Age: 20 • Hometown: Covington, LA • Follow: Twitter // Soundcloud

Covington, Louisiana artist Froyo Ma probably has a better moniker than your favorite artist. The funky 20-year-old synth lord crafts intimate bedroom pop in his own way. He appears to be sample-free other than a cartoon voice here and there or some minimal drums that he later layers. Mainly, he relies heavily on the keys in front of him, the guitar in front of him, the bass in front of him. Funky synth grooves happen throughout, as if an energized Pharrell had suddenly grown drowsy, melancholy, slightly introverted. Hazy and inventive, Froyo Ma's compositions are like beefed up donuts, like a dance party within an episode of Spongebob or Adventure Time.

Froyo Ma has only been on my radar for my a few months, after he released a series of singles (“hot” and “luv of my lyfe” with J'Von). I enjoyed those two tracks when they were released and I still enjoy them to this day, but it wasn't until the release of his debut EP Pants in October that I fully digested the craft of Froyo Ma. Like a mixture between The Moldy Peaches and Iglooghost, Mr. Ma is unique yet familiar. Quirky and obscene yet catchy and progressive. His Pants EP is five songs in length and can't be described with genre tags. Instead, I'd describe the EP with words like “dessert” and “lemon ice” and “fruit chews” because the EP is a treat, one that Froyo Ma is serving to you for free.

On top of handling some of the smoothest Sunday morning production to come out of music this calendar year, Froyo Ma is also an illustrator. He did the artwork for all of the eleven songs on his SoundCloud, some of which are scattered throughout this article. When he released Pants, he also drew pictures, made the frames, and shipped the original pieces to the first buyers. They're currently sold out and I'm not surprised. His drawings remind me of Ah! Real Monsters, as his vibrant creations are oftentimes deformed creatures begging to be placed within Cartoon Network.

The entire aesthetic ties in perfectly to the smooth grooves that the southern artist is able to craft. Sometimes vocalists come along for the ride, like Charlotte Day Wilson, who can be heard on the “Spent Missing”. Other times, Froyo Ma hums and quietly sings along to his production, like on the endearing track “there”, where he whispers, “Just listen to young Chris Brown and dance around with myself in my underwear.”

Froyo Ma is a unique name paving his own lane, where he combines serious talent with playful creativity and humor. He has songs called “Berrymilk Sea” and “Fish Socks”, “Rice Balls” and “Shaving Cream Milkshake”. He obviously takes his craft seriously, but he also uses hashtags like #soulerection, #rascalflatts, #rusticlemons, and lastly, #devotionalpenis. The concept is fun, playful, and imaginative, and relies exclusively on an artist who is talented as hell. We can't be happier to pay respect to our neighbor Froyo Ma.

Respect the Neighbors • Froyo Ma