Combining a passion for music and journalism, senior journalism major Dylan Nichols decided to create “Sprouting Sounds,” an online magazine featuring underground music artists. 

What makes this magazine unique is its flipbook-style content that features artists who are simply passionate about sharing their music. Hence, the name “Sprouting Sounds” Nichols wanted to highlight artists sprouting into the music industry yet still under the radar to reach full bloom.

Rather than dealing with the stress of making content for recognition, “I think artists should just be concerned with making art,” Nichols said, allowing platforms such as “Sprouting Sounds” to feature artists who might not otherwise gain press. This creates a more personal impact on both the artist and the journalist.

“Whenever I pick an artist to interview, my one rule is that it has to be music I really like,” Nichols said, emphasizing the need for a personal connection to the artist. While Nichols appreciates all styles of music, the genre he tends to gravitate most towards is indie, which is most often featured on “Sprouting Sounds,” in addition to hip-hop and electronic artists. 

“I spend a lot of time listening to everything they’ve (the artist) put out, listening to their demos, reading other interviews, and any other information I find about them online. I want to get to know their content so I can give it that personal level of care,” Nichols said. 

With the millions of music streaming services, it’s easy for artists to upload their content. However, how can you get featured if you are just one of millions of striving artists? 

Whether it be through music streaming services, word of mouth, social media, or even scanning college radio stations, Nichols is always looking for new artists to uncover, using the platform of “Sprouting Sounds” to make that happen. In particular, he notes the impact college-aged youths have on the music world today, sharing that “college kids are tapped into the music world, helping me find a lot of new content.” 

“When I hear something that's good, and not a lot of people know about it, that's when I get excited because I want others to hear it too,” Nichols shared when he searches for new music. “If I can help with that in any meaningful way, it means a lot to me.” 

Running an online magazine single-handedly is no easy task. From the scheduling, research, website formatting, and simply waiting for a response, these are all challenges Nichols expressed when producing content. However, it’s all worth it when an artist agrees to an interview, and Nichols can gain more insight into the artist's life and share that on “Sprouting Sounds.” 

While one might think that all artists are waiting to be recognized in Los Angeles, Nichols realized that is not always true. When he had the opportunity to have a Zoom interview with Henry Parworth, a 21-year-old musician from Kalamazoo, Michigan, he got a deeper insight into what inspired Parworth and the music scene in Michigan as a whole. 

Sharing that Parworth got his inspiration from going to Midwest emo music concerts and fusing that with hip-hop, Nichols shared that he “would have never known what the music scene in Michigan was like… there’s so much more than just LA.”

“Sprouting Sounds” is a platform that has gained recognition from Chapman students and globally through artists sharing their feature stories with fellow friends and family members. 

“Sprouting Sounds” is a music magazine with a unique edge, encouraging others to explore music outside the realm of what they already know. When reading any of the articles featured, instead of writing from Nichols's point of view, viewers are presented with an interview style of content by reading the alternating responses between Nichols and the artist. This allows for a more personal feature of the artists themselves and for viewers to fully engage with the interview, just as Nichols did — further showing a level of care and authenticity.

When asked what the most rewarding part of running the magazine has been, Nichols shared how special it is to have meaningful conversations with passionate artists.   

“I get to engage with creative people I really admire, and then put it out there for others to see and get inspired by,” Nichols said. 
Nichols has more ideas for new and engaging content on “Sprouting Sounds”and islooking for various mediums to feature artists that stray from the traditional writing form. Additionally, to further display artists, Nichols curates playlists of smaller artists' music every two weeks, which can be listened to here. Go to the “Sprouting Sounds” homepage to view published content and check out their Instagram to stay up to date on upcoming feature pieces.