RADAR: Magnolia Polaris
Never underestimate random chance meetings in an airport bar. This is where I first met Magnolia Polaris, also known as Hooks Nueva York (hers/his/theirs), and even as total strangers we had such a wonderful little Kiki before making our departures. Years later and after lots of IG stalking on my part I decided to reach out to this magnificent New York based DJ and get the full scoop on their universe, the importance of PRIDE, and the power of love. As one of the co-founders of the Experimental LatinX Collective: Sazón Department, they have pushed the boundaries of typical music genres to expand the experience of the Latin-American sound on the party scene. Everything about Magnolia is steeped in artistry from the DJ sets to the glam! Not to mention, those signature bangs hit every jealous bone in my body! Here in this exclusive interview for RADAR we go deep into the mind and mantras of the iconic persona that is Magnolia Polaris.
Describe what it is you do and give to the world.
I would say that before anything, and amongst everything I am an artist. I'm more commonly known as a musician and DJ, and I believe my music & mixes bring a sense of enchantment to people. In terms of what I bring to the world, I would say I simply bring myself as I am and hopefully that inspires others to do the same. I find that there are a lot of faces we put on and usually the most bare or raw version of people is the version that I feel I can connect to.
You serve so many fab style moments on IG, tell us about your love affair with fashion and what influences your style.
Well, first off thank you, ha-ha! I honestly find that random patterns or silhouettes influence my style. Usually, my eye captures the silhouette and from there I can discern whether or not I'm going to go for it, then comes pattern or print. My love affair with fashion started at a young age. I actually went on to study Fashion at CCSF in San Francisco, and then worked as a stylist assistant/stylist here in New York, but I wasn't making any money in editorial so I decided to rather invest in myself and be my own living fashion show.
How did DJing come about for you, and what's that journey been like?
When it comes to Djing, I find that I'm a student and will never stop being one. A lot of people don't know this but for about two years I only DJ'd from a computer on internal mode through an aux cord and a DJ software on my laptop. That began in 2017 when MAGNOLIA POLARIS formed as a DJ duo, which later evolved into a solo act. Because the duo was made up of myself and my best friend, it was easier to start that way as we were both learning and starting off, but in the summer of 2018 my journey with DJing and music really evolved and turned into what it is now. So, the name in itself has always sparked curiosity and the story is actually interesting: When my best friend and I were in our mid-twenties we talked about this sort of "love child" that would be like our dream baby, and when I thought of names I chose Magnolia because it was my one of my grandparents' favorite flowers. I felt the name didn't encompass both my energy and my best friend's energy. Tinna (my bff) is from Iceland and so I turned to gain inspiration from the Northern lights and things of that nature and discovered that the North Star's scientific name is Polaris so I randomly put both Magnolia Polaris together and I was like that's it! That's the baby's name! Hahahaha BUT then when we had friends over one night while we were out, our friends Quetzal & Steph told us that we should really consider Djing together and then we didn't know what our "stage name" would be and Steph was like it should be "Magnolia Polaris" and Quetzal agreed because it did, in fact, carry both our energies. Then when I went off to San Francisco alone in the summer of 2018 it dawned on me that this project of Magnolia Polaris wasn't just about mixing songs, but rather creating them. So, I asked for Tinna's blessing to pursue this as a musician and she understood and then I sort of turned to MP as a form of devotion. I felt that MP wasn't just a name it was an energy, and I wanted to become one with it. I wanted to personify and become the physical manifestation of divine feminine energy, and that's really when my hair, the signature bang, and the overall look came to be what it is, and what we know today as Magnolia Polaris.
