London’s Jessica Wilde is proving one of the UK’s hottest new talents right now, with a string of sizzling singles that have lit up BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and gained serious press praise from the likes of Complex, Clash, The Independent and many more. Her eager Instagram following has also been expanding rapidly and lapping up Wilde’s regular ‘P*ssy PWR’ playlists and IG Live series, with which she showcases her favourite female artists as her comedic alter-ego; ‘Ya gurl Charlene’.
Wilde’s style ranges from chilled and thoughtful spoken word gems to bouncy in-your-face bangers that are woven with her gritty real-life experiences and poetic observations. The combination of her candid hazy diary entry interludes and huge soaring pop-soul choruses packs a real and lasting musical punch.
Her new cut ‘LA Boy’ has a glittering laid back trip-hop style. With the repeating refrain ‘Back To LA’ washing over again and again, the track feels like a dreamy beach day sipping cocktails but laced with the darker undertones of break-up pain. A fleeting romantic encounter, when the dream is over Jessica’s ‘LA Boy’ is gone and she’s left wondering. And likewise, when the track winds up, Jessica leaves us wanting more.
‘LA Boy’ is the next single to be taken from Jessica Wilde’s forthcoming album which charts her journey from addiction and toxic relationships to self-empowerment and living sober. Like previous single from the album, it’s a snapshot of a moment of realization which helped her move forward with this transformation. Wilde says, “I had a whirlwind relationship with a guy from LA, only here for a two week stay and he swept me up as quick as he dropped me down. A short-lived romance but had a pivotal part in my journey to living sober. The song tells all…”
With ‘LA Boy’ being Jessica Wilde’s 7th single of 2021, it’s a testament to her raw and special songwriting and vocal talents that she has yet again delivered another complete tune. Following the single release, Jessica Wilde will hit the iconic Hootananny stage in her home area Brixton on 1st December, for her first Headline show of 2021, along with a full force female line up of incredible guest artists supporting her. But this night has a twist…
Wilde’s pink wigged, biro smoking, pssy powered alter ego ‘Ya gurl Charlene’ will be making her debut appearance and hosting the evening. From what started as a ‘PssY PWR’ Spotify playlist of all Wilde’s fave female artists and fronted by Charlene, has expanded into an Instagram live series where Charlene interviews her fave female artists, a ‘P*ssY PWR’ merch line drop, in collaboration with FAME Magazine, and now Charlene hosting a real life live show featuring Wilde herself and some of the most exciting female acts coming up on the scene.
Have your chance to check out Jessica’s latest, ‘L.A. Boy’ below…
Ever since Toronto-based singer/songwriter, DENIM BLÙ came on my radar with single, ‘I’ll Die’, I was immediately captivated by his breath-taking storytelling along with the dramatic cinematic production. So when he released his debut album, ‘Blue’, I had to catch up him with about his inspiration behind the new eight-track set.
I really love what this guy stands for… and I hope you do too…
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
DB: Hey, New Lease Music, thanks for having me! 2021 has been treating me well – I know a lot of people hate 2021 because the pandemic has stopped them from living their life in the way they used to, but hey – because of the pandemic, I got to slow down and experience my life in different perspectives. It made me cherish my life more and I got to taste different flavours of my life. I have no complaints!
NLM: You released your album, ‘Blue’ last Wednesday (10th November), where you unveiled singles ‘Extraordinary Feel’, ‘I’ll Die’ (both featuring Lizzy Clarke) and ‘Burn (ft. Randy) ahead of its release. What is the public perception on the singles so far?
DB: I guess the public perception is good, hehe. My songs were played on the radio, featured on different media platforms, and I made lots of friends in the music industry. I just started my journey, and I was overwhelmed by the support I got from my supporters.
NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
DB: My music is both compelling and complex, but infectious and accessible. Today’s youth want to get lost in music, but they demand narratives that reflect their experiences in a real way. Sonically I would describe my album’s sound as pure pop fantasy with emotional intrigue – sounds draw from blues, dance, electronica, and R&B elements, all while being unapologetically queer. However, it is the lyrical content making the connection with my audience: it speaks about love, loss, heartbreak, and lament. It gives you a sound that you can get lost in, but if you dive deeper, there’s a powerful story being told.
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
DB: Love – youthful love, volatile love, queer love, and my love for music. The concept for the album is centred around a relationship. It takes the listener on a journey from the exuberance and magic of falling in love (“Extraordinary Feel”), to deep and dark places of lament (“Blue”, “I’ll Die”, “I Miss You”), to coming to terms with love lost (“Young and Foolish”, “Burn”, “Again”). The album is the physical manifestation of my love for music. The whole process of making the album, from song-writing to producing, recording, mixing, and mastering, is me expressing my love for music. The sound of every sound, every foreshadowing, every push, every climax, and every reveal, is about my love of music.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
DB: My favorite song from the album is the last track – Again. I would describe this song as “an epic love ballad in the galaxy”. The songwriting is classic me – smooth melody, pop but dramatic. I produced the song in a way that reflects the songwriting, a way that corresponds to the development of the song. When listening to the song in the right sonic environment, you would see the galaxy evolving from nothing, to everything, and to nothing again – there is emergence, collapse, collision. It is an experience.
NLM: What message would you like the listeners to take away from your album?
