LISTEN TO THIS: Aries, an up and coming sensation.

It is hard to classify the music of 21-year-old producer, rapper and singer Aries into one single category. Beginning as a YouTube creator who discussed production and shared homemade beats, the artist’s original music has risen to prominence in just a few short years. The dozen-or-so songs on his artist page, adorned with striking, entirely-capitalized names, have been labeled as “Emo Rap,” “Anti Pop,” and “Pop Punk.” Aries has racked up just under 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify despite joining the platform as late as April 2017. Though he spent the past month touring Europe, Aries is a general mystery due to a lack of upcoming tour dates and press.

Googling Aries produces a variety of daily horoscopes but only a handful of short articles that are actually about the artist. However, one way that fans can discover more about the artist is his YouTube channel. Aries’ growth has unfolded with his channel’s success. The page has 423,000 subscribers and is filled with posts such as “Using iPhone Ringtones to Make a Beat” and “Redbone but it’s more beautiful,” as well as personal Q&As and music videos. Even just two or three of these videos provides substantial evidence towards Aries’ talent as a media creator. Despite a lack of traditional press releases about his projects, Aries has leveraged this channel to build a strong visual identity and online personality.

Aries’ best work, however, clearly lies in his music. Hip-hop influences are apparent in his earliest works, such as “Mr. Fantastic,” a song that can be found on his YouTube channel. However, the artist’s style has since evolved from mere lo-fi beats with a verse overtop to a fusion of rap, pop, R&B, punk, and emo. The resulting projects can be likened to the themes and styles of artists such as Brockhampton and Post Malone. Aries’ vocals manage to expand upon the emotional range of his productions, taking his trap and lo-fi influenced beats in more aggressive or melancholic directions. Perhaps, however, it is hardest to put Aries in a box due to his ability to embed just about any sound or production into one of his beats. Listeners will find that the creator manages to generate a consistent aesthetic while still mixing unique and unexpected sonic moments into each of his tracks.

In 2018, Aries’ songs “CAROUSEL” and “SAYONARA” broke into Spotify’s top 10 viral songs on U.S. and Global charts. The artist continued releasing songs throughout the next year and later released his debut album “WELCOME HOME.” The album’s quality and completeness surprised many and indicated a promising future. Aries wrapped up his tour for the album in September of 2019, and fans diligently wait for his next announcement. Aries has proven himself to be a capable creator, and the artist’s next project is sure to create big waves across the music scene.

Every week in the New Music Corner, The Villanovan Culture Section writers will introduce exciting new music and artists to look out for. We cover all genre types, so check back here every week for new recommendations to stay ahead of the trends and on top of your playlist game.