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"The Other’ is thoroughly crafted, cleanly polished, and simply an excellent piece of music, so don't think twice about putting LAUV high on your radar, because the great promise he's displayed in his debut is unquestionable." – Hilly Dilly
Today, 22-year-old San Francisco born, Los Angeles based Ari Leff aka LAUV reveals his Spotify Single Session for hit single I Like Me Better alongside with a cover of Akon’s Don’t Matter. LAUV recorded the two tracks at Spotify’s NYC studio, where he played vintage keyboard and tracked live strings. The acoustic version of I Like Me Better and his cover of one of his favourite ever songs, Don’t Matter further highlights this young artist and producers talent and versatility. The original of I Like Me Better debuted at #48 on the GLOBAL Spotify Top 50 and has already amassed over 50 million streams and has picked up support across BBC Radio 1. I Like Me Better is LAUV’s most uptempo track to-date, built on gracefully sculpted beats and shimmering melody. But even with its brighter mood, I Like Me Better still delivers the soul-baring lyrics and intimate vocals that perfectly reflect LAUV’s artistic mission. “Before I started making music as LAUV, I’d lost that sense of who I really was for a while,” said LAUV. “It seems like a lot of people lose touch with that forever, and end up living a life that’s not really true to who they are. By being so honest in my songs, I want to encourage people to be okay with who they are and what they feel. More than anything else, that’s what drives me to create music in a massive way.” Keep an eye on fresh faced LAUV as he’s making hits that represent the argot and style of his generation.
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Young Indie singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer creating eclectic digital pop with a soulful throwback voice.
Meresha’s music has landed on Top 40 Billboard charts 3 times while her videos have been played internationally, including on MTV properties. She's been the #1 Indie artist in the US for a month. In December 2016, Billboard named Meresha the #6 emerging artist globally. Meresha is a voting member in the Grammy process as part of The Recording Academy. Her 2017 EP is called "Enter the Dreamland" and includes production from multi-Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli. * * * At the age of 12, Meresha recorded her song "Fool Don't Be" in a CD booth at a mall. Fun, refreshing, and totally independent, the song revealed exciting potential. Born in Europe, at 15 the singer and multi-instrumentalist uprooted her family, and headed for Florida. Her intense focus and Indie attitude garnered interest with young fans and supporters of independent music alike. While her deep, soulful voice recalled a young Annie Lennox and Katy Perry, her quirky sonic vision drew comparisons to a Björk or Lorde. In 2015, she released the EP New Revolution, which included the title track and a trio of other songs that ranged in style from the Florence & The Machine to FKA Twigs. Her sometimes frenetic eclecticism and eccentric beats created a fresh sound that brought old styles into contemporary production. She performed songs from the EP live in concert with Adam Lambert and Third Eye Blind. That same forward-thinking pop vibe carried into 2016 when she released the single "My Love Has Come," which shifted focus from her innovative production to her vocal strength. Her late 2016 releases are"Together" and "Juntos", which is Meresha's first song in Spanish. A fun lyric video shot in the Bahamas and Florida introduces the song. In December 2016, Billboard named Meresha the #6 emerging artist in the World, based on their "Next Big Sound" chart. In June 2017, Meresha released her EP "Enter the Dreamland", including production from multi-Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli. She debuted 2 of the EP's song for some 40,000 fans at SunFest in Florida. A video for the song "Enter The Dreamland" was directed by David Rousseau and shot in the L.A. River and at El Matador beach in Malibu.
Singer and songwriter Steven Jennings is gearing up for the release of his new single "Broken Blue." The latest release from his upcoming debut album "The 8th Day" - which is slated to be released this fall - Steven's music is a New Generation of Spoken Word Music Art fusion of Jazz, Hip hop, R&B and World music expressing the lyrical content concerning social, humanity and political issues of our times.
