South African singer-songwriter Kaien Cruz releases her brand new single, the alluring ‘Dangerous’, via Platoon. Seamlessly fusing pop and nu-soul elements with an infectious electronic beat, ‘Dangerous’ radiates flickers of summer melodies, lyrically echoing the sentiment of ‘Maneater’ (both Hall & Oates, and Nelly Furtado versions). Kaien said:- “I wrote ‘Dangerous’ during a very frustrating time in my life. I’d just realised that a lot of people in this industry that I thought had my back, actually didn’t. So this song is about those people and and other things in my life that I thought were good for me, but were only holding me back. The chords I started with gave me a Michael Jackson kind of vibe which my dad absolutely loved! I built on this to give it more of a pop feeling.” ‘Dangerous’ is the first new music to come from the Durban-born artist, following the release of her 8-track debut EP ‘Mansion Mind’ last year. Kaien Cruz has played guitar since she was 8 years old. By the time she had reached 16, having written and performed songs to her family, her sister suggested that she uploaded her music to Soundcloud. It was around this time that she began to put a voice to her creations. The singer-songwriter’s big break came when she was discovered on Instagram by Durban-based producer Aewon Wolf of the Wolfpack. “Aewon gave me my introduction to the music industry and I have met a few people through him who have taught me a lot of things, good and bad. I’m a lot wiser since meeting Aewon and I definitely believe everything happens for a reason” she says. At the tender age of 19, Kaien has already opened for Justin Bieber on the South African lef of the global megastar’s Purpose Tour; collaborated with Kyle Deutsch (of ‘Back to the Beach’ fame) and South Africa’s top rapping sensation Nasty C, and had her collaboration with producer Sketchy Bongy, ‘Love Me In The Dark’, nominated for the South African Music Award. Kaien Cruz is currently working on a brand new EP out in LA. https://www.facebook.com/KaienCruz/ https://www.instagram.com/kaiencruz/ https://twitter.com/KaienCruz https://open.spotify.com/artist/6iyDjhh4mDePK6LPSwlLGE
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19 year-old South Coast newcomer Megan Bird releases her infectious debut single 'Affirmation' today. Having worked closely with GRAMMY and Ivor Novello award winning songwriter Eliot Kennedy (Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, Gary Barlow), Megan proves herself to be a surefire one to watch, possessing an infectious sound that shines through more so than ever in ‘Affirmation’, her first official musical offering. Much like female figureheads Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato who Megan considers hugely influential in her musical journey, lyrically they share similar running themes of self-assurance and empowerment. Growing up on pop-rock royalty Paramore and All Time Low have also played an important role in moulding her sound over the years. On both the making and meaning behind the debut single, Megan says of ‘Affirmation’ - “This song was the very start of my debut album, the first song I wrote up in Sheffield with Eliot and Jim, and it made me excited about writing music again. I had just started college and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I was doing a music course but wasn’t that interested and couldn’t find something that I could fully relate to. I was 16 when we first wrote it, and hearing the change in my voice and confidence over the past three years is crazy.“ On the meaning of the song - “Within these last few years there’s been different situations in my life where I can really relate to the lyrics, and that’s something I always want to achieve with songwriting - that you can always relate in some way to what’s being said, and I love the timeline within the song itself. It’s based on a one sided relationship, which can also reflect on friendships. This has been a recurring theme for me and is the best way to let that frustration out, through music and especially lyrics.” Bursting at the seams with energy and attitude, ‘Affirmation’ boasts the perfect blend of cinematic chords and anthemic drums, all brought together by Megan’s sharp melodies. Alongside her full band, Megan presents the opportunity to experience the new music live with a headline homecoming show in Winchester on October 12th. Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | SoundCloud New York-based singer/songwriter/producer Amber Mark has returned with infectious new single ‘Put You On’ featuring Virginia native rapper/singer DRAM via PMR/Virgin Records. The brand-new single from one of 2018’s hottest talents oozes East Coast sensibilities and summer vibes, all the while displaying Amber’s trademark husky vocal tones and sublime pop melodies. ‘Put Me On Feat. DRAM’ is available to stream and purchase on DSPs from HERE. Discussing how the track came together, Amber reveals:- “The idea of the song came from wanting to talk about a woman who made it out of the hood in NY and into the top of success. Cardi B was really blowing up at the time and I thought a similar story to hers would be such a vibe for the production. The beat sounded so much like summer in NY and I figured it would be dope to lyrically make a subtle NY anthem.” ‘Put You On Feat. DRAM’ is the follow up to Amber’s critically acclaimed ‘Conexão’ EP, released back in May, which found Amber weaving her extensive knowledge of international styles into a gorgeous musical tapestry embracing everything from slinky soul to Brazilian bossa nova. Upon release NME professed, “honest, eloquent and impossibly talented, Amber Mark is a breath of fresh air” while Pitchfork praised the EP as a “remarkably accomplished. Even at just four songs, Amber Mark sounds like a veteran of pop songcraft and performance”. Nowhere is this more evident than on the EP’s imperious lead single ‘Love Me Right’, a flawless indicator of Amber’s skills as both a songwriter and a producer, or on the Sade-approved cut ‘Love Is Stronger Than Pride’. Having blown crowds away in the spring at her sold out headline show at Camden Assembly in support of her ‘Conexão’ EP, Amber will return to these shores for a run of dates in support of Leon Bridges in the autumn when she joins him on his European tour. Full details of these shows can be found below with tickets available from here: https://www.gigsandtours.com/tour/leon-bridges/ Amber Mark’s UK + EU Autumn Tour Dates: 23rd October – Munich Neue Theaterfabrik (Germany) 24th October – Cologne Live Music Hall (Germany) 25th October – Hamburg Docks (Germany) 27th October – Oslo Rockefeller (Norway) 28th October – Stockholm Cirkus (Sweden) 29th October – Copenhagen VEGA (Denmark) 30th October – Aarhus Train (Denmark) 1st November – Amsterdam AFAS Live (Netherlands) 2nd November – Brussels Ancienne Belgique (Belgium) 3rd November – Paris Le Trianon (France) 5th November – Bristol O2 Academy 7th November – Dublin Olympia Theatre 8th November – Dublin Olympia Theatre 9th November – Glasgow O2 Academy 11th November – Birmingham O2 Institute 12th November – Nottingham Rock City 14th November – Manchester Academy 15th November – Leeds O2 Academy 17th November – London Brixton Academy 18th November – London Brixton Academy *All dates supporting Leon Bridges* Click HERE to stream/purchase ‘Put You On Feat. DRAM’ Click HERE to stream/purchase Amber’s ‘Conexão’ EP Website Wales's Art School Girlfriend shares 'Distance (Blank)' from upcoming EP 'Into The Blue Hour'8/9/2018 Art School Girlfriend is the moniker of Polly Mackey, a producer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Wrexham, North Wales. Her upcoming second EP ‘Into The Blue Hour’ tracks her move from London to a tightly knit creative community in the seaside town of Margate. After trading the intrusive city skylines for an endless horizon by the sea, Mackey’s forthcoming music has a new sense of space, depth and introspection. The EP’s lead single ‘Distance (Blank)’ is available to buy and stream on all platforms. LISTEN here The founding member of Welsh shoegaze outfit Deaf Club, Mackey spent time immersed in East London’s creative ecosystem before moving south of the river. Since the group disbanded, Mackey became enamoured with London’s pirate radio networks and began making electronic music with an experimental focus, releasing her debut ‘Measures’ EP as Art School Girlfriend in late 2017. Now expanding on those electronic blueprints, the ‘Into The Blue Hour’ EP sees Mackey further develop her production tool kit and mastery of negative space. The beat-driven lead single ‘Distance (Blank)’ explores Mackey’s fatigue with crowded city living, feelings of claustrophobia and the desire to be out in a wide open space. The single is soon to be paired with visuals directed by Tom Dream. Art School Girlfriend embarks on her first full UK tour in October, beginning with a performance at London’s St Pancras Old Church on the 5th. Full details follow. The ‘Into The Blue Hour’ EP will be released in full on September 28th via Wolf Tone. UK Tour Dates 05/10 London St Pancras Old Church 06/10 Southsea Dials Festival 07/10 Hare & Bounds Birmingham 08/10 Hug & Pint Glasgow 10/10 Sneaky Petes Edinburgh 11/10 Underground Newcastle 12/10 Now Wave Venue Manchester 13/10 Sound Basement Liverpool 14/10 Tom Thumb Margate 15/10 The Hope Brighton 16/10 Hy Brasil Bristol New Zealand pop singer and songwriter Robinson has released her brand new single ‘Medicine’, out now on Ministry Of Sound Records. With over 55 million streams to her name to date and a record which has just gone Platinum in Australia, follow-up ‘Medicine’ is the very highly-anticipated new single from the 22-year-old artist. The track, co-written by Robinson, is a searingly honest reflection on the pain of heartbreak, and a realisation of the pain caused in past relationships. Robinson says:- “Medicine is about not realising the weight of your actions and words until it happens to you. It’s about having a taste of your own medicine”. Continuing her knack for a