Discover the new Break Binary EC Mag section that showcases opposites in music that makes experiences seem more alive than ever. Rock & pop, underground & mainstream, reality & fantasy - all through the perspective of today's artists. Music is at its best when contradictions attract each other.
You will rarely find unilateral artists. They experiment with multiple branches of creative expression, refusing to focus on a single art. You’ll see musicians with a passion for painting, writers who take photos or actors who take on singing. Eventually, the majority return to their first love. It’s difficult to get noticed in two highly demanding artistic fields.
But this doesn’t mean that wonders never happen. There are actors who, after they reach the peak of their career on the big screen, dip their toes in the music world. Even though it’s not a widely spread pattern, there are exceptions which show us that you can be successful both in the movie and the music industries. Here are a couple of examples:
Kiefer Sutherland
It's never too late to achieve your dreams. Especially if your name is Kiefer Sutherland and you have a budget for professional conversion. The actor from Melancholia, A Few Good Men and 24 decided to release his first country music album at the age of 50. The record is called Down in a Hole and it sounds amazingly good for a famous and rich actor who performs a music style drenched in sadness and alcohol. His second album, from 2019, surpassed his debut record. Which raises the question: shouldn’t he dedicate himself entirely to music?
Jared Leto
Jared Leto is an actor, singer, multiple instrumentalist, philanthropist, alien, whatever he desires to be. We all saw him on the mainstage at Electric Castle 7, dressed in a galactical overlord costume, just like you see in the USSR sci-fi movies, whilst performing the best-known hits by Thirty Seconds To Mars, a band whose activity spans over more than two decades. At a certain point, he was surrounded by huge balloons which he seemed to control with his fingers. The band is super-popular, Jared’s roles are legendary, so it’s well worth listening to their discography. Pro tip: start with This is War.
Jamie Campbell Bower
Another artist/actor who performed at Electric Castle, Jamie Campbell Bower is known for his roles in Harry Potter, Twilight, Sweeney Todd or Fantastic Beasts. We saw him in 2017 on the Hangar stage, where he performed with Counterfeit, his punk rock project. Unfortunately, the band has only released one record, Together We Are Stronger, which you should re-listen while contemplating their gig at the festival and the huge potential of the project, which, unfortunately, died out much too early.
Zooey Deschanel (She & Him)
You gotta love Zooey Deschanel. Even if you’re not a fan of her movies — although there’s no way you can’t appreciate a classic such as The New Guy or the romanticism of 500 Days of Summer — the actress has released a number of excellent albums featuring musician M. Ward. Their project is called She & Him and write some sort of indie pop and alternative country music. All the albums they released with Merge Records are worthy of your attention, especially Volume Two.
Billy Bob Thorton (The Boxmasters)
This guy is one of the coolest actors of all time. He’s like an Iggy Pop of Hollywood. He’s seen and done them all. But his greatest passion remains music. He released four solo country music albums, including a song dedicated to Angelina Jolie, and ten more with the project The Boxmasters, who perform a much more accessible blues rock. Light Rays, released last summer is a perfect introduction to their music.
Underground & mainstream. Rock & pop. Reality & fantasy. Break Binary by EC Mag & glo™️ is all about contradictions that make experiences seem more alive than ever, that fill you up with energy &more.
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