as I've always found that stuff too sacred. However, I’m looking forward to having fun with it, running a few burner accounts related to my hobbies.
Q: What’s advice you live by?
A: Might sound morbid to some, but nothing really matters in the best way ever. I just think that there’s way too much tension in everyone’s bodies (mine included, haha, currently working on that) in the pursuit of non-stop productivity. Like, we’re not all nurses working in the ER, and recontextualizing tasks within that makes a lot of what might be stressing you out the most feel superfluous. It’s given me permission to let some things go, take risks, and try new things all in pursuit of living life to the fullest.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: Literally everyone. I don’t really idolize anyone, since nobody is perfect, so someone showing basic human kindness is a good enough threshold for me to dig deep and find inspiration in them. If you care to start opening yourself up to people and asking questions, you’ll find that your Uber driver is just as interesting as whatever guest speaker people are lining up to hear from at your college.
Q: What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
A: I’m fluent in French! My parents aren’t French, but they enrolled me in a French school for sixteen years for the heck of it! I do, in fact, possess a French Baccalaureate. It feels good to know that my options for moving overseas to English- and French-speaking countries are more open.
