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By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio As generative artificial intelligence, or “AI” continues to weave its way into every part of life, debates continue as to how deep its impact could ever be on music. While many musicians and devoted music fans maintain that true music, like any true form of any art, must come from a human being, other people create and promote music and even musicians that are generated entirely from AI. Look for a side hustle or day job to finance a project in your music career, and you’re greeted with a screen full of videos promising that you can easily run a money making business by using AI to create all or most of the content you might need. Can you simply prompt AI to do things you don’t actually know how to do yourself? The Heat Beat conducted an experiment to see if someone who has an extensive background in music, but no training or experience in song writing could use AI prompts to produce a song. The person entering the prompts is fifty years old, and has been singing since she was about three or four. She is a professional artist, but her paid work consists of novel writing, teaching writing skills to other adults, and content writing/copy writing for musicians, educators, and other content creators. She currently sings as a hobby/volunteer, but is not and has never been a professional musician. In other words, me. Rules 1. Since AI is promoted as the fast, easy way to attribute material to yourself that you didn’t actually create, I can only use up to ten prompts. 2. The song must be created entirely by me interacting with AI. Phoenix Radio has some amazing professional musicians working with it, including the owner and SHE-o herself, a talented children’s song writer, and my own husband, a professional musician and songwriter in addition to hosting “Masters of Jazz” and “Blues Power” for the station. I’m not allowed to talk to any of those people about this until the experiment is over, or attempt to actually learn anything about songwriting myself from any other source. 3. The song produced must be one that I would be willing to sing in front of other people. If the song passes that test, at least one other person, this time a professional musician, must express willingness to perform or record it without being prompted. 4. I can’t “throw” the experiment by intentionally asking the bot to write about strange topics. I have to create a love song, a protest song, or a song about a situation typically addressed in song lyrics. The experiment I began by telling chat gpt I needed to write a song. The bot offered me a guide on songwriting followed by an offer to write lyrics from scratch, help me finish a half-written song, match a specific style or artist, focus on melody and chord vibes or make it sad sad or pretty sad. I asked it to write lyrics from scratch, told it I did not want to mimic any specific artist, and listed my real favorite genres, which are Punk/Alternative, Christian Pop, Blues, Classic Country, and Jazz. I mentioned I also like Metal. I asked it for a song about a woman who feels isolated even though she is married and has an office job, a description of a character I recently created for a novel I am working on. The bot immediately pulled out the most stereotypical details possible. It wrote me bland lyrics about marital problems, which I noted my character does not have. Of course since I like country music, a truck had to be in there. I prompted it to remove those things, along with some things that did not make sense, like nods after I prompted it that the character becomes engrossed in an online environment. Once I fed it the information that my character is a musician, it wouldn’t stop writing lyrics about a waiting guitar until I directed it to take that out. One of the prompts was that it was meant to be a love song, another asked it to stop repeatedly mentioning the city after I told it that my characters lived in one. Results After more prompts replying to revision questions it asked me and adding a few more similar notes, here is the song AI produced: In a Way That Feels Kind Verse 1 He’s working late, I’m here again With hours I don’t know how to spend I’m not unhappy, just alone With questions I don’t say out loud Chorus I just want to feel loved In a way that feels kind Not corrected, not fixed Just met, just aligned I don’t want a second life Or secrets I can’t keep I just want to feel loved When someone reads me Verse 2 We speak in long and careful lines About the weight of ordinary lives Everyone arrives unsure We leave sounding more the same Chorus I just want to feel loved In a way that feels kind Not rescued, not praised Just seen, just aligned I don’t want a second life Or somewhere else to be I just want to feel loved When someone reads me Bridge If love is being understood Then this must count as love Final Chorus I just want to feel loved In a way that feels kind Not corrected, not fixed Just met, just aligned If belonging feels like breathing And silence feels too deep I just want to feel loved When someone reads me Outro When someone reads me Its final message to me said that “we” could talk about where the song might appear in the novel. I may not be a songwriter, but I am a writer, and I could not think of a blander and less realistic plot line than if my musician character got into trouble in an online chat room, and responded to that situation by writing a song about looking for attention in an online chat room. Whatever went on in the online community would probably stand out much more for her than the fact that she was on a website. When I started this experiment, I expected it to either succeed for AI, and end in a moving song written from the point of view of a lonely woman who got in trouble looking for affection and attention online, but was not necessarily about that, or simply fail and produce bland, corny content. It certainly did produce something bland and corny. I do not even need to show this to any professional musicians, as this is definitely not usable for me, either as something I would care to sing in an open mic nor as something I would incorporate into my novel. I didn’t expect it to so clearly illustrate some of the reasons that non-musicians will never be able to replace songwriters with the help of AI. The AI bot failed to even pick up the detail that the character is set to get into some type of trouble in the online environment. None of the follow up questions asked about further plot details of the novel the song was to be based on. It didn’t even generate any follow up questions about the character’s husband and their relationship, despite being prompted that this was a love song. I would expect even the most predictable human-written song to be a “his love saved me” song, given the prompt that it was a love song, and that there were no problems in the marriage. Both AI bots and people can ask the most basic, the most likely, predictable questions and determine what would most commonly come next given a prompt. AI bots can even do that much faster and more thoroughly than people. But having the empathy required to care and ask which details would be the most meaningful to a human being in a situation is something only a human can do….and it is this caring...about anything...that is the root of a truly well-written song.
