Sonic Self-Portraits
Songs that reveal a little about the writers behind Ear Candy
Between the Lines and Killer Instinct are collaborating on a new publication called Ear Candy to serve your sonic sweet tooth.
In this series called Sonic Self-Portrait, we introduce ourselves using the realm of music. Songs that take us back to our roots in a world that is constantly changing.
With artists ranging from Kevv to Olivia Dean, the range of topics and emotions this week offer a chance to learn a bit more about the writers behind the publication. Introducing: Kitty Killer and Alyssa M.
Let the vibes sink in through your headphones of choice and enjoy!
Kitty Killer
This has song has made it permanently afternoon in Curaçao, my maternal homeland. Recently, I was running errands with my mom on the island and this song was playing in almost every store visited. I cherish this moment in my life where I get to navigate my mother’s island alongside her. I sat with her in the car telling her about how I keep hearing “Bontardi” (Good afternoon in Papiamentu) everywhere, and we sat together breaking down the lyrics. I often explain to people, my mother is Caribbean, my father is from the United States, but I’m Black on both sides. Black diaspora is at the heart of my platforms, and my upbringing is the reason. Black diaspora is who I am!
I share this song in homage to my island, mi dushi Kòrsou, a precious part of my identity, and a cherished home.
Vibe switch. Heavy. But, that’s who I am, too. Big switch energy.
Doechii recently rapped in “Girl, Get Up,” that ‘they call me the intellect amongst the pussy rap. I still be poppin pussy, them my sisters, so I can’t agree to that.’ And while I haven’t forgotten Doechii’s diva behavior at the 2025 MET gala, this is one of my favorite recent rap lines. It speaks to the part of me that includes this track.
I’m an intellect, for sure.
And it’s up with these niggas.
But it’s also about a part of me still negotiating my healing. Like so many of my sisters, I have had experiences in relationships of all kinds that have affected my trust, faith, and hope. I love songs like “I Got Questions” by dark skin women that lend me that bravado, that fuck and cut you all off energy that, while perhaps hollow, still feels empowering.
Where am I in my healing today? I would say I’m asking myself questions. What has your trauma rightly taught you? What are the limiting beliefs tucked in the corners of those lessons? Because, sure. Not all men.
AND.
Fuck these niggas.
Cut em all off.
Alyssa M.
SZA has always been an artist who is able to embrace her flaws and empty her heart onto the track. “Ghost in the Machine” is no exception. If anything, it is SZA at her peak! The reason I resonate with this track is because of how tired she is. The one lyric I recount often is, ‘everybody wanna be beautiful, scared of the unusual.’ As someone who struggled to maintain friendships and never seemed to fit in with cultural norms, it touches on how outcast I felt when the song first came out. I was trying to explore life and find a career that reflected who I am, but I was forced to settle into minimum wage.
Both professionally and romantically.
I was in a situationship and working at Mcdonald’s. That kind of experience would humble most, and for me, the song mirrored the emptiness I felt at the time. Wanting the distractions instead of clinging to my faith.
‘She's always changing me without a word, and I was just, I was just getting used to her,’ she sings breathlessly into the mic. Released last year in 2025, Olivia Dean captures both the beauty and bittersweet love of change. The last track was a tale of destruction, but this gives notes of lighthearted surrender.
Change is inevitable, and it’s happening to all of us all the time.
No matter how comfortable and familiar the past may be, it cannot go with us. This song captures where I feel I am at with life currently. ‘It’s something I don’t understand,’ and we don’t have to, for it will happen regardless, and usher us into a new season of life.
If you liked what you heard here, be sure to check out Alyssa’s blog “Notes from Heaven”, and tune into Killer Frequency every Friday at 1pm AST to catch these ear drops live!
We’re releasing fresh treats for your sweet tooth every Thursday to keep your playlists tasty. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing music that lifts your spirits. We could all use something to help keep us going these days. Stay tuned!
Tell us what you’re listening to in the comments!