Electronica duo Friendzone is breaking standards of fan-to-artist interaction. How? Discord.
I got to meet Friendzone this past week and had so much fun talking about Discord, band names and Doja Cat’s classic hit, Mooo! The duo consists of Jesse Woods and Hayden Warzek, who met at a Salt Lake City nightclub and have been making music ever since. The majority of their tracks can best be described as House EDM which is the more mainstream EDM music heard in tracks by artists such as DJ Snake and Calvin Harris.
The interview we had was incredibly fun and we had quite a few laughs. The duo discussed their aims to shoot beyond the traditional electronica trope of having less than meaningful lyrics, hoping that not only the beats but the lyrics would move the listener.
Aside from the joy of creating music, Hayden and Jesse are clearly passionate about creating for the audience, something that is very clear in the way in which they interact with their fans. Friendzone invites their fans into their own world through vlogs that are entitled “chapters” that they upload to Youtube. Each vlog features intimate moments with Hayden and Jesse that make you feel as if you are there with them as a friend.
The duo has also made it clear that their DMs are always open and that they even have a Discord server where they love to talk and game with fans. As soon as I heard there was a Discord server I knew I absolutely had to get on it.
Upon joining the Discord community, I fell in love with the eclectic community that Friendzone has curated. There are multiple channels for different purposes such as sharing pictures of your pets, gaming and memes. What really impressed me was that this really wasn’t a server for promotion in the sense that it only existed for Friendzone to share their music.
The Friendzone Discord server is a place for interaction and to build a community with their fans. In a world where if you want to interact with a creator you normally have to buy into a Patreon or Only Fans, it is really inspiring that there is this band that is just wanting to talk with fans and build a community free of charge.
I firmly believe that the trends we are seeing in the business sector with personalization and customization is starting to bleed into music. With apps such as Cameo, where you can request personalized short videos from your favorite creators, rising to popularity it is very clear that the public is wanting more interactions with the media they consume.
Many different artists, those whom originated from the internet, are very intent on keeping that virtual grassroots relationships with their fans and I have a feeling that as more and more artists such as Doja Cat and Mxmtoon emerge from the interweb into mainstream music, this will become a standard among many of the more “industry” artists.
Breaking the 4th wall that has separated the fans from their favorite artists is a barrier that has long awaited to be torn down, and it is artists such as Friendzone who are paving the way for fan-to-artist interaction.
Friendzone’s discography can be accessed through Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud. You can also check out their vlog on YouTube.