Tag: indie artist

Song of the Day: Love Like This – Jessica Wilde x Josh Barry

Highly acclaimed singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and South London native JESSICA WILDE kicks of her 2024 by joining forces with the incredible Josh Barry for a soulful release, ‘Love Like This’.

Packed with soaring emotions and infused with smoky orchestral atmospheres, ‘Love Like This’ is a striking nu-soul gem which will be released on Wilde’s forthcoming album and follows her recent singles ‘Freak Out’ and ‘Feathers’ ft. Zoe Kypri. The two 2023 singles saw her pick up many spins on BBC Radio 1’s Future Artists with Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1 Introducing with Jess Iszatt, John Kennedy’s X-Posure Daily on Radio X, playlist support across the board from Spotify, Apple, Youtube and Tidal amongst other acclaim. Josh Barry has also been picking up serious heat, recently featuring with Rudimental and Sigma, collaborating with Nile Rogers and opening for Rag ‘N’ Bone Man on tour. Josh Barry brings a dynamic force to the collab as he embodies the spirit of legendary icons like James Brown and Jimi Hendrix.

Following the release of ‘Love Like This’, Wilde and Barry have begun to unveil a 4-part Instagram & TikTok reel series, released every Monday, beginning 19th February. Tune in to see the pair explore the new track’s steamy and romantic themes in more depth through nostalgic aesthetics.

On the series, Wilde explains further- “With the ‘Love Like at his visuals…Myself and Josh wanted to lure people into our world of romance and desire, create a love story through visuals and sounds that feel very now but also have a nostalgic essence, emulating tones of Marvin Gaye ‘Sexual Healing’ with teasing visuals that call in feels of classic film scenes like ‘Grease’, the finale, when Sandy turns into a baddd b and John Travolter is completely hooked! We wanted to capture that slightly tongue in cheek playful edge but still keep it alluring, grown and sexy af!”.

2024 looks set to be an exciting new year for Wilde. With her album on the horizon, she has been gaining growing support from not only BBC Radio 1 but also 6 Music, BBC Radio London, KISS, editorial playlist support across DSPs, as well as features in CLASH, Complex, Wonderland, The Independent and many more. Listen to ‘Love Like This’ below…

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Song of the Day: My Old Friend – OUDi

Sometimes your most rewarding relationship is the one you have with yourself. Over the course of a career that’s taken her from Canada to Nashville—and from the alt-pop/industrial world to the country arena and back again—the phenomenon known as OUDi has learned that lesson all too well. And she’s sharing it on ‘My Old Friend,’ an irresistible high-drama ballad that marks her debut as a solo artist after years of sharing the spotlight.

Built on a plaintive instrumental melody and a mesmerizing clockwork rhythm, the song carries the emotional weight of a conversation you have in the mirror when there’s no one left around to hoodwink. OUDi’s compelling vocal starts off at a seductive purr as she confronts an inner solitude, she might not exactly welcome, but knows she can always count on:

Hello loneliness, can’t say I missed you/But let me tell you this, now I need you

The internal co-dependency fully acknowledged, her amazing voice opens up into a bittersweet embrace of the darkness:

Go and do that thing you do, make me feel and lose my mind/‘Cause I have nothing left to lose, you’ve been waiting all this time/I dare you come a little closer and rest your head upon my shoulder.

This isn’t just a declaration of artistic independence; it’s the story of a life. Born Chrystal Oudijk, she was out of the house and supporting herself by age 16, while pursuing her musical muse through a variety of projects. There was the five-piece alternative band The Perfect Strangers, the pop-industrial project Jakalope (for producer Dave “Rave” Ogilvie) and then—most famously—the pop-country duo Sons of Daughters (with Jimmy Thow). She was Chrystal Leigh by that point, and finding such success as a Billboard-charting, CCMA Award-nominated artist that she had even moved to Nashville from her native Vancouver. There was just one problem:

“Jimmy and I struggled as creative partners,” she divulges. “Add in alcohol, anxiety & depression and we had ourselves a real party!”

The near loss of a family member due to addiction and the confusion of the early pandemic era only deepened her dissatisfaction. When Sons of Daughters parted ways, she took two years to regroup, rethink and write her very first solo album. The release of ‘My Old Friend’ is the opening salvo in her new career—strike that, her new state of being—as OUDi. It also sounds the death knell for what she describes as an adulthood full of toxic relationships and creative compromises.

“I’ve been living in survival mode my entire life,” she reflects. “It’s only been in the past two years I’ve been training my nervous system to relax. I’m excited to finally put my stories to song, for I have a lot of them.”

The year 2024 is going to mark a real renaissance for this woman, she even directed the music video for ‘My Old Friend,’ exploiting a side talent she’s cultivated during her recent period of self-emancipation and reinvention. Her explanation for all of it is as sanguine as the song is bleak, yet equally self-aware:

“I guess it goes to show when you start to live your life authentically and true to yourself, magic really can happen.” Why not watch the video for ‘My Old Friend’ below…

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Dom Valentino Shares New Single, ‘I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun’ via Different Recordings

After the success of his debut release ‘Young Folks’ with thousands online demanding its release after viral videos on TikTok hit over 1 million views, DOM VALENTINO continues carving his pathway into the world of Jungle and breakbeat with a hard-hitting flip of Nuyorican Soul’s ‘I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun’. This is Dom’s second release as his own artist.

He’s currently working regularly producing for artists like Jeshi, Deema and dexter in the newsagent. Dom is solidified within the scene, a go-to producer for some of London’s most talented artists and now showing the world what he can offer under his own name. Have a listen below…

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UK R&B queen Shaé Universe shares timeless album, ‘Love’s Letter’

UK R&B queen SHAÉ UNIVERSE shares the her timeless new project ‘Love’s Letter’ via The Orchard. A release steeped in R&B nostalgia, the ten track project explores what it would mean for love to send you a letter for every phase of life.

Collaborating with producers from both sides of the Atlantic, the project combines Shaé’s once-in-a-lifetime raw vocal talent with sultry guitar melodies, old-school-flows and modern gritty bounces. Covering romantic love, self-love, lack of love and the role of love in spirituality, ‘Love’s Letter’ is a transformative project crafted to help listeners process their pain.

Love’s Letter opens with inspirational words from Shaé’s mother, taken from one of their real life heart-to-hearts on self love, identity and owning your spirit. The sultry guitar melodies and relaxed groove of ‘Love Self’ set the tone for this intimate, vulnerable sonic journey. Shaé made her much-anticipated COLORS debut last year with radiant ‘Summertime’, a soulful paean to a lost love. Ethereal 00’s R&B cut ‘LOML’ is next, which landed last year to acclaim from CRACK, NME and spins across BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, KISS Fresh and more. Empowering new single ‘Oh, Wait…’ details Shaé finding her inner strength after a betrayal.

Speaking on making ‘Oh, Wait…’, Shaé said – “The unpredictability of each musical section is reflective of how caught off guard I was when I wrote this song. I’d just found out my ex had cheated on me and I was still in absolute shock. This song is extra dear to my heart because at the time I didn’t speak to anyone about it immediately, but Ari Pensmith (songwriter) and Akeel Henry (producer) created such a safe space in the studio that day, I felt comfortable enough to outwardly express my feelings on the situation for the first time.”

Recent single ‘What’s Luv?’ is a sun-dappled tune shot through with breezy guitar licks and Shaé’s ethereal vocal runs, as she muses on the importance of self-love. Bittersweet breakup tune ‘Passenger Princess’ is next, which landed last year with a video featuring frequent collaborator Kojey Radical and drew heat from the likes of NME, Vibe, Wonderland, COLORS, GUAP, DMY, Complex UK, TRENCH and DJ Mag. Stripped-back interlude ‘Warzone’, meets vulnerable spoken word verses with Shaé’s honeyed runs as she deconstructs the turbulence at the end of a relationship. Imbued with honesty and the importance of understanding your own self worth, ‘No Capacity’ (produced by Sean Hamilton, Darkchild’s protegee) combines nostalgic dreamy essences with gritty bounces.

