Ryan De La Cruz Mixes R&B And Dream-Trap Seamlessly In ‘Stubborn’

22-year-old singer RYAN DE LA CRUZ returns with a trap tinged, R&B joint ‘Stubborn’, the second single off his forthcoming EP ‘Syko’

Originally launched into the spotlight in 2017 with single ‘Know About Me’, which quickly surpassed one million views and was crowned ’the best rap video of 2017′ by DJ Semtex, Ryan has been a tearing up the scene for a while. He is now back in full force following the success of his collaboration with Ghetts and S Wavey on ‘Player’ and critically acclaimed single ’Syko’ earlier this year.

Drawing influences from the likes of Michael Jackson, D’Angelo and Chris Brown as well as his tough East London upbringing, Ryan has been setting himself apart from the new generation of UK talent. He injects soulful R&B feels into his fruitful plethora of inspiration, while making it an aim to sing about real-life, important issues.

This upcoming EP is a true testament to this and highlights Ryan’s unique way of thinking. ‘Syko’ is a conceptual body of work, playing on the different facets of his personality with singles like ‘Stubborn’, ‘Crazy’, ‘Rockstar’ and of course, ‘Syko’. The project is an ode to being accepting of who you are, and as Ryan states: “We’ve all got a sense of craziness, be cool with that, it’s ok to be syko”. Using his passion for playing on the juxtaposition of emotion and concept, each track and video really highlight his undeniable eye for fashion and art that has forever been setting him apart from the rest.

With ‘Stubborn’ as a somewhat warm up for what’s he has under his sleeve – so brace yourself for his conceptual greatness! This young artist has truly up’ed the ante this year and this is only the beginning.

Check him out below…

Song of the Day: Envy Me – A1 (CalBoy Remix)

New York’s spitter A1 comes through once again with another rocking freestyle of CalBoy’s track, ‘Envy Me’.

If you’re a regular visitor of NEW LEASE MUSIC, then you should know by now that this guy only delivers the good stuff…check him out below…

EP Review: Nocturne – Dani Darling

Since DANI DARLING came under the NLM radar, with neo soul single, ‘2:22’ her musical direction has taken a detour – a massive detour. Her shift of direction comes in form of the six-piece EP, ‘Nocturne’.

Classic soul meets new hazy lo-fi soul, in this EP, largely in an experimental and almost stripped back setting, that’s immediately appealing. Third effort, ‘One Of Us’, displays use of sound spanning from the Golden Hollywood era, fused with a mesmerizing lo-fi hazy tone providing that four-on-the-floor pattern.

With the exception of concluding piece, ‘Stranger’, all of the singles were no longer than two-and-a-half minutes long; it’s a shame, as I would like hear more!

With her delicate vocals serving as a backdrop for the genre-bending combo, DANI DARLING proves that a great soulful piece doesn’t always have to feature the classic powerhouse performance as the main focal point. Have a listen below:

Must Listen: One of Us, Stranger

 

New Music Video: Light It Up – Hunger

Following their debut appearance on the blog with single ‘Light It Up’, alt pop-rock trio HUNGER share their carefree video for the latest uplifting offering.

The electrifying act has garnered global attention through their track ‘Amused’, which was featured as part of the soundtrack to Netflix’s ’13 Reasons Why’ and on several TV and online commercials. ‘Amused’ also amassed over three million Spotify plays.

Check out the video for ‘Light It Up.’

New Music Video: An Ordinary Life – Grace Lightman

Describing her sound as one part Abba and two parts Twin Peaks, GRACE LIGHTMAN unveiled a rather earthy video for latest single, ‘An Ordinary Life’.

Speaking of her alt-soul offering, Grace says: “An Ordinary Life is a love song to the human race, from the perspective of the Silver Eater. It’s bittersweet as it comes from a place of awareness that she will never be able to have the ordinary life she wants, almost like an unrequited love.

This is one of the more personal songs on the record, capturing the alienation in a wistful way that I hope people can relate to. In our moments of vulnerability we do just wish we could fit in, even if we know we shouldn’t try to”

Signed to London based indie label, Handsome Dad Records (home to the likes of Inc. No World, Babeheaven etc), Grace has received support from 6Music and Radio One with previous single, ‘Zero Impact’.

Check out the video for ‘An Ordinary Life’ below: