TIME magazine just revealed their list of the most influential people of 2023, and some of our favorite musicians made the cut. Moreover, they specifically highlighted Beyoncé, Steve Lacy, and Doja Cat, with the latter receiving a cover issue and story with a foreword by Elvis director Baz Luhrmann. Furthermore, readers may remember that Doja provided the song "Vegas" for the film's soundtrack. As far as other names, the publication also shouted out Jerrod Carmichael, Aubrey Plaza, Zoe Saldaña, Angela Bassett, and many more. On the athlete side, Brittney Griner, Kylian Mbappé, and Patrick Mahomes II were among the honorees.
When it comes to Doja Cat, she played with fans recently by saying that she was going to quit music while then hinting at what's to come on her next album- though that could also be a joke. "I also agree with everyone who said the majority of my rap verses are mid and corny,” she stated on social media. “I know they are, I wasn’t trying to prove anything, I just enjoy making music. But I’m getting tired of hearing y’all say that I can’t, so I will. The whole album is no longer rap y’all. It’s rock/spoken work and the album title is not Hellmouth anymore."
Steve Lacy, Doja Cat & Beyoncé Get Their Flowers From TIME
On the other hand, Steve Lacy recently shared some of the greats that influenced him in the creation of his hit album Gemini Rights from last year. "I’ve always loved doing that,” Lacy remarked on fusing genres together. “If I have a rocky beat, putting a soulful melody on it. Like ‘Dark Red’ and all those types of songs. It’s a way to play and introduce new ideas into things that we know already. Growing up playing Guitar Hero put me on to a lot of rock and guitar music. As I got older, artists such as Paramore raised me. Mac DeMarco, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend. Even Weezer’s ‘Undone’ is one of my favorite songs ever. Hayley’s voice [of Paramore] and melodies are crazy because she takes the rock thing and makes it soulful.”
"When I make music, I take a small piece of everything that I love," he continued. "I’ll take certain melodic approaches from Prince, but I’ll play it as if someone else was mimicking Prince, like if Jimi Hendrix tried to be Prince. But I like to mix different approaches together. It happens naturally. I’m never doing it all purposely. It’s just inside of me." Meanwhile, Beyoncé recently reached another career high, as "CUFF IT" surpassed "Halo" as her longest-charting solo song of all time. Even someone of these artists' caliber continues finding new ways to succeed, exceed expectations, and make new and equally relevant splashes in the culture. For more on Doja Cat, Beyoncé, and Steve Lacy, come back to HNHH.