In his music videos, some of which have recently become tastemakers manna. Prentice It looks more like the little brother of the rock star than the rebel. Many have seen him in nature wearing hippie hand-me-downs and singing sweet, heartbreaking lyrics that sometimes come from poems he wrote on his cell phone. “My purest feelings are my first,” he said during a recent video call from Jackson, Mississippi, when he came home just after his daily workout and let his hair be in a bushel of lush curls. It comes from thinking.”
It’s only been two years since Prentiss began posting songs and videos online, but the 15-year-old pop singer has already amassed over 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and half a million views on YouTube. , and has a record deal. He received praise from Justin Bieber, made music with Australian singer-rapper Kid Laroy, and gave him advice on navigating the music business as a teenager. We also joined the line-up for our first festival, Lollapalooza.
And now Prentiss — his full name is Prentiss Furr — is recording his first album, Crescent, full of thoughtful and personal songs. When Prentice first started making music at the age of 11, he said: He is now more aware of what he is feeling. On “Where It Hurts,” a song about self-doubt from “Crescent,” he sings with sorrow.
He grew up listening to a wide range of music, including Kesha, Justin Bieber, Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift, and The Zac Brown Band. One of his biggest inspirations is Yun Lean, a rapper from Sweden. On “Crescent,” due out later this year, he’s experimenting with a few different sounds, with songs that have flashes of club music, pop-his punk, and hyper-pop.
“Where I’m from, there’s no particular culture, no particular genre,” he said of Jackson’s hometown. thinking about. “If I hadn’t felt comfortable pushing a certain sound or image or hanging out with a certain type of musician, I wouldn’t have made my career,” he said.
One thing he’s not afraid to embrace is imperfection. “Certain notes are off-key, a little offbeat, and don’t exactly make sense, but you can paint a picture in your head. The best artists do that curveball on purpose.” “Even if it takes two, three, four, five years, the twist will be yours,” he added.
While completing the album, Prentice is taking high school classes online, self-taught in music theory, and working with a vocal coach to experiment with new sounds. Rick Rubin, super producer and guru known for his idyllic, blissful lifestyle.
“At some point, I’m going to drop all this,” Prentice said.
A version of this story originally appeared in The New York Times for Children, a special print section that appears in the paper on the last Sunday of each month.
