January 31, 2023
Miley Cyrus was born into the music industry, and has spent her career channelling her Nashville and Hollywood roots into a diverse discography stacked with hits. Add to that countless covers that are
Read more
January 31, 2023
Before the invention of TikTok, many music artists gained popularity through YouTube. However, similar to the TikTok stars of today, people in the music industry saw ‘YouTube bands’ as lesser because
Read more.png)
February 1, 2023
Google has done it. They have created an AI that can generate music from text descriptions. The announcement of this is timely because recently Chat GPT, (a language learning model created by OpenAI
Read more.png)
January 28, 2023
What does it take to be a professional singer in South Korea? On stage, these Kpop idols capture our attention with catchy songs and amazing choreographies, but what about off-stage? Behind the ...
Read more.png)
January 26, 2023
Writer’s block is real, and it’s not just authors, but also songwriters and composers. Thinking of top hit songs can be difficult, so how do the pros do it? Where do they get their inspiration from?
Read more.png)
January 26, 2023
What does a TV show based on a video game and the music industry have in common? Near the end of 2021, Arcane took the world by storm after debuting on Netflix. Not only did it dazzle us with its...
Read more.png)
January 23, 2023
As the contract between Blackpink and YG Entertainment nears its end, fans of the popular South Korean girl group are wondering if the group will renew their contract with the agency...
Read more
January 19, 2023
Rapper J. Cole has recently announced that he had been struggling with writer's block, but found a way to break free from it by using a type beat from Youtube music producer BVTMAN's YouTube...
Read more.png)
January 19, 2023
Hania Rani is a Polish pianist and composer whose music has been described as "hauntingly beautiful" and "evocative." She is known for her unique blend of classical and electronic music, which she...
Read more
January 16, 2023
Ryan Tedder is a highly accomplished and sought-after music producer and songwriter. He is known for his work with a wide range of artists including: Adele, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and OneRepublic...
Read more
January 6, 2022
Drake's ghostwriter controversy has been a topic of conversation since the rapper's feud with Meek Mill in 2015. Quentin Miller, a lesser-known rapper from Atlanta, was named as the ghostwriter....
Read more
December 28, 2022
Many artists are using their personal brand and influence to educate artists, from beginners to fellow professionals. Timbaland has partnered with Masterclass to teach musicians how to make unique...
Read morePhoto credit: Unclear Magazine
Before the invention of TikTok, many music artists gained popularity through YouTube. However, similar to the TikTok stars of today, people in the music industry saw ‘YouTube bands’ as lesser because of how they became popular. Against the Current is one such band.
Who is Against the Current? Against the Current (ATC) is an American pop-rock band that formed in 2011. The current members include Chrissy Costanza on vocals, Will Ferri on drums, and Dan Gow on guitar. Since their formation, they’ve released two full-length albums and many singles. They’ve also had the chance to collaborate with Riot Games for three different League of Legends championships.
For the first few years after its formation, ATC focused on its YouTube presence. Their videos included both their original music as well as covers of famous songs. These covers were often collaborations between other YouTube musicians, like Alex Goot.
All of this proved successful. In fact, they became so popular that by 2015 they signed to the record label Fueled By Ramen. Other artists Fueled by Ramen have worked with include Paramore and Twenty One Pilots. After signing, ATC released their second EP “Gravity,” and, subsequently, went on a tour through Europe, North America, and Asia.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
ATC’s success didn’t come without problems, of course. People in the traditional industry often looked down on them. Not because of the music they made, but because of where they made it. ATC, like many YouTube bands, was not considered a “real band” because of its online presence.
These criticisms didn’t stop once they had a record label, nor when they went on their four-month tour.
Others didn’t like that ATC was playing sold-out shows, even if the places were small venues. “They thought we needed to pay our dues, to play to 30 people a night,” says Costanza during an interview. She then points out that they have played those kinds of shows before, but that didn’t matter to other bands.
ATC thought they would catch a break when they were invited to the Warped Tour traveling punk festival in 2016. That wasn’t the case. During the festival, ATC ran into multiple bands that said this tour was a chance for ATC to play for real and ‘earn their cred.’
In the band’s interview, Costanza admits that it was frustrating to have the band’s achievements dismissed and looked down on over and over again. All because people didn’t like “how [they] did things.”
And this trend continues with TikTok stars today. Costanza believes that the content industry gets so much criticism because people “hate what they don’t understand.”
Despite the criticism, ATC is still thriving today, both online and offline.
What can we learn from ATC’s past?
Well, just because someone’s journey is different from the norm, that doesn’t mean their method is any less valid. Maybe, you can even learn something from them to help your own journey.
If you’d like to listen to Against the Current, check out their latest music video at the link below!
