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Student makes EP with eight student artists

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To prepare for the working world, one Ball State student is taking on the role of producer and manager for eight musical artists on campus.

Tierra Kendall, a senior telecommunications major, is producing a seven-song EP for her independent study course. Kendall looked at about 70 artists before narrowing down the group to eight.

Each artist gets one song; there is one duo, giving the EP seven songs total. Each song is originally written by the artist or duo who is performing. So far, there is no one theme to connect the songs. Kendall wanted the artists to create a sound that represents them. 

She has already had to divide her time among the project, a 19-credit hour course load and a job.

“It’s fun though,” she said. “I’ve found myself doing more than just producing. I’m acting as a manager, helping some of the artists with marketing. I’ve learned that no matter how talented you are, we’re all trying to get [to success], all trying to help each other.”

Kendall, who has a concentration in audio production, wants to eventually enter the field of music production and engineering. The project will go in her portfolio. 

Kendall said she can feel the pressure to do a good job.

“I’m in the process of locking down jobs,” Kendall said. “I don’t want to make myself or the artists look bad. But pressure builds diamonds, so I’m excited.”

The project is still in its beginning stages, but will be done by December.

Artists to watch on campus

LJ Herbert

LJ Herbert, who just goes by “LJ,” is a junior creative writing major. He is a hip-hop artist and lyricist who began by writing poetry at 6 years old. However, he didn’t start writing seriously until high school.

“I saw music’s ability to not only encourage myself and my own journey, but also others,” Herbert said.

Herbert is creating a brand called Do for Three, which he said he as formed his entire artistry around. His inspiration comes from Corinthians 13:13.

“The three stands for faith, hope and love,” he said. “I want to cause the listener to question what they put their faith in, examine what they put their hope in and have a love instilled into action.”

Herbert also drops one song on the third Tuesday of every month, followed by a video log he calls “Do for Three Thursday.”

  • Bandcamp
  • Twitter and Instagram: @lj_df3
  • Facebook: LJ

KJ Wilcox

KJ Wilcox, a senior creative writing major, goes by the stage name “Paragon.” He calls himself a Renaissance man, and said his style is classic R&B with a new-school twist.

“I grew up around old-school music and feel like that was the peak,” Wilcox said. “It was beyond watered down, and I like to hold on to the classic emotion and feeling while still appealing to a younger audience.”

In addition to singing, he writes his own lyrics and sometimes his own music to go with them. The lyrics usually come first, he said.

“I play around with music, but I don’t really produce,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox hopes to continue pursuing music, wanting to eventually tour and release albums.

“Music is something you never really stop doing,” he said.

  • Instagram: @the_paragon
  • Twitter: @TheParagon23

Robert Hunt

Robert Hunt, a junior English education major, uses the stage name “Oxyfaded.” He grew up around music; his mother sang in a Gospel group and his oldest cousin auditioned for the TV show “The Voice.” 

Hunt got his start in a fifth-grade production of “High School Musical.”

“I was forced to be Troy,” Hunt said. “After that, someone asked my mom if I could sing at their wedding.”

Hunt is now an R&B artist, and likes to write his own. He often draws inspiration from artists he admires, and can draw from up to 10 different artists at once.

“I like the old R&B for its sound, but the new school for its flow,” Hunt said. “I enjoy having full creative control.”

Despite his passion for creating and producing, Hunt doesn’t necessarily want to make music his profession. 

“Having the whole package — a tour, an album — would be a dream come true,” Hunt said. “But I don’t want to make music something I have to do [under pressure].”

Kambria Moncrief

Kambria Moncrief is a junior musical theater major who goes by “Kambria” on stage. Music is all she’s ever wanted to do with her life, she said.

“I’ve always been a singer,” Moncrief said. “I felt like it’s what God intended me to do."

Moncrief said her style is a mix of R&B and pop, as well as soul and electronica, though all her songs have a different sound. She can also rap and writes her own lyrics.

Although she has only produced a little before, Moncrief plans on expanding her skills in order to grow as an artist. She has been working on her own EP since the summer. 

“I met Kendrick Lamar and meeting him made me decide I needed to really get on my grind and write more,” she said.

Despite being a musical theater major, Moncrief doesn’t want to be on Broadway. She wants to perform on stage, and at concerts and cabarets.

“The dream is to be as big as Beyonce,” Moncrief said.

  • SoundCloud
  • Instagram: @kambriadenemusic
  • Twitter: @kamnesiac_

Geraine Comer and Jamall Hendricks

Geraine Comer is a senior psychology major and Jamall Hendricks is a Ball State alumnus. The duo goes by “The WUUPHI,” though Comer’s solo stage name is simply “Geraine” and Hendricks’ is “JAMALL.”

For Comer, music was a way to express himself without having to talk much. He draws from both old school and modern hip-hop elements.

“My biggest influences are '90s and southern rap,” Comer said. “I write all my own lyrics and want to get into beat making and production.”

Comer can also play the guitar and is working on a mixtape. He hopes to promote change and growth with his music. 

“It used to be just a hobby, but now it’s a way for me to progress myself,” Comer said. 

Hendricks was raised to make music, he said. He would often freestyle over beats, and it wasn’t until college that he seriously started thinking about recording. 

“I’m strictly a lyricist,” Hendricks said.

In addition to the project, the duo is working with a group of friends to create a mixtape. Hendricks' main goal for this project is to put the group out there. After that, music is something he does on the side.

“I want to be a school therapist,” Hendricks said. “I find myself working harder and being better when I’m not trying to [make it] big. Music is a push to get me out of bed. I do it for the pure love of the music.”

Jay Finley

Jay Finley is a junior entrepreneurship major whose stage name is “Theory.” Finley is a rapper as well as a hip-hop and R&B artist.

“I’ve been producing music since eighth grade,” Finley said. “I write my own lyrics, produce and make beats.”

He is currently working on trying to put his music out, starting with a 12-song project titled “Say Something Obvious.”

“I would love for my music to take off, have a steady fan base,” Finley said. “I’d want to be an independent artist who could just put out music whenever.”

Henry Davis

Henry Davis, a junior journalism major, goes by the stage name “Most.” He got into making music by playing the saxophone in the sixth grade.

“I started experimenting with writing in seventh grade, and eventually started writing raps,” Davis said. “I started going to the studio in high school.”

His style is alternative rap. For this project, Finley made Davis’s beats. However, Davis wrote the lyrics to his song.

Davis considers the EP his first real project, though he has also released a mixtape and another EP before.

“I would love to make it to a point where I could comfortably survive off music,” Davis said.

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