His music arrangements and lyrical content has been described as bold, unique and mind stimulating. Written by Jennings, "Broken Blue" was produced by Jelani (Studio 23 in Columbia, SC). Jennings also enlisted and featured legendary sax player Ron Holloway on the song and other notable jazz horn players, Hank Bilal (trombone) and Mauricio Richardson (trumpet) to round out the production. The album's and single cover art was designed by Atlanta based artist Goldi Gold. ""Broken Blue" is an anthem "against corruption and social injustices." " Worldwide we are all part of this global family. Everyone needs to think about our actions during this 21st century," says Jennings. "Ask all world citizens and the powers in control "Is It You or Is It You!" Why we have a "Broken Blue!"" The long awaited release of the debut album/CD "The 8th Day" is coming to listeners across the globe.The music is potent featuring a talented list of great artists, vocalists and the lyrical content touching on current events affecting humanity worldwide. "Broken Blue" will debut on the fourth of July and will be available at all major online stores. For the latest announcements and updates on Steven Jennings Music, go to www.stevenjenningsmusic.com About Steven Jennings Soulful Spoken Word R&B, a mixing of retro grooves genre that address the New Generation of Spoken Word Art fusion of jazz, hip hop, world, gospel and soul, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of our times. A former community services activist, multi-talented, songwriter, producer and musician Steven Jennings decided to record and release his debut single and EP recordings. This recording is a global statement to our society that we all need to care for each other no matter of your culture. Kupid a.k.a “ Q “ was born in New York City and later was raised in Antigua. At the age of nine, he returned to the U.S and has been there since. He is an emerging artist located in Orlando, FL. His music is a reflection of Island Pop, Hip-Hop, Reggae, and R&B. Some of his most popular songs include “Who Shot Ya” feat. Jus J and produced by Troyton Rami from Black Shadow Records. Others include “Hey Girl” and “Rant”.
Earlier Years Q came from an Antiguan (father) and Guyanese (mother) background. As a child his father would play Caribbean music, which was fundamental to some of his musical influences such as Red Rat, Vybez Kartel, Lil Rick, Nas, Biggie and Lil Wayne. How did your childhood prepare you for your music career? “ Growing up with my parents, my mother would come home from work, cook, clean and leave to attend college full-time. I saw my dad working two jobs and still having time for the family on Friday nights with me and my sisters. Their work ethics were instilled in me at a young age and that is what motivated me to work hard. Today, I am hardworking, dedicated, and I am capable of accomplishing anything I put my mind to.” What is success to you? “ Success to me is not a tangible item, it is a contagious emotion. When you are successful, you are able to provide the people around you with the same power to drive their success. To me success is a responsibility.” What accomplishments are you most proud of? “ I’m proud of everything that I’ve accomplished to this point. Getting my music on Pandora is something I am most proud of.” What are your career goals as far as music? “My goal is to build my empire with my music. I am determined to not be ‘just another artist’. I want to be a mogul in the business with my hands in everything.”
Oranj Son, a four piece Psych Punk band from Ellesmere Port, are Kieran Linford (guitar & vocals), Lew Yii (drums), Brad Welch-Harley (bass) and Matthew Linford (keys/synths).
The band, whose influences range from Echo and the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes to Air, LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth, have been together for two years and have already made a big impact on Liverpool's music scene since they made their live debut at Sound City in 2015. The new single 'Still' was recorded in Glasgow and produced by Luke Palmer. It will be released by The Label Recordings as part of their Summer Sampler on June 2nd. “Liverpool is full of great, quirky and fascinating bands at the moment. The latest to catch our attention are 4 piece Oranj Son whose curiously spelt name hints at their twisted and brilliant music which is a tripped out take on wonky psychedelic, gritty northern Fall style grooves and laced with great melodies. Their SoundCloud is full of home recordings that do more than hint at their potential greatness and are frightening in their capability and fluid brilliance.” John Robb, Louder Than War Lion Coffee + Records is a one-of-a-kind space in the heart of Hackney; a coffee shop, venue and leading specialist vinyl record store offering new releases and reissues along with a range of curated vintage records and specialist box sets. Stock is refreshed weekly so there are plenty of hidden gems to excite the most discerning crate diggers. Established in 2014, Lion is owned by Christopher Lloyd Hayden, drummer with Florence and the Machine, and his wife Mairead Nash, DJ, music manager and owner of Luv Luv Luv Records. The business takes its name from the couple's three year old son Arlo Lion and offers the perfect place to hang out and enjoy its cool East London atmosphere. The cafe is stocked with Allpress coffee, pastries are supplied by The Bread Station and the bar offers a tempting range of cocktails. The venue plays host to a huge range of up and coming artists through its Thursday night showcase Luv Luv Luv Presents, along with more established bands playing Saturday's Live at Lion sessions. Live appearances have already come from the likes of Courtney Love, Gruff Rhys, Mystery Jets, Splashh, Ed Hardcourt, When Young, Blueprint Blue, To Kill a King, Mata, Gabriel Bruce, The Garden amongst many more... In store appearances are regularly streamed online through Facebook Live and Instagram with some very exclusive performances scheduled throughout 2017. “Silent Witness” is the eagerly awaited 2nd single to be released by the Bedford-based, 22-year-old singer songwriter Sophie Debattista aka S.O.S, a first-class graduate from The Institute Of Contemporary Music Performance. The electro-pop tune will be accompanied by an edgy and intense music video created by up-and-coming director AJ Ullah and will be released on the 14th April via her independent label Sossy Music. “Silent Witness” will be available for download through the S.O.S website; www.sosofficial.co.uk and through all the digital music platforms including; iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play Music, Napster and more. S.O.S headed the production team on the trend-setting track alongside the renowned mastering engineer Shane the Cutter who has worked with the likes of Nathan Fake, Luke Abbott, Blu Mar Ten and DJ Shadow amongst others. Career highlights for the young, up-and-coming writer so far include live performances supporting US superstars Ciara and Ariana Grande, British legends Take That and One Direction whilst playing other top venues such as the NEC Birmingham, The Roundhouse Camden, IndigO2, O2 Islington Academy, Barfly Camden, Proud Camden (headliner), Troubadour (headliner) and The Water Rats to name a few.
S.O.S’s tantalizing lead single “Bittersweet” received top press coverage and radio play including support from the likes of BBC Introducing, BBC6’s Tom Robinson and Clash Music amongst many others. This heightens the anticipation and excitement leading up to “Silent Witness”, making it the second single to be released from her forthcoming debut EP “Edges Of The Mind”; set to be unveiled later this year. This catchy, yet seductive track features the singer’s mysteriously attractive vocals, blended together perfectly with a mix of electronically influenced beats, intricate and detailed lyrics, a controversial topic and a pulsing chorus whose melody keeps the listener hooked throughout. Sophie explains the song’s backstory, “Silent Witness is about a young girl who finds herself in a difficult situation. She’s at an age where her friends are beginning to experiment with new ventures however she doesn’t feel like she’s ready to join them just yet and doesn’t want to rush into maturing too quickly. When she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, she’s forced into making an important decision. Either live up to her friends’ expectations or listen to her heart and not go through with it. The song explores the different emotions that the young girl goes through at this though time. She wants to remain credible but wants to be sensible at the same time, so does she go through with it or does she manage to come up with a different solution? You’ll have to listen to the song to find out…”. Ian Danter is a rare breed amongst rock musicians – he’s that guy who can do pretty much everything. And on ‘SECOND TIME AROUND’, his new solo album, he does exactly that over 11 extraordinary brand new tracks.
Ian has been best known for over 10 years in the UK as a radio broadcaster on talkSPORT and now Planet Rock, but back in March 2013 he released a critically acclaimed album called ‘Prove You Wrong’, which contained 15 songs he’d written during his formative years as a rock star-in-waiting. He thought that was that, and figured that by releasing his debut effort, he’d successfully scratched a musical itch that had bothered him for over 2 decades. But he hadn’t bargained for what came next. “I thought I had genuinely ‘proved them wrong’ by bringing out the album and that I’d achieved all that I wanted, but I quickly found myself writing some more new songs – it’s as though the song writing part of my brain had been lying dormant for so long, and it took the fantastically positive worldwide response to my debut LP to reawaken that desire to write, which I have to say was incredibly satisfying, if a little unexpected!”. The song that was to become the album’s title track, ‘Second Time Around’, was amongst the first of the new songs Danter penned, and once again he quickly enlisted the services of long-time friend and producer Alex Cooper to help record his efforts. “Initially, I figured I’d maybe write an E.P.’s worth of material to add to ‘Prove You Wrong’, but as I kept coming up with great ideas it was clear that I had a full 2nd album in me, and that ultimately became the goal. I didn’t just want to write the first album all over again – I really focused on progressing on from the standards I set myself on my debut”. Danter wrote all 11 tunes himself (save for the anthemic ‘It All Comes Back To Rock’ where his great friend Greg Hart came in as co-writer) and - as with his first album – he played all the drum, bass, rhythm guitar and keyboard parts himself as the songs came together at Cooper’s Arkham Studios in Birmingham, UK. But this time, he felt ready to do even more than before. “The confidence I’d derived from folks’ response to the 3 songs I’d sung on from the debut (SHY’s Lee Small had sung the other 12 tracks), as well as the guitar solos I’d done for half of the album, led me to believe in myself enough to essentially do the LOT this time – and I mean everything. Alex agreed with me wholeheartedly, and so what you hear is all me, no one else. That, for me, just adds to the focus and continuity of this album”. The spectacular results that can be heard on ‘SECOND TIME AROUND’ will no doubt surprise many, as happened with ‘Prove You Wrong’ 2 years before, but Ian craves a different reaction. “I want people’s jaws to drop listening to this album – thinking ‘that’s just ONE GUY doing all of that???’” “I want people to realise that the art of writing original Classic Rock tunes is alive and well”. “I want people to take these richly melodic songs and their thoughtfully crafted lyrics to their hearts”. “I want people to accept that in an era of studio trickery and deception, it’s still possible to make an honest, truthful album with proper instruments and genuine musical skill learned from years of practice and hard graft that shows the true development of an artist”. “I want real music to be heard”. “From the explosive opener right through the eleven tracks, it is clear that Danter has a Jeff Lynne-esque ear for melody coupled with solid rock sensibilities and a touch for a great riff…an album I really love. It's classic hard rock done really well…” (4/5 review on Metaltalk.net) SECOND TIME AROUND is available through www.iandanter.co.uk Venice Beach is famous for the performers who grace the boardwalk, the stoners and street characters who hang on the beach, and the surf culture that spawned a whole California sound. Christopher Hawley, a devoted surfer, guitarist, and singer-songwriter, is a Venice musician through and through. His new album Stories reads like a series of miniature character studies, washed in California Roots Pop.