pop anthem filled with honesty, attitude and melody, ‘Medicine’ follows Robinson’s single ‘Nothing To Regret’ which was released earlier this year to widespread acclaim. NME described the track as “all subtle builds and triumphant climaxes, with a huge, emotive earworm of a chorus…a pop juggernaut” with The 405 dubbing it “an immediate attention-grabber…you will undoubtedly find yourself listening to it on repeat”. Chosen as one of their Next Wave artists, Clash said of Robinson that “her songwriting is remarkably mature, incredibly fresh.” It was championed by Zane Lowe at Beats 1, with further support at BBC Radio 1 and Kiss FM. At only 22-years-old, Robinson is one to watch. Listen to ‘Medicine’ by Robinson here:- https://robinson.lnk.to/Medicine Commercially as well as critically, reception to Robinson’s output to date has been unprecedented. ‘Nothing To Regret’ is certified platinum in Australia, and its official video has surpassed 1.5 million views on YouTube. https://www.facebook.com/robinsonxmusic https://twitter.com/robinsonxmusic https://www.instagram.com/robinsonxmusic Rising, British pop prodigy Emily Burns has today shared an acoustic version of her catchiest single yet; 'Cheat', as the original nears one million streams on Spotify (taking her total Spotify stream count to over five million since her first single release earlier this year). Listen to the acoustic version [smarturl.it/CHEATacoustic]here, or revisit the original. 'Cheat' perfectly demonstrates Emily's knack for story telling in her music, with her relatable lyricism atop impeccable melody and infectious hooks, and is the third cut to be taken from her forthcoming debut mini-album 'Seven Scenes From The Same Summer', out 20th July on 37 Adventures (JONES, salute, Geowulf). Explaining the meaning behind the song, Emily reveals: "I wrote “Cheat” after a whirlwind romance that ended much more abruptly than I’d hoped for! I was feeling let down but was struggling to see anything other than the good in this person. Then I had a chat with some friends who reminded me that I would have behaved very differently in the situation so, I went into the studio and expressed that. I wrote this one with LMBY, who’s a really good friend of mine, which made it super easy to get straight to the details and vent freely. I felt much better after writing it…" Likened to Charli XCX and MØ (The Line of Best Fit) and Sigrid and Tove Lo (Popjustice, Disco Naïveté), 22-year old Emily is writing modern, ambitious, frank pop songs about ex-girlfriends, spite, love and revenge. Having recently returned from some writing sessions in Sweden with MadFun (all female producer crew) and TEN (home of Tove Stryke, Icona Pop and all the Scandi greats), her mini-album release will be supported by a headline London show at Sebright Arms, and a return to her homeland Scotland. Date listings as follows: Sat 14th July - Longitude, Dublin Wed 1st Aug - Sebright Arms, London (headline show) Fri 3rd Aug - Belladrum, Scotland Sat 18th Aug - Hardwick Live, Stockton Upon Tees Sat 25th Aug - Pride, Manchester Sat 15th Sept - UWE Freshers Ball, Bristol Sat 3rd Nov - 2Q Festival, Lincoln Sat 1st Dec - DIVA Music Festival, Great Yarmouth 'Seven Scenes From The Same Summer' will be available in limited-edition pink vinyl LP (pre-order here). Stay tuned for more news to come soon. Website London-based singer/songwriter, performer and curator Belgrave releases visual for the title track from his new four-track EP 'Riviera', released on The Shooting Gallery Recordings this May 25th. A former tailor on London's Saville Row, Belgrave's distinctly dark melancholic pop perfectly pairs powerful, emotive songwriting with grandiose choruses inspired by the artist's childhood heroes such as Freddie Mercury, George Michael and Elton John. Nowhere is this more evident than the EP's first single 'Riviera', whose ethereal, dreamlike tone serves as an important introduction to a unique talent impossible to define. On the track, Belgrave explains ""I have always been fascinated by music that I cannot comprehend or understand. Once I heard the vocal sample while writing 'Riviera', I was entranced by it and the rest of the song fell into place around it quite naturally" The 'Riviera' EP will be released via The Shooting Gallery Recordings on May 25th. You can stream/purchase 'Riviera' here: Spotify Apple Music iTunes Amazon Music Google Play You can find Belgrave online here: Following last year’s ‘Pearl’ EP, French born singer Nuuxs today announces the release of her brand single ‘No Good For Me, a supernaturally catchy, low-slung R&B offering. Nuuxs sets forward a track that is universally empathetic to not just self-care but almost to never reciprocate someone's negativity. “This song is about allowing yourself to cut certain toxic people out of your life. We’re often made to feel guilty and hurt from other people’s insecurities and you can end up absorbing that negativity. It’s about being empowered and standing up for yourself.” Listen to ‘No Good To Me’ here An effortless