Tag: EP interview

Quick Chat With…Cilla Raie

I have to confess…CILLA RAIE has got to be one of my top three favourite singers right now. Her latest EP ‘Reconnected’ has definitely got me jumping out my seat, so it’s an absolute pleasure to catch up with the North Londoner to talk about her six-track set.

NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?

CR: Thank you for having me. 2021 has been the best year for me so far career wise. I have been extremely busier than ever and so much has happened in a short space of time from having backing from Arts England/National Lottery which enabled me to release two singles ‘Motives’ and ‘Open for Love’ Ft Tiffany Evans. Including my debut EP ‘Reconnected’. I’ve now just gotten support from Help Musicians/MOBO to put together another project, so its been up and onwards from the start of the year.

NLM: You released your EP, ‘Reconnected back in August. What is the public perception on the project so far?

CR: Honestly the reception has been AMAZING! the EP reached number 2 on the UK R&B/Soul Albums chart on Itunes just behind Amy Winehouse’s album and before The Weekend’s album. Never ever in a million years did I think I could achieve that. We did something special for it and sent out gift packs to everyone who has supported. All the tastemakers at BBC 1xtra, BBC Radio London, MTV, Wonderland, Earmilk, Trace Urban etc all showed love. Most importantly I have an amazing fan base who are constantly streaming, sharing, posting, showing love. I feel blessed.

NLM: How would you describe the EP’s sound to potential fans?

CR: The sound of the EP is nostalgic late 90’s/early 2000’s era, I wanted to bring back that old school feel as far as the production went. That era of music was and still is one of my favourite eras so I wanted to bring that element back within UK R&B and just vibe out.

NLM: What inspired you to produce the EP?

CR: The EP was actually a long time in the making, I had taken a break for 2 years when I had my child in 2017, before this I was actually in the studio 24/7 making the new EP. I created a journey of events that happened before, during and after that period of time. I wanted to convey those series of events on ‘Reconnected’ hence why I named the EP this, as it represents being reconnected back to my passion of music, after being away for so long and loosing all hope. Once Arts England/National Lottery stepped in I knew it was the perfect time to put everything together as I has the freedom to do so.

NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the EP and why?

CR: U & I ft Subten is my favourite song, at the moment on the EP. I am literally always changing my mind depending on the mood and season. But I love everything melodic about the song, the harmonies, the rhythmic changes, the switch up on Subtens verse. Again it’s another throwback feel track that makes you feel good.

NLM: What message would you like the listeners to take away from your EP?

CR: The message I want listeners to take away is that, no matter how disconnected you may feel at points in your life. Always remember everything is temporary and you can always ignite the flame back to your true self and your desires.

NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the EP, who would it be and why?

CR: One mainstream artist I really want to work with and who I have grown to love over this past year is Shenseea. I truly admire here and she is so versatile so I would have her on the EP to bring in her flavours. I love seeing female artists working together too and just breaking barriers. I worked with Tiffany so working with another female artist would be great and to crossover into another market too.

NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?

CR: Now that I have just released my project in August, I am currently actively preparing for my 2022 EP. I have an amazing single that I’m planning the creative process for and it will most likely be out in Jan/Feb. So my main focus for the rest of the year is just completing this project and recording the rest of the songs.

NLM: How can potential fans find you?

CR: You can find me all over social media:
https://www.cillaraie.com
https://www.twitter.com/cillaraie
https://www.instagram.com/cillaraie
https://www.facebook.com/itscillaraie
https://www.youtube.com/cillaraietv

Finally, any special shout outs to those involved in the production of ‘Reconnected’?

CR: There’s so many people involved in this project that I would like to shoutout. All the producers Peddy Pro, XVR Blck who spent hours mixing and recording with me, Serk Lelabo, Walter Ego, Joey Dyer. The artists Subten and Tiffany Evans. Those involved with the singles from the EP and the EP itself, Liberty Music, Wardah, Now Listen, Exkluse Media, Supreme Runners, Kofi at Yellow Fish. The list goes on thank you all SO much for making this a dream come true.

