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Heylog has become a grand inspiration in my musical production style for a multitude of reasons. Most notably his unique production style which includes usage of large crunchy bass combined with frequent use of guitar melodies and riffs to create an abstract blend of acoustic and electronic. As well as guitar, Heylog will incorporate electronic synth melodies, often in conjunction with the guitar melodies, and along with the large bass, Heylog is able to create a sort of rollercoaster ride in each song, beginning with calm acoustic guitar, then slowly transitioning to deep synth pads and intense melodies that can really draw the emotion out of the listener. As well as this, Heylogs vocals play a very important role in what inspires me, and what i wish to include in my own songs. Each Heylog song brings the listener on a journey, not only from the instrumental elements, but also each verse contains so much emotion and storytelling substance that its hard not to get lost in his work. Such as his 2021 single 'snakes in the wall', where "heylog self-reflect(s) on a failing relationship" (Tyler Borland, 2021), and uses emotional and expressive language to build a connection with the listener.

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Joji is an artist who, in particular, excels at expressing emotion through his music, by utilising melancholic vocals and slow, rhythmic chord progressions, as well as a modest blend of electronic and acoustic elements. Though most of his newer work is on more of the ‘depressing’ side, the occasional “happy” Joji song features a more upbeat feel and usually a more ‘trappy’ R&B drum line, to accompany the large 808 synth bass that is a common theme in most of Joji’s work. Joji’s vocals are a whole other unique piece to his music. Sharing clear parallels with James Blake (Patrick Green, 2017), his diverse vocal range accompanied by vocal layering and an atmospheric reverb creates an ethereal, often angelic effect, which only helps to contribute to the influence some of his more emotional tracks have on not only myself but also thousands of other artists.

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Brakence has produced and written many songs that have not only influenced Heylog, but also many others in the emo-alt-pop scene. And its easy to see why, his diverse electronic synth melodies accompanied by acoustic elements show a clear carry over to Heylog, as well as the deep crunchy bass as seen in so much of Heylogs work. Additionaly, Brakence uses many alternate media dialogue samples, taken from movies, tv, games and the like, a trait shared by Heylog. Brakence's song structure is also seen in a lot of Heylogs work, as Brakence seems to create a similar 'rollercoaster' feel in each song by transitioning from calm acoustic instrumentals, to fast paced, intense synth and electronic melodies and vocals to fit. A Heylog song where this comparison is more obvious would be 'lavender'(2022) or 'i love you'(2021), where the use of stuttering, and 'glitchy' vocals at some parts of the song, as well as most of the song being very 'all over the place' and quite a few of the acoustic and electronic elements being stuttered or cut off, show a real resemblence to a lot of Brakence's newer work.

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Sewerperson (formally 9tails) specialises in a more emo-rap-pop genre that can be seen in some Heylogs work from 2020 to 2021. Mostly in the form of his vocals, as many of his songs share a theme of some kind of loss, whether that be romantically or otherwise. However another influence, albeit a lesser one, would be the drums and drum loops that Sewerperson uses that attribute themselves heavily to a more trap, hip-hop vibe, can be seen in some of Heylogs songs, most prominently in his singles 'Maduro'(2022) and 'disaster'(2023)released on his alt account Byelog, both of which are very 'angry' songs compared to a lot of Heylogs other discography, which includes a lot of trap drums lines and weirdly enough an actual song structure including a chorus and a hook, which is usually absent in other Heylog songs.

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2hollis is a little different than Brakence and Sewerperson regarding Heylogs influences, where unlike the previous two where he said he drew inspiration from Sewerperson, and Brakences influence is evident, 2hollis is instead referenced in one of Heylogs songs, 'Maduro', under the line "Pump iron, bumpin 2hollis" (heylog, 2022), bumpin obviously referring to lisening. However apon listening to some of 2hollis' music, it becomes potentially evident that Heylog has drawn inspiration from 2hollis in the case of Heylogs 2021 EP 'log' where the songs 'simulation', 'internal memory' and 'out of reach' adopt a very hyperpop feel to them that is largly seen in a lot of 2hollis' music. These elements include things like very bright synth plucks and chords, and a heavy use of a large deep bass seen in most hyperpop, not only 2hollis' music.

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Donald Glover aka. Childish Gambino was one of those artists that I had always heard my friends rave about but could never really grasp why. Safe to say I still don’t understand the hype around him, but I do see how he has influenced Joji. Childish Gambino’s influence reaches mostly into Joji’s lyrics and overall atmosphere. With melancholy vocals and nostalgic synths, Childish Gambino’s 2016 release ‘Redbone’ apart of his album ‘“Awaken, My Love!”’ has a very ‘dreamlike’ mood that attributes itself similarly to a large portion of Joji’s discography, most notably his 2022 album ‘Smithereens’ which has a very depressing overall mood, especially following the track ‘Glimpse of us’ which has Joji recounting his lingering feelings for a past relationship and the jealousy that comes with a previous partner moving on.

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Before researching for this project, I had never heard of James Blake, however upon listening to his 2013 album “Overgrown”, it becomes immediately clear the influence he has on Joji. The most immediate influence would be in the vocals, as James Blake’s vocals also share the same pitched up distorted vocals with a touch of atmospheric reverb, which paired with his "minimal rhythmic elements" (David Jeffries, 2023)  and deep synth bass, create a similar ethereal, angelic effect to that of some of Joji’s music.

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Unfortunately, Radio head was a little bit before my time, so I can’t say I’m able to appreciate their music in the same vein as someone who has listened to them throughout their life. Fortunately however, their influence lives on through the likes of Joji. Researching for this project I listened to Radiohead’s top 10 songs on Spotify, and from what I Listened to, Radiohead boasts some incredibly emotive vocal delivery and moody instrumentals to accompany them, leading to some very pleasant emo rock. The influence Radiohead would have on Joji comes mostly from the vocals. With a delivery bordering on modern shoegaze, the vocals have a clear connection to how Joji injects emotion into his songs. Radioheads 2007 track ‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’ from the album ‘In Rainbows’ has the lead singer Thom York going from an uncaring, melancholic vocal delivery, to a much more lively and expressive mood as the backing instrumental remains largely the same. This pattern of moody to lively can be seen in some of Joji’s work such as 2018 track ‘SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK’ a part of his album ‘BALLADS 1’, where his vocal expression and instrumental follow the familiar moody to lively pattern.