It was a sunlit, music-soaked weekend on San Diego’s waterfront, where yacht clubs hummed behind the haze of soundchecks and a salty breeze clung to guitar strings. Wonderfront 2025 brought the good times, but behind the shimmering performances, a quieter thread ran through nearly every artist interview I conducted: being an artist in today’s music industry means wearing too many hats, and most don’t fit.

Not one, not two, but all seven artists and bands I interviewed—bLAck pARty, BabyJake, Saint Luna, Baby Rose, Peter Cat Recording Co., Benches, Paco Versailles and Vacations—shared variations of the same truth: managing a music career today means managing an online persona, an algorithm, a stream count, and an attention span. And for many of them, it’s exhausting.

“You kind of have to be an artist and a content creator to exist in people’s minds”

bLAck pARty’s Malik Perry Flint put it bluntly when I asked what people misunderstand most about being an artist right now. 

“It’s kind of tough being an artist, because… It’s kind of like being an influencer,” he said. “You kind of have to be an artist and a content creator to exist in people’s minds a little bit.”

Campbell Burns of Vacations echoed this sentiment almost word-for-word, making it clear just how hollow and cynical that digital grind can feel. 

“Every artist goes through it,” he said. “‘You have to make another TikTok’—I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to spend five or six hours being like, ‘Hey, this is what I get up to in my day.’ I’m like, I just don’t care.”

Burns originally leaned into meme-posting as a sort of ironic protest. 

“I put in as little effort as possible, but it had maximum return,” he admitted. But that irony only worked because fans saw it as authentic. Still, he later stopped altogether: “You become known more for the meme than you do your art… That feels like a bit of a disconnect with how people engage with art in the first place.”

“It sucks your soul a little bit”

Saint Luna—one of San Diego’s most promising young rock acts—spelled it out for local student musicians hoping to “make it.” “Don’t forget about posting on social media,” lead singer Bradyn Jace said. “That shit works. It’s annoying and it takes a lot of time, and it sucks your soul a little bit.”

They’re not exaggerating. Posting isn’t just about staying relevant—it’s about surviving in an ecosystem that rarely develops artists anymore. 

“It’s not the 70s or 80s anymore. You can’t just play shows to get noticed,” Jace said. “You have to have a product that is worthy in value… No one wants to develop artists anymore.”

BabyJake, who’s spent nearly a decade in the industry, offered a similar perspective. 

“It never came naturally to me,” he said. “I was always a writer first and music guy first. I wasn’t like a streamer or a YouTuber or a TikToker or a content creator.” He’s lucky enough now to have a fanbase that doesn’t demand as much of that, but early on? “It was definitely difficult.”

For Baby Rose, the issue goes deeper. Her rejection of the algorithm is rooted in principle.

 “We live in a very capitalistic society that doesn’t look at art for healing or intention,” she said. “It looks at it as a commodity to be bought and sold. And the quickest way to lose your love and passion for something is to feel like you have to do it to meet a quota.”

“The digital world interferes with everything”

Paco Versailles, the genre-bending duo of flamenco guitar and French house rhythms, perhaps summed it up best. 

“The whole digital world interferes with everything,” said Ryan Merchant. “It sucks away your creative energy. It sucks away mental energy. If you get too absorbed with it, the music is going to suffer.”

They were refreshingly honest about the trade-offs.

 “It’s a necessary evil,” Merchant said. “It can be a marketing driver, so we’re always struggling with it. We’re trying to focus on the music, but there is a time and place where you have to suck it up and make some interesting video content because that’s part of the storytelling aspect of music, whether you like it or not.”

Even Peter Cat Recording Co., whose sardonic detachment bordered on existential comedy, couldn’t help but mention the absurdity of modern artistic labor. 

“We’re in it for the money,” lead vocalist Suryakant Sawhney joked, “but music is the worst business to pick money in.” Their dry irony says what many are afraid to: we all pretend this is sustainable.

“The grind isn’t glamorous”

Let’s not sugarcoat it. BabyJake was one of the few to actually say what others only hinted at.

 “I wish that people understood it’s a real f***ing job. It’s a regular job… people think tour is you go, you play, you get fed up. You go drink, you go party, sleep around, whatever… It’s really not like that. I don’t even drink anymore—I’m sober.”

The grind isn’t glamorous. He described three-to-four-show stretches, 18-hour drives, sleepless nights and the logistics nightmare behind every “effortless” performance.

 “Actually, 10% of it’s fun. 90% of it’s like… you’re driving a f***ing van or bus or flying or coordinating or nursing bad days,” he said.

Another San Diego local band, Benches, echoed this same reality: “A lot of it would pertain to a lot more work than you expect,” bassist Evan Ojeda said. “It’s not just fun and games. Sound checks and everything..it could be stressful at times.”

So what now?

Nobody in these interviews asked for sympathy. They love what they do. But if you truly want to support artists in 2025, start by letting go of the illusion that they exist to feed your feed.