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By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio Predictions for music in 2026 include an increase in hybrid music genres. As with the word “hybrid” in any other context, hybrid music genres are combined music genres. A hybrid genre is formed anytime distinct features of two or more existing genres of music are used to form a new one. The term “hybrid genre” is often confused with “micro genre,” but while some hybrid genres can be described as “micro genres,” and vice versa, the terms describe different things in music. A “micro” genre is a type of music created to appeal to a limited audience, or to very specific tastes. “Horrorcore” is written and performed for people who like both rap and horror stories. “Christian pop” has a target audience of people who both enjoy pop music and are Christians. Hybrid genres simply blend elements of two different types of music. There is no niche or specific target audience. Many hybrid genres even have the exact opposite impact of micro genres, widening the audience for both types of music rather than narrowing it to people who enjoy two specific things. It is impossible to tell exactly how many hybrid music genres exist. Attempting to do so generates things like AI search engines informing you that there is no way to tell because they are always changing, articles from twelve years ago, and lists of the most obscure types of music that mixes up micro genres and hybrid genres. While information offered by AI should always be double checked, the results are likely correct in this case, as two or more genres of music could be newly blended at any time. Most contemporary: Country Rap Country and Rap once seemed like the last two genres anyone would try to blend together, as they seemed to have almost nothing in common. Rap grew from struggling urban neighborhoods. Country roots were strictly in the rural parts of America. And while country music certainly started out on the same socioeconomic level as Rap, by the 1990’s, it had taken such a pop turn in both style and image, it was starting to seem like music for rich pop fans who liked to pretend to be cowboys. It was not uncommon for people who liked one of those genres to declare they could not stand and never wanted to hear the other one. Today, more and more country artists are returning to an older, more traditional form of country music, while at the same time showing greater interest in mixing with other genres, including Rap. By the end of 2025, there were enough Country Rap artists to create top fifty song lists. Country Rap is formed when an artist raps the lyrics of what would otherwise be a country song, but the artist’s entire body of work, or even an entire album, does not have to feature rapped lyrics to be classified as Country Rap. Jelly Roll is perhaps one of the most well-known Country Rap artists today. While his lyrics blend themes common to both genres, he switches back and forth, rapping on some songs, singing country-style vocals on others, and switching back and forth on still others. Most obscure: Bubble Grunge Bubble Grunge music is formed when the melodies of bubblegum pop music are woven into grunge music. Because the music is so heavily based on grunge/alternative, some argue that bubble grunge is not even a true hybrid genre, just punk or alternative music with melodies that lean pop. There is some support for this argument, as the one playlist available on Spotify for “bubblegrunge” includes some songs by Pixies, a well-known alternative band, and the Riot Grrrl band “Bikini Kill.” Randomly selecting from other bands on the list and searching for their genre reveals that most of these bands are considered “alternative” by various sources. Other bands are described as blending so many genres, they are certainly hybrids of something, even if “Bubble Grunge” is not a legitimate hybrid music genre. Canadian band Metric gets classified as “indie rock” by most sources, but nearly all of them add at least one other genre, usually two or three. Most varied: Jazz Fusion Most hybrid music genres are developed when two types of music are blended, while some are a distinct combination of three or more styles. Jazz Fusion is unique in that it includes any other type of music blended with Jazz. Country plus Rap is Country Rap. If somebody were to blend Classical into that mix, it would become its own hybrid genre, and if Country were blended with Middle Eastern Folk music, that would be a whole other hybrid. Jazz plus Rock and Jazz plus Hip Hop are still classified as Jazz Fusion. Jazz Fusion could also be described as the most enduring, as it began more than fifty years ago, in the late 1960’s. Miles Davis’ “In a Silent Way, released in 1969, is sometimes considered the first Jazz Fusion album, with other sources naming his 1970 album “Bitches Brew.” In 2026, artists continue to blend Jazz with one or more genres. Those who would like to hear the latest in all forms of Jazz, including Jazz Fusion, might want to attend one of the more than twenty Jazz festivals scheduled throughout the United States in 2026. It will be interesting to see if any new hybrid genres form by the middle of January 2027. By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio New year’s resolutions have been as much a part of marking the new year as the ball drop and party hats, but many people find them difficult or impossible to keep up past January. Replacing them with goals is one option, but that can be discouraging every time something doesn’t seem to be progressing. In recent years, the practice of replacing both resolutions and goals with experiments has begun floating around social media and the press. The key differences between resolutions or goals and experiments is the approach at both the beginning and the end. An experiment begins with a hypothesis. You ask what would happen if this or that were true or different. Then, the activity is carried out with the change in place. As the experiment unfolds, notes are taken on the results. Finally, the results are studied and evaluated. In a true scientific experiment, the results are simply reported, with no further action. In a goal experiment, the results are evaluated and changes are made until the desired result or goal is met. Proponents of this approach