This past Friday, I had the pleasure of tuning into UCLA Radio’s very own Video Killed the Radio Star, a segment featuring female duo Chloe and Erinn — AKA DJ Caprisun and DJ Era Erinn — discussing music, movies, music in movies and multimedia apps for sound.
Bright and early Friday mornings, from 9:00-10:00 a.m. (the second segment of the day, in fact!) DJ Caprisun and DJ Era Erinn kick off their commentary. “How has your week been?” DJ Caprisun greets both her partner and listeners. “Up to my hijinks, per usual,” DJ Era Erinn responds. Their banter continues throughout the segment and gives listeners a taste of their amicable, easy-to-follow dialogue.
In celebration of AAPI month, the two DJs covered the film Crazy Rich Asians (2018), the first entirely Asian-casted Hollywood production in twenty-five years! The soundtrack (as I discovered) is extremely versatile, featuring everything from melodic jazz elements and crooning classical ballads to contemporary pop and gritty rap. Director Jon M. Chu wanted all components of Asian musical history portrayed in his film. The songs feature themes of self-discovery and female vigor, meant to reflect protagonist Rachel Chu. The DJs were kind enough to give me the setlist for their segment:
The DJs highlighted the tension between Rachel’s individualistic culture and career and Nick Young’s more collectivist, old-money background. They then went beyond the movie to narrate the lives and controversies of Crazy Rich Asians’ diverse cast. Deep dives on Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Awkwafina and more individuals were spotlighted. To conclude, the DJs brought up the upcoming sequel film, its dramatic production process and how Crazy Rich Asians sparked a huge increase in Asian representation in Hollywood.
After listening to the hour segment, I interviewed the two DJs and got a deeper sense of their sound:
HC: What initially gave you the idea for Video Killed the Radio Star?
DJ Caprisun: I’ll let DJ Era Erinn tackle this question, as she was the catalyst for our show!
DJ Era Erinn: When we first applied to UCLA Radio, DJ Caprisun and I were fascinated by multimedia uses for sound and the recent transcendence of music into a three-dimensional space. Our friend group really enjoys cinema and we’re constantly popping into different LA theaters. Our goal was to bridge the gap between music and media. When does rap become poetry? How do film scores inspire us? The transitional, organic beauty of media.
HC: Which segments have you felt most passionately about so far?
DJ Caprisun: From a playlist standpoint, Puss in Boots was my favorite. I still listen to Cat Piss by Ski Mask the Slump God and Big Pu***y by Brockhampton. For that segment, we played a mixture of Latin American music and modern rap. You should’ve seen our dancing in the studio! I also loved our Twilight episode. I designed our graphics for it, which I’m very proud of. We had a nice discussion of YA novels, too.
DJ Era Erinn: I have to shout out our Everything, Everywhere, All At Once segment. As a queer person from the Midwest, every Jobu Tupaki moment had me thinking: SAME GIRL SAME! I also enjoyed our Blade Runner discussion, not least because it’s one of my favorite movies and I love the techno aesthetic, but also because we had an interesting discussion about AI, the evolving definition of humanity and whether machines are capable of being human.
HC: How do you aim to empower women through your segments?
DJ Era Erinn: A lot of our segments take a close look at movies with female protagonists and renowned female casts. A key aim of ours is inspiring and growing the passions of young women in multimedia. As two women equally passionate about media, we often adopt the perspective of female characters.
DJ Caprisun: In Twilight, for example, we highlighted the toxicity of the male gaze as it was subjected to Bella Swan. We always make a point to include certain actresses in our episodes, take those actresses outside of just their movie roles and dive into their personal struggles. Our aim is to go beyond the scope and environment of what you see on screen.
HC: What do you suggest for other women interested in hosting a Radioshow?
DJ Era Erinn: Take a leap of faith! Hosting your own show or media is scary, and working with a friend helps a lot! Having Chloe, DJ Caprisun, with me is wonderful. Lean on what you’re most passionate about. Radioshows can be about literally anything! The world is yours. If you have something you’re passionate about, listeners will hear and appreciate that.
DJ Caprisun: I think UCLA Radio has more female DJs than any other gender. If you want to get involved, you can. There are lots of opportunities to find a mentor here. Radio is a safe space for us, and, we hope, for individuals from all walks of life. We have been fortunate to never run into issues or drama here.
HC: What are your next steps for Video Killed the Radio Star?
DJ Caprisun: We are looking into uploading on Spotify through a new Video Killed the Radio Star account. We also have loads of ideas for Pride Month in June, both of us being queer women. We just began our social media presence this quarter and we are trying to build that up, too.
DJ Era Erinn: In the fall I’ll be studying abroad, so Video Killed the Radio Star will have to take a brief hiatus. So sad! I’m also interested in exploring other music media and outlets. Videogames, advertising, cultural concepts and even music industry documentaries! The opportunities we are looking into are endless.
Give Video Killed the Radio Star a follow on Instagram and pop into their segment on Friday mornings. You can listen here under the UCLA Radio Live box. They’re the perfect accompaniment as you get ready in the morning, walk to class or need something energizing to wake up to. With brilliant commentary and thoughtful music selection, DJ Caprisun and DJ Era Erinn bring the spirit and soul of music to life each week.