Song of the Day: Summer Lovin’ – D’Still

Following the success of his recent UK Garage collaboration ‘Bag Down’, D’STIL returns to his R&B roots with his new single ‘Summer Lovin’.

The Birmingham born singer-songwriter/producer is back doing what he does best with this fun, feel-good love song that marks the beginning of Summer 2020. Reminiscent of late 90s/early noughties R&B, ‘Summer Lovin’ boasts an infectious guitar hook, soulful vocals and playful romantic lyrics. The feel-good vibes don’t stop there as it is accompanied by a heartwarming home-made music video which celebrates the togetherness (albeit in lockdown) we have all felt during the past couple of months. Shot by fans, friends and family during lockdown, the sun-drenched video seems to echo the mood of the nation perfectly as it portrays us Brits who are determined to still enjoy their summer while adhering to social-distancing rules.

With this release, D’Stil hopes to capture the nation’s spirit at a time where mental-resilience, solidarity and the feeling of togetherness have been most needed. Adding some more context to the release, D’Stil explains:

“I’ve been shielding indoors the whole-time during lockdown and the one thing I miss is the feeling of Summer. So, it feels right to be putting out the track I enjoyed writing and recording the most! It’s a Summer tonic with hints of hope, and a warm light at the end of this tunnel we’re all in.”

Since moving to London from Birmingham in 2016, D’Stil has collaborated with various London rappers and singers, with such releases supported by BBC Introducing, BBC London, Rinse FM, RWD, Wordplay and Reprezent. After an exciting 2019 for Red Side Records (which he co-owns), including supporting Artful Dodger, D’Stil set his sets on a highly anticipated second EP to follow his debut, 2019’s ‘By Your Side’.

Check out the video for ‘Summer Lovin’ below…

Rising R&B Star Shamim Shares Single, ‘Intentional’

Coming on the back of the success of her debut single ‘Option & Priority’, which has seen her garner support from the likes of Kingsize Magazine, Guestlist Magazine, SingersRoom, Fame Magazine and Word Is Bond, South London R&B songstress SHAMIM is back with her fierce new single titled ‘Intentional’, taken from her forthcoming debut EP, which is due at the end of the year. The new offering ‘Intentional’ sees her linking up once again with burgeoning producer Amandeep Dhaliwal aka Clonez, who has previously worked with A2, Jevon and Sam Wise.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Intentional’, Shamim says, “this single was inspired by the current state of affairs across the world and I wanted it to project a sentimental hopeful message as we are all living in quite confusing times. I have been struggling mentally to deal with ensuing challenges, as are many other people, but creating this song has given me a healthy space to be vulnerable with myself and the world, and that’s why ‘Intentional’ comes with such a hopeful sentiment, while my message of self-worth also aims to be uplifting and motivational.”

Highly recommended if you like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jorja Smith, Summer Walker or SZA, Shamim is already showing all the early signs of an R&B star in the making, and she is excited to stake her claim as one of the UK’s brightest new talents with her anticipated debut project. Born in Uganda and raised in the UK to the musical influences of legends like Etta James, Nina Simone and Otis Redding, Shamim is driven by honesty in music and puts truth at the core of her message, with a determination to create with the same freedom and fearlessness as many of her idols.

Check out the lyric video for ‘Intentional’ below…

Song of the Day: Just My Luck – Her Songs

HER SONGS is a global female collective of producers, musicians, songwriters and artists. United by a mutual mission to shine a light on female producers and artists and to celebrate female collaboration, the group shares single ‘Just My Luck’, the second single to be lifted from upcoming EP ‘Toronto Vol. 2’, out tomorrow (14th August).

Consisting of London based Dane Marie Dahlstrom, Brooklyn based Colombian Dani Murcia, Christchurch New Zealand-based Emily C Browning, French Londoner The Naked Eye and London based Emmavie – Her Songs have a sound that traverses genres including neo-soul, R&B and pop.

‘Just My Luck’ finds the group taking cues from the 90’s and early 2000’s R&B pop hits of their youth. A song which celebrates all members of the group’s widespread backgrounds, cultures and talents, the lyrics are written in 3 different languages; English, Spanish and French and features all 5 girls’ voices, instrumentation – and is produced by Emmavie.

Fusing together intricate guitar passages, stunning vocal harmonies, and slick R&B production – the lyrics were are borrowed from titles of Musiq Soulchild songs, one of the girls’ key points of inspiration for the project.

Written, recorded, and produced together over the course of a week in an open-plan Airbnb in Toronto in 2019 – the new single and upcoming EP follow Her Songs’ previously released ‘Toronto Vol. 1’ EP, and 2018’s ‘Los Angeles’ EP.

Have a listen to ‘Just My Luck’ below…

SVNO From Planet Vegeta Links Up With Onefour’s J EMZ For Debut Single, ‘Like We Do’

Members of two of Australia’s most exciting hip hop groups have combined in ground-breaking fashion. Both hailing from Western Sydney, Planet Vegeta’s SVNO and OneFour’s J EMZ mould their styles, attitudes and years of brotherhood in their latest effort ‘Like We Do’.

The track’s most standout quality is the synergy of the two artists and how they combine effortlessly despite their varying sonic backgrounds. SVNO’s luscious R&B vocal delivery is the perfect fold to J Emz’s gritty, drill inspired rap flow. Holding it all together is a glitzy guitar line and blown out 808s, providing the perfect amount of breathing room for the infectious top lines. The track reaches an anthemic peak with its hook, its lyrics an ode to their local area, brotherhood and friendship.

‘Like We Do’ is handed the baton by a significant amount of energy. J Emz’s OneFour have been hailed as the most exciting and impactful Australian act in recent times, a pioneer in the current wave of Australian Hip-Hop. They’ve combined over 100 million streams and in 2019, claimed 3 of YouTube’s top 10 trending Australian music videos. They’ve attracted A$AP Ferg on track, ‘Say It Again’ which saw the New York rap mogul entering their home-made claustrophobic, banging sonic world. They’ve most recently released latest single ‘Home and Away’ from their debut EP to significant acclaim.

Add on the recent track record SVNO’s Planet Vegeta and the momentum for the track accelerates further. Their most recent single, ‘Mai Elle’ put the group on the global map. It received multiple spins on BBC Radio 1, was premiered on Triple J and received editorial support from local key champions Filterzine and Purple Sneakers. Their debut single ‘Jorja’ led to the group becoming Triple J Unearthed Feature Artist of the week in December, Radio 1Xtra support, as well as opening the mainstage at Field Day in 2020. Their online series ‘Sunday School’ also added steam to the hype train, with its debut episode ‘Boys to Brothers’ getting 72,500 views in the first week. The series is sitting just shy of 310,000 views across just 3 episodes.

Check out  the video for ‘Like We Do’ below…

Oxlade Shares New Track ‘DKT’

Following his feature on Skip Marley’s single, ‘Slow Down’, alongside Davido and H.E.R, rising Afropop star OXLADE slams down his brand new summer ready joint, ‘DKT (Dis Kind Thing)’. Intricately layered with Afrobeats and soulful R&B, the Spax-produced track is topped off by Nigerian-born Oxlade’s distinctively soulful vocals.

‘DKT’ follows his critically acclaimed EP ‘Oxygene’ which generated over 25 million streams across all platforms since its release back in March of this year.

Check out ‘DKT’ below…