Check Out Cilla Raie’s EP, ‘Reconnected’ right HERE

by Categories: InterviewsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Album Interview: Transition – Cheryll

I was first introduced to CHERYLL through her smooth nostalgic number, ‘Fess Up’ and since then, I had my eyes firmly peeled on her next move. So when she dropped her debut EP Transition, I had to catch up with the South London singer-songwriter about the six track project. Trust me, this newcomer is FIREY and I thoroughly enjoyed the Q&A session with her and I hope you will too. Check her out below…

NLM Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?

C: 2021 has been a year of change and transitioning into a better version of me. I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs however I feel as if I’ve come out of it stronger than ever.

NLM: You released your EP, ‘Transition’ back in March. What is the public perception on the project so far?

C: My project was received extremely well. Its been played on BBC Radio as well as reaching a number of local radio stations that play it regularly. It has also introduced my sound to a lot of new supporters who now listen/follow me because of the project.

NLM: How would you describe the EP’s sound to potential fans?

C: It’s a new school version of RNB with the nostalgic elements of the 90/00’s – timeless!

NLM: What inspired you to produce the EP?

C: I’ve always known I wanted to release an EP however I was waiting on the right time. I felt like the last year I really transitioned into the artist I’ve always wanted to be and I wanted this project to be a memory of that. I had a few songs written already however when I linked up with D’wante Navire (producer) he really brought these songs to life. I had also gone through some ups and downs in my love life and wanted to express this through the EP.

NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the EP and why?

C: My favourite singles on the EP I would have to say are Crushin’, Fess Up & What About Us. They all have that ‘bounce’ that I love even though they are all different tempos lol! I just find myself really vibing to those three

NLM: What message would you like the listeners to take away from your EP?

C: That R&B is still alive and kicking!

NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the EP, who would it be and why?

C: I’ve always wanted to work with Stormzy – I feel like having him on a feature would just be a perfect combination. His flow x My flow would just make so much sense.

NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?

C: I have a couple of releases before the end of the year which are quite exciting. I won’t give away too much but yes its definitely something to look forward to.

NLM: How can potential fans find you?

C: Twitter/Instagram – @ohsocheryll
Youtube – Oh so Cheryll
Facebook – Cheryll

NLM: Finally, any special shout outs to those involved in the production of ‘Transition’?

C: D’wante Navire – for the production of the EP. He mixed and mastered every single song and dealt with my craziness on top of that! Hes a real one!

Also Tory and Jollof who have been involved in all the videos for my EP – they are a great team!

Transition is now out

by Categories: InterviewsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Album Interview: Far From Home – Acebergtm

ACEBERGTM is among the hottest artists to come out from Nigeria, so it was an absolute pleasure to catch up him to talk about his highly-anticipated EP ‘Far From Home’ and what inspired him to produce the six-track set.

NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?

A: I feel excited and happy about the new release, the response has been amazing and it’s keeps getting better every day.

NLM: You released your EP, ‘Far From Home’ in April. What is the public perception on the project so far?

A: Most of people say it’s unique and different, exactly what I hoped for it to be. Got new fans and the energy is really positive.

NLM: How would you describe the EP’s sound to potential fans?

A: I call my sound GOOD MUSIC, I’m all about trying out a lot of sounds with the aim of making a wonderful song.

NLM: What inspired you to produce the EP?

A: FAR FROM HOME was inspired by the thought of me trying to be different from everybody else. And as a rapper trying to show more versatility and fitting into my own space in the music industry. The aim of this release is to connect with everybody around the world through my music, that’s what “Far from home” is all about.

NLM: What is your favourite single from the EP and why?

My favorite single on the EP is Loyal, the last track on there. I really connected with the son due to personal experiences and the mood I had while I was writing the song.

NLM: What message would you like the listeners to take away from your EP?

A: I don’t know, let’s see about that.

NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?

A: I’m working on an album but I can’t say yet when that would be released.

NLM: How can potential fans find you?