claim that this removes a lot of the unnecessary self-criticism that setting goals or making resolutions can bring, and instead focuses on finding something that works for the person seeking the change. Experiment #1: What would happen if I wrote or practiced my music in a different setting than normal? Artists who practice in all forms tend to have our set places to practice or create. Much of the reason for this is of course practical. You have to rehearse singing or guitar playing at home or in a practice studio, because everyone in your favorite hangout is not going to want to hear the same chords, or the chorus of your church’s worship team songs, or four different versions of that verse you’re working on three times in a row. Writing is a bit more flexible, but there needs to be space to do it without crowding anyone else. What would happen if you simply moved to a different part of your practice studio or your house for three or five or ten practice sessions? What would happen if you wrote music in a different room, or if you normally do write it in a cafe, what if you chose someplace else, or a different table at your usual spot? Commit to a certain number of your usual practice or writing sessions in a new place, and see what happens. Experiment #2: How would my plans play out if I worked on them to a different type of music for one hour each week? While the focus is shifting from resolutions and goals to experiments, this does not mean you should have nothing you want to do this year. It just means giving yourself a chance to test out ways to get where you want to go. Suppose you set out to finish writing songs for an album this year. Your usual pattern when writing songs is to listen to the type of music that you write in the morning, and then work on your own writing in the afternoon. To conduct this experiment, you would listen to a type of music that is very different than what you write in the mornings before you sit down to write. Non musical goals can of course be done with the music playing. Try working on a short story or novel to Jazz if you typically listen to country music, or play classic R&B if you typically listen to metal. You may want to try music you already listen to but don’t typically put on while you’re working, or you could even try working to a genre of music or an artist you never listen to much at all. Experiment #3: What if I said “yes” to a gig or other project I wouldn’t normally do? Most people have seen this one presented as the “say yes to everything” for a set period of time experiment, where the person must say “yes” to every offer or suggestion that is not dangerous, illegal, or in serious conflict with their deeply held beliefs. That experiment would certainly fall under this category, but if you’re not willing to say “yes” to absolutely any and every gig or project anyone might offer you, modify it by agreeing to do just one thing outside of your regular art practice. You might agree to play at a children’s party if you typically only play weddings, or at a wedding if your business revolves around children’s parties. Collaborate with someone you wouldn’t typically ask to work with you. Put yourself on the list at an open mic someplace you have never been before. Experiment #4: What if I doubled...or halved...the amount of money I spend on music? Several traditional new year’s resolutions revolve around money. We resolve to make and stick to a better budget, find a higher paying day job, start a side hustle, or stop spending money on takeout or coffee drinks or delivery. Add a musical twist to this and make it an experiment by drastically changing the amount of money you spend on music for a set period of time. What would happen if you didn’t buy any new music for a month? How might your year be different if you ordered those concert tickets you always said were too expensive? Make the change and see what unfolds. Experiment #5: How would adding music to an activity that is normally quiet or done to background noise change the outcome? Like the practice in a different place experiment, this one has to be done within the constraints of respect for other people and personal consequences. You wouldn’t start working your day job to music if your workplace has a policy against it, or if doing so would put you or someone else in danger. But within reason, what would happen if part of your life that has always been quiet is now set to your favorite music, or if you replaced some form of background noise with music? If you typically cook with the tv on, what would happen if you listened to your favorite band this week instead? How would you sleep this week if you turned on some soft classical music instead of a white noise machine? Would that workout you’re struggling to stick to go better if you exercised to music instead of watching the tv playing at the gym? What experiments will you do with music this year? By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio Over the past several days, several musicians, including Jazz group The Cookers and folk singer-songwriter Kristy Lee have canceled performances at the Kennedy Center in protest of the December 18 announcement that it would now be officially named the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Many of the musicians released individual press statements, but the consensus seems to be that they find it inappropriate and alarming that a President would rename the national arts center after himself, and they believe that this move is just one in a series of acts indicating that Trump intends to take over the center and only allow art that reflects his own beliefs to be performed. The musicians who have canceled performances at the Kennedy Center so far are engaged in an effective form of protest with their music, but refusing to perform in a venue that no longer represents freedom of expression is just one way artists use their music and other art to protest, even though it may not be immediately classified as a protest by others, or in some cases, even thought of that way by the artists themselves. Refusing to serve as a consultant or advisor for any organization or venue that does not allow artists to freely express themselves As news spread of musicians backing away from the Kennedy Center due to the name change, some national news reports incorrectly announced that someone named “Renee Flaming” had resigned her advisory role in protest of Trump adding his name to the arts center. There is no musician named “Renee Flaming,” but the writers of these articles probably heard that opera soprano Renee Fleming had resigned from an advisory role in protest of Trump renaming the center after himself. While Fleming did indeed resign from an advisory role in deliberate protest of the actions of Donald Trump, she acted long before the name change. Fleming’s decision to step down