What are your thoughts about PRIDE, and what do you hope to see manifest in the LGBTQ community? What are you fighting for, standing up against and supporting along these lines
When it comes to PRIDE, I feel it's important to understand its origins. We are all able to celebrate this legacy because Black trans women and Latinx women of color were through with tolerating the disrespect and wanted to be honored as members of society. Their vision of how the world should look is really what helps PRIDE to live on and be what it is continuing to evolve to be today. I'm fighting for the rights of Trans Youth, Black Trans Lives, and Trans People everywhere. I think that we have a lot of learning and community work to do, and it's not easy, but if you have the means to resources and the ability to crowd fund, why not take part in it? And herein lies the sad truth, a lot of the time because most of us within the Latinx, bipoc, and trans/queer community have come from low to middle class upbringings we do a lot of that work for one another. How does that work grow into a fountain of distributable wealth unless we have help from LGBTQ people who have means to support us financially or have ties to wealthy contributors. Honestly beyond money, it's about understanding where you can help the cause manifest what it is hoping to manifest in a shorter amount of time, because the faster we can help one cause build and expand the stronger the foundation will be to help out another.
For example, a company like Studs is partnering with the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center. They are donating $20,000 to the organization and using their collection to generate information about the center via their website. Being that I produce creative content, they asked me to showcase their pieces for their page, and I found it wonderful that as they were contributing to this organization they were also opening their brick and mortar in Los Angeles as well. Being that I too was also here in Los Angeles at the time it came together like puzzle pieces, and I felt it was wonderful to be a part of it to spread the news to my friends and followers.
Currently, what are some of your favorite bops or artists you are listening to for summer, and do you have a summer mix out?
I feel like I'm constantly discovering new and old music so it's hard to pick, but BABJ & HoneyLuv just released a single called "TOUCH" which is viiiiibes. Also, two members of Sazon Department which is the experimental Latinx Dj Collective I belong to, are constantly creating new music so be sure to check out Diego Hauz & Sebastian Maria; they're brilliant! I have also been noticing a lot of dope mixes by my girl Empress Of which is major...omg also I love NIMMO they're music is such a mood, and hmmmmm OMG please listen to GREAMS they're really stellar, also Uniiqu3...you'll thank me later. As far as my own mix I have one that I'm working on but you can catch my mixes on my SoundCloud as well: https://soundcloud.com/magnoliapolaris
Oh! Also here are some things Sazon Department were lucky to be a part of last year amidst the pandemic:
Everywhere you look you hear NYC is back. What does this mean to you and what is one of your all time favorite NYC memories pre-pandemic?
It's so fun to see NYC opening back up again because I think we all are looking to feel much more connected to one another and I'm hoping this means more opportunities for myself and Sazon Department to DJ events, and get our work back up! I think the whole music and nightlife community is really amped for that to happen. My favorite pre-pandemic memory is honestly all the fun parties we threw in the summer of 2019. I feel like the one that stands out is actually "OrgullosX" which was our Pride party at Le Bain that summer.
When you have a DJ gig, What do you do to prepare for a great party? What are your get ready rituals?
When it comes to Djing I try my best to run through my songs at least two or three times in the week before the show, because it gives me a chance to get comfortable with my song selection, and it helps me arrange the songs in the order I want to mix them. Then to get my whole fit/ makeup/ and energy right I make sure I have enough time to glam myself up (I never do) ......but Imma keep tryin hahahaha I think the look as much as the set both require a lot of attention to detail, and as a Virgo those among many are the things that I analyze.
What's in the works for you this summer? Any new projects on the horizon?
Honestly if there's anything 2020 taught me it's that I can't plan too far ahead and that I really have to try my best to live in the moment, so hopefully this Summer something really poppin happens no matter what it is, I look forward to abundant and joyous times. As far as music goes I want to really focus more on learning how to produce my own music though for sure and just start recording. There's like five bangers in my cloud right now that are begging to be recorded and released so... We shall seeeeeeee <3!
What is love?
Love is the single driving force behind everything that is good in this world, and it's absolutely the driving force behind Magnolia Polaris.
Follow: @magnoliapolaris
Article by Ayoka Lucas, Contributing Fashion Editor, PhotoBook Magazine
Instagram: @ayokalu
Tearsheets by Cubie Chang, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