Feel-good anthem ‘More Than Enough’ features the only guest on the project – legendary US R&B star Lalah Hathaway, a true testament to just how far this rising talent has come with the single opening with an intimate voicenote as the two singers arrange to meet in LA. Closing out the project is the cinematic, soulful goodbye ‘Sincerely,’ which layers Shaé’s vocals together with final words from Shaé as she says – “nothing in life is linear / it’s ok to be ok and then not be ok and then be ok again / it’s ok to meet yourself where you’re at everyday / and sometimes you’re going to have to learn that lesson again / and again / before you overcome it / but the most important thing is that you overcome”.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2017, British-Nigerian artist Shaé Universe has made waves in the UK, West Africa and beyond making music that engages, enchants and inspires. Her mother a gospel singer and her father a pastor, Shaé weaves her spirituality, faith and sensuality through her work. Shaé is an artist who can both sing and rap, has been co-signed by the likes of Lalah Hathaway, Jorja Smith and Little Simz and has remained entirely independent – navigating the industry on her own terms.

Now in her new era following performances at legendary festivals around the world including Glastonbury, SXSW, Roskilde, De Roma Festival, The Great Escape and a lead feature on Phabo’s latest album ‘Don’t Get Too Cozy’, Shaé has truly taken her music to a global stage. With fans at the likes of British Vogue, NME, VICE, Rolling Stone, BET, Billboard, Highsnobiety, Complex, Wonderland and NOTION, and recently announced as a Pandora Artist to Watch for 2024 – this year has Sha Universe written all over it. Check out ‘Love’s Letter’ below…

Must Listens: Self Love; LOML; Oh Wait…;More Than Enough,

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Bain And The Foreign Exchange’s Nicolay Team For Third Single ‘Here To Stay’

Minnesota-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist BAIN is the latest addition to the growing roster of +FE Music, the label founded and run by Phonte and Dutch producer Nicolay (also known as the Grammy-nominated soul duo The Foreign Exchange). With two full-length albums already under his belt with producer Afrokeys (2014’s Love In Blue and 2019’s Around The Sun), Bain teams with Nicolay for his third full-length album Lifetime, due out later this year. The pair shared the forthcoming album’s new single ‘Here To Stay’, available on all digital streaming platforms via +FE Music/EMPIRE.

“‘Here To Stay’ was created when I packed up the key elements of my home studio and embarked on a sojourn to a remote cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. I have always found this great lake to be an endless source of inspiration. After spending a few days alone in the woods, I came away with three songs I was content with. ‘Here To Stay’ was the upbeat, electronic-based, universal love song of the bunch. The tracks were then sent to Nicolay who added his instrumentation and fully produced and mixed the song. Over the driving bass line, blends of organic guitars, and dreamy synthesizers, I sing of a bright and clear message that love is here to stay.” – Bain

As a fourth-generation singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, music is literally embedded in Davis Bain’s DNA. Like his forefathers, Davis has harbored a passion for stringed instruments since his youth. He quickly fell in love with the electric guitar in particular, and enjoyed playing R&B, funk and gospel music in various bands performing in the Minneapolis area.

Davis set his sights on becoming a recording artist after discovering the albums that his estranged father would record and release from his farmhouse studio. From that moment forward, he has focused on writing, performing and producing his own songs.

Together with his long time friend, music producer Afrokeys, Davis has co-produced and released two full-length albums under the moniker “Bain”: 2014’s Love In Blue and 2019’s Around The Sun. For his upcoming third full-length album, he has linked up with Grammy nominated music producer Nicolay, best known as one half of independent soul duo and label-operators The Foreign Exchange. As the lead single and title track, ‘Lifetime’, illustrates, Davis Bain is fully leaning into the artistry that seems to have been bestowed upon him at birth. Have a listen below…

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