was reported in the magazine “Opera Wire” in an article written by Francisco Salazar on February 12, 2025. According to the article, Fleming resigned in response to the action that would allow Trump to push through the name change ten months later, his becoming Chair of the Board and appointing people who would do whatever he wished. Choosing themes that promote a worldview or message in opposition to something the artist sees around them Protest music itself falls into this category, but music does not have to be created in direct opposition to a specific person, occurrence, or issue to serve as a form of protest. Writing, recording, and performing music offering a worldview different than the prevailing culture can also serve as a way to protest what the artist sees as flaws in the culture. Christian contemporary music is perhaps the most well-known example. While modern secular pop music tends to promote glorifying oneself, focusing on a person’s own wants and needs and image, Christian pop is characterized by a focus on the glory and the will of Jesus. Secular pop songs about achieving goals and getting what you need and want in life tend to follow a similar theme to Katy Perry’s 2013 hit “Roar,” with lyrics centering around personal power and achievement. Contrast that with “The Lord Will Provide” by Passion and Landon Wolfe, featuring the line, “everything I need, my father has it.” Boycotting products or services from companies or individuals they do not agree with in the process of creating and/or promoting their art This form of protest is always deliberate, and it is often mocked, mainly because people who choose it so often go about it in an ineffective or even counterproductive way. Rapper Kid Rock co-owns a bar in Nashville. He uses his image as a musician to promote the bar, and the bar to promote his image in music, as the place is called “Kid Rock’s Big <expletive> Honky Tonk and Steakhouse.” In 2023, Kid Rock wanted to protest what he saw as Budweiser’s support of the transgender community when the company briefly worked with a transgender content creator. In protest, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting bottles of the company’s product. Unfortunately, he had to first purchase the items, meaning all he did was waste his own money. Lending even less credibility to his boycott, multiple news outlets investigated and found Budweiser products still being served at the bar Kid Rock uses to promote his music, even during the supposed “boycott.” Had he quietly removed the company’s products from the shelves of the business intertwined with his music career, refused any sponsorships from them, declined to have their products available at any shows he performed, and posted a video simply urging fans not to purchase from them, he would have had a genuine example of this type of protest. Actions taken by fans of these and other artists who use their art practice to speak out vary. Some choose to separate the artist from the art, and continue to enjoy the person’s work, regardless of their level of agreement with the artist’s actions or beliefs. Others choose to act in agreement with their favorite artists. Some fans respond by boycotting or protesting artists whose messages they disagree with. For others, it depends on the artist and the issue. Just as each artist has a choice in what they promote, protest, or express through and with their art, the choice of how to respond belongs to each fan. Works referenced: Salazar, F. (2025). Following Trump takeover, Renee Fleming resigns from Kennedy Center. Opera Wire website. Following Trump Takeover, Renée Fleming Resigns From Kennedy Center - OperaWire OperaWire December 30, 2025 The Heat Beat and everyone on the Heat Squad here at Phoenix Radio would like to wish all of our listeners and readers a blessed Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas. Be sure to check back here next Wednesday for another full length article about the music of Phoenix Radio and beyond.
By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio Over the past week, social sharing sites have been flooded with content about how tired everyone is of excessive displays of consumption and wealth, particularly around the holidays. At the same time, those very displays have become more and more prevalent in everyone’s online feeds and in the physical stores where we shop for those finishing touches on our holiday décor and gifts for our family and friends. It can feel like we have to buy these things, simply because that is all that’s there. But we don’t. For each over-hyped, overpriced, meaningless trend, there is a reasonable alternative with the added bonus of giving the gift of music. Trend: Ralph Lauren Christmas In recent years, the “clean” aesthetic has brought with it a lot of silver and white, gold and white, even pure white or beige and white Christmases. This year, the trend has been to throw all of those decorations out and replace them with a “Ralph Lauren Christmas,” or Christmas decorations that make your house look like a Ralph Lauren store. At first, this didn’t seem like a bad idea, as Ralph Lauren stores’ Christmas décor is based around traditional red and green. Most people could simply go back to many of the decorations they used before the whole beige Christmas trend took hold. But like most fads, there was a catch, and a pricey one at that. Simply going back to red and green was not enough. To create an authentic “Ralph Lauren” look, you have to carefully cultivate certain sophisticated red and green items, and then mix them carefully with a variety of plaids and plain statues of deer. The overall look and mood is that of an expensive hunting lodge in a rich area of the country. Alternative: Music themed Christmas on a budget Forget Ralph Lauren stores, and add a music theme to your Christmas décor instead. The easiest, and least expensive way to do this is to first gather up all of the plain decorations you already have, such as round ornaments for the tree and wreaths for the door. Go with whatever color scheme you already have the material to create, trendy or not. When you go to add something this year, choose decorations featuring bells, music notes, and instruments. Despite what the people advocating filling your entire house with deer and plaids may say, a little goes a long way when doing themed decorations. A tree filled with gold and silver balls with a few matching music notes scattered among them is going to be much more striking than every note and instrument ornament in three stores crammed onto the tree. Trend: Brrr Baskets Gift baskets are nothing new, but the “brr basket” fad of the past few years takes making a gift basket to a whole new level of over-consumption. The idea behind a “Brr basket” is to put together a collection of items the recipient can use to beat the cold this