Song of the Day: Barbie – Emayla

A rising star in the music industry, EMAYLA‘s new single, ‘Barbie,’ transcends conventional beauty standards, delivering a powerful message about embracing individuality and authenticity. In a world that often emphasizes perfection, ‘Barbie’ encourages listeners to celebrate their unique qualities and redefine the meaning of beauty.

“I believe that true beauty lies in fully embracing who you are. ‘Barbie’ is my way of spreading the message that authenticity is beautiful, and everyone should feel empowered to be themselves without conforming to society’s expectations,” says EMAYLA.

EMAYLA has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, known for her soulful voice, captivating lyrics, and empowering messages. With previous hits like [Deepest Love, Stay with Me and more], EMAYLA continues to break boundaries and inspire her audience. Have a listen to ‘Barbie’ below…

Song of the Day: How Long – Grete

Following on from first single ‘With u’, a romantic, emotional ballad, singer-songwriter GRETE progresses into a darker, more twisted space with latest single, ‘How Long’ . This is created by dissonant chords, biting and distorted guitar leads and a crescendo towards the end of the track laced with heavy drums, rhythmic bass and Grete’s soaring vocals. The track is punctuated with glitchy details and electronic sparkles, complimenting the instruments and contributing to the cosmic scale of the song.

The song lyrically encompasses the feeling of being stuck behind a wall put up by the other person in a relationship, and painting a fantasy of what could be if the wall was broken down, instead of turning around and walking away. Throughout the song, the anger and tension is growing, culminating in a
release at the very end of the track – eventual acceptance.

Grete was born and raised in a little Eastern-European country called Lithuania and started singing when she was only three years old. She began her young artist and performer career in small ensembles and bands and was quickly spotted and drawn to the biggest stages in the country, such as tv competitions, musical theatre, international concerts and contests, and even the finals of The Voice of Lithuania. Grete chose to leave Lithuania and start fresh in the UK. Now she is studying pop music vocals in RNCM. Influenced by artists like Jazmine Sullivan, The Weeknd and Yebba, she began writing vocally colourful and harmonically intricate songs with strong messages and old R&B references.

‘How Long’ is the second of three singles planned for release prior to the release of her debut EP. Have a listen below…

New Lease Music’s Top Ten Albums Of 2023

OK, as promised, here are the top ten albums of 2023.

If you fancy some UK R&B, or maybe some afrobeats fused with smooth R&B, futuristic/dreamy pop or some good old hard-hitting bars, well you’re definitely in the right place! Just get to it and hit play on each beauties below! If you’re feeling any of the collections, please like, or better still, leave a comment below.

Be sure to check NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Singles of 2023 tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the albums below…

10. A Late Bloom – Eleanor

9. Jovian 2000 AD – Jovian

8. Diary Is A Waste Of Paper – Nia Chennai

7. Venom Dripp – Showtime Ramon

6. Die Wurzel – Neak

5. 7:05 – 705

4. Rivalry – Samuel Vincent

3. Man Myth Legend – Mike Body

2. Lucid Dreampop – Thyra Hilden

1. Once Upon A Melody – T. Fernandez

New Lease Music’s Top Ten Music Videos Of 2023

Hey, Hey, Hey! Happy New Year guys! I hope you had an eventful festive period.

It’s that time of the year NEW LEASE MUSIC ramage through and pick out the top releases of 2023! Today, we start off with the best music videos featured on the blog in the past year. So why not sit back and check them out – oh and if you’re really digging these videos, why not leave a comment below.

Be sure to look out for NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Albums of 2023 later today!

10. Sometimes Relax – LLAMAN x Pitch 92

9. Freak Out – Jessica Wilde

8. Face Off Part 1 – Quincy

7. PTSD – Dax

6. Iron Right – DJ Drama, Boosie Badazz & OMB Peezy ft Trouble

5. Podium – Ez Mil

4. The Rain – Bullet Brak

3. Love Tap – Tito Ft. Keet Kolbang

1. Grey – Holy Coves

Song of the Day: Feathers – Jessica Wilde (ft. Zoe Kypri)

Singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and South London native JESSICA WILDE, returns with the second single of her forthcoming album, ‘Feathers’, featuring the soul searing vocals of Zoe Kypri. With the first release of the project ‘Freak Out’ garnering heavy support on BBC Radio 1 ‘Future Artists’ with tastemakers Jack Saunders and Jess Iszatt who championed the track on both Radio 1 and BBC Introducing, saying ‘This has to be the coolest tune on the lineup’.

‘Feathers’ now continues the empowering themes of this album, slated for a May 2024 release, as Wilde joins forces with the deluxe rich tones of Zoe Kypri, just back from performing at the iconic Madison Square Gardens (New York) with Black Coffee.

‘Feathers’ is a song about rising together, realising your strength and power, breaking old behaviours, and creating new pathways to grow, as they hypnotically enchant, “I got feathers in my back, that I didn’t know I had, now I know who I am.”

For these two artists in their prime, who are also close friends, this was a special moment, getting in the studio together has been a long time coming, and they both had a feeling there would be real chemistry and a great track recorded in the process and they are clearly clairvoyant. The song reflects both of their personal and mirroring journeys in how they have uplifted and helped one another through times of shifts and darkness, to step into their light.

Both singers bare their hearts and souls through their music, with Wilde’s debut project ‘Sober, Wasted, Wasted, Sober’ sharing a brutally honest account through confessional lyrics about her journey in addiction and toxic relationships, metamorphized to a life committed to self-love and living sober, juxtaposed by Zoe’s introspection of private worlds, feelings conflicting the mind and soul, revelations on experience and desires of a better world. It truly showcases a unique and compelling drawing together of two incredible artists able to entwine layers of luscious vocals in the cage of a raw unmistaken London grit.

The two independent artists have been making waves individually too. With Wilde gaining growing support from not only BBC Radio 1 but also 6 Music, BBC Radio London, KISS, editorial playlist support across DSP’s with regular ‘Fresh Finds’ support as well as features in CLASH, Complex, Wonderland, The Independent and many more – To Zoe Zypri going global this summer with her song ‘Horizon Red’ with Made by Pete, which hit over 150 million streams worldwide, championed and remixed by the legends Black Coffee and Damian Lazurus. Between them, they have caught the attention and collaborated with the likes of Rudimental, Emeli Sande, Grammy award winner Kizzo, Todd Terry, Sigma and Black Coffee.

Have a listen to ‘Feathers’ below…