Arlo Maverick shows gratitude for ‘Day Ones’ in new video

Canadian hip-hop artist ARLO MAVERICK is sharing a new video for his track, ‘Day Ones,’ a song of appreciation for all the people in his life that have supported him since the beginning. The soulful trap-inflected tune will appear on his forthcoming album, Blue Collar, slated for release 20th October 2023.

A detour from Maverick’s cerebral rhymes and biting commentary, he switches up his usual flow to flex his singing skills while offering a simple message: appreciate and hold the loyal people in your life close. The video features a montage of friends, family, and loved ones over the years. Appropriately arriving ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, it’s a tender show of thanks to the community that lifted him up – and the haters that made him stronger – in his quest to make something out of nothing.

“The music video features archival footage of people who were on or tied to a label we ran in the 2000s, called Music For Mavericks, including members of Politic Live, Kreesha Turner, and others,” said Arlo Maverick. “We were a family in a lot of ways and we all keep in touch so I thought it was fitting to centre this video around them. Everyone at the table is part of this legacy. With hip-hop celebrating 50 years, this video in some ways pays tribute to Edmonton’s hip-hop history by showing some of today’s leaders in the culture like K-Riz and Mouraine when they were first starting out.”

While the previously-released Blue Collar single, ‘Night Shift,’ revealed the hard work and sacrifice of those working to get ahead, ‘Day Ones’ shows the importance of appreciating the people who have stood by through it all.

As Maverick says, “For entrepreneurs, the road to success is extremely lonely, but there are always the handful of people who help you achieve your goals. This song acknowledges and celebrates them. I hope this song gets listeners into a thankful mood to show gratitude to the people that have always had your back.”

Check out the video for ‘Day Ones’ below…

Zaneita unveils her new track, ‘Meant 2 Be’

ZANEITA, a burgeoning talent from North West London, releases her brand new single ‘Meant 2 Be’.

The record, produced by Joonatan Kilpua, expertly blends elements of R&B and Pop, exploring the theme of love at first sight. In ‘Meant 2 Be,’ Zaneita delves into the emotions of attraction and the uncertainty that often accompanies such encounters. The track contemplates whether the feelings experienced in a spontaneous moment are influenced by the situation or are indicative of a deeper connection. Zaneita’s storytelling prowess comes to the forefront in ‘Meant 2 Be,’ with her smooth vocal delivery layered upon the uplifting bounce of the beat.

‘Meant 2 Be’ is now available on all streaming platforms. Check it out below…

Watch Mike Body’s new video for track, ‘Afterglow’

After featuring on the NEW LEASE MUSIC charts over on instagram, claiming the Music Video of the Month title for visuals for track ‘Reach 4 The Stars’, Inspirational rapper MIKE BODY returns with another set of visuals for track, ‘Afterglow’. The single is taken from his latest album, ‘Man Myth Legend’ which claimed the Album of the Month top spot back in May.

Check out the video below…

OUT TODAY: Aiza is claiming her own ‘sovereignty’ on her debut album

Montreal-raised, Toronto-based certified Afrobop queen, AZIA is claiming her own sovereignty on her debut album, out today (29th September)

Featuring 11 tracks which showcase her unique blend of soulful afropop and R&B, ‘Sovereignty’ is in the words of Aiza herself, “an ode to the many lessons I’ve learned to become the empowered and unapologetic woman I am today.”

“The album dives into my experiences dealing with heartbreak, healing my inner child, honoring my lineage and boldly owning the fact that I’m a star.”

Working with her longtime partner and producer, C The Reason, as well as an established team of collaborators including Divinity Roxx, Beyoncé’s former bassist and music director, Aiza has crafted a collection of songs that own her power.

Sovereignty features previously released singles, including the playful Afropop of ‘Majimbo,’ Aiza’s French language “eff around and find out” anthem, ‘Kité,’ the delectable and self-assured ‘Alright,’ as well as the album’s debaucherous and seductive lead single, ‘Cocoa Butter.’

