Tag: pop ballad

Song of the Day: Bite Me! – Amity

Once in a while, you get a musician that instantly COMMANDS your full attention and 18 year old AMITY is that musician. The South-London artist turned to music as a coping mechanism during lockdown – and the very thing that saved him from the bloom of the pandemic made him an overnight sensation.

Making his debut at age of 15, Amity immediately caught the attention from the likes of The Guardian and the BBC. Accolades came in quick succession as the ASBO Magazine-tipped artist was named the Royal Albert Hall’s official Future Maker Artist in 2023 and became winner of an RBE Musical Excellence Award. A resident artist at Soho’s iconic Spice of Life, Amity had sold out shows across the UK in 2024, gracing stages at The Great Escape, Brighton Pride’s Fabuloso in the Park and, of course, The Royal Albert Hall.

The whirlwind acclaim didn’t happen by chance – Amity is a breath of fresh air in today’s materialistic music industry. He uses music to pose thought-provoking questions, shedding light on difficult subjects, including mental health, abuse and suicide. Being queer, autistic, and trans, Amity could be described as a singing advocate as he also speaks up for those communities.

Now Amity is preparing to launch his debut EP, set for release later in the year. He gives a taste of his highly-anticipated project with title track, ‘Bite Me!’, which challenges societal conventions. The stunning piano led ballad, which could be easily mistaken for one of Adele’s hit ballads, sees Amity giving the proverbial two fingers at dogmatic thinking from religious hypocrisy to the rise of demagogues and the aftermath of abuse. Personally ‘Bit Me!’ really struck a chord when Amity bellows out: ‘your hands around my neck feels like home’. This powerful statement cuts to the raw truth of the things we yearn for can be damaging. In revealing his truth in such statements, Amity hopes to heal and empower others through music – just how music empowered him during lockdown.

‘Bite Me!’ is out available across various music platforms. Why not have a listen….

Connect with Amity via:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amitysings/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/amity_sings/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@amity_sings
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/amitymiller
Website: https://amity.music/

 

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Steve Balsamo shares stunning Christmas ballad, ‘Snow Angels’.

STEVE BALSAMO needs no introduction to those who love great voices in the music world! Steve has toured the world, performed with and written for household names and was initially known for his superb rendition of Jesus in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.

His new single, ‘Snow Angels’ is a lush, heartfelt Christmas Pop ballad, co-written with fellow Welshman, multi-award winning singer/songwriter Darren Parry and the young, English talent of singer/songwriter Josh Gleaves.

Steve says of his latest ballad, “Darren, Josh and I actually wrote the song on Zoom about 2 yrs ago, during the lockdown periods. I initially had the song title and a bit of a melody and we worked on the song over about 2 or 3 sessions online. The song was written pretty quick”. Steve adds… “Darren and I did a rough guitar version recorded into our phones at first, before Josh did an acoustic version in the studio in London a little while later.”

Steve continues… “It was only very recently that we had the very talented Andrew Griffiths (AGM Productions) produce this new studio version with a gorgeous, lush, orchestral type arrangement. I put down the lead vocal at Andrew’s studio (in the Swansea Valley) and Darren, Andrew and I did all the backing vocals/harmonies you hear, including the ‘choir’!”.

The title takes the imagery of ‘snow angels’ (the shape that people can make in the snow when they lie down) and uses it as a metaphor to tell the story of a relationship between two people at Christmas time.

Steve has written past songs for Slash, Meatloaf, Cliff Richard, toured with Jon Lord (of Deep Purple fame), formed the band The Story’s (who toured with Celine Dion and Elton John), was part of Balsamo/Deighton (an Americana duo with Rosalie Deighton) and more recently part of Balsamo/Collins/Riley with Andy Collins and Pete Riley.

Darren’s achievements include… 2004 UK Songwriting Champion (beating 6000 entries from around the globe), 2014/2016 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, 2021 ISSA Awards International Male Songwriter 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) and many others.

Young Josh is a 21 yr old award winning singer/songwriter from London, nicknamed ‘The Heartbreak Kid’! He lives and breathes his passion for music and started writing and performing from just 10 years old. Despite still only being 21, the sound of his guitar alongside his raw and ethereal vocals have filled venues all over the U.K. for over 8 years. During that time, Josh has established his own unique Country/Americana style and sound, guaranteed to draw a crowd wherever he plays!

This collaboration between three great singer/songwriters and the production talents of Andrew Griffiths has them manifest an earworm, contemporary, Christmas Pop ballad that also manages to hark back/take inspiration from the classic Christmas songs of old, such as ‘A Winter’s Tale’ by David Essex. The song beautifully shows off the softer side of Steve’s world class, 4 octave vocal range and deserves to become a new Christmas classic for our modern times!

‘Snow Angels’ was released on last Tuesday, 28th November…why not get into the festive spirit and have a listen below…

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Song of the Day: Coma – Susan Hisey

SUSAN HISEY‘s debut single ‘Coma’ is a vulnerable track about coming out of a mental nadir to a changing world. The lyrics goes on a journey through struggling with intense mental health issues while dealing with change amidst a fast-paced society. Simplistic piano chords allow Hisey’s crisp yet emotive voice to come alive as she recounts how she lived her life in a constant “fight or flight” before gradually coming out of this mental coma.

A soul Pop/Country singer-songwriter from Elyria, Ohio, Susan strives to preserve her authenticity throughout her music career, focusing on real lyrics that people can relate to. While Susan is gentle at heart, she is strong in song with vocals that have been professionally trained for years through musical theater and choir, and as a Commercial Music major at Belmont University.

While in school, she performed alongside Trisha Yearwood, Laura Bell Bundy, and Cece Winans, and performed in an acapella group with Imogen Heap at the Ryman Auditorium. She most recently performed in a Matt Davenport Production tour “American Big Band: Home for the Holidays.” Currently, she works as a vocal coach and a mentor for teens moms with an organization called “Young Lives” in Nashville TN.

‘Coma’ shows us it’s okay to not be okay; a message we could all stand to hear more often. Have a listen to this stunning ballad below…

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Song of the Day: S.O.S – Melroze

MELROZE constructs catchy pop songs shadowed by dark and vulnerable lyrics, as showcased in her latest single, ‘S.O.S.’, released amidst mental health awareness week. Featuring the lone piano, working in perfect unison with the Nashville-based pop singer’s stunningly yearning vocal, ‘S.O.S’ cuts to the heart of those struggling with mental health.

Her soothing sound is very much needed in the pop music scene in the midst of the daily struggles we all experience – and let me tell you, that no one can convey these topics better than Melroze. Have a listen to the stunning pop ballad below…

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Caitlin Min Fa Delivers Inspirational Emotive Single, ‘Work In Progress’

Following her first appearance on the blog with debut single, ‘Younger Self’, which generated over 10K streams on Spotify alone, Young Australian singer/songwriter CAITLIN MIN FA makes a return with second single, ‘Work In Progress,’ a power ballad, representing the motions of life and the process of figuring out oneself.

The heartfelt, yet powerful intensity, oozes out vocally craving and encouraging endeavours. The song is suited with sentimental lyrics and reverberating tones, in the hope that it reminds you to be kind to yourself and just keep powering through uncertain times.

“Everybody is a work in progress … we don’t have to have it all figured out yet. Just know that everything is unfolding, you’re on your way and you’re moving forward” Caitlin explains. “Your time is coming so trust the path, trust the process and trust the season”.

‘Work In Progress’ was released over the weekend (27th March) on your preferred music platform…check it out below…

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