Showing no signs of slowing down and continuing to prove why she is worthy of all the attention since first bursting onto the scene with her 2014 mixtape ‘Once Upon A Grind’, UK hip-hop artist MS BANKS returns with her new track ‘Day Ones’.
Produced by Donae’O and ProducerWez, ‘Day Ones’ is the addictive, future hit set to extend the summer vibes with its infectious beats and MS BANKS’ inimitable flow. Launched with the must-see visuals shot in south London, the track is available to stream and download everywhere on Friday.
‘Day Ones’ is the follow-up to MS BANKS’ explosive tracks ‘’Get Loose’, ‘OMG’ and ‘Vibes’ which were released earlier this year and saw her causing a stir with her potent lyrical skills and unmatched, deadly delivery which she recently took to the stage with fiery performances at Glastonbury Festival, the Boy Better Know Takeover show at The O2.
With MS BANKS building on the hysteria she has caused over the past year and sharing more new music and electric live performances throughout the rest of 2017 and already garnering support from outlets such as Dazed, Noisey, Dummy, The FADER, The Source, BBC 1Xtra, SBTV, GRM Daily and Link UP TV, there’s no doubt that she is ready to take her crown as the queen of UK hip-hop.
II DIMENSIONZ stolen today’s hotspot with debut single ‘Closer’ taken from their upcoming debut EP ‘Love From Above’ out this month.
Featuring special guest vocals from Mark Asari and rapper Nick Brewer (Island Records) ‘Closer’ is a smooth slice of soulful R&B with plenty of old school vibes including a big nod to Rosie Gaines classic ‘Closer than Close’.
Whilst inviting special guests in for vocals all song writing, instrumentation and production is done by the boys themselves, and they’re keen to keep control of all aspects of creativity, something they’ve learned from their dads – who were both in the music business.
II DIMENSIONZ are cousins Nathan and Jermaine Williams, born and raised in East London. Their dads played with the likes of Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan and LL Cool, so the boys were brought up with music in their blood. “We were taken to watch band rehearsals and gigs and sharing the excitement of watching our fathers perform live was a huge inspiration. It laid the foundations to our own musical journey.”
Debut 4-track EP ‘Love From Above’ is described by the duo as a modern-day take on classic 80’s soul with 90’s R&B. Alongside the single, ‘Closer’ the EP also includes the tracks ‘Waiting Room,’ ‘Coming Together’ and a deep house edit of ‘Closer.’
CHERRI V made quite an impression here on NEW LEASE MUSIC with her single, ‘Leave Me Be’. The accompanied video was named Music Video of the Week title twice by the blog! I think it’s about time we find out more about this Londoner and the story behind her latest offering.
NLM: First of all, thank you for agreeing to do an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC.
CV: Hey guys! Thank you so much for having me!
NLM: You recently released a striking visual for single, ‘Leave Me Be’. What’s has been the public’s reception on the track and video so far?
CV: To be honest I’m so surprised! I actually thought it was gonna be more of a mellow vibey thing but I think the lyrics have really resonated! It’s been so nice to hear people compliment the production too as I met the producer ‘Joey Sticks’ from simply sending out a tweet looking for producers to collaborate with! Before we knew it our collaboration was on rotation on the radio and now on MTV Base! The video I’m so proud of and glad we teamed up with Asylum 33 once again to create this visual art. They have such a fresh approach to translating audio to visual and look forward to working with them much more in the future.
I’ve had so many messages about the message of the song and that means THE absolute most to me because the subject has proven to be very relatable yet not so easy to talk about. So it’s been an eye opener for real.
NLM: How was the filming possess for the video (I bet it was fun!)
CV: It was quite a smooth sailing day. I’m fortunate to have a really chilled out glam team so for me that accounts for a lot.
NLM: For the benefit of those who haven’t heard ‘Leave Me Be’, tell us the story behind the single?
CV: I was inspired to write my new single ‘Leave Me be’ whilst I was in Thailand and coming to terms with how I was feeling socially at that moment. I went through stages of beating myself up for not being ‘little miss bubbly’ ALL THE TIME and somewhat being judged for that, for giving off a bad first impression just because I was in a mellow chilled out mood that day. Or having a resting face that wasn’t that inviting cause I was thinking about my entire life an argument I had or what I was gonna cook for dinner the next day lol. A plethora of thoughts. So as I begin to write down what I was feeling to the track, with no filter, it just became a small cry for acceptance explanation and encouragement for others to meet people where they are.
NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?
CV: R&B/Soul
NLM: If you had to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist who would it be?
CV: I’d love to work with Kendrick Lamar. I love his pen, content and style. He is definitely one of the most prolific rappers/Mc’s for me right now. I really admire him. I feel like I’d defiantly walk away with some extra knowledge if I were to have a studio session together…. for now I’ll just listen to “Damn” and dream lol.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
CV: 1 More diversity amongst artists whom major labels decide to sign
2 More females co-signing and working together
3 More recognition for producers and songwriters
NLM: So what are your plans for 2017?
CV: I have a couple more singles up my sleeve … I’m still wrapping up my album
“Brown Eyed Soul” for release in 2018.
Also, I’m sooooo excited about performing at the ‘Black Magic’ awards on Sept 9th at hackney Empire and Ronnie Scott’s on Sept 24th as a Natalie Williams special guest ; ).
NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?
CV: I’m pretty active on my socials…. of you search Cherri Voncelle you’ll find me on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat ; )
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what would you do?
I don’t know how this all-rounder slipped under my radar, but from now on, I’ll be keeping a very close eye on her. Just in case you’re baffled, I’m talking about COCO PERI. Maybe I’m giving the game away too early in this review, but her latest mixtape ‘The Mixer’ made me sit up and raise my eyebrows with approval.
The ten track production seamlessly weave between the atmospheric arrangements of R&B hip-hop/rap and dancehall, topped off with the occasional show of the tropical-esque overtones. This north Londoner had no trouble switching it up from her a rich jazzy vocal to a smooth flow that just melts into the dreamy soundscapes.
‘The Mixer’ serves as a great outro for the summer – and is well worth a place in your valuable record collection….hit the play button on this bad boy mixer!
Must Listens: Keeper, Muse, Futuristic, Ready Good Loving, Live Good
London-based singer-songwriter & producer MARLON PERCY unveiled new single, ‘The Little Things’, the lead track from his debut EP of the same name.
Blending jazzy keys, soulful vocals and chilled house vibes, The Little Things EP is available to stream now. The EP also includes recent single Your Fool.
New Lease Music 