DB: Never be afraid to love, because love is beautiful, love is an experience, love is the meaning of life. No matter where life goes, it always comes down to love.
NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the album, who would it be and why?
DB: Paloma Faith. She is from the UK, and I have been a fan for almost 1o years! She is not well-known in North America, but she is pretty big in Europe. She is so artistic, I love her visuals, her outfits, her artworks, not to mention her music is extremely amazing. So if I could have her on my album, that would be a dream come true! – Actually, going to her show is one of my dreams too :)
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
DB: Well, there is only one month left for 2021, and I am not planning to release a Christmas song…but I do have some projects coming next year! I worked with some amazing Toronto artists on the remixes for Blue that I am going to release in 2022. Also the pandemic gave me time to slow down and see my life from different perspectives. I drew inspiration from those perspectives, sat down with my song-writing partner, exchanged our feelings, and we got to finish another album together. I am planning to work on these songs next year and release the album in summer 2023.
NLM: How can potential fans find you?
DB: That is also a question I want to ask – how can potential fans find me?! It is really hard to promote myself as an independent artist, so my next stop is to find an artist manager, A&R, or a record label. Hope that can happen soon!
NLM: Finally, any special thanks to those involved in the production of ‘Blue’?
DB: I have a lot of special thanks – I want to thank my lyricist Nick Ram for sharing his stories with me, and allowing me to tell his stories in my way. I want to thank my friend Lizzy Clarke, Randy Chang, Kristen Antunes, and Marshall Jacklin for being there and being my friend. It was really fun writing music together. I want to thank Jack Hughes, Julian Fatsound, Tyler Novak, and Eugene Hwang for their amazing musical performances on the album. I want to thank Elizabeth Petzold, Keshav Sharma, Eliot Britton, Issac Nemec for their remixes and friendships. I want to thank Francis TQ Hudson for bringing my mixes to life. I want to thank Fernando Nickolas and Jason Tenn for their photography and creation. I want to thank Zetong Liu for his amazing creative design with my album cover. Last but not least, I want to thank my family for believing in me and supporting me along the way. THANK YOU!
The Palace Discothequeis the second single from NIKO’s new album Electric Union, released last Friday (22nd October) via ATIC Records. Upping the tempo and getting all ‘electronic’ the track is built on a foundation of pulsing bass and Linn Drum-ish beats with layers of intricate micro melodies and synthetic vocals.
Produced by and written with long-time partner in crime Aim(Cold Water Music, Hinterland) ‘The Palace Discotheque’ has echoes of early Tubeway Army, a perennial influence on the Barrow-based beat maker that combine with Niko’s abstract pop sensibilities to create a heady, neon cocktail.
Take a peep at the accompanied nostalgic video below…
KIANA‘s latest single ‘Strangers’, oozes a dark R&B tone. Looking into the future and the past all at once, she considers the infinite possibilities of what could alternatively play out between two people who once felt deep love and now nothing.
The Toronto-based artist confides, “It’s ultimately a sad title, but it’s probably the most common human thought and experience. I know everyone who reads the title will think about the time they experienced that thought too and will think about that person – who could at the time be a stranger, a lover, or somewhere in between.”
The single takes inspiration from the likes of Jorja Smith and Amy Winehouse, emitting rolling waves of melancholic shadows throughout and echoing adlibs of curiosity and wonder. The soul meets dark R&B sound has a minimalist approach to the production, while the closely-knit piano notes give off a flutter of soulful magic, alongside her fierce, controlled and sultry vocals. Overall alluring in its nature, the track drips in tender backing synths and a calm, soft beat.
Her music has gained recognition from multiple radio stations including Toronto’s Flow 93.5 FM and Vibe 105.5 FM and received immense positive reception from her hometown. Today, KIANA has earned over half a million plays globally and has been featured in publications such as Lyrical Lemonade, Ones to Watch and Red Bull Music, to name a few. She has touched major stages like The Mod Club Theatre and performed at significant Canadian festivals including NXNE and Canadian Music Week.
A firm fixture in the indie music community of the West Coast, Canadian artist EMILY MOLLOY has created a rather raw, emotive-packed piece, coming in the shape of single, ‘Wide Awake’, taking from her latest EP, ‘Catastrophes.’
Written in under an hour, Molloy was emboldened by a break-up experienced by award-winning director Angie Nolan. Finding perspective through Nolan’s pain, Molloy packs each emotional punch with her raspy, full-bodied vox; each resolve in the lyrics a little more hurt than the last until she scales the note so hard in the bridge, you can feel in your soul the shattering of her heart. Molloy perfectly embodies a wailing wall of sorrow and sadness in one fell swoop.
“After writing ‘Wide Awake’, I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wait…I’m not going through this myself, but Angie is,’” she recalls. “I realised I had written the song about her, and from her perspective, but that we can all relate.”
Enlisting recording engineer Eric Mosher at the Warehouse Studios in 2020, Molloy quickly realized that “Wide Awake” was the stand-out track on her latest EP. “This is my most vulnerable song recorded to date, and I knew I needed a video that would fully capture the story and emotion expressed. The song turned out more beautifully stunning in the studio than I could ever hoped for, and it screamed for its visual equal.”
Here’s your chance to check out the video for Emily’s emotive, guitar-led offering below…
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