New York based duo LION BABE (comprised of singer / songwriter Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman) drop their latest release, ‘Hot In Herre’, onto today’s spotlight.
Premiered on Rebecca Judd’s Brand New Beats One show, the single is a house/funk take on Nelly’s hip-hop hit.
Their recent album Cosmic Wind, released in 2019, offered stand out singles ‘Western World which pulled inspiration from the Pet Shop Boys timeless song ‘West End Girls’ and featured hip-hop legend Raekwon, and the disco-infused bop ‘The Wave’ featuring Leikeli47, which was used by the American Heart Association for their 2019 ‘Kids Heart Challenge’ campaign, a nationwide physical education initiative aimed to get kids in participating schools dancing as a means of heart-healthy exercise and raise funds for the organization’s life-saving mission. The 15-track ‘Cosmic Wind’ album is an introspective turn, highlighting the duo’s growth socially, physically, lyrically; musically.
‘Cosmic Wind’ followed Lion Babe’s 2016 critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Begin’ and comes on the heels of a very strong 2018 for the band, earmarked by live performances at Coachella’s main stage, and AFROPUNK festival. They ended the year with two reimagined covers for Carly Simon’s classic ‘Why’ and Little Beaver’s ‘Get Into The Party Life’.
Since 2014, the duo have garnered an impressive music catalogue throughout the years, and have collaborated with some music favorites such as rapper/actor Childish Gambino, and house music’s sibling duo, Disclosure, who featured the New York natives on their smash single ‘Hourglass’, which peaked at #80 on the UK Singles Chart and was performed at huge stages across the world.
In 2018, HBO’s Original Series, Insecure, ‘Obsessed Like’ recruited Lion Babe for their singles ‘Hits the Ceiling’, and ‘Just Me’, which were broadcasted for Seasons 1 and 3. Making festival appearances over the recent years at Coachella, AFROPUNK, Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Smokin’ Grooves Fest, Amsterdam’s Milkshake Festival and most recently at Australia’s Wildlands, Beyond The Valley and Original Fields festivals, Lion Babe are set to perform at Lightning In A Bottle in Bakersfield, CA on May 23rd, with more 2020 live dates to be announced soon.
When Dmitry Ursul bought his first retro synth Roland JX-8P ’85, he never look back and went on to form NEON TAPEHEAD with drummer Alexandr Kovalchuk back in 2016.
Their first single ‘I Want To Love’, which was released March that year, was met with critical acclaim from radio stations in UK and US.
Fast forward to the present day, the band has gained two members, singer Maya Shoniya and bass player Dmitry Votintsev. With the extended line-up, the four-piece act grew in popularity, performing at concerts and gigs across their native country Russia. Between their back-to-back live performances, Neon Tapehead are penning new songs.
If this is your first time meeting these guys, well their latest single, ‘Never Say Never’ is a great introduction as it encompasses their inspiration of 80s soul/electro funk and R&B with Shoniya’s soulful/pop vocals also reflecting the decade that gives us great music.
More music on the way. Have a listen to the instantly addictive single, ‘Never Say Never’, available now on all download/streaming sites…
Last year, ASHA GOLD made waves with her debut single ‘Too Good’, quickly amassing over 10,000 monthly Spotify listeners since it’s release one month ago. The R&B-influenced electronic pop tune was also played by BBC Radio 1’s Jamz Supernova, selected for Tidal’s Rising: R&B playlist, and also gained praise at Colors, Elevator, Clash Magazine, Earmilk and more.
Following this initial success, Asha Gold delivers stunning visuals in collaboration with AIME Magazine and filmed by Nick Bailey.
Speaking about the concept behind the ‘Too Good’ video, this West London newcomer says:“I wanted the visuals for “Too Good” to project the positive message of the song, and express who I am in an authentic but engaging way. We aimed to capture a balance of fun and youthful shots, to reflect the confidence and vulnerability in the song.”
Following his appearance on the blog with track ‘Girlplay’ last June, R&B smooth bad boy BRANDON RIVERS is back with his latest single ‘Delete My Number’.
Speaking of the release, the 23-year-old singer/songwriter says: “Delete My Number was written about the notion of ‘ghosting’ and the role it seems to play in attempting to form relationships within my generation. Like all my music, it was written from an autobiographical perspective. I think it’s now a normality that if someone is removed from your life completely from any social platforms, they are no longer a part of your life at all, how I used this track to translate this idea is through its imagery, using race, jealousy and fairly obscure references to William Blake, Byron, Richey Edwards and even Usain Bolt to convey theconcept that it’s easier to get over someone by removing them completely from your life, as sad as that may be.”
