Jason Lottie and Billy Cox describe their music journey
Daniella Solares
Editor-in-chief
September 30, 2022
Establishing a look - Billy Cox (12) on the left and Jason Lottie (12) on the right pose for cover art.
Icesonova, a rap group with members Billy Cox (12) and Jason Lottie (12), is a bold, fresh new music duo at Westfield High School.
Music has seen many genres throughout history: jazz, blues, rock, disco, punk, new wave, and the list goes on. Lottie and Cox gain inspiration from older music. Lottie says one of his inspirations is Michael Jackson, and he even sang “Billie Jean” at American Pie last year.
“I first got into music by watching Michael Jackson every day on repeat, copying his moves and just singing all the time,” Lottie said. “Music runs in my family so it just came natural to me at a young age.”
Cox grew up with music, too, saying his grandfather first got him into it because they spent a lot of time together.
“He would always test my ear with music from the 50s, 70s, and 80s, but he would mostly have me focus on Motown artists or bands such as Earth, Wind, and Fire,” Cox said.
Cox’s learning environment and father also served as an inspiration.
“Being at Westfield schools helped me expand my musical horizons, and I learned about artists such as David Bowie, Herbert Albert, and even the rock and roll band Queen,” Cox said. “I then transitioned into Hip-Pop, which my dad, Bill50, heavily influenced me because he was a rapper himself.”
Writing and recording songs can be challenging at first, and it was no different when Icesonova first got their start.
“The recording process was hard at first because we hadn’t developed our sound yet,” Lottie said. “But as time progressed it got easier because we have a better idea of what we want to create and what we want our music to sound like.”
Cox says he’s a natural writer, though, but he overthinks sometimes and is grateful for his partner’s support.
“I help him by making sure he stays focused on whatever it is— not even just music,” Lottie said. “[I give] him ideas if he needs them and just our chemistry with being friends makes us better partners.”
Consequently, Lottie is also grateful that he has someone who helps him think outside the box.
“I help Jason by supporting him and coming up with different challenges to expand his vocal caliber, like having him remix his favorite songs,” Cox said.
They recently released “Mixed Feelings”, streaming on all platforms, and Cox has a few songs coming out with his brother, B3. They hope to continue their music careers after they graduate.
“The goal… is to get my degree in sound production and become a producer, engineer, or writer,” Lottie said. “I love singing and performing, and I want to do that too, but I want to have those things under my belt so I can have other things to fall back on.”
Cox also expressed interest in music production.
“I would like to be behind the scenes and produce, but I do see myself performing, sometimes just daydreaming about the possibility of sharing my craft with the world,” Cox said.
Another goal for Icesonova is to simply share their love for music.
“My goal is to do what I love,” Cox said. “… I don’t care if I make money off of it or if people don’t listen to what I have to say. If they do, great.”
Most importantly, the boys hope to inspire people to pursue music, no matter their background.
“In the future, we hope to start our own record label to give kids chances that come from areas like Indiana who don’t really have a lot of opportunities,” Lottie said.