LIZA OWEN drops her new single Better With Me, produced by Swedish duo GoldFingers.
Having already collaborated with producers and artists including Jess Jackson (Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj), Ishi (Tinie Tempah), Jakwob and Kanye West, the 23-year-old British/Cambodian singer is creating tracks that effortlessly bridge the pop vs cool divide.
A model too, with her bold and intrinsic style, she already has a huge Instagram following, and 3 million plus youtube views for her cover music videos.
Take a good look at this face, because it’s going to be around quite A LOT in 2016! Star-on-the-rise WUNDA cause serious waves on NEW LEASE MUSIC with his super smooth effort, We On. So before his worldwide hype really kicks in, get to know this South African hip-hopper.
NLM: I need to ask this question straight off – is Wunda your real name?
W: Yes & No. It’s a nickname my mom gave to me at birth & I’m currently in the process of putting it on my ID documents officially.
NLM: What’s the rap game like in South Africa? Is there anything you would change (or not)?
W: It’s on the rise, the quality of our music is definitely improving. The one thing I feel needs to change is our huge focus on pushing numbers. I get it, I know they don’t lie but what begins to happen is artists rush their albums because they’ve got one hit single that needs a follow-up. Which begs the question “what about making the classic album?”
NLM: You dropped your track We On a couple of months ago on SoundCloud. What’s the reception been like since its release?
W: It’s been great! It’s beginning to heat up. I have high hopes for that single & once radio begins to spin it, I believe it will make big waves.
NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?
W: It’s new, It’s fresh & nothing like what they’re used to hearing.
NLM: You have pretty neat discography on SoundCloud. What’s your proudest work and why?
W: Thank you! Woah that’s a tough one. Well Night lights is one of my favourites but We On has this smooth & authentic bounce which I’m really proud to have achieved. I have to commend Gordo for his production on that record.
NLM: Let’s take a look into your early life…what did you do before getting involved in music?
W: All I’ve ever wanted to do was to make music. Well & design cars & shoes… At the age of 5 I could recite entire songs and my sisters would be so shocked because they couldn’t, so they encouraged me to follow this dream. Ultimately it’s always been music & it’s always going to be music.
NLM: Who are your musical or non-musical influences?
W: My mother. She has some pipes on her. But from a lyrical & performance stand point, Brenda Fassie, Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, Nwa, Nas, Kanye west… I’m a fan of a lot of music so list is really long.
NLM: If you were to collaborate with just ONE chart-topping artist of today, who would it be?
W: Adele. Without a doubt!
NLM: What are your plans for 2016 and beyond? Do you have any upcoming gigs/projects?
W: In 2016 I plan to drop my debut album titled By Design; I plan to tour Brasil & to shoot awesome videos for some of the tracks on the album.
NLM: How can potential fans reach you?
W: They can follow me on twitter my handle is @wundaoftheworld also like and follow my band page on Facebook Wundaoftheworld & for more music they just search for Thewunda on Soundcloud.
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what other profession would you do?
W: Wow It’s difficult to imagine a world without my first love but I would most definitely design cars & shoes.
Artist/producer VELOUS has been a busy man in the past 18 months. From signing with French Montana’s Coke Boys imprint via Swanky Music Group, producing Chinx’s Dope House, as well as appearing on Fabolous’ standout record Gone For The Winter, the Kingston, NY native has definitely left his footprint on the music scene. Moreover, early this year, the youngster was further thrusted into the spotlight after producing Kanye West’s much talked about single All Day.
Since then, VELOUS has been tucked away in the studio putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming debut project The Disco. With the project produced entirely by the man himself, it will also feature his brand new record Sex And The City. The track was first played by Boi-1da on Drake’s OVO Sound Radio last weekend, prompting him to leak the record himself at the behest of listeners. The full CDQ version will be available on The Disco, which is slated for release soon.
Back in March, this young emcee was featured on NEW LEASE MUSIC with Loyalty Is Rare…now she’s back with a rather smooth offering, Get Some Money, which is available as a free download via SoundCloud…but wait !!! Before you rush off to get your copy, why not stick around a moment and get to know her?
NLM: Hey how you doing? Please introduce yourself and where you from.
RGD: I’m great. Wassup, I’m RGD that stands for RudeGyalDejah. I’m from Nashville, TN.
NLM: Tell us what projects you working on at the moment?
RGD: I’m working on my debut mixtape 2.Die.4 dropping at the end of the year.
NLM: At what point did you want to become a hip-hop artist?
RGD: Middle school. I started with poetry first tho. I finally started recording December of last year.
NLM: Were you in a group before you flying solo?
RGD: Always solo. I tried starting a group back in high school that was a FAIL lol. My friends weren’t into it
as much as me.
