Montreal-born, Toronto-raised queer pop artist JENNARIE‘s sophomore luscious jazz single ‘Stop (you can let it go),’is a vibey and motivational piece, anchored by luscious vocals and a splash of jazz harmonies reminiscent of Yebba and Amy Winehouse.
“I’ve learned to detect the subtle yet potent presence of resentment in my body—a tightening in my chest, a tendency to ruminate on others’ choices or actions (or lack thereof). Recognizing this, I redirect my focus inward,” Jennarie explains on the track. “The opening line, “When you point your finger at another, you are pointing at the mirror,” speaks to the process of healing people-pleasing tendencies and transforming resentment into self-empowerment and love.”
“Stop (you can let it go),” is a vibey R&B and pop track featuring lush vocal stacks and a splash of jazz harmony that inspires listeners to choose compassion and self-love. “I aim for “Stop (you can let it go)” to serve as a beacon of empowerment for those grappling with comparison, judgment, and gossip,” Jennarie said. “Drawing from my DBT practice, I hope the song’s themes offer both instruction and comfort to those in need.”
Jennarie first cut her teeth in the Toronto music scene, where she gained a powerful stage presence by performing regular live shows all over town. She’s continued to make waves and build a strong name for herself in the years since, with renowned Canadian print and online magazine. The WholeNote recently hailing her for her “big voice, fearless delivery, ebullient sense of rhythm, and bubbles of humor.”
She enlisted producer Nick Tateishi for the project, who recently provided production to singer and songwriter Francois Klark’s JUNO Award-nominated 2022 sophomore album, Adventure Book, and is known for his work with the likes of Clerel, HILLARI, and Kiki Rowe, to name a few.
As the summer breeze kicks in and the temperature rises, London based rapper and producer 705 taps Afrobeats artist MillyLee to keep things a little chilled with brand new single, ‘Too Cool’.
‘Too Cool’ possesses a soft Afroswing vibe, filled with positivity and self love, with 705 singing: “I’m too cool like the North Pole”. MillyLee exudes nothing but self confidence as he slams some blazing versus against the hazing backdrop.
‘Too Cool’ is the follow-up to the equally smooth track ‘Sauce’, which received praises from Roadie Music and, of course, NEW LEASE MUSIC. Why not have a listen below…
UK R&B queen SHAÉ UNIVERSE shares the her timeless new project ‘Love’s Letter’ via The Orchard. A release steeped in R&B nostalgia, the ten track project explores what it would mean for love to send you a letter for every phase of life.
Collaborating with producers from both sides of the Atlantic, the project combines Shaé’s once-in-a-lifetime raw vocal talent with sultry guitar melodies, old-school-flows and modern gritty bounces. Covering romantic love, self-love, lack of love and the role of love in spirituality, ‘Love’s Letter’ is a transformative project crafted to help listeners process their pain.
Love’s Letter opens with inspirational words from Shaé’s mother, taken from one of their real life heart-to-hearts on self love, identity and owning your spirit. The sultry guitar melodies and relaxed groove of ‘Love Self’ set the tone for this intimate, vulnerable sonic journey. Shaé made her much-anticipated COLORS debut last year with radiant ‘Summertime’, a soulful paean to a lost love. Ethereal 00’s R&B cut ‘LOML’ is next, which landed last year to acclaim from CRACK, NME and spins across BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, KISS Fresh and more. Empowering new single ‘Oh, Wait…’ details Shaé finding her inner strength after a betrayal.
Speaking on making ‘Oh, Wait…’, Shaé said – “The unpredictability of each musical section is reflective of how caught off guard I was when I wrote this song. I’d just found out my ex had cheated on me and I was still in absolute shock. This song is extra dear to my heart because at the time I didn’t speak to anyone about it immediately, but Ari Pensmith (songwriter) and Akeel Henry (producer) created such a safe space in the studio that day, I felt comfortable enough to outwardly express my feelings on the situation for the first time.”
Recent single ‘What’s Luv?’ is a sun-dappled tune shot through with breezy guitar licks and Shaé’s ethereal vocal runs, as she muses on the importance of self-love. Bittersweet breakup tune ‘Passenger Princess’ is next, which landed last year with a video featuring frequent collaborator Kojey Radical and drew heat from the likes of NME, Vibe, Wonderland, COLORS, GUAP, DMY, Complex UK, TRENCH and DJ Mag. Stripped-back interlude ‘Warzone’, meets vulnerable spoken word verses with Shaé’s honeyed runs as she deconstructs the turbulence at the end of a relationship. Imbued with honesty and the importance of understanding your own self worth, ‘No Capacity’ (produced by Sean Hamilton, Darkchild’s protegee) combines nostalgic dreamy essences with gritty bounces.