Respect the slow burn. Understand that your favorite song might’ve taken two years of creative anguish to make. Give artists space to breathe, disappear, experiment, and come back new.

As Baby Rose put it: “We don’t need more art that’s devoid of love and passion and intention… We need things to give people a sense of hope and a sense of power.”

Maybe that starts with letting artists be artists, not influencers.

HAGERMAN, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — After leading the Hagerman boys’ basketball team to its first state tournament since 2009, Katie Knight will look to continue that success still on the court but adding a new title.

Knight has officially been named the Pirates’ new head volleyball coach. She will remain the boy’s varsity coach.

She was the head coach of the volleyball team from 2011 to 2019 before stepping down to focus on her family.

That position opened back, and she expressed that the group of girls and the opportunity were perfect for her.

“I’ve always wanted to get back into coaching volleyball and with this group,” Knight told KMVT. “I’ve known this group since they were third graders, and I know the work they put into the team.”

The Pirates won the Snake River Conference Championship during the 2024 season, posting a record of 22-7. Hagerman won its first conference title since 2013 and won a game at the 2A State Tournament.

Hagerman boasted the conference Coach of the Year in Tanya Beard and two conference first-team selections in freshmen Addi and Ava Chizum.

“The current freshman class is extremely strong, and all the girls on the team have a great attitude,” Knight said. Many of these girls play club and have that drive to compete at the highest level.”

Hagerman’s boys basketball and volleyball teams, along with multiple track and field athletes, went to state during the 2024-2025 season.

No matter the size of the school, Knight and Hagerman are ready to keep building the platform for the Pirates to be successful.

“We are a small school, and when we go places, that’s always something that gets commented on, but we have a lot of heart, and we have a lot of committed families who invest in their kids and invest in our school, and it’s starting to show and pay off,” Knight passionately explained. “I’m excited to keep that ball rolling and to keep believing in these kids.”

Copyright 2025 KMVT. All rights reserved.

European Aquatics and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are pleased to announce the renewal of their long-standing partnership, securing exclusive broadcast coverage for Europe’s top aquatic competitions from 2025-2028.

This extended agreement will see the EBU and its network of public service broadcasters continue to showcase the premier events on the European Aquatics calendar from 2025 to 2028. These include the European Swimming Championships, the European Short Course Championships, the European Senior Diving and Artistic Swimming Championships, and the European Water Polo Championships.

Both organisations are committed to further strengthening their collaboration, working closely not only with each other, but also with European Aquatics’ National Federation members. This united approach aims to broaden the reach of aquatic sports, ensuring greater visibility and accessibility for fans across Europe.

A total of 22 EBU Member broadcasters across will cover the events inclusive of the new agreement, bringing unmatched reach and visibility of the sport, while the EBU’s free-to-air streaming platform, Eurovision Sport, will provide fans with complementary access to live and on-demand coverage of European Aquatics events.

This renewed partnership reflects a shared ambition to grow aquatic sports and bring elite European competition to the widest possible audience across multiple platforms.

European Aquatics President Antonio Silva said: “Our strategy has always been to reach the maximum number of people on free-to-air channels, so we are very happy to be able to renew this contract with the EBU and to work together to grow the sport. The digital landscape is rapidly evolving, and this agreement enables us to continue to have a presence on eurovisionsport.com, which is an added benefit for fans of the sport.”

Glen Killane, Executive Director, EBU Sport said: “Through this renewed agreement, we will continue to offer comprehensive, free-to-air access to top-tier aquatic competitions for fans across Europe.

“Working closely with European Aquatics and our Members, we remain committed to expanding the reach and impact of these sports across all platforms, including complementary coverage via our free streaming service, Eurovision Sport.”

The first European Aquatics event to take place under the new agreement will be the European Aquatics Diving Championships Antalya 2025, which start at the Gloria Sports Arena tomorrow. To follow all the action please go to: https://europeanaquatics.org/european-diving-championships/where-to-watch/

Broadcasters under the agreement are as follows: BNT (Bulgaria), HRT (Croatia), CT (Czechia), YLE (Finland), FT (France), ARD & ZDF (Germany), ERT (Greece), MTVA (Hungary), RUV (Iceland), The Sports Channel (Israel), RAI (Italy), LRT (Lithuania), NOS (Netherlands), TVP (Poland), RTP (Portugal), TVR (Romania), RTS (Serbia), RTV (Slovenia), SVT (Sweden), SRG SSR (Switzerland), TRT (Turkey), Suspilne (Ukraine)

 

 

The Harrisons.

 

Staff report

ASHEVILLE — Adalie Harrison, all 61 inches of her, ran the last meet of her college career in the rain in the Big South Championships, but she brought sunshine to tracks, fields and gyms for a long time.

Harrison, a 2020 East Rowan graduate, was Rowan County Female Athlete of the Year during the COVID era. Her senior year she was the county cross country champion in the fall and scored her 1,oooth point in basketball and led a 20-win group of Mustangs in the winter. Her senior soccer and track and field seasons — she was planning to double up on spring sports — were wiped out by COVID.

