ANNIE LYONS
How did you first hear about or get involved with KVRX?
I remember being intrigued by KVRX when I first arrived on campus, but I was so shy as a freshman and terrified at the thought of talking on-air that I felt way too intimidated to join. A couple years of self-growth later (and a couple of major changes that pushed me toward student media).
I really just wanted to give myself the space to try something new with no big expectations of what would happen with it.
Which shows have you had on KVRX?
1. you called??? (Fall 2018)
My very first KVRX show with that sweet, sweet Friday 4-5am time slot.
2. totally buggin' (Spring 2019-Summer 2019)
This started as a straightforward freeform show (with much better music than my first). During the summer, I played around with the structure and themed each week around a different romcom trope to complete a whole story arc: the first kiss, the makeover scene, finding out your relationship was a bet, the grand gesture, etc.
3. spilled milk (Spring 2020)
Another movie-themed freeform show, but this time I highlighted coming-of-age movie tropes.
4. WHEN I DIE, BURY ME WITH MY GOLDEN ARM (Fall 2020)
My final show and first-ever Speciality Show focused on hyperpop. Yes, the title's referencing that one Quibi show with Rachel Brosnahan.
What's your favorite KVRX memory?
Summer 2019 when I was doing my midnight romcom show was a really special and sweet time at the station for me. I’d invite friends to come on as guests most weeks so we could riff about how “The Kissing Booth” is a trope-defiant film and how despite the corniness, we will never not lose our minds during the staircase scene in “She’s All That” when Sixpence None the Richer plays. I’ve always really loved how otherworldly the station feels at night, so I loved having those late-night talks and feeling like we were in a world of our own.
How can we keep up with you in the future?
Twitter!
Tell us about your final playlist!
I divided my final show into two segments: For the first half, I reflected on my time at the station by working my way backwards in time and playing a different song from each of my previous KVRX shows. Then, for the second half, I wanted to play some of my all-time favorite artists. Because my final show was also Friday at 10pm, I also wanted to make sure the playlist was still really fun and danceable just like all the hyperpop I had been playing all semester.
PART ONE
Bite Me by Kilo Kish
This is one of the last songs I played before the station had to go on automation for the pandemic during my Spring 2020 show. I very distinctly remember being in the booth with this weird feeling that night, and sure enough, within 24 hours, UT announced its extended spring break. This song, from a party-themed episode, matches that same chaos.
Djadja by Aya Nakamura
I didn’t have a KVRX show during the Fall 2019 semester because I was studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France. It was my first time out of the country and a very special time I hold close to my heart, so I still wanted to do a song reflecting those months away. Aya Nakamura soundtracked every night at this little basement club called IPN.
Liv Tyler by Maddie Ross
In her concept album Never Have I Ever, Maddie Ross pens herself the ‘90s romcom of her dreams, highlighting a new, queer perspective. The album really embodies Summer 2019 when I did my romcom-themed show “totally buggin’” — this song in particular is from the closing credits episode.
Everybody Party Tonight by Cobra Man
During my second semester at KVRX, I felt a lot more comfortable on air and confident with the music I was playing. To represent my Spring 2019 show, it felt like disco was the way to go.
I'll Be Around by FLOOR CRY
A sweetheart of a song. This is also the last song I played during the last week of my first show during the Fall 2018 semester, so I wanted to have a full circle moment by playing it again on my last show ever.
On + Off by Maggie Rogers
I also wanted to pick a song to symbolize my “pre-KVRX” era of college, and no album takes me back to freshman year faster than Maggie Rogers’ first studio EP Now That The Light Is Fading. I felt totally lost that year and have so many melodramatic memories of spiraling outside in the rain listening to that EP on repeat. These songs made me feel like it was going to be ok.
PART TWO
Box Elder by Pavement
Is it really your last KVRX show if you don't play Pavement?
Kerosene! by Yves Tumor
I usually have a lot of trouble ranking albums for end-of-year lists, but this year, for once, it’s easy. In a year in desperate need of music that takes you elsewhere, I keep coming back to Heaven To A Tortured Mind by Yves Tumor and its transportive powers.
...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears
Honestly, I just really wanted to play a Britney song, and I think this is easily one of the greatest songs of all time.
If It Wasn't For The Nights by ABBA
The ultimate quarantine meets seasonal depression dance-alone-in-your-room song: “How I fear the time when shadows start to fall / Sittin' here alone and starin' at the wall.” Don’t tell me ABBA couldn’t predict the future back in 1979.
Perfect Places by First Aid Kit
First Aid Kit was the first band I ever truly discovered on my own and wasn’t just who my family or friends played. When I was in eighth grade, my aunt had wanted recommendations of cool groups at ACL Fest that year. Of course, I literally didn’t know any of the artists besides the headliners, but I yearned to be cool, so I picked a random name in the middle of the poster: First Aid Kit. I wanted to cover my bases and not get exposed, so I listened to them that night and fell in love. I’ve seen them three times since then and feel like I’ve grown up with the sisters in a way. I also wanted to sneak some Lorde onto the playlist, so I chose their tender cover of “Perfect Places.”
claws by Charli XCX
The artist I would risk it all for. Ever since I learned I would have the opportunity to still do a final KVRX show, I’ve been contemplating what Charli XCX song I would play. When it came down to it, I had to go with my gut and choose the song where she mentions Geminis.
Loud Places by Jamie xx
One of the sad and weird things about having the Friday night time slot during my last semester was playing dance music that really makes the night feel full of possibilities … while also just sitting at home in my childhood bedroom. I wanted to play a song that reminds me of dancing with my friends.
LazyEaterBetsOnHerLikeness by Liv.e
I thought a lot about how to sequence my final show and kept coming back to what Charli XCX had talked about when she released How I’m Feeling Now earlier this year. She almost went with the sentimental pick (“party4u”) but decided to go with the unknown and the new (“visions”). I followed in her footsteps by choosing a song from Dallas-born artist Liv.e, who I came across earlier this year and have been obsessed with since then. This track cuts off very abruptly at the end, and you’re left anticipating the next note. It felt very right.
— Annie Lyons