After studying classical guitar as a child and playing in the jazz band in high school, Hawley co-founded Mucis, a Colorado jam band whose members signed to a label and toured nationally in a retrofitted school bus. He could never get enough of being on the road performing original music, so when the band broke up, Hawley became a solo roots rock singer-songwriter and forged on in Los Angeles. As a solo artist and with an expansive collective known as The Christopher Hawley Rollers, he has had music licensed for Fox’s “The Good Guys,” NFL’s “NFL A.M.,” and several independent films. The band was featured in an H&R Block commercial playing two of Hawley's songs. Over the years, he has played everywhere from LA’s Greek Theatre to yoga retreats in Bali and dive bars in ski and surf towns. Hawley is a devoted yogi, with a steady practice that influences the way he lives his life. “My yoga practice has inspired me to be more conscious about what I consume and how I consume it. The idea is to put an increasingly smaller footprint on the planet.” His dedication to surfing echoes a similar sentiment. He learned to surf while with a girlfriend in Hawaii, and that experience was part of the impetus for his move from Colorado to California. “Surfing, like yoga, is a great meditational workout,” says Hawley. “It’s a full-body experience in the ocean…. You’re trying to tune in to the waves and, ultimately, become one with Mother Nature. Both activities force you to practice being present, just like when you’re playing music.” A few years back, Hawley’s friend, Randy Wooten, offered to produce a few tracks in exchange for surf lessons for his girlfriend’s son. Hawley and Wooten began writing together on a regular basis. Their prolific partnership produced a long list of songs. One song, “Sidewalks and Bars,” was conceptualized during one of those surf lessons. What began as a casual collaboration between two friends in Venice soon became a full-length album. “The approach was collaborative, from the songwriting all the way through the recording process," Hawley says, “It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders with Randy in the producer’s chair: In the past, I’d done almost everything myself, so to be able to show up focused on the music was liberating.” Hawley is spreading his wings in a way he never has before. The album is beautifully produced: Wooten did his job well, taking a roots rock palate and adding memorable touches like barrelhouse piano, reverb-soaked guitar, and even modern synth sounds. Hawley’s up-front vocals lend the songs a remarkable sense of intimacy. However, it’s the collaboration between the two songwriters that makes Stories shine. The songs are smart and compelling, and there’s a depth to the tales they tell that makes you want to listen more closely. Look out – a new artist is on the scene with her debut album, Life is Unfair. In the words of Anastasija Ozueh, “Music is not just my life, it is the reason I live and the air I breathe”. This view shines through in all of Anastasija’s work, and is the reason she is rapidly gaining popularity across the globe. The album is a huge part of Anastasija’s dreams and it takes her another step forward on the path to achieving them. After a 6 year break from songwriting, the Lithuanian native decided to write the album’s songs herself rather than buy from other writers. She considers herself lucky to have gathered together a top-notch team, including Kristen Wilson on keys and Calvin Hsu on guitar. Anastasija is the sole songwriter, save for one bonus track – “Like A Dream”, which was written by pianist Kristen Wilson. Life Is Unfair is filled with autobiographical songs, all inspired by Anastasija’s life and experiences in one way or another. They encompass many different genres in one “flask”, so to speak. Anastasija’s work leans towards a pop/rock/dance style reminiscent of many successful pop artists of today. Anastasija gained fame on the online scene with demos of her songs “I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye’’ and “Unforgivable’’. The album’s heavier rock and electronic tones are balanced equally with soul-touching favourites such as “Big Black Hole” and “Daddy”. Life is Unfair is a unique mixture of lyrical masterpieces which contain something for all tastes.
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May 2020
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