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

OUT TODAY: Karen Harding Shares Title Track From Upcoming EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’

Following the release of her first six singles, KAREN HARDING returns with the first single release and title track from her Upcoming EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. Written during the Melbourne, Australia Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, dramatic singer-songwriter single, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ dives straight into the heart of fear and anxiety, when sharing a less than perfect side, that you know leaves you open to judgement from others.

Karen says of the single: “We live in a world that is filled with images of perfection.. Where we believe that to be good enough, we must line up with the messages that essentially only show the highlight reels of a life. This leads us to locking away our own vulnerabilities.. That is, until you reach a point, where you realise that your struggles are a secret that no one knows about. The idea of sharing these fills us with fear, questioning and mistrust, and this is the message within ‘I’ve Got A Secret’.”

Hailing from Melbourne, Karen has been steadily growing her following and name, having won the November 2021 Bendigo Bank sponsored Independent Songwriter Talent Show on Radio Eastern FM in Melbourne, Australia, for her single, ‘Anxiety’, Top 10 winner for the World Songwriting Awards, for her single, ‘Something Special’ and a nominee for Best International Artist on Crags Radio Independent Artist Awards in February 2022.

Karen Harding’s music has also had recent attention and plays on Bree Noble’s ‘Women of Substance’ podcast, online radio shows including ‘Good Music Radio’, ‘DTong Radio’, ‘382 Radio’, ‘Eagles Nest Radio’ and ‘Oz Now Radio’ and has been gaining attention through her plays on local Australian community radio.

‘I’ve Got A Secret’ is taken from Karen’s upcoming EP. The four track EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ is being released one single at a time, each month, and will be available in its entirety by October 2022. The EP is available for purchase at Bandcamp in digital download and CD formats.

Listen to ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ below…

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Song of the Day: Pin Me Down – FRANSIS

Reminiscent of Wolf Alice and Florence + The Machine, London based alt/indie band FRANSIS‘ single, ‘Pin Me Down,’ was spurred by the tragic murder of Sarah Everard. It tackles a subject which is often difficult to talk about but shared by so many women, that of sexual assault, candidly focusing on the mental strain particularly in the aftermath, and the struggle behind closed doors.

Described as a therapeutic exorcism, Frontman Emma Withers shares, “This song is vulnerable and real, I wanted to focus on the self destruction, the brokenness, the confusion, the anger, and then finally the release which is supported by the music constantly, and as the song intensifies we hit an explosive finale, and an emotional release which was incredibly satisfying to perform in the studio, I did like 8 takes of this to get the raw emotion out of me, this is bonded with the mammoth eruption of epic guitar lines and pure power from the band.”

Despite the serious nature of “Pin Me Down” there is a positive outline, of admittance and then at the end, a collective sense of women standing together. A strong message that no-one should feel alone in their struggle, to let shame keep their burdens as skeletons or be fearful of walking down the street alone at night.

‘Pin Me Down’ is from their new EP, released last Friday (1st July). Listen to ‘Pin Me Down’ below…

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DJ Chase Taps UK Artist OGW For Emotive Joint, ‘Bad Guy’

DJ CHASE teams up with British artist OGW for new emotive joint, ‘Bad Guy’, which chronicles the pain and struggles in everyday life.

OGW made his debut on the UK rap scene in 2022. While he takes influence from contemporaries such as Eminem, Jack Harlow and Kendrick Lamar, OGW’s years of experimenting within the hip-hop genre have culminated in a flow and style that are unmistakably his own.

DJ Chase is the founder of New York City-based production company Worldwide Soundz Records and the founder of DJ Chase Publishing, LLC. Before he was in the boss’s chair, his roots began as a professional DJ, specializing in Hip Hop, R&B, Reggae/ Dance-Hall, old-school, and House music.

Have a listen to ‘Bad Guy’ below…

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Song of the Day: All Night – Falz

Fusing lounge and jazz elements, Nigerian award-winning musician and actor, FALZ’s single ‘All Night’ is a deep percussive house leaning track, with characteristics of Amapiano and a far cry from his usual uptempo cheeky rap sound.

The seductive single is taken Falz’s latest project ‘BAHD’ which demonstrates exactly why the Nigerian superstar is one of the most sought-after artists in Nigeria. From the smooth notes of ‘All Night’ — a track showcasing effortless lyricism across a flawlessly produced beat offering sleek piano keys and moody percussion — to the more up-beat, percussive-leaning ‘Gentleman’. ‘Beautiful Sunflower’ a melodic track featuring Award Winning Musician, Tiwa Savage and jazz infused offering ‘Woman’, featuring Lagos-based duo The Cavemen — Falz serves up twelve beautiful songs, all wonderfully unique in their own way. BAHD further demonstrates Falz’s distinctive style of music.

Falz enters into a completely new dimension with this project, experimenting with rather uncharacteristic sounds.
Falz has established himself as one of Nigeria’s top entertainers through his incredible work as a singer, rapper and actor accompanied with his four award- winning solo albums. He is well decorated with various awards and accolades, some of which include BET Award (2016 Best New International Act), Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (2016 Best Actor in a Comedy) , The Headies (2019 Best Rap Single), Headies 2019 (Album of the Year), The Headies 2021 (Best Rap Single).

Why not watch the official video for ‘All Night’ below…

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Watch Nick Knightz’s Video For Single, ‘Lonely Girls Hearts Club (Intro)’

A true representation of the alternative in London, Hackney rapper and model NICKI KNIGHTZ returns with an introductory video in anticipation of her third solo project ‘Lonely Girls Hearts Club’ produced by her genre-bending duo member – artist and producer Henny Knightz.

‘Lonely Girls Hearts Club’ tells of how Nicki came to refer to herself as a ‘lonely girl’ relaying her experiences of council estate living and being painfully different from the accepted norms. It also celebrates the solace she found once discovering equally talented and artistic outcasts. The video exhibits Nicki and three fellow ‘lonely girls’ that the world has turned its back on. Though they experience extreme highs when together, once alone they are left grappling with sombre thoughts and intense emotions. Inspired by the hit movie ‘Set It Off’ in order to fight back they take their destinies into their own hands.

‘Lonely Girls Hearts Club’ comes in the wake of Nicki’s prior EP ‘For The Uninformed’ a sonically and lyrically dark exploration that splices live instrumentation with avant garde alternative hip hop and explores the heartache of being mixed race in and out of the ends. The project’s single ‘India Arie’ was championed by Radio 1’s Toddla T making it his ‘coldest record of the week’ and BBC1XTRA’s Jamz Supanova. The project’s third track ‘1964 (Howlett Drive)’ was played on Radio 1’s chillest show with presenter Sian Eleri claiming it to be “…the coolest bassline in East London”

Check out the video for ‘Lonely Girls Hearts Club’ below…

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