winter. While a comforting basket for winter is a wonderful idea, the goal seems to be to see how much you can spend rather than how much comfort you can actually bring. Some “brr baskets” start out with pairs of $140 Ugg boots purchased just because their color matches the overall theme of the basket the person is building, along with a matching Stanley water cup for $45 and a selection of $30 items, typically including luxury hand sanitizers and lip balms, often total more than $500 for a single basket intended for one person. Alternative: Music comfort basket Show the recipient of your gift how much you think of them rather than how much you can spend...or charge on a credit card. Instead of a pair of boots the person may or may not want, make the big ticket item in the basket a $25-$50 gift card to their go-to place for purchasing music. This should cover one or two digital or physical albums. Fill the rest of the basket with small comfort items the person can use while listening to their favorite music, such as their favorite snacks or drinks, a book or activity, or cosmetic items they might like. The key is to pack the basket with inexpensive, thoughtful things rather than everything trendy and pricey just because it fits a color and season theme. Anyone looking for some great music themed comfort items for a gift basket may want to check out our online store right here on 95 5 the heat dot com. Cozy sweatshirts, warm hoodies, and cups to hold favorite hot or cold beverages are available, all featuring the radio station’s logo. (Note: These items may arrive after Christmas and need to be pre-ordered for the next gift giving occasion or next holiday season.) Trend: Starbucks limited edition cup craziness In November, Bear-ista cups hit the shelves at Starbucks. The cups were cute, a teddy bear that looked like a larger version of the honey bear and a smaller version of the animal cracker bear wearing a little green winter hat and a Starbucks logo. A green striped straw was included, as the cups were glass and intended for iced coffee and tea. People began lining up at four in the morning to get these cups, which were almost never available. Determined to own one of these cups, or to give one for a gift, many who were not successful in getting a Bear-ista cup paid up to a thousand dollars to resellers. The original price of the cup was only thirty dollars. Alternative: Music experience Simply buying someone a music themed cup would not give them the music equivalent of the Bear-ista cup craze, because people who do things like stand in line at four in the morning and pay hundreds of dollars for thirty dollar items want to be part of the trend, part of the experience of finding and obtaining the cup, more than they want the actual cup. If they just wanted the cup, they could have calmly purchased a similar cup from Amazon, or waited until the craze was over. Replace the rather bland experience of owning a fad item cup with a musical experience. Concert tickets to a local or regional band or artist you know the person wants to see and can fit into their schedule, music lessons for the person who always wanted to sing or play or a trip to an important place in music history. Music lectures, classes in music history or appreciation would also make great gifts for music fans or musicians on your gift list. Two years or two months or two weeks from now, people will forget that your house looked like an upscale clothing store this year, or that they have an iced coffee cup shaped like a bear or some $10.00 hand sanitizer and $140.00 boots given to them just because they were beige like the rest of a basket. They won’t forget the time that someone thought about them and what they really needed or wanted, and they certainly won’t forget the music. By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio Christmas songs. Love them, dread them, or fall somewhere in between, you will probably need to play something else at some point during these next couple of weeks. When you need a break from Christmas music this season, consider adding these five everyday songs that still reflect and remind us of the teachings of Jesus...the reason for the entire Christmas season...to your playlist. Humility: Humble and Kind: Tim McGraw (2015) Perhaps the simplest and most straightforward song on the topic ever written, “Humble and Kind” is a gentle tune about the need to remain humble, even when you’ve accomplished a lot in the world or are seeing the things you dream about coming to you. Although the song itself does not have Christmas or Christian themes, it is sung by a Christian artist, and reminds us of something we often forget in our race to have the biggest party, the house with the most elaborate decorations, the most glam outfit at the holiday party, or the priciest holiday haul….the event we celebrate on Christmas day was the birth of a child to a seemingly ordinary young woman from a town everyone looked down on, one that occurred in an enclosure meant for livestock. If the one who came to save the world entered it this humbly, we honor Him best when we approach our own celebrations with humility. Love: Less Like Me: Zach Williams (2019) Entire books could be written about romantic love, and that type of love is certainly a gift from God, as is the platonic love we have for our family, friends, and pets. Suggesting a song about the love for humanity in no way attempts to put down these types of love. It’s just that these types of love are not as often forgotten during the holiday season as love for our fellow human beings in general. We remember to buy our spouse a special gift and thank our mothers for the holiday recipes and take our friends out for coffee. We don’t always remember that all the people we see as obstacles in our holiday rush are just as worthy of being here as we are, or that they are feeling the same frustrations and hopes that we feel. This song, written from the perspective of a narrator who professes to be a Christian but often ignores opportunities to behave in a loving manner toward those he encounters throughout his day, notes that the obstacle is his inability to “see past myself.” He then prays for the ability to “give what I receive.” Patience: A Thousand Years: Christina Perri (2011) When we think of “patience” during the holiday season, we think of the most mundane version, the ability to resist growing irritable when the cashier at the mall rings up other people’s purchases slower than we would like or brushing off our child or spouse when they want to watch a holiday movie more times than we think are necessary. Patience with ordinary holiday inconveniences is indeed important, but this song is for those who are dealing with a need for patience on a much deeper level. It is a song in which “time stand still,” and of course, love is pledged for thousands of years. It can serve as both a comfort for those who are struggling this season because they are going through a difficult time they must wait out, and as a reminder to those who are not grappling with a difficult situation that some people are, and that we should be patient and gentle with them. Enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life: Play That Song: Train (2016) One unfortunate Christian stereotype is of someone who is not allowed to genuinely enjoy life. In far too many popular portrayals, the Christian character is the one glaring at everybody then retreating to their drab room to study the Bible, emerging only for work and church. This stereotype is sadly perpetuated by many of today’s Christian content creators, who seem to be looking for evil spirits in everything from alarm clocks to lipstick tubes. It may surprise many non-Christians and even some Christians to learn that while selfishness, greed, and materialism are certainly forbidden, enjoyment of the simple pleasures in life is encouraged in the Bible. Ecclesiastes 2:24 and 3:12-13 encourage rejoicing, eating and drinking, and finding satisfaction in one’s work. They are just a few of many verses that teach us to take delight in those little happy moments, making this upbeat, joyful song about a character who can’t wait until the DJ plays that one song that makes his beloved think of him and want to dance a perfect non-Christmas song for a Christmas time playlist. Generosity: People Help the People: Birdy (2011) Songs about freely and joyfully giving your time, money, and energy to serve others are apparently pretty rare. Of course a few have been written over the years, but most songs on “generosity” playlists either use “giving” as some type of euphemism for romantic attention, or express gratitude for “generous” responses to bad behavior. British singer Birdy’s “People Help the People” is one of the few that is truly a call to action to share your resources with those in need. The lyrics invite the homesick to “give me your hand and I’ll hold it” and declares that “no one needs to be alone.” May these songs about humility, patience, love, delight in the simple joys of life, and giving to others both entertain and inspire us this Christmas season. By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio Independent musicians, and other independent artists, often need to raise funds for their career. Without the backing of a major label, everything from recording session fees to maintaining your instruments to paying the cover charge for your guests at open mic events falls to the artist or band. While most reinvest income from their music into these things, it may not be enough to cover all expenses, and in today’s economy, day jobs, never mind side jobs and profitable side hustles, are increasingly hard to find and secure. Fundraising projects can fill in the gaps. One workable, and even enjoyable fundraising project is known as a “penny challenge.” The penny challenge was invented and developed by a YouTuber named Ryan Trahan between 2017 and 2024. Trahan’s penny challenges evolved and changed over the years, but always followed one of three basic patterns. Each of these versions of the penny challenge he created can easily be adapted to serve as a fundraiser for an album, tour, merchandise launch, or other expenses related to your music career. Turn a penny directly into the amount you need for your project Ryan Trahan’s original penny challenge began eight years ago on his YouTube channel. He started with a penny, and proceeded to buy and sell items until he reached his goal of $1,000. In addition to buying and selling items during his penny challenges, Trahan also invested portions of the money he earned or swapped things to enable himself to provide services that generated even more money. One of his most common methods was to start by finding someone who would give him some small item for a penny, flip that item until he had enough cash to purchase a case of water or soda, and then sell drinks for two dollars each. Purchasing some cardboard, a pen, and a basket and offering to draw caricatures or tell jokes for a donation was another lighthearted way Trahan raised funds. In later versions of the challenge, he signed up as a driver for a food delivery app and used some of the money generated from the penny to purchase a bike to make deliveries. The only rule that must be followed to make this type of fundraiser a true penny challenge is that all funds must either come directly from the penny, or be something that you can do without spending any money at all. For many musicians, this version of the penny challenge might amount to a modern twist on the well-known practice of playing for tips. Instead of simply setting out your case and playing in public, you could start with a penny, flip it until you could walk into a pawn shop and purchase a cheap guitar or pay your friend to rent their guitar for an hour, then see how much money you can raise playing that instrument and singing. Start with the penny, end with your desired items or services In 2021, Ryan Trahan adapted his penny challenge into his own version of the “paperclip for a house” experiment conducted by Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald in 2005. In Trahan’s version, he traded a penny for a house to give to a subscriber who needed a new home. This challenge started with a pen he traded for the penny, which he traded for a tiny blue plastic dinosaur, and then half a container of mints that was traded for some headphones. While Trahan took a little more time to complete this challenge than his originally stated goal of a single week, he did succeed in getting a house for his fan. This version of Ryan Trahan’s penny challenge has been successfully duplicated locally, just on a much smaller scale, both in terms of the items obtained and the importance of the end goal. When I wanted to trim and color my hair and get new versions of the other few cosmetic items I use, I started with a penny and used a combination of trading, using apps I had already signed up for, and couponing to get the items without spending any cash earned from any of my actual work. The one alteration I made to the original challenge was allowing myself to use any free points I already had accumulated on any rewards apps I had. Use the penny to reach another goal while those who wish to support your career make donations In the most elaborate version of the penny series, Ryan Trahan set himself a goal that had nothing to do with raising funds, but turned the challenge into a fundraiser. In one, he survived on a penny for a week to raise funds for the Central Texas Food Bank. In another version, Trahan challenged himself to travel across the country for thirty days beginning only with a penny. Fans who watched the series were invited to donate to Feeding America. Local musicians could post a similar, local challenge on their own YouTube channel, with a connected fundraising page to allow supporters to invest in whatever project or career goal you set. This would also make a great fundraiser for local charities that support musicians and their neighbors in need. Sources: Trahan, R. Penny Series. Ryan Trahan YouTube Channel This article is not sponsored or endorsed by this channel or anyone who appears on it. It is only used as source material. Link: Ryan Trahan - YouTube Santacroce, J & L. Artist Cafe 315 website. This website belongs to the author of this article Link: The penny challenge revived: Week 1 recap / The 315: Articles inspired by our art | Artist Cafe 315 By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio It happens every Thanksgiving. Someone brings up politics when they know the person across from them holds opposite views and will argue. Somebody else tells a wildly inappropriate story. Then there’s that family friend or family member who asks a bunch of uncomfortable questions. Put a stop to it all and change the subject in a hurry by blurting out one of these five fun facts about giving thanks….and music. There are Thanksgiving holiday songs Most of us expect to hear Christmas songs as soon as we get up from the table on Thanksgiving day, if not before. Thanksgiving songs are rarely played, and almost never heard on the radio or at holiday programs, but they do exist. “The Thanksgiving Song” by Ben Rector is written from the point of view of someone driving back into their hometown for a family Thanksgiving dinner. The lyrics mention filling your plate, seeing children grow up, and being reminded of those who have passed on. In the chorus, Rector sings, “Thank God for this Thanksgiving day.” “Thanksgiving Song” by Mary Chapin Carpenter echoes similar themes of traveling to be with family and gathering around a table. While it does not directly mention Thanksgiving as Rector’s song does, it does refer to everyone gathered around a table, making it clear that it is a song about the holiday itself, not simply a song about gratitude every day. The singers in your family or friend group won’t be able to do it well right after the Thanksgiving dinner Eating a bit too much seems to happen at every Thanksgiving dinner. The foods are ones we don’t get to eat all the time, the house is full of enticing scents, and everyone is relaxed and happy….or stressed about having to spend all evening with their annoying relatives. Nearly everyone feels lazy after all the food is gone, but the singers in the group will find their abilities temporarily lessened as well. Some of this impairment comes from the same discomfort everyone feels after a full meal. Singing requires focus, and it’s hard to focus on what you’re doing with a bloated or aching stomach. For singers, posture is also important, with bending, hunching, or slouching making it more difficult to sing. An overly full stomach further restricts breathing by restricting diaphragm movement (Mar). Listening to music that relates to something we are grateful for can boost overall mental health Music has long been known to have a powerful impact on our emotions. Some people find listening to happy or upbeat music keeps their mood elevated or lifts their mood. Others find music that matches their mood, even if that mood is irritable, angry, anxious, sad, or despairing, has a cathartic effect, allowing them to work out those upsetting thoughts and feelings without acting out. It should then come as no surprise that spending some time listening to music that helps us generate feelings of gratitude can provide a huge boost to our overall mental well-being. Deeper than simply reciting things we’re thankful for, an outlook that centers around gratitude involves walking in the knowledge that we are blessed in many ways, and feeling deep appreciation for those blessings. This approach to life results in lower levels of stress, depression, and anxiety, leading to improved overall mental health. Choosing songs that remind us of our blessings can both enhance our feelings of happiness, joy, and love that we feel when we think of them and help us work through any issues in those areas, leaving us simply thankful that we have something to cherish. Musicians Miley Cyrus and Natasha Bedingfield both have birthdays that can fall on Thanksgiving Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday in November. This has been a part of American culture since 1942, President Roosevelt having signed a joint resolution setting the holiday the previous December. Because the dates change, Thanksgiving can fall anywhere from November 22 to November 28 in any given year. Pop singer Miley Cyrus, most famous for her 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball” was born on November 23, 1992. Natasha Bedingfield, best known for 2004’s “Unwritten” was born on November 26, 1981. There is a scientific explanation for why Thanksgiving chores seem more pleasant if they are done to music. No matter how much you love Thanksgiving, there is likely something about the holiday that is a chore for you. Not everyone enjoys traveling, decorating, cooking, baking, cleanup, or post Thanksgiving shopping. We all know that listening to music during these less than pleasant portions of the holiday season can help make them better, even fun, but you may not know that you have neuroscience backing up your insistence on keeping the radio on in the car or starting your playlist before you start the dishes. Listening to music releases a brain chemical called dopamine. Like most brain chemicals, dopamine has various functions, but it is best known as the one that causes the feeling of being rewarded. Our brains were literally designed to experience music as something to be prized. All of us at Phoenix Radio are thankful for every one of our broadcast listeners and web page readers. Happy Thanksgiving from The Heat Squad. Works Cited Mar, E. Does having a full stomach effect singing? Should you eat before or after you sing? Music stuff for music lovers. Does Having A Full Stomach Affect Singing? Should you eat before or after you sing? November 28, 2025 By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio On November 19, 1990. Milli Vanilli had their Grammy revoked, as it had been revealed that the people in the duo were not singing, but only lip-syncing to vocals provided by others people. Thirty-five years later, the fake musician hoax has only gotten worse, as today’s fake singers are fake in every sense of the word. That is, they are AI generated people singing AI generated songs. At least one AI generated musician is the project of a real human artist. Xania Monet, famous for songs such as “How was I supposed to know” and “She ain’t supposed to matter” is the AI avatar of poet Telisha “Nikki” Jones. In order to create Xania Monet and her songs, Jones started with her own real poetry. She uses the poetry as Xania Monet’s lyrics, relying on AI software to prompt a bot to form the background music, the voice, and the musican herself. Other artists who have been revealed to be AI generated in recent months are completely AI. While somebody had to have prompted a bot to create them, nothing else about them is human-generated. When “Walk my Walk” by someone using the stage name “Breaking Rust” topped the Billboard Country Digital Songs Chart, it was later revealed to be an AI generated artist prompted by Aubiere Rivaldo Taylor, someone who is often listed as a “songwriter” by AI-generated search results, but does not appear to have done more than use AI to generate songs. Another “new country singer” revealed to be AI generated, Cain Walker, does not even have anyone stepping forward to claim him as of the writing of this article. Most musicians and others who love and value music want to support their fellow artists rather than seeing their work ignored in favor of singing virtual robots. Since the technology is both new and growing increasingly sophisticated at an alarming rate, it can be difficult to tell if that “new artist” you’re listening to is a real person or not, but there are some signs to watch out for. Lyrics and images return high “AI generated” scores Looking for signs that something is AI generated may seem pointless when you can just run things through AI content detectors. AI content detectors can be used for song lyrics, but something coming back with a high “AI generated” score is a sign that it’s AI generated, not proof. Running lyrics you suspect of being created by AI through a detector and getting a high score means that you likely found something written by a bot, but it is not definitive proof, and it does not prove that the musician was also created by AI. While you can certainly run anything that seems “off” for any reason through one of these detector tools, look for other signs before you conclude that you have found the latest “fake musician” hoax. The artist appears from nowhere to the extreme We often think musicians achieve national, or even local, fame suddenly “came out of nowhere.” But anyone who has ever even attempted to play music or sing, or knows somebody who has, is aware that you do not just jump up one day at random and become a musician. Everybody who plays or sings in front of others, online or offline, is going to have some type of career or practice history, often one spanning years or even decades. Even somebody who has been singing alone in their basement their entire life, and just got up the nerve to sing in front of people for the first time yesterday will have their name on a sign up sheet at the open mic, a friend or family member who used to hear them sing years ago, or an account on whatever platform they posted that first clip. AI-generated musicians go from nothing to a finished, produced, final cut of a track or even a video. Every photo or video of the musician shows signs of being AI generated Despite growing more and more realistic, AI generated images and videos still have a bit of a “cartoonish” quality to them. Textures may be too smooth, giving skin and hair a “painted” look. AI is particularly bad at creating human hands. If you look closely at the photos of Cain Walker on his lyric videos, you can see that his fingers are oddly long and square shaped. Breaking Rust features a singer with much better produced hands, but his jaw movements when he’s shown singing are noticeably robotic. While it would be possible for a real artist to use AI to create their photos and videos, it becomes a red flag when every photo or video of an artist or band appears to be AI generated. Lyrics and music sound technically correct, but are bland or full of over-used phrasing, words, or themes Clearly, whether something is “good music” or not is subjective. Plenty of people must have liked Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk,” or it wouldn’t have been downloaded enough to top a digital downloads chart. But even if you love the song, there’s no denying that it hits on more than a few rather tired country music stereotypes. The imagery centers around mud on clothes, rocks, boots and a worn hat. It rhymes “eyes” and “rise.” The theme appears to be that others can dislike the narrator, but they’re tough so they’re going to keep going, making it about the millionth country song to be about somebody being tough and keeping going. Other songs on the “artist’s” YouTube channel similarly heavily feature being scarred, getting up, and dust and dirt. The lead vocals are sung correctly, but by somebody with an emotionless or flat voice Real singers have quirks and flaws in their voices, no matter how good of a singer they might be. They also experience human emotions that will be reflected in some way in the song. AI generated voices, like the one used for “Breaking Rust” can be programmed to be gravelly and deep, but they can never reflect a genuine reaction to what they’re singing. This is especially noticeable when listening to Xania Monet. The voice gets a bit more forceful on certain words and phrases, but never truly changes in any way, never breaks, never shows any sign of intensifying or shifting emotion, even when the lyrics, a real poet’s poetry, shift and change. There is no evidence of the musician doing anything but playing or singing on recorded tracks and filming videos. Keeping your personal page separate from your business page on social media is common, and is in fact a good business practice and safety measure, not a sign of being AI generated. There is also nothing wrong with, and nothing suspicious about someone choosing to only use social media, or even the internet overall, for their career and avoid it for anything personal. Still, the person must have done something in their life sometime other than record themselves singing or playing. If you type the name of a real local musician into a search engine, the first several things that come up will likely be the pages where you can purchase their music, but you will also get links to interviews they’ve sat for, photos and/or of them performing live at various venues, and pictures of them from the social media pages of family and friends, at the very least. If audio and video recordings of their music appear to be all that exists of the person, they might be because they do not actually exist. Stumbling across bands and solo artists you’ve never heard of before is great. Just make sure to do a bit of research into anyone who displays any of these warning signs. And don’t forget to support local musicians you see performing and promoted in your hometown and places you visit offline too. |
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