What started as an ironic inside joke alter-ego while Brandy Schwechler, a.k.a. Almondmilkhunni, was working as a barista in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA has become 2020s latest internet fascination, but for good reason. Under the pseudonym Almondmilkhunni, Schwechler creates dreamy pop soundscape tinged with R&B and layered with warm, ethereal vocals. Her independently-released breakout single, 2019’s “Grapefruit,” went viral, organically amassing over 830k streams and counting. Follow up the track, “Henni Heartbreak,” is currently racking up views on the corresponding official music video, which has clocked over 275k plays in less than six weeks. Fittingly, Ones To Watch hails, “While Almondmilkhunni has only two singles to her name to date, this feels like the first chapter of a 2020 breakout act.” We got the chance to talk with this rising star and learn more on Unheard Gems.
Unheard Gems: Welcome, Almondmilkandhunni, to Unheard Gems. We are so excited to have the opportunity to talk with you. How are you doing today? Almondmilkandhunni: I'm doing as well as I can right now- just staying busy and focusing on my mental and physical health. I’ve been making a lot of music lately, too!
Unheard Gems: Just so our readers can learn a bit more about you, how did you know you wanted to get into music? Almondmilkandhunni: I just turned 23, I’m an Aries, and I’ve been doing music full time for over a year now. I just released my debut EP, which feels amazing to have out in the world. And I’m working on new music that’s coming out this summer. I’ve always been into music, honestly. When I was little I’d ride my bike around and just come up with songs in my head. Then as I got older, I would write poetry all the time, which later on turned into writing songs. And I’ve always had other careers and goals unrelated to music in mind just because I never really thought I’d have the courage to fully submerge myself in making music until I finally did. And here we are. Unheard Gems: I would love to know how you chose to go by Almondmilkandhunni, truly a standout name. Almondmilkandhunni: The name Almondmilkhunni came from being a barista at Starbucks, and I had just discovered almond milk. It was like a little bit before it got super popular, and I just thought it was a funny username since I would always get almond milk in my drinks. Once I started dropping music everyone online mostly knew me as Almondmilkhunni so I decided to keep it as my artist name, too. Unheard Gems: You just released your self-titled debut EP, tell us about this project! Almondmilkandhunni: Thank you! It feels incredible to have it out there in the world. I was super nervous and self-doubting before the release, but now I’m just very excited and proud of my project and I want everyone to listen to it and enjoy it. We finished it on one trip to LA. It was very natural and easy flowing. We didn’t intend to really make an EP, but I had booked a ton of studio time and all the sessions ended up being amazing. So by the end of the trip I realized I had an EP.
Unheard Gems: Do you have a track that you think really encapsulates you as an artist right now? What is it and why? Almondmilkandhunni: Lately when I’m feeling kind of down and I need to need listen to my own music to remind myself who I am and what I’m capable of, it will be the intro track to my EP, Almondmilkhunni. That track is just like yeah, that’s me I’m this bad ass Almondmilkhunni and the song makes that pretty clear. Unheard Gems: You definitely seem like the dream come true, barista to pop star is what another site said, beyond the glamorous exterior we see on social media, what has this journey been like for you so far? Almondmilkandhunni: I personally feel like I still have a ways to go before I can consider my dreams being fulfilled, but it definitely feels like I’m on that track. My life, in general, is just kind of nonsensical in the way that I have just made crazy things happen for myself so pairing that with my musical journey can be really just insane, even to myself. And I’m going to keep on going Unheard Gems: What is next for you in terms of music and life? What are the big plans and goals for the rest of this year? Almondmilkandhunni: Just to continue putting out and making new music. I’ll have a remix coming out at the end of this month, and a new single at the end of June! And then I am definitely focused on starting an album this summer!
Unheard Gems: We always like to know who our Unheard Gems artists are listening to, if you could recommend to us another artist you think deserves more recognition in the music industry who would you recommend? Almondmilkandhunni: I’ve been listening to SZA for years and she never gets old to me. But I love Triathlon, Kelela, Doja Cat, and Toro y Moi. I’ve been vibing to Tink a lot and I love her voice and sound. Unheard Gems: Lastly, for all of our readers, where can they find you and your music and is there anything else you want to leave us with that we didn’t talk about in our questions? Almondmilkandhunni: My music is on all platforms right now and there are some lyric videos on YouTube! I also have a really crazy remix of “Cherry" coming out that feature Flo Milli on May 27th! And always tweet or DM me @almondmilkhunni IG: @almondmilkhunni / Twitter: @almondmilkhunni
Review by Hannah Schneider