Inside Boy Jr.'s DIY Universe: Gear Talk, 'Zitty Stardust' & Surviving the Algorithm Era
We talked to Boy Jr. about their new single, Zitty Stardust, their creative use of unconventional gear, the joys and challenges of being a DIY artist, their thoughts on the music industry and streaming, dream collaborations, future plans, and more!
Ariel Allen-Lubman, aka Boy Jr. (they/them), is the brain behind some of the most fearless and genre-fluid DIY pop out there. Blending electronic, indie, punk, and pop with razor-sharp songwriting and colorful production, they’ve become a trailblazer in the indie music scene and a vital voice for queer youth.
With millions of streams and an ever-growing online fanbase, Boy Jr. continue to chart their own path without compromise. Their new single, Zitty Stardust, is a vibrant electro-pop banger born from their personal experience of transitioning, gender euphoria, and a viral insult-turned-iconic title.
In this interview, they talk about the gear that shapes their sound, the realities of being a fully independent artist in today’s algorithm-driven world, their love for weird sounds and unconventional production tools, what’s next in their colorful, ever-evolving musical universe, aspiring collaborations and much more.
Eugenia Roditis, Musicngear: Hello Boy Jr., welcome to Musicngear! Can you walk us through your current setup - What gear do you rely on the most when crafting your signature sound?
Thanks for chatting with me! I use Logic Pro and honestly love a lot of the stock instruments. But I’ve also been using a lot of Arturia vintage synth emulators, and I have some favorites from Native Instruments, but lost access to a lot of stuff when I upgraded my computer, and some of their plugins are no longer compatible.
Soundtoys suite has been integral to twisting and tweaking sounds to make stuff more colorful and weird! I’ve been using the same Ernie Ball Musicman guitar for years, and I love it so much. It was my live guitar for a while and will be again if I go back to doing guitar and vocals for my shows.
Musicngear: You mentioned using your testosterone supplies as percussion in "Zitty Stardust" - that’s next-level DIY! What sparked that idea? Do you often experiment with unconventional sound sources?
XLN Audio put out a newer tool called Life, where you can use any recordings and turn them into beats. I found that super inspiring, and my first thought was how it would sound to use my HRT supplies like the vial, syringe, rubbing alcohol bottle, etc., as samples and play around with the plug in to make something cool.
I love including samples from spaces or settings with people, like cafes and parties. Including that sense of space can make something feel either really familiar or otherworldly, depending on how it’s done. There are some house party samples and a recording I took at a cafe on a bunch of songs in I Love Getting Dumped. And some weird sounds from crowds and sports settings on the upcoming EP.
Musicngear: As a DIY powerhouse, you’ve toured across the U.S. and built a massive online fanbase. What have been the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent artist, and what advice would you give to artists trying to carve out their own path?
Well, first off, thank you!!! Second, the biggest challenges are always financial and algorithmic, and I will find any opportunity to talk about them! We have a lot of incredible tools at our disposal these days to connect with our people. But at the same time, the landscape of a lot of algorithmic-based social media platforms has taken a nosedive in some ways in the last few years. A lot of people I talk to share the same feeling that being online isn’t fun anymore. I don’t think the joy has been sucked out entirely, but the “enshittification” starts to creep in and snuff out the flame genuine creative scenes start to light.
A lot of artists I know had this incredible experience the last 5 years where TikTok and Instagram Reels allowed them to actually see a career start to bud and gave us opportunities to start building a sustainable DIY music career without having to wait for label support. And we all feel the same way now. If even a more significant fraction of our followings actually saw our posts, we’d be a lot more secure. But it just keeps dwindling as algorithms change and certain kinds of content sometimes deliberately get suppressed.
With that in mind, I would tell any aspiring artist to prioritize making what they wish existed in the world and finding fun ways to do it. Trends in marketing ebb and flow, but a genuine love of creative pursuit is a lifelong thing.
Musicngear: When promoting a new release like "Zitty Stardust," do you set specific goals? Like hitting a certain number of streams, booking more live shows, or getting media coverage? What strategies do you use to make those goals happen?
I try not to because I will spiral, hahaha! There are definitely certain things I want to happen, like obviously I want people to stream it, and I want it to reach more people, especially this song cuz I think it’s something that would’ve been very meaningful for my younger self to hear.
But ultimately, I just want to keep having ways to connect with people, play more shows, and sustain something special.
Musicngear: Given that Spotify pays musicians mere pennies while raking in billions, do you believe the music industry would be better or worse off if the platform disappeared overnight?
Sadly, it would probably be worse off. There’s a lot of BS that comes with the current streaming model, and it should be talked about, probably even more so than it currently is. But I wouldn’t want to take away the kind of opportunities that the ease of streaming has given to small artists.
I think music fans need to remember that we have more agency than we think. It’s easy to rely on the algorithmic recommendations and stop actively working on trying new things and building your taste AND supporting the artists you love in more direct ways.
Musicngear: If from now on you had to choose only one format to release visuals for your music, what would that be? Official music videos or TikToks/Shorts/Reels? And why?
Oh, wow, amazing question, haha, that’s hard. Part of me really wants to just go full send into making wild music videos, and in this hypothetical world, I could see that being really fun and fulfilling, so I will go with that.
It’s okay if you don’t understand other people’s identities. I hope you can still see the beauty in their happiness and give them peace
Musicngear: If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would be your dream pick? And what’s a bucket list venue or festival you’d love to play?
My actual dream list of collaborations is really long, but because I’m thinking about them right now, I'm saying Frost Children.
Govball was the first musical festival I went to, so that would definitely be a dream. And I got to see some of the behind-the-scenes experience at Riot Fest when I was on tour with Jhariah this year, and that made me really long to play that someday, too.
Musicngear: How do you navigate the challenges of making a living as a musician today? Is music your main source of income, or do you have other ways to sustain yourself financially?
I do also work in music marketing. Plus, I love to produce for or write with/ for other artists and projects when the opportunities come too! I also have a Patreon I always like to direct people to. I share a lot of exclusive music content there and have a monthly art club where I send my drawings in the mail!
Musicngear: Let's have some fun! Your biggest hit is now a Netflix series. What’s the plot, and which celebrity randomly shows up as a guest star?
Love this, haha! Well, I’m gonna go with “I Hope You Feel Terrible” cuz I think that would be a pretty sweet series name, too haha. I think the plot would be about someone who starts the series out by trying to scheme a big revenge plot against someone who hurt them only to find that the experience of working on a project and involving other people and learning new things to make it happen is fulfilling enough that they don’t feel the need to get revenge. And for some reason, Joe Jonas would be there.
Musicngear: If you could send one of your songs into space as a message to the universe, which one would it be and why?
Oh, definitely Zitty Stardust. I want the takeaway of that message to be “it’s okay if you don’t understand other people’s identities. I hope you can still see the beauty in their happiness and give them peace”.
Musicngear: Finally, what's next for you after "Zitty Stardust"? Any upcoming projects, tours, or surprises fans should keep an eye out for?
Zitty Stardust is the first single off of a follow-up EP to my album I Love Getting Dumped!. So there will be another single and then new songs this summer!
There is also a summer tour in the works! If people want to stay up to date, they can find me on pretty much every social media except Twitter, and I have an email list. The sign-up pops up on my big cartel merch site!
These were great questions. Thank you so much for chatting!
Connect with Boy Jr.
Facebook // Instagram // TikTok // YouTube // Spotify // Bandcamp
About Eugenia Roditis
Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.
Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com
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