#8: Flare
Candy Drip by Lucky Daye 🍭🍬, Naturo 🥷🌀, nostalgia 🥹🤎, compression t-shirts 👕, purple rice coconut pudding, charsiubao 🐷
FLARE’S BEDROOM POP IS COMING OF AGE.
Harry Nicholls, better known on-stage as Flare, is a Hong Kong-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. Last summer, Flare went on his debut “Butterflies” tour, performing in the US, UK, Canada, and Italy — with one highlight stop being Rolling Loud in LA! Described by The Source as a “musical chameleon,” the 19-year-old artist’s discography combines the moody experimentalism of alt-R&B with the soft mellow sounds of bedroom pop. “I want to get across this feeling of sitting down on a patch of grass and looking up into the sky as you watch the clouds,” he says. His upcoming album explores dreams and nostalgia (both in content and style). He can’t spoil all the details yet, but throughout the record, Flare’s says his style of R&B-Pop is taking on a darker, more mature bend, with a highlight song exploring being trapped in a nightmare. Here are the artist’s recommendations on THE CHOW:
Listen to Candy Drip by Lucky Daye 🍭🍬
If I were to pick an album recommendation that was really moving and influential for me, I would say probably Candy Drip by Lucky Day — if I had to choose, it'll be that one. I have the vinyl in my home as well.
The songs themselves have so many flavors that I'd never heard before and they blended so much in a way that blew my mind. The way that it works as an cohesive album with sequencing, and each song flowing to the next, will never get old for me.
Undoubtably, the number one song that is my favorite is “Used to Be.” That song has a very special place in my heart. I was listening to the album while walking around Cyberport during my final exams. It was golden hour when “Used To Be” started playing. All of a sudden, I was hyperventilating and I might’ve fallen to my knees. The whole experience seeing the sunset and listening to the song was super spiritual — almost like a gua sha, lymphatically draining all that had energy off of me… very euphoric. No album has since made me feel that way - except for Requiem by keshi.
Nostalgia (for situationships and for Hong Kong) 🥹🤎
I’m very nostalgic about love at the moment, but then again, i always am, so that's the easy answer. But if I think about nostalgia for more than a couple seconds, the thing that I'm most nostalgic about is Hong Kong. If you ask anyone I know, I have been physically dying to come back.
Pause on wearing the hiking sandals for non-hiking purposes 🩴👣
First off I have to say that the most important thing above all else in fashion is wearing whatever makes YOU feel comfortable and like the coldest muff to live. There are no boundaries or rules which makes it endlessly fun. So as much as I want to say that I feel like i could pull anything off… I find it very difficult to believe in a universe where I wear hiking shoes. Specifically those web looking sandals. That's the one answer I can give when someone asks me of a fashion trend that I can't part-take in. Then again.. who knows where I'll be in 20 years. I think that like hiking gear as fashion is something that isn't for me. All those shoes are gross. I've never been a very hiking person, I’ve never gone into a Decathlon and been like that shit would be hard. Don't get me wrong I’m, very experimental with clothes. And if you're living in the desert, I get it. But if we’re in Hong Kong or in Los Angeles, there is no reason for you to be wearing these.
Wear more compression t-shirts 👕
What I think society needs is a good, stable compression t-shirt. A great undershirt for somebody wearing a shirt that doesn't crease — that's really what I think this society needs.
Watch Naturo 🥷🌀
Naruto — I love that show. Like… so much. Just because of my whole past.
My parents were still alive and everything, like they didn’t get killed by a nine-tailed fox demon. But I did spend a lot of time like growing up without my parents for some quite important parts of my life. Watching Naruto reminded me a lot of the tough stuff that I had to deal with growing up.
I see a lot of myself in him. The way he approaches his dream is the way I approach mine. Seeing his journey, it reminds me a lot of mine as well.
Find Purple Rice Coconut Pudding
If you are in Hong Kong, please, for the love of god, find somewhere that sells purple rice coconut pudding with red beans. One of the best things to ever grace this planet. I will be waiting for google maps links to the best pudding in my DMs. Also.. The baked and glazed version of the char siu bao — generational.