She headed to Lenoir-Rhyne with the goal of being a cross country/basketball/track athlete for the Bears.

On Jan. 27, 2021, Harrison made a free throw for L-R basketball in a game against Mars Hill. That would be the only point of her college career, but officially it will make her four-sport college athlete in the history books.

While college basketball didn’t work out for her , she did fine in the running sports and transferred to Division I USC Upstate for the 2022-23 school year. She debuted in cross country in September 2022.

Harrison competed in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track for the Spartans, so she was running and competing year-round.

Her track PRs were 2:31 in the 800; 5:38 in the mile; 19:26 for 5000 meters; 5:12 for the 1500 meters, and 11:19 for the 3000 meters.

In cross country, her best times were 19:50 for a 5K (she ran that time in 2024) and 25:08 for a 6K.

Her 800 PR came recently in the Big South Indoor Track Championships.

She ran the 1500 and 5000 in less than ideal conditions in the Big South Outdoor Championships to close her career. She ran 5:17 in the 1500 and 19:52 in the 5000.

She graduated last December with a nursing degree and was a graduate student in psychology during the spring semester.

 

 

 

 

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College first year John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) earned All-North Region honors in the 800 meters from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the organization announced today. Athletes must be ranked in the top five regionally in an individual event, or top three in a relay to receive All-Region honors.

Ihrke posted his best time of the season in the 800 at Hamline’s Meet of the UnSaintly on April 30, winning with a time of 1:51.70. The time ranks fifth in the region, 45th in Division III and second all-time at Macalester. At the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 10 at Macalester, Ihrke finished third in the 800 in 1:51.97 and anchored the Scots’ 4×400-meter relay team to a third-place finish with a time of 3:18.36 to earn All-MIAC honors in both events.

During the indoor season this winter, Ihrke won the MIAC title in the 800 and was named the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. He then broke the school record in the 800 indoors with a time of 1:53.57 at the Wartburg Qualifier on Mar. 8. That time ranked third in the North Region, earning Ihrke Al-North Region accolades indoors.

Click here to view the USTFCCCA All-Region release.

 

LOS ANGELES – Junior Jordan Woolery of UCLA Softball has been selected the Student-Athlete of the Week for competitions held between May 13-19.
 
The infielder on No. 9-seed UCLA softball team recorded a .556 batting average (5-for-9), two home runs and seven RBIs to help the Bruins (52-10) to a mercy-rule sweep in NCAA Regionals last weekend. Woolery homered and logged two hits in each of the final two victories of Regionals against San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara. She tallied her third five-RBI performance of the season with a triple and home run in the Bruins’ 10-0 shutout victory over the Aztecs on Saturday. On Sunday, Woolery recorded her 22nd home run of the season with an opposite field shot the fourth inning against the Gauchos.
 
Woolery and the Bruins will begin NCAA Super Regional play this Friday at South Carolina at 10 a.m. PT. The contest will be televised on ESPN2.
 
The junior secures her fourth-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award, the second of her 2025 campaign.
 
Also Nominated

Sydney Johnson, W. Track & Field; Michael Pinckney, M. Track & Field; 2V4+, W. Rowing
 
Previous Winners
Aug. 21 – Bridgette Marin-Valencia, W. Soccer; Aug. 28 – Lilly Reale, W. Soccer; Sept. 4 – Cheridyn Leverette, W. Volleyball; Sept. 11 – Ryder Dodd, M. Water Polo; Sept. 18 – Bode Brinkema, M. Water Polo; Sept. 25 – Sofia Cook, W. Soccer; Oct. 2 – Pablo Ereño, M. Golf; Oct. 9 – Quincy McMahon, W. Soccer; Oct. 16 – Jose Contell, M. Soccer; Oct. 23 – Ethan Garbers, Football; Oct. 30 – Grayce Olson, W. Volleyball; Nov. 6 – Carson Schwesinger, Football; Nov. 13 – Quincy McMahon, W. Soccer; Nov. 20 –  Maggie Boyd/Sally Perez, Beach Volleyball; Nov. 27 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Dec. 4 – Carson Schwesinger, Football; Dec. 11 – Ryder Dodd, M. Water Polo; Dec. 18 – Tyler Bilodeau, M. Basketball; Dec. 24 – Kiki Rice, W. Basketball; Jan. 1 – Eric Dailey Jr., M. Basketball; Jan. 8 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Jan. 15 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; Jan. 22 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Jan. 29 – Aday Mara, M. Basketball; Feb. 5 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; Feb. 12 – Taylor Tinsley, Softball; Feb. 19 – Mulivai Levu – Baseball; Feb. 26 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; March 5 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; March 12 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; March 19 – Jordan Woolery, Softball; March 26 – Chae Campbell, Gymnastics; April 2 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; April 9 – Megan Grant, Softball; April 16 – Megan Grant, Softball; April 23 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; April 30 – Omar Morales, M. Golf; May 7 – Jeremy Zammit, M. Track & Field; May 14 – Spencer Johnson, M. Tennis