Monmouth University’s student-run record label, Blue Hawk Records (BHR), is set to release its 25th compilation album on Dec. 6, featuring the students and alums of the University.
Past albums such as “Back On Track,” “20,” “Exit 22,” “Chapter XXIII,” and “Open 24 Hours” have featured Stevie 808, Olivia Melfi, Elena Worton, Jill Bernstein, Azure Kai, Abby Garcia, Amani Lillian, and many more.
The album is produced and created through Professor Joe Rapolla’s Record Label Strategies class, where students hold auditions, pick artists, create a theme or concept, and produce the album through Rapolla’s guidance each year. This being BHR’s 25th compilation album, the achievement is not lost on Rapolla.
He said, “This milestone album not only showcases the immense talent of our students but also reflects the vibrant diversity of voices within our music community. We’re thrilled to present a collection that truly represents the spirit of Blue Hawk Records.”
Without spoiling the album’s reveal, the genres are a diverse selection of indie, rock, and pop. Antonia Bongiorno, a junior Music major with a concentration in Music Industry and Musical Theatre, is this year’s general manager of the label. She described the album, whose artists will be revealed on BHR’s Instagram page in the coming weeks. “[There will be] so many different genres, styles, and elements that haven’t been done on previous albums,” she continued.
Bongiorno gave “The Outlook” a hint about the album title. She said, “The title of the album can be related to one of the lyrics in the chorus of ‘Black Space’ [by Taylor Swift].”
Just like in previous compilation albums, the artists were inspired by songs and artists that they resonate with and connect with. Bongiorno explained how, during production, the team had good starting points for each artist and how their track would evolve and become a fully fleshed-out song. Some of the artist inspirations include Adele, Zach Bryan, The Weeknd, and Bon Iver, which all correlate to folk, classic pop, country, and alternative genres.
Bongiorno explained that creating tracks for people to connect to is what makes this year’s album so special, and it’s a testament to how much talent there is at Monmouth University. “Something our team wanted to accomplish with this album was selecting songs that have true depth to them, and go far beyond the scope of a college record label-produced album, and I think we did that,” she said. “Every track is so different, but they all have a richness and complexity to them, which makes them all relate to each other.”
