Song of the Day: Royal – Lyne Nsongo

On the back of signing a new music partnership with Crep Select, London-based Belgian Congolese songstress LYNE NSONGO follows up with her latest single titled ‘Royal’, produced by Ocean and engineered by Hot Money (Stefflon Don, Krept & Konan, Stormzy). Serving as the first taste of her upcoming sophomore EP, the song sees Lyne speaking to women, wanting to make them realise their worth and their royalty, with the London-based singer, songwriter and producer affirming that “you were made of gold, handmade by the only One”.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Royal’ and her desire to create empowering and inspirational music, Lyne Nsongo says, “The song comes from discussions I had with some of my female friends who were at very low points in their lives, I just want to lift them up and make them see their worth. I’ve realised that it’s my calling to deliver this empowering message through my music. If I can become an inspiration for girls out there to follow a good path in life, I believe I will have achieved my purpose in life. I have a gift and I want to use it to impact my world”.

Born in Belgium, Lyne Nsongo grew up in a very musical household, and honed her skills in music academies and dance classes as a child, before developing her sound further with collaborations with her brother and producer D.E.W.I. Now living in London, she comes with support from the likes of Trench Magazine, Red Bull, Capital Xtra, Missguided, Reprezent Radio and GirlsIRate, and is fast-becoming one to watch in the UK’s resurgent R&B music scene and beyond, as she brings her genre-bending slant on the genre and her hopeful inspirational message to the forefront.

Check out the official video for ‘Royal’ below…

Song of the Day: Afro – IThinkThatsRio

Introducing up and coming UK artist ITHINKTHATSRIO with his debut single ‘AFRO’! The melodic rap track comes six months after the London native burst onto the scene late last year with his ‘Prayer’ freestyle that caught the scene’s attention. ‘Afro’ sees IThinkThatsRio waxing lyrical about having the freedom to do what you want, whether that is with your hair or with your career.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Afro’ and how the song came together, IThinkThatsRio says, “creating ‘Afro’ was such a vibe. I was in the studio with TheLifeOfKG when this Grossgod beat came on, and the first thing that came out of my head was ‘take out my braids, just roll with an afro’, and the rest came together from there. As well as the track just being a vibe, I believe the message behind it, which is that we should be free to make our own choices, without fear of ridicule or judgement from other people – in my case, it’s how I wear my hair sometimes”.

Originally from Chadwell Heath in East London, IThinkThatsRio has always had a passion for music, but he has been on course to become a professional footballer for a good few years, but after turning 20 last year and realising that music had the power to help him express his feelings, and how that made him feel, he began taking music seriously, and quickly charted a new course from a footballer to a musician.

Check out the accompanied music video below, collaboration between IThinkThatsAfro and burgeoning London-based visual director and photographer EazyVisuals (Ebenezer, B Young, Ryan De La Cruz, Michael Ward).

R&B Upcomer Cheryll Drops Video For Latest Track, ‘What About Us?’

South London songstress, CHERYLL unveils her last video from her debut EP, ‘Transition’, which possesses a theme of relationships and love interests.

Bearing the EP’s theme, ‘What About Us?’ has the making of a 90s R&B slow-jam classic, which provides a dynamic experience, thanks to her sing-rap performance.

Cheryll has started off 2021 on strong note with the EP and the video is sure to keep the momentum going well into the summer. Expect more singles for this promising newcomer throughout the year…but for now, check out the video for ‘What About Us?’, shot and edited by videography duo Tory and Jolloff.

Song of the Day: Can’t F With – J-Onyx

Emerging with an air of mystery J-ONYX has a presence that can’t be ignored. Commanding attention with her deep tone and dynamic flows, her first release ‘Can’t F With’ captures her innate and undeniable talent as an artist. Her latest release has already landed support by DJ Target on BBC 1Xtra, DJ Shortee Blitz on his KISS FM and KISS Fresh show and Charlie Sloth will be adding the track as his Hood Heat of the week and he will also support on his Apple Music playlist. Choosing to keep her identity concealed for the time being, J-Onyx wants to let her music do the talking, as often young female artists can be over sexualized in the music industry. Catapulting through the ranks she joins the ‘Champions League’ as she ‘eliminates all of the tournaments’ and earns a rightful place as a one to watch in the UK rap scene.

The serendipitous calling to become a rapper can be pinpointed back to November 2019 where she was teasingly dared by her friends to rap an off-the-top-of-the-head freestyle and upload it onto her Instagram. Gaining an overwhelming reaction, the freestyle uncovered her natural gift with rhymes and flows and allowed her to nurture the talent into a dream career. To date she has released 3 freestyles on Instagram and her second freestyle for ‘Murda Murda’ received some strong support and was picked up by DJ Shortee Blitz and DJ MK on the KISS FM Hop Hop show.

Her exposure to music was planted long before the freestyle and the London based British rapper, singer and songwriter grew up immersed in a musical household. Building the fabric of her musical DNA her mother and elder siblings introduced her to an assorted collection of music, which ranged from Reggae, Dancehall and Hip Hop to UK Garage, Afrobeats, Rock and Indie. Her musical roots grew beyond her immediate family as her uncle was also a member of reggae band UB40.

Going against the conventional route, J-Onyx followed her own path, although she had the encouragement of her family she dropped out of school at a young age and found herself in challenging situations. What became evident was that the music was a constant and the turning point was getting into Brit School and attending drama school. Since her studies her path has led her to explore performing arts as well as pursuing a career in the property business. She has now found herself gravitating towards music as solo artist and ‘Can’t F With’ is a great introduction to her sound.

Check her out below…

Song of the Day: Trust In You – V’Nessa

Her debut single ‘Helpless’ produced by ENZ Sounds amassed over 170,000 views on YouTube and over 68,000 streams on Spotify with no mainstream push, and now 17 year old V’NESSA returns with another stunning single ’Trust In You’. Centered around mistrust, she opens up a three minute dialogue addressing the struggles young people face during the course of a relationship.

Born in Italy, but raised in South London this exceptional young woman grew up as one of five siblings with a passion for singing and remembers practising every day to perfect her craft. V’Nessa’s ability to sing, write and produce her own music inspired her to study at BCE college where she has been able to enhance her knowledge of music and skills. A prolific songwriter, V’Nessa pens mesmerising R&B songs about lost love, broken trust and youthful ambitions sitting somewhere between Rihanna, Jhene Aiko and Summer Walker with a distinctly London vibe.

Look out for her debut EP dropping this Summer. For now, check out the official video for the single below…