According to The New York Times, he’s the only music critic who matters (if you’re under the age of 25).
This year, Connecticut Magazine named Southern alumnus Anthony Fantano, ’08, as one of 40 “young people [who are] changing the game in Connecticut and beyond.”
Fantano, 37, is the self-described “internet’s busiest music nerd,” amassing 2.7 million subscribers on YouTube and millions more across social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
He says his college years — specifically time spent at WSIN, the college radio station — expanded his focus on music and media. He majored in liberal studies [now interdisciplinary studies], with concentrations in journalism, political science, and communication.
During an internship at Connecticut Public Radio in Hartford, he proposed and ran The Needle Drop as a podcast — setting the stage for what would eventually evolve into his wildly popular vlog.
“Still living in Connecticut, Fantano says the style which has attracted so many listeners stems from his own desire to dive deeply into the history of musical styles, the evolution of individual artists, and how past and present meld to create the music which moves us in our lives,” Connecticut Magazine writes.
Click here to see the full list, which also includes Zakiya Dalila Harris, Hamden-based author of The Other Black Girl who spoke at Lyman Center in October 2021.
Read our profile on Fantano from the Spring 2019 edition of Southern Alumni Magazine here.
