‘My Soulful Baby’ is the latest in a series of R&B song releases produced, written and performed by DC singer Yona Marie AKA RACHEL MARIE.
The 27-year-old smooth songbird was previously featured on NEW LEASE MUSIC with tracks, ‘New Habit’, ‘King Status’ and ‘High’, which garnered over 100,000 listeners and 20,000 downloads.
This latest release is a real sultry affair; check it out below and get your copy for FREE via SoundCloud.
Multi-instrumentalist hip-hop collective 2U4U release their second track ‘GURL’, mixed by acclaimed studio engineer Aaron Ahmad (Adele, Mark Ronson), ahead of their ‘Butter’ EP release on 6th July.
Upholding their distinctive sound by blending rap, jazz and RnB, 2U4U have created a relaxed texture-rich track with hints of old-school hip-hop. Reminiscing about respective love stories in the hazy summer months, ‘GURL’ sees rappers cal and My Rugema combining lyrical ambiguity with aspects of neo-soul to detail their previous love affairs. Newcomer Majella also contributes to the track, lending his mellifluous vocals to a hook peppered with astrological symbolism. Whilst fusing a Wurlitzer and an electric piano, the group’s producer Ranbir unifies pacifying bass riffs with crisp, evocative drum beats, enabling the mellow tune to create a warm, summery vibe.
The three founding members, all hailing from Rugby and South London, met during their school years having bonded over a joint love of music. Citing various influences including Erykah Badu, Ty and Madlib, the group spent the summer of 2016 honing their craft of thematically-driven rap; it’s this dedicated nature that has gained them support by the likes of Dummy, The 405, Dazed as well as Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Since releasing singles ‘Home’ and ‘Fall’, the group have found themselves on Spotify’s ‘Alternative Hip Hop’ and XL Recording’s ‘XL Play’ playlists, proving that 2U4U are transforming fame with their unflawed, soulful sounds.
As promised, here’s QUINCY‘s second drop of the month, ‘You’re Crazy I’m Fine’.
A slightly slower affair to track ‘Snuggle Up’ – featured yesterday on NEW LEASE MUSIC – QUINCY switches it up and delivers a seamless flow which cruises over an atmospheric and an almost afterhours effort.
‘You’re Crazy I’m Fine’ is now available on all major download/streaming sites. Check out the single below:
Earlier this month, QUINCY released TWO tracks on his birthday.
The R&B singer/rapper drops his trademark of raging guitar plucks through ‘Snuggle Up’, making this almost four-and-a-half-minute production a straight up playfully smooth affair.
Check it out below…and be sure to tune in tomorrow to hear his second track…
NEW LEASE MUSIC caught up with singer/songwriter RĀI, to discuss the inspiration behind his new album, ‘Love’s On The Way’, his plans for the rest of the year… plus other bits and bobs! Get to know this talented smooth crooner…and be sure check out the album below:
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How’s life treating you?
RĀI: Life is really good. I’m very excited about my new album. I’ve getting such great feedback and really happy about it. You hope people will like it but you never really know until it is released so I’m glad people are enjoying it.
NLM: You released your album, ‘Love’s Is On The Way’ What the story behind the release?
RĀI: It really is about love. Love is the central theme of the album. Love at different stages and during different moments in our lives. If you are in love there are things you think about or deal with and when you are sort of waiting for love to come, then there’s a part of you that believes it’s on the way. That’s really the story. I wanted to create something that felt good, that made people feel good and want to love.
NLM: You released you single of the same name ahead of the album. What’s the public’s reception on the production?
RĀI: People seem to really like the song. I like the song but I was pleasantly surprised to see how people have received the song.
NLM: What’s your favourite single from the album and why?
RĀI: My favorite is probably ‘How to Love’. It’s my most personal song on the album. The song is sort of a confession of not really knowing how to love, how to be successful in a relationship. You know many people get in relationships but not many would admit that they don’t always know what they are doing and even fewer would actually ask someone to teach them how to love. I wrote and arranged the vocals for that song so another reason why it’s probably my favorite.
NLM: What was your inspiration for writing the album?
RĀI: Wanting to write an album that felt very reminiscent to albums a grew up listening to. I wanted to put positive energy in the universe of course but I also wanted to try to create a piece of work that people could hit play and just let it ride to the end. So I hope I came close to that.
NLM: What are your hopes and expectations for the album?
RĀI: I hope and expect the album to do well. It was done and created with love so I hope people feel that. I hope it inspires someone. Maybe someone who’s has given up on a dream to get back at it and just jump! I hope it helps in the healing process of someone who’s been broken in a relationship. So my hope for the album is that it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. I look forward to seeing exactly what that is!
NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?
RĀI: I would say my sound is R&B/Soul. You may hear sound or be reminded of a few of my favorites like Maxwell, or Ne-Yo or Joe or Eric Benet. But a smooth, soul sound that’s familiar but new and fresh.
NLM: Besides the release of your EP, what are your plans for the rest of 2018?
RĀI: I’m going to continue to promote the project, do many more performances and work on new music. I recorded over 60 songs for this project so I’m gonna go back and see how many of them I still like and see if I start to feel the vibe of the next project.
NLM: If you had to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist on your album, who would it be?
RĀI: That’s easy. My only living idol- Maxwell.
NLM: Finally, how can potential fans make contact with you?
RĀI: You can find me on Instagram @raimusicworld or Facebook @therealraimusic or Twitter @raimusicworld or my website therealrai.com
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