Artist Spotlight
Exclusive Interview With Rising Sensation Jarred Brown

Hello Jarred Brown, Thanks for Coming To Honk Magazine To Talk About Your Music Career.
Let’s start off by introducing yourself, you know the basics like name, age, where you’re from. As much or little as you’re comfortable sharing.
I’m Jarred Brown AKA Horizon Wake an RnB/Pop artist currently based out of London, Ontario. I found my introduction into music as a child in Toronto, Canada where I taught myself to play guitar and started singing for my rock band when nobody else wanted to do it.
Talk me through your creative process.
My creative process is in large part a collaborative effort with my long time friend and producer Jesgee Beats. Typically I’ll start off with an idea that’s usually inspired by some kind of life event, a memory, or sometimes even a dream.
I’ll take that and it usually comes along with a melody and basic lyrics that most of the time end up becoming the foundation for the hook section. Lately I’ve been recording vocals, guitar, bass, or a combination of the three and sending/taking them over to Jesgee where we work together to transform it into what you hear in my releases. The pandemic played a big role in shaping our current process and actually strengthened our ability to work together. We began working online during quarantine and at some points I was even recording demos from my car before I was able to get my home studio up and running. We still continue to start most of our work through discord.
How do you solve productivity/scheduling problems and reduce overwhelming situations?
Productivity and scheduling typically isn’t a huge issue for me at this stage but I do find that when situations begin to get a little overwhelming or there is a lack of productivity being direct is a huge help. This industry is collaborative by nature. I’m responsible for the music while someone else takes care of videos or mixing, or whatever else needs to be done to take the music where it needs to go. I learned over time that being direct, keeping open communication, and taking charge of the scheduling or whatever other issue is the key. Set deadlines and communicate them firmly.
What’s the best advice you ever received concerning music?
I’ve received a lot of good advice over the years and I think the best advice given to me regarding music creation is to not get comfortable and don’t let genre box you in. I find that a lot of new artists will approach writing/producing new music in a way that is almost like a cookie cutter style where they take something that someone else in the genre has done well and replicate it over and over.
Sometimes artists feel like they can’t write a certain lyric or use a certain instrument or melody because it doesn’t sound RnB or Hip Hop. This kind of thinking crushes creativity. Artists should keep experimenting and evolving. Otherwise how do we grow and improve?
What is still your biggest challenge?
For me I’d say my biggest challenge is knowing when a song is complete. I can sometimes be a bit of a perfectionist or judge myself a bit too harshly before releasing a project. It’s really easy to overthink or keep making tweaks to your songs past the point where you should. Knowing when to take time away really helps and getting a second opinion from people you trust to give honest feedback goes a long way.
What would you have done differently if you knew then what you know now?
Don’t rely on the wrong people. If I could go back to the day I started I’d push myself to record everything as often as possible and to make connections with people that are just as passionate as I am. Starting out I formed a lot of relationships with people who just weren’t in music for the long-term. So many people have so much potential but lose the drive to keep pushing. I don’t think I can ever stop making music. For some of us it is a part of who we are. Find those people and push forward together or learn how to do as much as you can for yourself so you aren’t slowed down by others.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
There are so many amazing artists that I would love to perform with or open up for. To be honest I’m a huge fan of Post Malone. I’m incorporating more guitar in my music and performances. I think we could rock out together.
What are you focusing your time on now?
Right now I’m focussing my time on developing my new sound and releasing an EP. I’ve had a shift where I’m blending my RnB sound with more pop and rock elements to better suit my musical background. I plan on having the EP for release in November and it’ll be much more pop influenced than what I’ve released previously.
I’ve got a new song about a bad relationship called “Young Girl Games” featuring Coobie and Golden G dropping on September 30th.
How do you currently feel about the state of Hip-hop in general?
I think hip-hop is in a really cool spot. Over the past few years it’s really grown and become integrated deeply into the mainstream. Most modern pop music has more than a few hip-hop elements where there never would have been before.
Growing up I remember my mom throwing out my Eminem CDs and not understanding rap music as art. Now she listens to a lot of the same things that I do. I think now more than ever we have the ability to experiment with our production in the hip-hop space. We’re blurring the lines between genres. I think its awesome.
What keeps you going when things get tough in the music industry?
When things get tough in the industry there are 2 things that usually keep me going. I love when other artists or fans reach out on social media to let me know how much they vibe with my work. It helps to keep me pushing on and often times can even shift my mood to increase in productivity. I also really enjoy having conversations with them and hearing the music they make or connecting with them in general.
So I really encourage my fans to feel comfortable sending DMs on instagram or TikTok so we can connect. I can’t always respond to everyone right away but I try to do as much as I can. Secondly, I take a break from whatever is stressing me out for a while. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the responsibilities and forget why you make music in the first place. I won’t ever stop creating because it’s an outlet for me. When the stresses become too much I take a step back and just create for the love of creating. It’s important to take breaks and give yourself some breathing room to keep it fun.
How can our readers follow you online?
Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @HorizonWake. My music is available on all major platforms so head over to wherever you get your music from and search Horizon Wake.
Artist Spotlight
Who’s Making the Most Money on Spotify in 2025?

