It’s hard to imagine transitioning from anime and video game voice acting to electronic pop music. For Brianna Knickerbocker, she’s been able to make that jump under the name Starless. After years of working as a voice actor and even winning accolades for her work, the LA-based singer-songwriter began releasing music in 2019 and quickly gravitated toward a dark and dynamic brand of alternative pop. With “Begin,” Knickerbocker displays vulnerability in the face of past traumas over an electronic beat ricocheting through her hushed and hazy melodies.
When speaking on the song’s inspiration, Knickerbocker said, “This is my most personal and vulnerable song I’ve ever written or released. It’s really about trauma and fighting so hard to overcome it so you can have a healthy romantic relationship with someone. About the armor that feels glued to you no matter how badly you want to take it off.”
Despite the defeated lyrics, the instrumental infectiously oscillates while evolving into an EDM beat. Whether it’s the futuristic synths and the trap inspirations apparent throughout the entirety, there’s not a dull moment from start to finish. And rather than coming off as overbearing, her voice perfectly compliments the beat’s digital inflictions. The track still holds a somber tone, but the juxtaposition from the instrumental allows for a revolving song unafraid to bend through genres.
Starless unsurprisingly holds her own against the production and has a talent for demonstrating her dynamic voice. At a glance, her career as a voice actor and the experience gained from the past few years of releasing music as a solo artist are the reasons behind her ability to change her voice as easily as she shifts through different inspirations of music. It’s not the fact that her music is reinventing the wheel under her new pseudonym. From the instrumental and her voice, there are some sure comparisons to be drawn with other artists creating alternative pop. But she’s clearly locked into her new career path and shows no signs of preventing previous ventures from pigeon-holding her into a box.
Words: David Sosa
“Begin” by Starless is available now on all streaming services. For updates on new music and tour dates, be sure to track her on Instagram, Tik Tok, and her website.
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