HARPER CARLTON
Graduating with: BS in Radio-Television-Film
How did you first hear about or get involved with KVRX?
I joined and subsequently quit about ten different clubs my freshman year, so the summer before sophomore year I scrolled through every single page on HornsLink (there are like 800) looking for anything that sounded remotely like it might be a fit. I was surprised to find KVRX since I'd spent a majority of my freshman year in the same building with The Daily Texan and TSTV but had never ventured into the station.
At first, I didn't even really care about the music aspect or having my own show, I just really wanted to meet people that I meshed with. But “Nobody” by Mitski (who I had never heard) was BLASTING at my first meeting and I was hooked on finding more of the artists and bands I'd been missing out on.
What shows have you had on KVRX?
Finger Lickin' Good — Fall 2018 - Spring 2019, Spring 2021 — Freeform
Soul Searching — Summer 2019 — Specialty
Taking a deep dive into different subgenres, music labels, or regional styles of soul music.
Soul Shuffle — Fall 2019 — Specialty
A more freeform version of Soul Searching where I played a mix of modern and classic soul.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Playlist — Spring 2020 — Specialty
A very short-lived show where my friends and I would reimagine the soundtracks of our favorite films if they were being released in 2020 and could only include non-blacklisted artists.
What is your favorite KVRX memory?
When I joined KVRX I spent way too much time trying to figure out how to fit in. In fact, I spent pretty much my whole first year as a DJ trying to look cool. I would play albums on silent so Spotify would track them and my 3x3s would look more alternative and impressive. I pretended to like TC Superstar because I thought everyone was obsessed with them and I should be too. In general, I was taking the phrase ‘fake it til you make it’ way too seriously.
Because of all that, my favorite KVRX memory is just a random throwaway conversation I had at a rotation during the summer of 2019. I can’t even really remember exactly who was there, but I do remember thinking that they were the kind of people that had it all figured out and had everything together. So I was genuinely surprised to hear they shared my feelings of not belonging. Everyone there had at some point felt like they weren’t cool enough or funny enough or didn’t like TC Superstar enough to be in KVRX. That conversation allowed me to stop being so intimidated by the station and to fully enjoy my time on staff and as a DJ. This isn’t part of the prompt, but if you’ve been sitting in the back of general meetings questioning if you belong, you do. And you’re cooler than you think you are.
Tell us about your final playlist!
This is the soundtrack to my own coming-of-age story. It’s a sort-of time capsule that captures all my emotions associated with growing up and figuring out who I am. These are the songs that have gotten me through the most difficult and uncertain four years of my life. They’re the songs I could blast while celebrating my successes and that comforted me as I mourned my losses.
They’re also songs that remind me of the people that got me through college. In order of their appearance on the playlist I want to thank: my grandma (Hey Ya!), Uncle Cole (Fire), Sam (Selfless), Noah (On Melancholy Hill), Madi (Lights Up), Matthew & Andy (Cop), Libby & Griffin (Take It or Leave It), my dad (Love at the Five and Dime), my mom (And She Was), Melanie & Reagan & Nakia (Heavy Metal Drummer), Clay (We Could Be Looking For The Same Thing), Sara (Someday), Audrey (Here You Come Again), Evan (Sexotheque), Meg (Turn on Me), Luisa (Forrest Gump), Mallory (Some Things Never Seem To Fucking Work), Chris & Gavin & Grayson (Ribs), the ones that got away (august), and Ariel (Anything You Want).
And even though I’ve met a lot of incredible people in the last four years, the most important friendship I’ve fostered throughout college is the one I have with myself - from the person I was four years ago to the person I am now, and who I want to be.
— Harper Carlton