Welcome to ARDENTLY, your home base for all things music.

I created this magazine out of the desire to share the world of music without the barriers of language or genres – I know that this world has so many amazing artists who you’ll love, but maybe you just haven’t found them yet. That’s where ARDENTLY comes in. ARDENTLY is a home crafted especially for those who want to explore the world of music without any barriers.

We spotlight small artists, local talent, and innovators in niche genres – regardless of their mother tongue. I want to break the barriers of the music industry through the lens of exploration, curiosity, and accessibility. Whether you’re just looking for your next listen, your next obsession, or your next stop on your sonic journey, ARDENTLY has something for you.

You might be asking, “who is ARDENTLY?” – great question. Let us introduce ourselves to you!

Founder. Music Reviewer. Vinyl Collector. Ardent Enthusiast.

My name is Shaelan Walker, and I crafted this magazine purely as a passion project and as a way to give some amazing artists their incredibly well-deserved flowers. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, but I’ve traveled around a fair bit and lived in some really interesting places.

My childhood was scored by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and an extensive ensemble of great innovators and sonic pioneers. My parents staunchly believed in educating me on the vast offerings of the greats who came before me, and I took those lessons and ran with them. My curiosities and explorations have led me around the world – I have created numerous music maps and conducted multiple discography deep dives, purely for the sheer enjoyment of it.

By trade, I am a copywriter and editor – I specialize in marketing and ad copy. My clients come from numerous different industries, though I much prefer to utilize my expertise to wax poetic about my first love: music.

If you’re looking to find me online, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Rate Your Music, and Pow Magazine. You can tune into my radio show at Psyched! Radio each Saturday, too! If you’re lucky, you might be able to spot me IRL at live shows and record stores.

One of my co-writers is the wonderfully witty Leah Kirk – I’ll let her introduce herself to you.

Music Reviewer. Cultural Anthropologist. Voracious Explorer.

Hi, my name is Leah Kirk. I’m a St. Louis-born, Seattle-based writer and aspiring documentarian, looking to cover topics like contemporary indigenous groups, severe weather events, socioeconomic conditions, and everything in between. I’ve been a huge fan of music ever since I was a young teenager who was sifting through the catalogs of old St. Louis area legends. Eventually, this gal grew up to appreciate more than just Chuck Berry and Miles Davis, as classic as they are.

As a writer for ARDENTLY, I love examining music from across the globe through the lens of modern-day cultural anthropology. My enthusiasm for exploring art this way came from my mother, who was both an anthropologist and professor at UMSL before I was born. Not only did she do her best to pass on what she learned from her many years teaching, but she also worked to instill within me an insatiable curiosity of the world. As I continue to write for ARDENTLY, I hope to be a source of information about cultural and historical contexts surrounding a record, give my honest opinion on the albums I review, provide vivid descriptions, and to tell a few cheesy jokes along the way.

The third member of this tenacious trio is the immensely impassioned Joaco Arauco – I’ll let him tell you about himself.

Hi, my name is Joaco Arauco, and I was born and raised in Lima, Perú. At the age of 17, I came to the Bay Area pursuing a career in filmmaking and writing, and have been here ever since. My passions are spread through too many fields to explain — but I’ll try. Through different mediums, I am interested in the exploration of cultures and the way they interact with each other. From this lens, I consider music as one of the most vivid forms of self expression.

As a writer, ARDENTLY allows me to explore the more journalistic aspects of my craft, resulting in an extremely rewarding creative outlet. My work will mainly focus on, but not be limited to, Latin-American content, interviews, and documentation of culture through music. I hope readers enjoy my articles and find new content they can love as much as I do.

If you wish to connect with me, you can find me on Instagram.