Hot Take – 2024 Year in DiscussionPresented by Half-Moon Music // Hosted by Ashford York, Cara Zayn, Maliah Hope Aguilar, Kyle Tannehill
Los Angeles, California, USA
DECEMBER 4, 2024
Ashford: Ladies and Gentlemen, we are back with our year-end discussion. We first did this back in 2022 and figured we’d return to the format again this year after a relatively busier period in the music industry with plenty of discussion points. Half-Moon Music has enjoyed producing a couple of shows this year but as always we would have preferred to have a little more productivity this year. We do have plans to deliver more content in the coming new year providing the industry continues to thrive in the same way that it did this year. We’ve seen a handful of big releases throughout the year and a couple of fun industry events that we believe have been very entertaining.
I’m delighted to take the lead on the panel today as we run down some of the major events and talking points, and I’ll be joined by some Half-Moon Music regulars. Firstly, I’m accompanied by somebody that has always championed those alternative tastes, ‘Cara Zayn’ and she’ll be joined the person that keeps her finger on the pulse of all current trends and tastes, ‘Maliah Aguilar’ and finally to bring a little more of a light-heated take on things we have ‘Kyle Tannehill’ joining us on this four person panel. We’ll try to keep things pretty civil as we kick off the discussion all the way back to January 2024. One of the first major announcements involved one of our panellists and that of course was the return of ‘AfterDark’ for five episodes to finally complete Season 3 of the popular talk show. I think there’s only one person to begin with …
Kyle: Thanks Ashford … I’ll take it from here.
Cara: *laughs* It was long overdue, I sort of have a love hate relationship with that show. Network issues and all that boring shit, but we finally got season three finished. Pretty big guests with Oscar Ward, Cerys Nyland, Slim Money, Kara Romero, Claire Price and Orion all being guests for those final episodes of the season. I’ve been trying for years to push it into a specific direction but there’s a lot of people that are protective over their image that they don’t want the sort of dirty questions asked about their lives. Sure we all love hearing about their creative process, but on that show, I think we all want to hear about the less talked about shit, feuds, edgy opinions and their dirty little kinks.
Maliah: *laughs* Oh please let there be a fourth season with zero restrictions.
Cara: I won’t say no, I like the money. It’s tied to Netflix so it’s down to them, but I’m up for making another season.
Ashford: The year started off on sort of a hot-streak, we had the weekly episodes of AfterDark dropping and we also saw a bunch of new singles drop throughout January. Elyar Black, Cerys Nyland, Layla, The Zone and Jack Dunn were responsible for the major releases in January. I’ve been particular impressed with Cerys Nyland since debuting the previous year and starting the year off strong with “Burn The Saints” gaining a lot of traction for herself and the label ‘Head South Records’ doubling up with Jack Dunn’s debut single “Lowlife” also coming from the UK based label.
Maliah: I think Layla set out her intentions early with “The King is Dead” which for me was probably an early contender for song of the year straight outta the gate. Her consistency with every release, she just knows how to build that anticipation and hype and delivers every time. Every stage of a Layla release is perfected in all aspects and for me, that’s what the very best pop superstars should strive towards.
Cara: Head South Records were flying the flag for the alternative scene for the past couple of years, Cerys Nyland has done her own thing throughout her career so far and Jack Dunn showcased that alternative, guitar-driven vibe too that I feel like is slowly coming back around a little bit having been drenched with pop and rap for a very long time. I don’t think alternative will reach the heights it did around the mid-twenty-tens but it feels like it’s bubbling under the surface once again which is pretty exciting.
Kyle: The Zone cam…
Ashford: Also early in the year we saw Younghood preview five tracks from his next solo album “Gang Shit”, whatever he decided to do after “Untold Stories” was always going to be highly anticipated and this was no exception. Hopefully we get the finished project soon.
Kyle: I think he’s one artist that could literally drop anything and make it work, we’ve seen him collab with Kara and it looks like that might be a full project. He’s already said he feels like he’s in his collab phase right now. Personally I want to see him on some sort of team up project, like a hip-hop avengers sort of thing.
Maliah: His music has always felt raw and a little gritty and dirty. I talked about Layla and Younghood feels the complete opposite of that, which is a good thing because I think that unpolished thing is what makes what he does feel authentic. I’m hyped for the full project but I think he’s got his hands full right now with some other shit coming down the pipeline.
Ashford: So we started off strong in January and we slowed down slightly in terms of releases in February, but we kept up the hype and added to it with the Universal Music Awards. We’ll circle back to the awards in a second, but just quickly we saw Malik Jarvez and Orion release singles. Both were pretty popular releases, any notes on those?
Cara: Orion deliver with every release, it seems. Personally I don’t vibe with their stuff, but I can appreciate the high standards of what they deliver. I can’t quite figure it out but they just don’t hit with me the way they seem to with most other people.
Maliah: I can appreciate their stuff, but for me if you release a track in the same month as Malik Jarvez, I’m afraid my eyes and ears are not going to be focussed on anything else. “Sexy Red Heels” with a little Spanish thrown in, consider me overwhelmed. I think anybody could have released a single in February and it would have just gone under my radar because of Malik, holy fuck!
Kyle: *laughs* I had heard his music impacted you profoundly this year.
Ashford: Universal Music Awards arrived. It was the first incarnation of the show, we’ve had many over the years but in recent years we’ve been without, so it definitely filled a void. It felt like it had been quite a long time since the entire industry were in a room together like that, so it was a welcome return to that sort of environment. By all accounts, the show was a success as it tries to establish itself as a prestigious event. I don’t think there were too many shocks in terms of winners, we got some wonderful performances and it appears that it’s set to return in early 2025. Any specific take-aways from the first event?
Cara: It was a little too low on the drama scale for me, it felt very well organised and pretty safe which isn’t a bad thing. I think the first event needed to go smoothly and find its feet which I believe it did. I enjoyed the performances and it was great to see people highlighted for their work. I think it was much needed but lacked a little bit of fire or a little bit of spice for me. I could be a little biased because I’ve been around long enough to have attended awards show that have involved fights, people being called out onstage, chair’s being thrown and bathroom sex. Admittedly I was only a participant in one of the activities but my point still stands. I want my awards shows to be rowdy.
Maliah: I LOVED it! I was lucky enough to attend and for a first event, it was wonderfully done if a little safe and uneventful. I think a lot of people got their flowers and moments to shine in front of their peers and it can only be a good thing for the industry. Bring on the next show!
Ashford: Following the show, Tisha Jackson released “Prime” which was the first single taken from her previous album, she dropped the single after her performance at the Universal Music Awards and the single came over a year after the release of the album. It was the strangest roll-out I’ve seen happen and we still haven’t heard the reasoning behind it. But it saw the return of a familiar name which is always a great thing for us music fans. I think that’s an “In Conversation” interview that I would be interested in having at some point.
Maliah: A Queen no doubt. Her performance was excessive and not following traditional roll-out plans and doing things on your own terms and schedule, I’m here for that level of boss shit.
Ashford: This took us into March and April, with singles from Billy teaming up with Kara Romero and Kidd Amaze, Natalie Mays, Amy-Jayne, Cameron Jacobson, Alicia Lena and The Pines as well as Alicia Lena’s release of her long awaited fourth studio album “New Light”. A busy couple of months riding on the high of the UMA’s.
Cara: Billy, Kara and Kidd is like a fucking dream collaboration, I don’t know how anybody could have not been excited about that when it was announced. Just continued to build the immense hype for Billy’s debut album even further, the guy has been the best artist in the industry for some time now and I don’t even think it comes close. He’s a chameleon of an artist and cannot produce anything less than outstanding in my opinion.
Maliah: Love this two month period for us RnB and Rap fans. The Billy collab track, Alicia and my queen Amy Jayne releasing singles and the album finally coming out from Alicia too. I loved the Natalie Mays single too but just need her to drop another couple of tracks, it feels like she needs to start to get that momentum going pretty soon because I’m ready to go all in on her music, there’s just not enough released yet for me to really dive in.
Kyle: The Pines? … I swear to god I heard that track “Anna Nicole” and thought this shit could be fun and then they dried up quicker than Maliah’s love life.
Maliah: Says the guy whose idea of a threesome is Call of Duty and Gatorade.
Ashford: Cara, the children are fighting again. *laughs* We saw the latest chapter of the movie “Harlot: The Erica Hess Story” and Chris Walker interviewed Billy Khan. Two people you’re familiar with Cara?
Cara: I don’t appear in the movie Ashford and I’m supposed to do the interviews.
Ashford: Alright, sour subject. May and June saw singles from Layla (feat. Ellie-Grace Summers), Adam Black, Malik Jarvez, Claire Price and the Kara Romero and Younghood collaboration. Layla continuing the hype for her upcoming album, Adam Black returning to music even after he considered he was done, Claire Price debuting and Kara and Younghood collaborating once more and teasing a collaborative project between the pair going forward.
Maliah: For Layla, please see my previous comments. Wonderful once more and Malik with “My Kinda Girl” just continues to leave me breathless. I loved finally seeing Claire Price debut and she delivered a wonderful track with “Flavors”, I cannot wait for her album. I know she teased it on her socials during the year but girl, I’mma need this shit like now.
Kyle: I do not admire Adam Black. I don’t like his music and I do not respect his jawline.
Ashford: Maliah! You debuted a brand new serious, Sixty Questions with Maliah Aguilar. You got the opportunity to travel around the world and record these fun interviews with various stars. Kara Romero, Erich Hess and Eloise Desroisiers from Jugendstil with many more recorded and released over the next few months. How was that experience?
Maliah: Are you freaking kidding? Just for the three interviews that have been released I got to go to New York and Paris and go aboard the Duke of Winchester. We have a few more recorded and ready to be released and I’ll be travelling around again in the new year to do some more of these interviews. Their simple and lots of fun, it’s a chance to get to know these artists a little more and more importantly I get to go to these amazing places and spend some time in their company. It’s like a dream job for me!
Ashford: Half-Moon Music making dreams come true. Amy-Jayne has been previewing tracks from her long awaited new album “Evolution” one of the most consistent artists in the industry right now. I think she’s an RnB superstar but her ability to switch it up from time to time will definitely make this next record one worth seeking out. August and September saw singles released from Young Khalifa (feat. Claire Price), Andrea, Adam Black, Orion and Tahlia, couple of established names and a couple of debut singles which is promising for the future of the industry.
Maliah: I loved seeing what Young Khalifa could do with a remixed version of Claire Price’s hit single and Tahlia had a great debut effort, it felt like a summer anthem but fizzled out a little quicker than I expected.
Cara: A moment of respect for the true messy Queen that is Andrea, you know whenever she releases a track it’s going to be interesting or fun at the very least. As a proud member of the messy Queen’s club, I stand for our lord and saviour and will follow her to the moon and back.
Kyle: I do not admire Adam Black. I don’t like his music and I do not respect his jawline.
Ashford: Head South Records celebrated their first anniversary since launching, the label presented a Q+A and a bunch of live performances over a couple of weeks and have really established themselves as the most productive record label in the music industry, this year has seen Cerys Nyland, Jack Dunn, Mothers of Tigers and many more release singles. While Sigrun’s European Tour has been receiving rave reviews throughout this year, a true record label taking things back to basics and showing the big labels how it’s truly done.
October saw singles released from Elyar Black, Shellshock, Jack Dunn and a triumphant return for Weekend as the year began it’s slow approach to the final stages in one that has been eventful for the industry as a whole.
Cara: Shellshock coming out of nowhere was a nice surprise and Jack Dunn continuing his promising career continued to give hope to those that like something a little less pop. It was a few promising steps forward for the alternatives but we just need to see a little more.
Maliah: Elyar delivering two great tracks in 2024 has me hyped for what he has to come and Weekend returning with a new track is en exciting development that I didn’t have on my 2024 bingo card. I think a lot of these late 2024 releases are just building us up perfectly for the new year to really explode into action!
Ashford: Of course we also had the Atomic War Bride annual Halloween EP, at this stage we tend to look forward to this more than Halloween itself. For those that don’t particularly vibe with the commercial and mainstream elements of the music industry, it’s like a little annual treat to ensure that all is not lost in the fight against conformity.
And as we find ourselves pretty up to date, we saw Orion and Layla both release singles in November on the re-launched music charts. We now have the all time statistics calculated and available with some names from the past appearing on many lists to the immense joy of this slightly vintage era presenter.
Maliah: It feels appropriate for the year to pretty much wrap up with Layla, she was one of the first giant names to release a single this year, kicking the year off in brilliant fashion and it’s great to see her drop another couple of tracks throughout the year as well as announcing her next album being pretty imminent too.
Ashford: It has been a very interesting year, with plenty of activity in terms of art being crafted and released. But of course in this industry there are various issues of discussion, with two fall outs rumoured between Tisha and Jadyn Ghalen and Oscar and Billy with the latter effectively being squashed with the release of the latest single from Weekend. Not much to discuss on the relationship front, rumours of Cara Zayn recently being single did the rounds online, if only we had a way to get some sort of clarification.
Kyle: Ain’t gonna shy away from it, but if you’re fucking Jay-C for four years, where do you really go from that?
Cara: Oh fuck!
Kyle: Getting flashbacks?
Cara: No comment
Maliah: Alright, I think we’re finished?
Kyle: Is that what Cara said to him, fuck. Brutal!
Ashford: Okay … so I think that wraps up the year in review. We’ve tried to tackle as much as we can remember, of course there’s still a few weeks for things to happen and make this episode completely redundant but hopefully you enjoyed this. Here’s to a busy 2025 and we should be back in the new year with a bunch of new episodes of various shows throughout the next year.