Brandon has already been heralded by BBC Introducing as “One To watch” with his blend of ‘after-dark pop’ which have seen him grace the stages of Bestival and Victorious Festivals, building a loyal fanbase by performing at venues across the UK.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Brandon thrives on being different. Being alternative was something instilled at birth for Rivers, being a mixed-race kid from the New Forest on the South Coast of England. Growing up on 90’s R&B and House mixtapes along with early 00’s Indie, Brandon began making music from a young age. His unique mix of Trap, Pop and Alternative R&B has drawn comparisons to artists such as Drake and Ariana Grande.
This promising hot property has a packed schedule for 2020, with ‘Delete My Number’ the first of many releases, with a number of festival slots of be announced shortly.
Canadian singer/songwriter DORIAN THORSON should be on your radar for 2020. His debut album, ‘The Come Up’, released last October, claimed the blog’s Album of the Week title for two consecutive weeks last month and went on to claim the number five spot on NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Albums of 2019 list.
NEW LEASE MUSIC has linked up with the newcomer-on-the-rise to discuss the album, his plans for 2020 and more…
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How’s 2020 treating you so far?
DT: Well thank you for asking me to be a part of it. So far, the year has been great! I was able to play on the biggest stage in my home city (Saskatoon) to end 2019 and two of my featured collaborations have been released already this month. It’s been a great start.
NLM: You released your album ‘The Come Up’ last year (which secured a well-deserved place at #5 on New Lease Music’s Top Ten Albums of 2019). Have you received other accolades on the album?
DT: That was a highlight for 2019 for sure. So far, “The Come Up” has gotten some coverage on a few blogs across the world. Your blog certainly showed it the most love up to this point. The biggest milestone from its release was when “Flex” achieved over 100 thousand streams over all platforms.
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
DT: I’ve been striving to be a professional musician since I was 13. Early on I was fortunate to be a part of a record label, but that experience was cut short before any real ground was covered. This album holds most of my story from then (2012) until now. The biggest challenge was doing everything myself in the production.
On another note, when you reviewed it back in December, I was really pleased to see you caught on to the “stages of a relationship” concept. My intention was to make a series of singles tell the events that brought me to this point of my life and career.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
DT: My personal favourite is “Better.” Even though the hook from “Done” was the first melody conceived for the whole project, “Better” was the first song completed for the project. The voice recording in the middle of the track was a cool story. I’ve just finished recording most of the song and I send my brother-in-law a clip on snapchat. He called me immediately and what you hear in the voice memo was the phone call. That song signified a change in my style, something really shifted after that song was made. Of course, It’s important to keep growing but it was a big step in the right direction.
NLM: Do you have any plans to release a video for any of the songs on the album?
DT: There are two out already actually. One for the first single “Trust Issues” and one for “Flex.” They are on my YouTube channel.
NLM: So how would you describe your sound to potential fans?
DT: I haven’t really figured that out myself yet, haha. Truth is I don’t really sound like anyone else. I’m heavily inspired by early Mike Posner (when he was a Hip-Hop singer), the pre-pop star version of The Weeknd, Drake, and Ne-Yo. Some compare my style to Tory Lanez because I fit right in the middle of Rnb and Rap, but at the end of the day I’m just my own thing, “Dorian Thorson.”
NLM: If you had the chance to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist on the album, who would it be?
DT: Drake feature would fit perfect.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
DT: I’m just enjoying the ride and thankful I can get paid to do what I love to do, so nothing on the industry’s part. When it comes to the people that I’ve run into outside of the industry, I wish they weren’t such haters. It’s funny how some will congratulate you when you’ve become successful, but their blood leaves their face at the same time. That’s when you know they’re hoping for you fail. I’d say that would be the one thing that I’d like to change. Everyone be more supportive, man! That hater shit is whack.
NLM: How can potential fans contact you?
DT: You can find my music on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music, Tidal, Deezer, and all by searching “Dorian Thorson.” If you want to contact me, Instagram is best. I’m on Youtube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Tiktok via @dorianthorson. Twitter is a bit different at @dorthorson.
NLM: Finally, any New Year’s resolution(s)?
DT: I was hoping to take a break from making music for a while, but now I find myself busier than I’ve ever been. I’m just going to be consistent with giving my followers new music and hope to grow the following worldwide. On a personal note, I’m looking to get my physical and mental health back in order.
New York based duo LION BABE (comprised of singer / songwriter Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman) drop their latest release, ‘Hot In Herre’, onto today’s spotlight.
New Lease Music 