NLM: How would describe your music? Would you compare yourself to any of your music influences of today?
RGD: I would describe it as honest. It shows all sides of me. Me in a vulnerable state. My fears, insecurities, aspirations, everything.
NLM: What do you think of the female role in the hip-hop game today?
RGD: I feel the female role is getting bigger with all these female artists getting the recognition they deserve. We’re prospering right now.
Girl power all day.
NLM: What mainstream (or even indie) artists you’re into at the moment?
RGD: Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, D’Angelo’s The Black Messiah is my favorite album right now. I listen to R&B more than Rap believe it or not.
NLM: If you had a choice to collaborate with just ONE mainstream artist, who would it be and why?
RGD: Erykah Badu. I love her so much. She’s one of my favorites of all time. I feel like we could make a dope record together. I enjoy her honesty in her music and the vibes.
NLM: If you were granted three wishes, what would it be?
RGD: Infinite wealth & knowledge, peace on Earth.
NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?
RGD: My soundcloud, twitter, IG are all @RudeGyalDejah
Jeffrey Lige – aka LUCCHI– is a force to be reckon with. Last year, his singles The Calling (Cold Flu), Why U Mad and Crazy were well received across the net. So what’s next for the hip-hop upcomer? Well let’s find out!
NLM:Hey how you doing? Congratulations on the success on your three tracks last year! So what projects are you working on at the moment?
LUCCHI: I’m blessed and thank you for the love. Lately I’ve been recording and trying to piece together an EP. I finally have a vision for it that I’m a keep under wraps for now. But I definitely plan to drop material and visuals for the people all the way up to its release date.
NLM: Let’s take a look into your early life…What did you do before entering the music industry?
LUCCHI: I did a lot of things before I took music serious. I was an athlete in high school. Football was my first love. It was sports, school, and recording music with my day 1s. I did a year at Jacksonville State University until life hit hard. I was back at home working a 9 to 5 to help my mom with bills. Funny thing is through it all, I was still recording music.
NLM: At what point did you want to become a hip-hop artist?
LUCCHI: I wanted to make music when I heard MC Hammer’s Pump And A Bump song, I think I was like 5 or 6 then. But I gotta give it to Michael Jackson because he made me want to be a performer.
NLM: Were you in a group before you decided to fly solo?
LUCCHI: Yea, The BlockBoyz, I always say that if we had the brains for business like we did marketing back then, we would be on lol.. we sold cds, had t-shirts, performed every weekend, and had the City going crazy, but sports was a lot of our dreams around that time.
NLM: what was for reason for flying solo?
LUCCHI: Well we all just grew out of it as a group.. some people got jobs, some people went off to school, some turned to the streets. I still have some of the same people with me that was in my life during those group days. Those are my day 1s, I don’t feel solo at all in a way.
NLM: You have an extensive discography that’s really impressive. What’s your favourite track and why?
LUCCHI: That’s a hard question considering that they all bring back memories during the time I wrote it. But if I had to choose one it would probably be The Calling because I feel like I got to drop knowledge and still make a dope record. The beat was crazy, the message was inspiring and makes me wanna go harder every time I listen to it.
NLM: How would you describe your music? Would you compare yourself to any of your music influences?
LUCCHI: I would describe it as events of the good, bad, and ugly things in life. You don’t just get the turn up with me or just thought provoking music with me. My life is a story I’m writing through music and for that very reason I think I’m in my own lane and deliver quality music from my point of view of how it should sound and be delivered.
NLM: If you had a choice to collaborate with just ONE mainstream artist, who would it be and why?
LUCCHI: Kanye West. I just wanna feed off his creativity and discover and tap into my own creativeness more than I think is possible.
NLM: If you were granted three wishes, what would they be?
LUCCHI: Hmm.. if I really had 3. I wish class and racism was dead, I wish every disease was curable, and I wish they legalized Marijuana in every state in America. Lol I gave this some thought like I really had the wishes.
NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?
LUCCHI: Www.facebook.com/lucchi4k
www.twitter.com/lucchi4k
www.lucchi4k.bandcamp.Com
www.soundcloud.com/Lucchi4k
my IG is ICU_Lookin4k
NLM: Before you sign off…what’s with the name Lucchi???
LUCCHI: It derives from the mobster Charles “Lucky” Luciano. I didn’t want people calling me Luci, so around that time we were putting “Chi” and “ski” on the end of words as slang so I put “Luc” from his name, symbolizing me wanting to become a boss of all bosses in this business and organize my family to be a profitable brand. And “Chi” symbolizes the time, where we started, and where we where in life when saying “chi” was cool. I think it’s funny how people think it’s a not so thought out name when I actually have meaning behind it.
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