Two best friends and a whirlwind of experiences manifested through music. Smokelines was born out of a friendship between Californian Skylar “Sky” Blaze Star and New Yorker Faith Gara. With New York City as their backdrop, they are an ultimate dynamic duo of singer-songwriters capturing what it’s like to be young in the city. Jejune enthusiastically got to learn more about their latest single, Nirvana, a product of adjusting to the new normal as COVID-19 plunged us deeper into a digital reality. Nirvana is also a testament to their commitment to mental health awareness, in addition to their collaboration with The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. To find out more about what goes into the creativity and business acumen that goes into Smokelines, the meaningfulness of Nirvana, and mental health advocacy, read below.

Where are you based?
We are based in New York City. Sky is from Southern California and Faith is from Upstate New York. We’re graduating from school soon and planning to continue working together remotely afterwards so we have flexibility in our location. We both love to travel and spend time back in our respective hometowns, but New York City will always be a true part of the Smokelines identity. That’s where we met and co-founded our group and have operated out of for the past three years.

How did you meet?
We met in the Fall of 2018 at school. We are in a pilot music program at Long Island University Brooklyn. It’s a very small program. It was our sophomore year of college and we had music theory, sequencing, and production classes together. We quickly discovered that we both had an odd fascination with writing lyrics and coming up with haunting melodies. Before we knew it we were writing new songs together every week.

What inspired you to become singer songwriters? What artists and genres have influenced your music?
Faith: I was inspired to be a singer-songwriter from a young age growing up in a musical environment. I have always sang more than I talked. I grew up singing in choir, community theater, local operas, taking voice lessons, picking up keyboard and guitar. My dad loved rock n roll. He would quiz me on which band he was playing. “Is it ACDC, Guns n Roses or Lynyrd Skynyrd” and my mom loved singer-songwriter queens like Carole King and Jewel who we would belt along to in the car. I got into songwriting in middle school as a way for me to deal with my emotions and to channel them into something tangible. All of my songs are the personal soundtrack to my life. As I really started studying modern day vocalists like Jessie J, and Ariana Grande I found myself falling into the pocket of pop and r&b. I think that’s because I like the emotion and vocal intensity of r&b and the diverse lyrics and catchy melodies of pop.

Sky: I started playing classical piano at age four and still do today. Ever since I could play piano I was attempting to write songs, mostly instrumental compositions. I used to use a Yamaha keyboard to record songs and then I’d play them back for my mom. I would also write my own novels and poems because I was a huge bookworm too. When I discovered writing songs was a real job, that was it for me. I knew I was born to be a songwriter. Though I was in choir and took some voice lessons, I first learned how to sing from practice at home. I would sing along to some of my favorite cassette tapes and CDs in my mom’s collection (yes, I’ll admit I would listen to artists like Enya and Linkin Park on repeat for hours). That influential collection from my childhood also included artists like No Doubt, Cake, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Norah Jones, Limp Bizkit, Beastie Boys, Looking Glass, Cheap Trick, Train, Dramarama, Sting, The Police, and Maroon 5. The collection was expansive, hence why my music taste today spans over so many genres.

While you create and perform as a duo, you encourage any work you produce as solo artists. Why is maintaining this balance so important? What is the biggest difference between creating as a solo artist and being part of a duo?
We fully support and encourage one another as solo artists outside the group. We think it’s important that we have our own avenues to express our art exactly the way we want to individually. It’s important that we never put constraints on what we can release as solo artists because that would just be dimming each other’s light and potentially cause dissatisfaction within our group. Freedom is key for creativity and maintaining balance with both is really important. Creating music individually as solo artists is a little bit more personal. We tend to reflect and write about our own personal experiences which is really freeing. When we write together we love to make up insane stories and plots which is equally satisfying because we are huge writing nerds. We always get each other’s opinions on our solo work too. “What did you think of that chord progression going into the bridge?” “Did you like the last line of the pre or should I change it?”

Not only do you guys write and sing your own music, but you’re in charge of marketing, distributing, and self-management. How did you go about learning and mastering all of these facets of music production?
We both were in the same college music program which helped us learn some business and technical aspects of the music industry, but a majority of the learning was done by diving head-first into our own projects while still in school. In doing so, we discovered new efficiencies in our workflow, new methods to collaborate (thanks to the pandemic), and more effective ways to communicate our message via online and social media. Since it’s just the two of us, we heavily rely on each other for opinions, constructive criticism, and recommendations. This deep trust we’ve built between us is so important as a duo because it really is a vulnerable position to be in when you entrust another person in giving you honest advice while also being your greatest advocate.

Could you talk a bit about the business side of Smokelines? What have been some of the challenges and successes of being completely in charge?
It’s been really fun and challenging to run our own songwriting group, however we conceded early on to the fact that we will always be learning in this field. It has been incredibly gratifying to design and manage our own artistic platform, including all of the social media accounts, collaborations, and group/solo goals. We have really strong visions for every song we release and the corresponding marketing roll outs, so we couldn’t imagine not having creative control over those aspects. It is so satisfying to bring our visions to life. It honestly happens so fast. We will rapid-fire ideas off each other and the next thing you know, we’re in a rental car driving five hours one-way to a shoot location. It is hard to balance all of the things that we do and get it done in a timely fashion for deadlines, but somehow we’ve managed so far :) There’s only two of us and we each wear MANY hats. Maybe it’s because we’re Gen Z-ers and like trying on new things.

Jejune is playing your latest single, Nirvana, nonstop! Nirvana centers around mental health and how this has been impacted by COVID-19. Could you tell us about the creative process? What compelled you to write a song about this particular issue?
Our single “Nirvana” is truly a testament to how we were able to effectively collaborate 100% virtually. We wrote this song about a month after Covid-19 was considered a global crisis, a time when the mere idea of a pandemic was both chaotic and confusing to process. We were both living in NYC prior but when cautionary orders were placed by state officials stating that we wouldn’t be coming back to campus, Faith moved back to her hometown near Syracuse, New York and it felt like we were torn apart. We can still remember vividly that night when we were on Facetime talking about how wild the past few weeks had been and how the turmoil had negatively affected our creative process and mental health, like two sprouting trees being chopped down. That’s when we decided, “You know what? Let’s write a song about that. About feeling mentally drained from all the shit this world throws at people. About feeling like you just need a break from it all.” From there, we began to make a literal list of word associations and random situations that would just suck if you were in them. We still have the list so here’s a few items we had on there: “dog runs away, pandemic, laid off, crippling anxiety/turbulence, nail polish on bed sheets, meme famous, going out with a guy you don’t like, paper cuts, barfing/f’d up by yourself…” the list goes on but you get the gist. This ‘random situations’ list is what inspired the verses and the final ones that made it into the single were: being around toxic people, friends forgetting your birthday, getting laid off and struggling with mental health. After this we thought, “well what are these people saying and what do they want?” The answer to that was simple and loaded at the same time. Sometimes you want a vacation or a break and other times you just feel low all the way around. This is when the concept of “nirvana” came into the song. Nirvana is the goal in the path of Buddhism. In Buddhism and other Indian religions, Nirvana is usually described as “a state of freedom from suffering and death” where there is no presence of things like desire, pain, or love. Instead, it is a state of peace with a clear mind. With this knowledge, we felt that the state of nirvana is something we all wish we had during the bad days. In the chorus of the song, we decided to make the desire for nirvana an anthemic chant in order to show how we can all relate to feeling poor in mental health and needing help.

Over a year into the pandemic and mental health has continuously been on decline, often being referred to as a second pandemic. Do you believe mental health awareness should be where it is at the moment? Why or why not?
The pandemic has definitely re-sparked a necessary widespread conversation about mental health. In hindsight, it seems really odd that it took such a catastrophe to open up this dialogue. We were just talking the other day about the clear disparity in how society values mental health versus physical health. If we told you we hadn’t gone to a physician in two years, you would most likely be concerned and maybe even suggest that it was irresponsible because we’ve been taught that it’s a healthy practice to get a checkup at least once every year. So many people, like ourselves, question why our society doesn't teach the same values regarding mental health? Why aren’t we taught that seeking a check-up for our mental health at least once a year is also a healthy practice? Many of us go through so much more mental strain in a year’s time than physical. With that being said, no, we don’t believe that mental health awareness is currently valued in the way it should to be. There are still so many stigmas and shame that surround the idea of receiving mental health services. As a society we need to do better and it starts within our own communities. We feel that our generation has a tremendous opportunity to redefine these societal values and improve mental health care for the generations to come.

You’re partnering up with The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, an organization that focuses on providing mental health support for Black communities. The pandemic has disproportionately impacted people of color, and mental health related issues have skyrocketed among Black and Latino Americans. Could you tell us about what you’re doing for and with this organization, and what drew you to it? How is The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation tackling this? What can we do to ensure that these issues do not go unnoticed?
As strong mental health advocates, we have pledged to donate 50% of the 2021 streams from our single “Nirvana” to the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. African Americans are the least likely out of all the population to seek treatment for mental health services. The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation is an incredible non-profit organization founded by the trailblazing actress, Taraji P. Henson. The organization provides many mental health resources to African American youth by providing opportunities and minimizing the stigmas and shame surrounding mental health treatment within African American communities. They provide scholarships to African American students who are pursuing education in the mental health field and virtual support groups, along with many other free mental health resources. It is extremely important that we are vocal about bridging the gap and providing equal opportunities for everyone to have access to mental health services. Race, gender, sexual orientation, or social class should not prohibit anyone from receiving proper treatment for mental health. As artists, we think it’s crucial that we use our small, but growing platform to speak and act on issues we are passionate about.

You advocated for mental health awareness through songwriting. What advice would you give to creatives seeking to channel advocacy through art?
We encourage all creatives to use their art to advocate and convey the messages regarding the changes they would like to see in today’s world. Now, more than ever, we have the ability to reach billions of people on social media. Take a look at the changes you’ve seen in the last 10 years and think of how far we’ve come. Now, imagine the changes you would like to see in the next 10 years to follow. How do we get there? It all starts with you!

How are you staying positive during lockdown?
During the beginning of the lockdown, we both felt extremely defeated. It was a lot to take in and seemed overwhelming trying to create new routines and adjusting to the “new normal”. Despite all of the sour lemons, we have tried our best to make sweet lemonade. We were forced to cultivate a brand-new gameplan from scratch and although it was a difficult adjustment, we learned that when you’re doing everything you love, time flies. It has been so helpful being able to lean on one another and keep each other grounded throughout the madness, and while simultaneously working on our EP. Putting all of our energy into something we’re so passionate about has really minimized our distress and we’re really grateful to have this outlet.

What’s your motto in life?
Our motto is to embrace and celebrate the process of growth.

To keep up with Smokelines, follow them on the platforms listed below.
Instagram: @smokelinesgroup
Facebook: @smokelinesgroup
Twitter: @smokelinesgroup
Website: smokelines.com

Photography by Grace Gara.

Figuring Things Out With Smokelines