Hollis Frazier-Herndon is an American musician who goes by the stage name 2hollis. Songs like “Poster Boy,” “Crush,” and “Jeans” have recently gained traction online and shone a light on his music;“Poster Boy” was even included in EA Sports FC 24’s soundtrack. Named one of the top 26 artists in 2025 by Ones to Watch, 2hollis is one of the most important upcoming artists of recent years. 2hollis has released four studio albums, including White Tiger, 2, Boy, and most recently, Star.
Released on April 4th, 2025, Star contains 15 tracks and runs just under forty minutes. An EDM, electro-pop, and trap album, Star was called “a thrilling joyride through the hollow hedonism of fame” by Karen Gwee of NME.com. The album fittingly starts with “Beginning.” This track repeats the lines “Are you ready?” and “You are now a witness to something incredible” in its lyrics. This opens the album to Star’s main theme of stardom and the duality of the ideas that come with it.
The song that led to this review, “Flash,” portrays the rise to fame. After being recommended by a teacher of mine to write about the music video for “Flash,” I decided to listen to the rest of the album. It led me to dig deeper into Star, and I was stunned by the album’s emotional depth and musical virtuosity. “Flash” begins with lyrics referencing cameras, describing the feeling of bliss and the unbelievable nature of fame. 2hollis often references romantic moments, secrets, and promises, highlighting the self-indulgence and lack of accountability that fame can foster. By the end of the song, he touches on the disillusionment that sets in once one begins to understand the reality of fame. With the song’s faster beat and lyrics like “Fall out of control” and “Get home, I don’t think I’m alone,” “Flash” ends with a darker tone, symbolizing how the longer one stands in the spotlight, the harsher the lights seem. The singer starts to experience the bad parts of fame, and this is represented through the ending of “Flash” growing more stressed.
Much of the album after this song references the distrust and pressure in relationships and in being a public figure. “Tell me” shows the spiral into paranoia and self-importance that follows fame. It highlights 2hollis’s paranoia about public perception: “VPN on, black tape on the front cam.” The singer is extremely worried about being watched at all times, and for good reason; he frequently mentions being scared of the press, as one wrong move can mean the end of your career. Additionally, he explains what it is like to be the target of death threats, insults, and more, because so many are hyper-focused on your every move. 2hollis sings, “Everybody I don’t know tryna know me, these days I don’t even know who I am.” With everything that he is going through, 2hollis has started to lose a grasp on who he is. Public figures all have a character they play- someone they must be for the media. Staying in that role for so long without privacy can cause people to lose sight of who they are. To be someone everyone likes is to risk being someone you don’t like. The singer can not be or act like himself, as that would ruin the public’s perception of him. Everyone dreams of fame, but 2hollis highlights the paranoia stricken reality that being rich and famous comes with.
The stark contrast between the beginning and ending of the songs as they tell an experience elevates much of the listening experience of Star. The hypnotic rhythm, beats, rap, synth, drums, and overall musical composition and cohesion show 2hollis’s captivating prowess as a producer and music artist. 2hollis often ventures into the abstract, pushing the boundaries of music and drawing more and more with his unique style. Being described as “a genre-defying blend of pop, rap, and electronic chaos” by Harvard Independent’s Jonah Karafiol and Alejandro Sanchez, 2hollis’s music can’t be boxed into just one adjective. Even within this article, I struggle to find the right words to describe 2hollis’s songs. Unlike anything previously encountered, his music is instantly recognizable, even when hearing a track for the first time. 2hollis’s music truly deserves a genre of its own–with so many different styles blended into one, he is creating his own niche in the music spectrum. The first time I listened to his discography, I was stuck on a four-hour listening trip—because no other music artist makes music quite like 2hollis.