Feel-good anthem ‘More Than Enough’ features the only guest on the project – legendary US R&B star Lalah Hathaway, a true testament to just how far this rising talent has come with the single opening with an intimate voicenote as the two singers arrange to meet in LA. Closing out the project is the cinematic, soulful goodbye ‘Sincerely,’ which layers Shaé’s vocals together with final words from Shaé as she says – “nothing in life is linear / it’s ok to be ok and then not be ok and then be ok again / it’s ok to meet yourself where you’re at everyday / and sometimes you’re going to have to learn that lesson again / and again / before you overcome it / but the most important thing is that you overcome”.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2017, British-Nigerian artist Shaé Universe has made waves in the UK, West Africa and beyond making music that engages, enchants and inspires. Her mother a gospel singer and her father a pastor, Shaé weaves her spirituality, faith and sensuality through her work. Shaé is an artist who can both sing and rap, has been co-signed by the likes of Lalah Hathaway, Jorja Smith and Little Simz and has remained entirely independent – navigating the industry on her own terms.
Now in her new era following performances at legendary festivals around the world including Glastonbury, SXSW, Roskilde, De Roma Festival, The Great Escape and a lead feature on Phabo’s latest album ‘Don’t Get Too Cozy’, Shaé has truly taken her music to a global stage. With fans at the likes of British Vogue, NME, VICE, Rolling Stone, BET, Billboard, Highsnobiety, Complex, Wonderland and NOTION, and recently announced as a Pandora Artist to Watch for 2024 – this year has Sha Universe written all over it. Check out ‘Love’s Letter’ below…
Must Listens: Self Love; LOML; Oh Wait…;More Than Enough,
Fresh from supporting Griff on her only Australian headline show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre earlier this month, celebrated and widely beloved Eora/Sydney R&B artist, musician, producer, engineer and music video director MILAN RING shares her latest single ‘Quicksand’, out now via Astral People Recordings.
Hallmarking her emergence into a playful and inquisitive new era, ‘Quicksand’ also acts as a tether to Milan’s previous incarnation, finding her addressing and reflecting on her younger self. With stacks of soulful, autotuned harmonies, shimmering, celestial-toned synth arps, a dusty beat and accents of Milan’s ever-nimble guitar work, she touches on past struggles of breaking through glass ceilings and imposter syndrome to presently wanting to be held in love by someone, “but also the polarity that ultimately you need to hold yourself,” she explains. ‘Quicksand’ is the sound of gracefully sinking into the compassion and the care that comes from accepting your own capacity to contain multitudes, sometimes harmonious, other times in contradiction, but always yourself.
Of the track, Milan elaborates: “Quicksand is about accepting yourself as you are and allowing love in. Having the safety and grounding of a love that allows you to take risks, go forward and break through the limitations and barriers that the world places on us, and that we internalise. The metaphor is that even when you appear to be climbing, the ladder is simultaneously sinking without that solid foundation”.
‘Quicksand’ follows up the previously released ‘Mangos’, a balmy and love-struck single that marked Milan’s return to new solo music since the release of her acclaimed 2021 debut LP I’m Feeling Hopeful. Co-produced by 18YOMAN, ‘Mangos’ landed as the fullest and most distilled expression of Milan Ring’s beguiling talents to date, seeing the multi-faceted artist weaving the Guzheng into her songwriting for the first time in a purposeful nod to her Chinese heritage. A homage to a summer love affair, crackling with humidity and longing, oozing a weightless, hazy giddiness, ‘Mangos’ earned praise and support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, COLORS, NME, ACCLAIM, Wonderland Magazine, Northern Transmissions and many more, alongside rotation adds in Australia from Double J, FBi Radio, 2SER and airplay across triple j and community radio stations around the country.
With sold-out gigs, music video directing credits, a performance at All Points East, and an Amazon Prime documentary under her belt, Northamptonshire singer-songwriter MEGZZ topped off a stellar year with her EP ‘Through the Motions’.
Blending her own mix of R&B, neo-soul, and pop, Megzz has taken 2023 by the horns by releasing two singles off her upcoming EP after featuring as one of the subjects of the Amazon Prime documentary ‘Unsigned’ (following the journeys of AMEX’s unsigned artists) at the end of 2022. Believing music is a powerful therapy to herself & others, Megzz’s lyricism focuses on empowerment, self-love and transparency around mental health struggles.
“The EP is an unapologetically honest and personal body of work that explores themes of consent, boundaries and self-love, grief, mental health struggles, and most importantly – recovery”, Meggz said. “Though it explores difficult topics, Through The Motions remains empowering and inspiring; encouraging others to find strength in expressing their feelings and owning their own story.”
Through the Motions will feature two brand new tracks, including ‘Motions’, a song that Megzz has held close to her heart for years. Written in 2019 as a personal mantra before becoming lyrics, ‘Motions’ is described by Megzz as “the sunset on the bad days, and the sunrise on the good days”. Rather than being written reflectively, ‘Motions’ is about the present “going through” of mental health struggles and dealing with how “horrible, uncomfortable feelings come in waves, and it’s all about riding out those waves”. Waves and the sound of water are an integral part of Through the Motions, as the EP is all about going through the motions, allowing feelings, and taking power in the process.
Through The Motions is accompanied by the release of short documentary style video, documenting Megzz’s journey of creating the EP whilst battling with her own mental health struggles. EP Through the Motions will is out now via various music platforms. Check it out below…
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