During the three years it took to complete ‘Sovereignty’, Aiza explains that she “chose to bet on [herself] over and over again, even when [she] had no idea how it would come together.”

Have a listen to ‘Sovereignty’ below…

Must Listens: Cocoa Butter, Black Tea, Majimbo, Kité

OUT TODAY: Darren Parry is no longer ‘Outside Looking In’ with new single

Hot on the heels of his last single, ‘Unconditional’, multi-award winning Welsh, singer/songwriter DARREN PARRY has a brand new single waiting to be heartedly embraced by the listeners again entitled ‘Outside Looking In’, out now across various music platforms.

This contemporary piece of earworm Pop was co-written with Rachel Walker Mason. Rachel Walker Mason is a multi-award winning musician, currently writing songs with Grammy Nominees, Billboard Hot 100 Artists, Alumni from The Voice UK and American Idol, Emmy Winners and Independent Country Music Association Award Winners. A highly regarded songwriting and vocal judge, Rachel was a judge for NTA nominated Sing: Ultimate A Cappella on Sky One and is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Strive and the Intercontinental Music Awards.

‘Outside Looking In’ was written via Zoom in 2022 as Rachel had heard some of Darren’s songs and got in touch to write. Darren says.“It was great that I was on Rachel’s radar, we had a lot of fun writing this and wrote 90% of it in about a 2 hr Zoom call. I think we had a second short Zoom call to tidy up some loose ends and voila… it was done! I had the chorus idea going around my head for over a year or so before so I played it for Rachel and it struck a chord with her, so that’s the idea we ran with”

Darren recorded and produced the track with young, hip, Swansea producer Dai Griffiths (Dai Griff Productions). Dai has had a lot of success recently with various artists such as BBC Radio Wales Welsh playlist ‘A listers’ Ify Iwobi, Luna Lot and Mal Pope.

Darren’s achievements in music include… 2004 ‘UK Songwriting Champion’ (beating 6000 entries from around the globe), 2014 and 2016 USA ‘Song Of The Year’ contest runner up (judges included Gwen Stefani, Don Henley and Phil Collins), 2019 ISSA Awards ‘International Male Vocalist Of The Year’ Silver Crystal Award winner and multiple other awards from Billboard and Unisong, to name but a few! Darren has co-written songs with hit songwriters like James Warren (The Korgis, “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime”), Dazzle Music (Charlotte Church), Steve Balsamo (Cliff Richard, Slash, Meatloaf) and many others.

Darren has had a busy year or two with winning the 2021 ISSA (International Singer Songwriters Association) ‘Int. Male Songwriter Of The Year’ Silver Crystal Award in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, writing a song for the new The Korgis album (‘Broken’), having four new songs on Lee Gilbert’s brand new album (‘Take Me As I Am’), including the title track, releasing his own singles, writing for other artists as well as various film and media projects.

‘Outside Looking In’ is a great collaboration between two noteworthy songwriters who manifest a positive, upbeat, slick, contemporary Pop track that sees Darren really showcase his three and a half octave vocal range!

Darren says of his latest offering…”I wanted this song to have a universal message. The song is for anyone and everyone who feels they have ever been ‘outside looking in’, i.e. feeling that the world has brought them down, that the challenges of life are difficult to overcome. There is a scene in the film ‘Trading Places’ (I love that film) where Dan Aykroyd, looking cold, hungry and wet is in the rain, looking through a restaurant window at those inside laughing and enjoying themselves. It’s a real metaphor for what many of us have experienced, that of feeling not part of something, not achieving your true potential. It’s a song about realising that you always had wings (even though you didn’t know it) and now it’s time to open them and fly! Now is the time to have that confidence… it’s your time to shine!”

‘Outside Looking In’ is out on various music platforms from Friday 29th September and forms part of his forthcoming new EP, ‘Learning The Hard Way.’

Connect with Darren Parry via:
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