The first tease from her full-length album, ‘3AM’, singer/songwriter GILLIAN‘s new single, ‘High’, is a delightful piano-driven pop ballad with a very poignant message on the horrors of addiction.
Gillian says of her latest release: “The song took true emotions I was feeling in a relationship and created a story with them. It’s about how addiction can affect a relationship.”
Gillian treats her music as a conduit for truth. Whether behind the piano or with a guitar in hand, the Boston-based artist chronicles life’s ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and trials and tribulations with thoughtful clarity, poetic eloquence, and a stirring soulful voice. Documenting the dissolution of a relationship, confronting the pains of addiction, or facing loneliness, she confidently conveys unbridled emotion with wisdom that belies her 16 years of age.
Gillian made her introduction last year with the independent release of her debut EP, ‘Unfiltered’. The lead single, ‘What It Felt Like’, impressively tallied 200K Spotify streams. 2020 is set to be another banner year for Gillian as she heads towards the release of her album, 3AM, due for release this Summer.
Originally from Verona, Italy JAY ARDZ has been meticulously constructing a new wave of UK Rap tracks with Afro-swing elements that continue to elevate him as an upcoming artist to reach a peak altitude in his career.
His first track of 2020 ‘Nina’ displays making his dream of success a reality, whilst remembering the path that has made him who he is today.
Revolutionizing a new era of upcoming UK hitmakers, Jay Ardz has already begun to set the tone for what is to come following his recent success of ‘Roadside’ (2019) which caught the attention of popular mainstream platform GRM DAILY, and ‘Mia Khalifa’ (2019) which featured on Spotify’s ‘Afrobashment’ playlist.
Jay Ardz endeavours to continue developing his distinctive sound, honing his craft, and positioning himself accordingly so he can leave a striking impact on the UK Rap + Afro-swing scene.
Undoubtedly one of the biggest stars to come out of the Grime scene, BIG NARSTIE has made a name for himself, from the early days coming up in the UK hip-hop scene to more recently being known for having his own award winning Channel 4 show with Mo The Comedian ‘The Big Narstie Show’ and guest appearances on Big Fat Quiz, Celebrity Coach Trip, Celebrity Bake Off and plenty more. Narstie is one to stay true to his roots and still consistently releases music, this time he gives us ‘Smooth Criminal’ featuring Dice Recordings label mate Still Greedy.
With 60 million plus streams, his latest album BDL BiPolar featured Ed Sheeran, Raleigh Ritchie and Craig David, where he scored a top 10 single with When The Baseline Drops. As well as this Big Narstie has various brand endorsements with the likes of Zopa, 888Sport, McDonalds, Carphone Warehouse; Big Narstie is a brilliant example of a modern day success story.
Having been named ‘Best Grime Act’ at the Urban Music Awards five times, heralded as Noisey’s ‘Man Of The Year’ and ‘Personality of The Year’ at GRM Daily’s Rated Awards, he has also performed at an abundance of festivals such as Wireless, Lovebox, Glastonbury and more.
With consistent radio support from the likes of 1Xtra, Radio 1 and Beats 1, this latest release further proves why Big Narstie is one of the best in the country. Check him out below…
It’s time to welcome back one of NEW LEASE MUSIC’s dopest staples, KASTILANO into the interview seat.
The Philly rapper first appeared on the blog with track,‘Still Dreaming‘ in 2013, where the accompanied video received the most views on the blog that year. More recently, his track, ‘Heart & Soul’, was named Song of the Week by the blog in October 2019.
Find out what he’s been to up and how he’s coping with CoVid19 lockdown. NEW ARTISTS take note as this killer rapper have some valuable advice on how to stay ahead of the game during these challenging times!
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. It has been some time since we last hooked up (last interview was back in 2014). What have you been up to? (include non-music projects, if possible)
K: Hello and thank you for having me back. It’s been a minute so of course I’ve been cooking up since we last spoke. I dropped at least 8 projects and I’ve even learned to direct and edit my own music videos releasing them on my YouTube channel “KillEm KaStilano”.
I’ve started vlogging this past year on different topics like battle rap, album reviews and other thoughts that came to mind. Those videos can be found on my “KillEmTv” channel on YouTube which I also sat behind the camera and became the interviewer which I actually enjoy so please make sure to subscribe to both if you haven’t already. Any and everything else is in the music so tune in.
NLM: So what track(s)/ project(s) do you have coming up?
K: I’m currently 90% finish the long awaited ‘S.H.I.E.L.D 2’ EP which is the sequel and I’m very proud to say I feel it’s even better than the first, filled with more reality rap at it’s finest mixed with elevated flows and some modern day type of beats plus that old school boom bap sound. Next, I will drop ‘The City’s Hero 3: Sinner Meets Savior’ mixtape which is about 75% done. This has a more conscious feel of approach where I touch on much more topics in detail raising the bar and challenging myself on another level. Switching my style of rap to the content and all. I feel with everything going on it would be a disservice to act blind and not acknowledge the more important things in life, so trust me this jawn will hit different. Expect both of these this year and I might have another project come 4th quarter of 2020.
NLM: For anyone who is unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your sound and what inspires you to produce your tracks?
K: That’s a good question. I say my sound is uniquely independent of the majority of what you hear today. I remain in my own lane not sounding like anyone nor looking to conform to what is the in sound. I’m stubborn and will only do it my way so expect that. Expect non apologetic reality bars based on my life and those close to more or around me. I paint vivid pictures with a street point of view but also a common sense point of view. I’ll forever give you both sides of the coin.
Now what inspires me is still the beat, I mean it speaks to me 1st and foremost. Outside of that everybody and everything that’s not me inspires me to be me from the dope artist on down to those I’m not too fond of. It all fuels the fire in me to write for our youth and my peers bringing something different to the table creating some sort of balance out here. I always play my music to people, from old to new so they can see the growth. It’s that acknowledgement that inspires me for strangers to say they really respect what I do.
NLM: How has the current climate (CoVid19 pandemic) and lockdown affected you as an artist who is always pumping out music?
K: Fortunately, it hasn’t affected me at all. I’m always working and such a perfectionist, I usually have a bunch of unreleased music which allows me to drop music consistently whenever I want. Now I have only been to the studio once since Covid19 but I usually record about 3 songs per hour. Recently I haven’t been shooting videos nor performing even before this pandemic but my numbers have actually been up so I can’t complain.
NLM: What advice would you give to new artists who are trying to get noticed in these challenging times?
K: Take your time, dig deep and write your best material. Don’t force anything and if you’re able to record, do so and release some music old or new it doesn’t matter long as it’s good. Take advantage while people are in slow motion. Use your platform to the best of your ability to promote at least once a day. Lastly, but most importantly, believe in yourself and build strong solid relationships with those who believe in you. BE YOURSELF!!!
NLM: If there’s ONE mainstream artist you would like to spend time with during the lockdown period, who would it be and why?
NLM: I honestly was gonna say nobody, but after thinking a minute I’d say Kayne West. He seemed to have struggled spiritually for some time (as we all do or have at some point) but he is clearly gifted musically. Now for me I was never a fan of him nor his music (which I thought was OK). I really only heard his last two albums fully which I really enjoyed. For him to denounce the music he once made and proclaim JESUS Is King on his last album I feel is very courageous and I commend him for it. That actually inspired and gave me the confidence to do many songs on ‘The City’s Hero 3: Sinner Meets Saviour’ mixtape. I’d be honored to sit and bust it up with him about his journey and what led up to this point. I actually can somewhat relate and I empathise with the brother to give up what you once thought was everything only to realise it really meant nothing.
NLM: What is the first thing you would like to do once the lockdown period is over?
K: Go to the house of prayer and worship with fellow believers! To be truthful I’ve
been having the time of my life being able to spend time with my family I don’t
normally have the time to. I’m working out more not as stressed because my
worries of fast life have come to a halt.
I’m so grateful my family and I are still blessed during these times so, most
importantly, I can study God’s word more than I ever have during this time right
now. I encourage all to take advantage I mean store bathrooms are clean now,
people are giving you 6 feet in line, life is being taken more seriously. It’s a
beautiful time to be alive I’m in no rush to get back to what is so called normal.
NLM: So what are your plans for the rest of the year?
K: I wanna put these next few projects out and drop some videos along with it.
Continue to build solid relationships with the right people and even collaborate
with more talented dope artists. Hopefully I’d like to bring more great content
vlogging more and doing more interviews with those who bring forth greatness
that I can share with my followers. Most importantly, I wanna continue to grow
level up and mature.
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what profession would you do?
K: Since a youth, I would have normally said a basketball player but now I would
probably say an author or an artist of some sort because I love to create
bringing different thoughts and ideas to life.
Before I slide I gotta say thank you for the continuous support you have shown
me I really appreciate it. Also I want to acknowledge all of your hard work put in
throughout the years and encourage you to keep going. I’m outta here so until
next time it’s KillEm!!!
In the midst of the unprecedented times that we’re all facing, London-based singer/songwriter/producer FIFI RONG shares new single, ‘Distance’, hoping to offer some comfort for those who are suffering from the emotional effects of being apart from love ones due to self-isolation.
Fifi perfectly encapsulates the feeling of distance and isolation, through her intricately compelling vocals. With soft layers of guitars and bass, which creates a stripped-back feel, ‘Distance’ is the perfect escapism from lockdown as it invites us to fully immerse ourselves into the intimate ambiance of the song.
‘Distance’ follows her self-produced single, ‘Love Is A Lonely Thing’, where Fifi recently unveiled a short film to accompany the release. Taking inspiration from Wong Kar-Wai’s romantic film, ‘Mood For Love’, the video features the multi-talented songstress narrating the events of a tragic love story, delivered in delicate and well-poised vocals. Watch ‘Love Is A Lonely Thing’ full-length video below:
‘Love Is A Lonely Thing’ single was met with raving reviews from The Electricity Club, Fortitude Magazine, Resonate and many more. Previously, her pioneering fusion of Chinese influences and Western pop, which often takes on a melancholic feel, has generated attention from The Clash, Fader Magazine, Pigeon and Planes, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 Music.
As an artist who is not afraid in expanding her musical horizons, Fifi has contributed to Skepta’s Mercury Award-winning album, ‘Konnichiwa’ and electronic duo Yello’s album, ‘Toy’. Fifi reconnects with Yello and features on their current highly anticipated new album.
Available now on all major downloads and streaming sites, ‘Distance’ is part of a collection of individual love stories, which forms her upcoming Album, ‘There Is A Funeral In My Heart, For Every Man I Loved’. The album boasts the boundary-pusher’s signature sound of delicately crafted vocal led downtempo ballads.
The first tease from her full-length album, ‘3AM’, singer/songwriter GILLIAN‘s new single, ‘High’, is a delightful piano-driven pop ballad with a very poignant message on the horrors of addiction.
New Lease Music 