Why WEST OF EDEN’s slone Believes Music Is Worth the Risk

For a long time, slone has questioned if he can make it as a musician. His community and fans are reminding him there’s a reason he’s meant for this.

In 2023, during a stressful junior year of college, slone escaped to his campus library.

“I was feeling some type of way from life and school stress,” he remembered. That night, he spent over three hours recording vocals for what would become his debut single, “wish u were gone.” He treated the lyrics “like a therapy session,” pouring his darkest feelings into the track. To bring the song to life, slone turned to his friend clozz, a producer based in Japan. “Over a few more studio sessions with a total of 100-plus takes of vocals, I finished the track,” he said. “Hearing the final version in my AirPods was incredibly satisfying.”

The lyrics of “wish u were gone” foreshadow the melancholic honesty that has defined slone’s music since. “Girl I’m just lying in my bed,” he sings in the opening lines, “wish I could kill you in my head.” Since its release two years ago, the track has resonated widely, earning slone more than 300k monthly Spotify listeners—a striking achievement considering he has yet to release an EP or album.

slone credits much of his growth to the synergy and support of WEST OF EDEN, a four-member boy band he joined in 2023. Based in Seattle, the group includes jun.e, keanu., and riensu. Since their debut, the boys have become rising stars in the independent music scene. Some of their biggest hits, like “my heart” and “LIKE THAT”, have crossed over a million streams, and the group has accumulated a core group of die-hard fans who pull up to shows and sell out limited merch drops. The group has succeeded so quickly, many friends in the industry have noted to me, because of their smart marketing and social media presence. 

slone was recruited to join WOE by jun.e, a mutual friend from high school. “I remember he invited me to an Instagram group chat of 15-plus people, and the rest is history,” slone said. “If he did not recruit me that time, the rebrand to ‘slone’ would have never been a thing.” 

That rebrand marked a shift from rap to bedroom indie-pop. “It felt risky, but it was the best move for my sound, with the rise of artists like keshi and joji,” he explained. The gamble paid off—slowly, “wish u were gone” began to gain traction online. One TikTok post hitting just 100 likes, slone recalled, “felt huge.”

Unexpectedly, the track found an audience in Asia, especially Vietnam, where it has now surpassed 7 million streams. Reflecting on its reach, slone said, “That experience taught me to appreciate every step of the journey.”

Growing up just outside of Seattle, slone recalled a peaceful childhood. Living in a small town offered “the best of both worlds—quiet surroundings and access to a vibrant city,” he said. He even came to love the region’s famous rain, describing it as “a certain calm and rhythm to life that I find grounding.”

slone began playing piano at age ten, though sports – especially soccer – were a primary focus for years. In high school, he began singing – almost in an unserious way. “For a Shakespeare project, I made a rap song and shot such a goofy music video, and surprisingly, that kicked off my interest in music,” he recalled. 

At first, he experimented with “type beats” on YouTube and recorded vocals in Audacity, uploading rough tracks to Spotify. He freestyled daily, often posting songs to SoundCloud that he never publicly shared. The turning point came in 2020 during the pandemic. “I had way too much time on my hands,” he said, “but I discovered most of myself as an artist then.”

“I discovered most of myself as an artist during 2020 in the COVID era, when I had way too much time on my hands,” he surmised. But learning how to create from such a young age – and being the chief creator of his artistic identity – shaped him into an artist who was determined to express himself authentically. 

Relying on instinct became central to his process. “Gut feelings are a sign—if you feel it, you should go for it,” he reflected.

That philosophy carried into his new single, “what we could have been,” his second collaboration with clozz. The track, he explained, “is a half-truth reflection on the regret of a failed past connection.” It sat in the vault for over a year until slone finished it with help from evito, who mixed and mastered it, and csafilm, who handled cover art and visuals.

slone worked with csafilm to shoot the cover art, visualizer, and concept shots all at a location overlooking Seattle’s Space Needle. “The hidden rooftop garden was intentional to represent Seattle while keeping a dark night aesthetic,” he said. slone approached the shoot almost like an actor, embodying the numb, destitute vibe of the song while dressed in a white button-up and a loose black tie, as he held red roses. “They symbolized a recent breakup and the act of letting go,” he explained.

Looking ahead, slone hopes to release a debut EP by year’s end, but for now he is focused on WEST OF EDEN projects and, ideally, a solo headlining show.

The tight-knit group of friends slone has amassed has inspired him to push forward.  “Having a group of people with similar goals is a blessing, especially in an industry and world that can feel so harsh,” he said. “They bring joy when it’s needed most. Staying happy and healthy is everything to me, and they help me do that. I hope I do the same for them.”

In many ways, slone admitted, it can be more rewarding to work with others – especially his friends in WOE.  “Collaborating with the other three artists and producer friends brings out the best in me. Working solo can be a little tougher,” he said. As a soloist, he is responsible for everything from the visual direction to the marketing to the branding. 

“As an overthinker, sometimes it is hard to make the final decision,” he continued. “I am still trying to break out of that habit and take more initiative in my future solo projects.”

The singer is still adjusting to the fact that his music is impacting others. But his aim is simple: “to touch people’s hearts and heal them.” 

“Even the smallest signs of progress remind me why I keep pushing—to become a better version of myself each day,” he reflected. “Currently without a solid job, I sometimes feel guilty or even worthless for pursuing music as a career. But when fans reach out to say they connect with what I make, I remember: this is exactly why I started.”