storyteller with a pure and unfiltered singing talent and songwriting ability, ‘No Good For Me’ is a vivid snapshot of Nuuxs' journey from ridding her life of ruling characters and finding a new empowerment in life. Quietly charismatic, Nuuxs is ballsy in attitude and approach. Nuuxs’ musical influences are undoubtedly shaped by her ever-changing surroundings, as much as she is. Her journey began writing hooks for grime artists that she went to school with. She later joined a number of bands where she experienced jazz, funk and indie music, throwing everything into the melting pot of her burgeoning career. Ever determined, Nuuxs reached out to music producers, before being noticed by Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, The Libertines and James Bay) at a writing camp through their publisher, Bucks. Despite not instantly creating a creative partnership Jake “kept an eye” on her work and as she evolved Jake signed her to his Goldun Egg label. Tokio Myers has teamed up with medal winning athlete Jazmin Sawyers for an incredible reworking of the classic ‘Jerusalem’ for the Official England Commonwealth Games Anthem. The single is released with npower on Syco Music March 16th. Watch the official video here - https://youtu.be/-i3I5-g0Gus Recorded last month at Abbey Road Studios with a 54 piece orchestra, 10 person choir, Jazmin on vocals and Tokio on a multitude of keyboards, ‘Jerusalem’ is an inspiring choice for Team England. Max Whitlock, Jack Laugher, Ellie Robinson and Lois Toulson all attended the recording session. The Commonwealth Games kick off April 4th in Australia. Recorded last month at Abbey Road Studios with a 54 piece orchestra, 10 person choir, Jazmin on vocals and Tokio on a multitude of keyboards, ‘Jerusalem’ is an inspiring choice for Team England. Max Whitlock, Jack Laugher, Ellie Robinson and Lois Toulson all attended the recording session. The Commonwealth Games kick off April 4th in Australia. Tokio Myers won Britain’s Got Talent last summer and since then released his acclaimed debut album ‘My Generation’ which entered the UK chart at number 4 and has sold over 100,000 so far. Tokio embarks on an 18 date UK tour next month including 3 shows at 3 different London venues. Jazmin Sawyers, a 23 year old long jump specialist from Stoke, won a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Games. Last year she sang on ITV’s the Voice and made it through the Blind Auditions on team Will.i.am. ‘I feel honoured and privileged to be able to put my own spin on this iconic track” Tokio Myers said. ‘It’s always an honour representing Team England in the Games,” says Jazmin. ‘It’s even more special to be singing vocals on Jerusalem, especially because I was able to record it in front of my teammates. It’s definitely going to push me harder in training and on the track.” Max Whitlock MBE, Team England Gymnast and winner of 2 Olympic Gold Medals and 3 Olympic Bronze Medals says: “It’s brilliant to have this updated version of the track and to have experience the recording day. I can safely say, I now know the words to Jerusalem!” Tokio heads out on a massive UK tour in April, including London shows at Printworks, the O2 Forum Kentish Town and the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. Website: http://smarturl.it/tokiomyerssite YouTube: http://smarturl.it/tokiomyersyoutube Twitter: http://smarturl.it/tokiomyerstwitter Instagram: http://smarturl.it/tokiomyersinsta Facebook: http://smarturl.it/tokiomyersfb NYC songwriter, producer and musician Amber Mark has shared her new single 'Love Me Right' (Listen HERE). The lead from her upcoming Conexão EP, the track is available to buy and stream everywhere today via PMR/Virgin EMI. Raised across Europe and Asia, and based in New York City, Amber Mark weaves her deep knowledge of international styles into a stunning musical tapestry. Growing up on a diet of soul, R&B, bossa nova and electronica, Amber's rich songwriting and production talents were distilled into her 2016 release - the '3.33am EP'. The release was a dedication to her late mother and an exploration of how grief can birth incredible creativity. Now on Conexão, Amber is turning her sights to the future. "It's about my process of finding love again," she explains of the project. "It's like you're reading a book about my life and this is the next chapter." On stunning lead single 'Love Me Right', Amber lays out the terms of a relationship over pared-down, purposeful R&B rhythms. Like all her music, the song is an honest reflection of real-life emotion. The Conexão EP confirms Amber Mark as one of 2018's most inventive artists, both as a songwriter and a producer. This summer, Amber performs at Moogfest as part of an all-women line-up. "Music production has been such a male dominated industry," she says. "It's definitely important for me to champion women producers". In amongst worldwide tour dates and further releases, Amber's first 2018 release is a mission statement for the year ahead. |
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