In 2025, Spotify conquers the music streaming world, with 500+ million monthly paying subscribers globally. Considering the platform paid out $10 billion in royalties, a record high, during 2024, it’s evident that streaming is now a revenue stream for artists. Yet only a few musicians are making good money from it.
At the top of the list is Drake, whose 21.5 billion streams yield around $52.5 million. Next up is J Balvin, with $37.9 million this year, a clean-up job from his massive streaming numbers. Other artists who earned significant amounts included Post Malone, Ariana Grande, and Bad Bunny, each featured among the platform’s top earners.
In electronic music, the Chainsmokers had 7.2 billion streams and made $17.7 million, and Calvin Harris made $14 million. The first-place finisher among the grossers is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” which earned $6.6 million from 2.7 billion streams.
Although these numbers are impressive, most artists on Spotify receive a much lower payday. In its 2024 Loud & Clear report, Spotify found that only 4.4% of artists make at least $131,000 annually. On average, an artist in the bottom 98.6% of earners makes just $12 monthly. This difference underscores the difficulties many musicians face in the streaming age.
Dead artists are still having a real impact on Spotify. Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, and Aim for the Moon have 8.51 billion streams, £29.29m, 6.79 billion streams, and £23.37 million in earnings with Juice WRLD’s “Legends Never Die.” Lil Peep and The Notorious B.I.G. are also proving influential, with their music still raking in significant amounts of money.
Spotify’s global platform has allowed artists to perform in front of audiences beyond their home countries. In 2024, most artists who earned at least $1,000 in royalties made most of their revenue through international listeners, at over 50%. Since 2017, the number of female artists grossing over $1 million per year has quadrupled, signaling greater diversity and representation in the music industry.
The few artists who do make millions from Spotify streams get 1 %, while the 1% of artists get funds. Only a handful of artists are financially rewarded through it, even as the platform’s continued global reach and growing diversity create opportunities for emergent practitioners.
Let me know what you thought of this post in the comments if you found this article interesting!
Artist Spotlight
Kayla Marque lights a fire with “Slow Burn”

Kayla Marque has returned with a new single, “Slow Burn,” a simmering, soul-passionate affair that holds you well past when the last notes die out. True to her endlessly evolving artistry, Marque serves up something future-facing and thoughtful, stitching together a grunge-adjacent bassline with ethereal melodies and haunting vocal dynamics.
Right from the outset, “Slow Burn” sucks you into its smoky milieu. The measured bassline sounds plucked from the ‘90s alt-rock golden age and dunked in modern, velvety skin. But Marque’s voice brings center stage, fluent, forceful, and emotionally detailed. She doesn’t only sing; she tells stories, whispers, and wails, and her approach lends the music an astonishing contrast between restraint and release.
As the song progresses, there’s something undeniably mesmerizing about how the instrumentation interacts with the vocals. The melodies shimmer like heat off the pavement, entrapping listeners in a hypnotic haze that feels at once intimate and cinematic. Marque displays not only her vocal range but also her emotional depth. Every note feels deliberate, and every word feels lived-in.
What’s so exciting about “Slow Burn” is how it feels like another chapter in a broader story. Kayla Marque has consistently refused to settle into a single groove, and this track demonstrates that she’s continuing to push limits and defy expectations. There’s a rawness here, an audacity that doesn’t plead for attention but commands it regardless. It’s a song that reveals more textures and emotions after every listen. “Slow Burn” is a vibe, a feeling, a statement. It’s another step in Kayla Marque’s evolution as an artist, and if this is what’s to come, we’re in for something special.
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