Author: Tracey Dawkins

Owner of NEW LEASE MUSIC blog, which showcases the latest releases from indie and unsigned artists, and NEW LEASE MUSIC PROMOTIONS, which promotes indie/unsigned artists via blogs/magazines, radio, independent and Spotify playlists

Song of the Day: Flossed Up – MC Salum x Nova

Continuing his run of exceptional collaborations, MC Salum’s latest single ‘Flossed Up’ features Nova, the winner of Scottish Album of the Year in 2020, and DJ Mag’s Best of British ‘Breakthrough MC’ award. 2022 has seen MC Salum on a roll of versatile singles after his debut album ‘Crocodile DD’ in December, including Bambooz Me feat. Nayme and We Talkin’ feat. Jazz.

Flossed Up uses an edgy, experimental beat from producer Jack Dean, showcasing the two rapper’s ability to work with any rhythm, showing off their versatile nature.

Dundee born, MC Salum encapsulates all things that make a modern artist; MC, producer, rapper, collaborator, and visionary. His sound is laden with a variety of influences, the future of music which has learnt so much from the past. His infectious character draws people to him with each release, asserting a youthful presence in the Scottish scene. He collaborates closely with his good friends and his talent for scouting guest vocalists makes each track fresh and exciting. Together they have fused a sound of R&B with alternative hip hop, all under the umbrella of alternative pop.

Sitting amongst artists like Little Simz, Ghetts and ENNY, Nova won the award for Breakthrough MC/Vocalist in the DJ Mag Best of British Awards in December 2021.

Flirting with drill, rap and RnB sounds, Nova brings a high energy performance to every beat she steps on. Known for her feisty lyrics and stunning performances, she is a multi-award-winning rap artist and singer unafraid to challenge stereotypes as she experiments to create tracks with an independent sound.

Her hard rap debut album ‘Re-Up’ earned her the title of the youngest ever winner of the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2020. Since then she has released the softer EP ‘WWND’ before turning her focus to writing and releasing singles.

Have a listen to ‘Flossed Up’ below…

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Asha Gold Returns With Playful Single, ‘Up To Me’

ASHA GOLD returns hot on the heels of her Glastonbury 2022 performance to unveil her first track of the year. Fragrant single ‘Up To Me’ is the epitome of Gold’s artistic identity, an unpredictable and nuanced number with timeless yet innovative qualities. Presenting her staple and silky melodic choreographies, Gold taps at the crossroads of pop and R&B to take ‘Up To Me’ a step ahead into an irresistibly refined sound that is uniquely her.

Speaking of her latest release, Asha Gold says: “I had a lot of fun writing ‘Up To Me’ – the quicker tempo pushed me to be inventive with melody and challenged me to tell a story without crowding the space with too many words. The lyrics encapsulate a sort of playful nostalgia: it’s about growing up and entering the real world, and therefore losing the freedom to carelessly spend hours upon hours with my favourite people. I play on the idea of wanting to keep someone trapped inside so that I can have 100% of their time. Producer Louis hints at this needy, childlike behaviour in the production the beat is incessant whilst the instruments and samples are super playful.”

Having received praise from global tastemakers of Rolling Stone, BBC Radio 1, BBC 1Xtra, BBC Asian Network, The Line Of Best Fit and Colors, Asha is confirmed to be the gift that keeps on giving. She even affirms her strength in the live music scene having performed at Lord’s Cricket Ground for 30,000 people, headlined at Laylow, and opened for Olivia Dean and Tamera.

Have a listen to Asha’s latest offering below…

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Song of the Day: Motion – Nikz & Booda (916)

Oxford collective 916 (NIKZ & BOODA) latest drop ‘Motion’, is injected with an infectious hook and R&B flavour, where the pair deliver their individual styles to this smooth guitar-laced track, perfectly showcasing their unique synergy as a collaborative entity.

Of Punjabi heritage, the collective 916 burst onto the UK music scene with their first single ‘Nobu’, they have since coined their own unique sound, following up with tracks ‘Blue’, ‘Pull Up’ and now their latest drop ‘Get To It’.

Despite being fairly fresh to the industry, they have impressively maintained an effectual style and sound throughout the span of their career, with focus on remaining unique and conceptual both visually and sonically.

Since their journey into music, Nikz & Booda have already accumulated a string of accolades including support from BBC 1Xtra’s Sian Anderson, who featured their track ‘Pull Up’ as her ‘Online Find’ upon its release, radio play on BBC Asian Network, Reprezent and Radio2Funky, as well as press coverage from notable UK music platform Creative Gen. Check them out below…

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Producer CNFMUS Drops G-Funk Summer Anthem, ‘Sophisticated Lady’

A massive fan of G-Funk, CNFMUS pays homage to the genre, that emerged from the West Coast scene in the late eighties, with new summer blazing joint, ‘Sophisticated Lady’.

Produced during CNFMUS’ time in Hong Kong, ‘Sophisticated Lady’, emcompassess all the ingredients of the genre – smooth synthesized melodies, lush chords, squishy basses, and classic drum machine samples.

So if you’re also a huge fan of G-Funk, you’re probably itching to check out the single that’ll be add extra fire to your summer…well, go ahead and check out ‘Sophisticated Lady’ below…

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Song of the Day: Like That – Young Franco (ft.Pell & Jafunk)

There is a special energy created when a rapper and stellar producer have an undeniable synergy. Sydney/Eora based YOUNG FRANCO (pictured on the left) and US based rapper Pell are becoming an international duo that perfectly tap into and reflect the power of collaboration, now releasing their 4th collaborative effort ‘Like That’ alongside fellow Perth raised, Berlin producer Jafunk.

Sonically, Young Franco and Jafunk combine to create a track that reflects the golden era of club driven rap music, pioneered in Virginia by production greats including Pharrell, The Neptunes and Timbaland. Its bounce-ready percussion runs perfectly with quickly strummed guitars and a slapping bass line. On the top line front, Pell is in no rush to get his slick bars off, gliding over the beat with an elegance and class before riding it out with an infectious hook its final third.

Young Franco and Pell have a track record of creating successful musical outings. Their first outing, Juice spent 9 weeks at the #1 position on Spotify’s flagship indie playlist Front Left, BBC Radio 1 Spins from Annie Mac and Molly King, as well as featuring as Zane Lowe’s ‘Next Wave’ artist on Beats1. Then followed Fallin’ Apart alongside Denzel Curry, which featured as the soundtrack for an Apple Airpods campaign, which was viewed over 4 million times. It also sat at #1 on the US Shazam discovery Chart for 4 weeks and has seen over 5 million likes on TikTok and 700 million views.

Jafunk enters the equation with distinct swagger and energy. The Perth raised; Berlin based producer has become renowned in local circles for his funky & soulful take on traditional house music. His remix of Set Mo’s Chasing Forever has achieved over 5 million streams, with his follow up songs receiving millions on plays being hosted on tastemaker channels including Majestic Casual, The Sound You Need and Selected.

Young Franco’s past two years have been his biggest yet. He’s currently sitting on over 135 million streams across all singles to date, with over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. In that period of time he sound tracked the new-look Australian Football League, and has received global sync’s for brands including Apple, Starbucks, Topshop and Kia. Currently, he’s touring the United States and has locked in massive festival slots at Lollapalooza, Falls Festival, Spilt Milk & Lost Paradise.

Have a listen to this bad-boy tune below…

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