My music is on all streaming platforms, check out the FAR FROM HOME EP. On social media it’s @acebergtm on twitter, Instagram and others.

NLM: Finally, any special shout outs to those involved in the production of ‘Far From Home’?

A: Shout out to everyone supporting God bless y’all. The team, producers i worked with and also the label (SJW). I really appreciate the love and support.

Far From Home is available across all music platforms

by Categories: InterviewsTags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Album Interview: Within & Without – Céline And The Blue

CÉLINE AND THE BLUE debuted on the blog in 2019 with sassy number, ‘Learn To Be Alone’ and since then, they’ve been regular favourites with you guys (and myself, I have to say). Their most recent offering, ‘Crave Love’ scooped the Song of the Week title for two consecutive weeks in January AND Song of the Month title in February. So it’s an absolute pleasure to invite frontwoman, Cèline Buccomino into the interview seat to discuss latest EP, ‘Within & Without, out now all good DSPs.

NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?

CB: Heyy, thank you so much for chatting to us on here! 2021 has been very promising so far, it’s been filled with loving, inspiring and exciting energy. We’re very keen to express that back through our music, the past year has just made us that much more committed to this career.

NLM: You recently released your EP, ‘Within & Without’. What is the public perception on the project so far?

CB: Our listeners are so talented at spreading the love! We’re very grateful for every message we receive about our music. It’s so lovely to hear when listeners connect with the story line intertwined within the track list. Even the press response was great, we love seeing new people come in from new sources!

NLM: What inspired you to produce the EP?

CB: Our favourite thing about the EP is that it came about extremely organically, we hadn’t initially planned to set out the releases as an EP. Once a few songs had come out, we noticed a common thread between the tracks, it only made sense to encompass them in a unique body of work. We thought this collection really embodies our origins as musicians and is the perfect way to wrap up the first ‘era’ of our music!

NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?

CB: ‘Within & Without’ has a groovy and colourful character which ventures into the genres of Jazz, Soul and Pop. An authentic sound dominates the sound pallet with live instruments, guitar and keys solos and fresh vocals. We wanted to inject a lot of good feelings in this EP, we hope you sense those too!

NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the EP and why?

CB: As the whole band, ‘Learn To Be Alone’ is our jam! We feel so good while performing it, it fires great connection between us and makes us feel alive! Despite this, we each have individual preferences which vary from ‘Safe’ to ‘Crave Love’ to ‘Papaya’.

NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the EP, who would it be and why?

CB: It would be quite hard to settle on just one artist as everyone has their own favourite, but John Mayer is probably the one we might find a common agreement on. It would be incredible to witness him interpreting our genre. And he’s just so timeless and brilliant!

NLM: Did the Covid pandemic present any drawbacks in the production of your EP?

CB: It slowed the production down loads! We started recording ‘Papaya’ and ‘Safe’ in March 2020 and then had to wait until August to finish them. It was frustrating! Making music is made up of many things, we were still working hard on the behind the scenes elements but for a while we were missing out on the actual ‘making music’ part of it, which was hard to adjust to. We made it in the end, better late than never!

NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?

CB: Yes! We are making some fresh music, focusing on production a bit more to refine the sound pallet and we’re loving what’s coming out of this so far. We absolutely cannot wait to showcase this new music getting back into gigging this year!

NLM: How can potential fans find you?

CB: First of all, thank you so much if you want to check out our work and connect with us! Just look for ‘Céline & The Blue’, our music is on every music streaming platform, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You can also find our podcast ‘Out of The Blue – By Céline & The Blue’ on any platform for podcast streaming.

NLM: Finally, any special shout outs to those involved in the production of ‘Within & Without’?

CB: Biggest thanks go to Sam and Tom over at Studio 91 who have really helped us craft the sound for this project. Their imprint has been essential to provide this EP with the character it has. We always have the best experience working with them, the environment at Studio 91 is stimulating, positive and a true pleasure!

Within & Without is now out on all good download/streaming sites

by Categories: InterviewsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment