Interview with: J. Kas

J. Kas Dreamlife Tour By Pishi Modaressi

If you’re a regular visitor of NEW LEASE MUSIC, then you’ll definitely know Javan Wright – aka J. KAS. He’s sitting pretty in the interview seat this month as his music video for fiery single, ‘Rio’ was the most viewed production on the blog in October. It’s time to get to know Sheffield’s most consistent emcee and his extensive plans for the rest of this year and beyond.

NLM: First of all, thank you for agreeing to do an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC

JKAS: Thank you for your time and efforts and I’m grateful to New Lease Music for their endless support.

NLM: When did you have that ‘eureka moment’ of becoming an artist?

JKAS: I’ve always enjoyed singing and dancing from an early age as I’d always be entertaining my family and my peers at school, so I guess it was a natural thing to become a performing artist.

NLM: Lately you’ve released a string of music videos – more recently for the single RIO – what’s the public’s reception on the production so far?

JKAS: I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with different people in order to produce the latest video’s and we have many more which are yet to be released.

‘Rio’ is one of my favourite tracks, it’s vibrant, full of energy and good vibes. When you watch the video it makes you wanna just dance, and the reception we’ve received for it has been extremely positive. I believe it will grow bigger in popularity over time.

NLM: You have an extensive (and pretty dope) discography. What’s your proudest track and why?

JKAS: As for my proudest track that’s very difficult to say. But If I had to choose one I would say ‘I Will Not Lose” taken from my EP “The ‘MVP’ Project” as that was the beginning of J. Kas music.

 NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?

JKAS: My sound varies from project to project. I’ve gone from dark rap like on The ‘MVP’ Project to more upbeat and conscious #Hometown and then onto commercial sounding vibes of One Six & Snapchat EP. So I’m very versatile, whilst keeping it clean-cut and fresh throughout. You could say my sound is universal.

NLM: If you had to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist who would it be?

JKAS: That would have to Kanye West. Many people have said that would be a likely collaboration. It’s like we are the same but different.

NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?

JKAS: I wouldn’t change anything. It is what it is.

NLM: So what are your plans for the rest of 2017 and 2018?

JKAS: I’ve just done a collaboration with Sheffield band Cellar Door Moon Crow for a track called ‘East To The West’ which is a single taken from their forthcoming album which was released at the end of last month. They recently dropped a video to accompany the track.

We have a performance for Google in Sheffield in December which were looking forward to. Hopefully a trip to Germany by the end of the year for on another musical venture. We recently travelled to France & Belgium for my ‘Dreamlife’ tour which was to film videos to tracks taken from my forthcoming EP ‘Dreamlife’ which will be out January 2018. Whilst out in Belgium we also caught up with my brother 87Buj and recorded a freestyle video which is doing well on social media.

2018, we plan to continue to be consistent, make as much noise as possible and collaborate with more artist domestically and foreign. Enjoy life and do what we do best.
I have a quite a back catalogue of music ready to go and 2018 looks set to be a pretty noisy and busy year.

Also myself and my man Ruell have a collaboration EP arriving in 2018, which is sounding large – so look out for that!!!

NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?

JKAS: All my social media handles including Snapchat is JKASMUSIC apart from YouTube which is MUSICJKAS
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what would you do?

JKAS: I’d probably be that person inventing it.

 

Song of the Day: In All Honesty – JJ McGuigan

JJ McGUIGAN caught the attention of radio programmers and music journalists with the first two singles from his EP, Dissociative. ‘Letter’ and ‘Home’ received both critical praise and airplay chart success, reaching the New Music Weekly country chart Top 80, as well as the Top 40 Roots Music Report Americana chart. ‘Letter’ earned McGuigan an Akademia Award for Best Alternative Song in January 2017.

Now, McGuigan returns with his latest single and lyric video for ‘In All Honesty,’ another track on Dissociative. Written by McGuigan and Garrett Crow, the song features vocals from Scott Spriggs.

Have a listen.

Song of the Day: Into The Gray – Walla

Los Angeles band, WALLA, debuts their new single ‘Into The Gray.’ The band, comprised of Jean Marc Tardieu (Lead Vocals), Ian Charlie (Lead Guitar), Mauricio “Moebeats” Carcamo (Bass Guitar), Alessio Balsemin (Drums); have crafted a unique mix of indie pop infused with soul and a sprinkle of positivity.

‘Into The Gray’ was inspired by the instinctive need for human connection, and despite the differences and backgrounds, coming together to connect and engage can save us from the loneliness of the digital age. Jean Marc’s soulful vocals are at their best on this track, capturing the emotional magnitude of the message with his deep rasp and introspective demeanor.

The quartet’s aim is to create music that promotes escapism, pulling people away from the chaos of today’s world. Their single ‘101’ has almost 30 million plays on Spotify and the band has been featured on Billboard, MTV Buzzworthy, Nylon, and Snapchat.

Released in the summer, their EP ‘Body Language’ is a collection of tracks that encompasses the cultural backgrounds and influences the band makes up with their own diverse backgrounds, from the Caribbean to Italy to Indonesia –  and Los Angeles.

If you haven’t come across WALLA before, well here’s your chance to have the first taste of their EP; have a listen to ‘Into The Gray’:

Song of the Day: Sweden – Vibbar

Making their debut release via MistaJam’s Speakerbox label, the hyper-stylish, creative collective, VIBBAR presents their latest single ‘Sweden’.

An amalgamation of sounds, influences and voices, ‘Sweden’ is the perfect illustration of the fact the group is built on ‘vibes’. Catchy bars flirt with percussion as the melodic instrumental goes on a journey through hazy fade outs before bursting back into its rhythmic life via amped up bass and crystal clear production. Visually the video captures the collectives boundless charisma which is immersed with creative flair.

Upon first encounter of the distinctive group it is quite possible that you may already recognise some of the individuals, as each member have their own talents and profiles covering a diverse selection of creative fields. Skits, Skribz and Jordy provide lyricism via rap, whilst a host of featured singers (inc Joel Baker and Shola Ama) add to the bubbling pot of talents, sounds and style. Poet is a linchpin of the group that adds his prestigious style and flair – as well as bringing his incredibly hard-earned profile from presenting on Copa 90 – the global YouTube football phenomenon

VIBBER’s uncomplicated love for what they do and their changeable talents allow them to morph into any role required for them to continue their own evolution as a collective. To date they have DJ’ed and collaborated with numerous brands and hosted guest appearances on their tracks from Big Narstie, Wiley and JME, plus they host their own weekly show every Monday from 5pm on Radar Radio.

With the release of ‘Sweden’, they are on the brink of even more new conquests…go ahead of check out the bada** video…

New Track: Things You Do – Cherri V

As she gears up to release her long-awaited and highly anticipated debut album, ‘Brown Eyed Soul’ in early 2018, London singer-songwriter CHERRI V has released her brand new single titled ‘Things You Do’, the third single from her forthcoming album, following ‘Without You’ and ‘Leave Me Be’, which have been supported by BBC 1Xtra and MTV Base.

With three critically acclaimed EPs, a UK top 20 single with Lethal Bizzle, successful collaborations with Wiley, Jessie J and Dawn Richard, and millions of views and streams already under her belt, CHERRI V is a revered musician in her own right, and one of the best pure vocalists to come out of the UK, with the likes of The Telegraph, Yahoo Music, MOBO Awards and BET, all singing her praises.

Her new single ‘Things You Do’ is a “fun-loving track about love, attraction and the highs that come with that”. Produced by Joey Sticks, who she worked with on previous single ‘Leave Me Be’, the infectious piano and drums-led offering, with its resounding R&B/Pop sensibilities, showcases CHERRI V’s amazing vocal performance, and her carefree and relatable songwriting…have a listen to her latest masterpiece…not to be pass up!