Tag: soul music

Song of the Day: Sunshine – Micah Willis

MICAH WILLIS is a rising pop singer with old soul sensibility when it comes to instrumentation and production, this would seem natural as Micah is the son of blues great Kenny Neal. His single, ‘Sunshine’, which comes off the upcoming mixtape, ‘Who The Hell Is Micah Willis,’ was recorded in Baton Rouge with Kennys band brings a gospel-like emotive and inspirational lyrics sung with powerful female backing vocals strengthen the belting delivery of Micah over an organ’s swirl, glittering with the guitar of Kenny Neal.

‘Sunshine’ came into existence after Micah felt a wave of hope on a plane ride home from a successful gig in Orlando. He says this is the fastest a song has ever come together for him. The reason that wave of hope lead to such a powerful single is Micah suffers from anxiety and depression and like a lot of us it has been more challenging in recent years.

The more he shared the outline of the song, the more people were quick to jump on board – first producer Chance Clift, then Christian Lucy on keys. Micah then sent it to his father Kenny Neal who on hearing it wanted to bring his full band in. Micah realising the connection this song was making brought in some amazing vocalists Mimi Knowles and Raven Flowers to fill out the sonic hug.

Micah says of creating the single: “I haven’t ever experienced creating a song the way we created this. I feel like there was so much love in every session we did with this song, and that is what this song is all about. Love, hope, and happiness.”

Have a listen to ‘Sunshine’ below…

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Listen to Teon Gibbs’ Single, ‘Easy’, Inspired by True Love.

Hip hop artist TEON GIBBS is quickly becoming one of the most well known voices coming out of Canada. His second soulful single from his own label (100 Collective Records) ‘Easy,’ is inspired by new love – one that has successfully moved from friends to lovers. For Teon, the relationship snapped into place and felt easy.

Teon says of his memerising offering:“‘Easy’ is meant to feel like floating, kind of embodying the joy of a new relationship with someone and trying to hold on to those moments of new love. I developed the drum pattern and then brought in an A-list Team. Falcxne, JT, Jaspa, Jub and Nate from Potatohead People and I created this song off of pure synergy. This genre-bending single feels like a milestone moment in my career growth, and sound exploration. Feel like it gives people a taste of what’s to come next.”

Originally from Botswana, Teon has lived in the UK, South Africa and Angola before settling in Vancouver, Canada. He’s currently working with 3 x Grammy Award winning producer Chin Injeti (whose Grammy wins include: Eminem’s Recovery, Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Lecrae’s Gravity) to perfect his genre-bending soulful trademark – a sound that’s already praised by the likes of Exclaim! and Complex UK.

Why not check out the lyric video for ‘Easy’ below…

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Ev Bird shares the ‘Puff Piece’ EP

Montréal-based artist, EV BIRD‘s EP ‘Puff Piece’ has been out just under a month and has already been tipped by the likes of FADER, Stereogum and Exclaim.

Sonically, the EP seamlessly ties together the worlds of slacker-rock, jazz, prog, hip-hop and R&B, slipping into a world also occupied by the likes of Mac Demarco, Yellow Days and HOMESHAKE. It’s a smorgasbord of genres that Ev molds into a sound that feels equal parts instantly familiar while refreshingly new.

Speaking about the release, Ev explains:“Puff Piece is an assortment of songs written and recorded at home over the last couple of years, which I’m very excited to share. The album started with a handful of guitar or piano ideas that I built up over time and shaped to my liking. The lyrical content on the album I think was a product of the time when things were uncertain and looking grim. It all came together though after teaming up with Noah Rubin and Boldy James, both of whom were a pleasure to work with.”

Have a listen to ‘Puff Piece’ below…

Must Listens: White Light

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OUT TODAY: Listen To Yaz León’s EP, ‘It’s only takeout Ma’

Led by the two well-received singles she released this summer ‘August’ and ‘Silent Mode’, and having been championed by the likes of BBC Introducing, Vogue Paris, Worldwide FM, Dummy Magazine, and British Council’s Selector Radio recently, emerging West London neo-soul singer, musician, and producer YAZ LEÓN releases her resounding new debut EP, ‘It’s Only Takeout Ma’.

Written and produced by Yaz León herself, with additional production from Ess West, and live instrumentation from Luke Bachuss, Seun Folayan, Jack Oliver, and Starkey the Messenger, the six-track EP sees the Spanish Iraqi native exploring her familial and romantic relationships, while also having conversations with herself about these emotional ties. Sonically, she experiments with interesting production and soundscapes, weaving through and merging genres such as soul, funk, R&B, and pop music, to tell her stories, and explore topics like nostalgia, distrust, intimacy, and toxic masculinity.

Citing influences such as Childish Gambino, Erykah Badu, Paco de Lucia, George Benson, and Kendrick Lamar, Yaz León pushes her songwriting to new heights on this project, making use of multifaceted storytelling and lyrical narration to create a work of art that can truly speak to everyone – whether it’s ‘August’ where she reminisces about falling in love with a girl for the first time and comes out to her family, or ‘Spend Your Coins Here’, which pushes against fragile pride and selfishness, or the narrative ‘Dunya’ about maturing through life’s growing pains.

‘It’s Only Takeout Ma’ was released today (28th October) across all good music platforms. Have a listen below…

Must Listen: August, Spend Your Coins Here

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Listen To Nia Chennai’s Debut Single, ‘Players Part.’

Hailing from South London, NIA CHENNAI presents her debut single, ‘Players Part’ which possesses a soulful down-tempo vibe where Nia’s hypnotic tone takes on the influences of Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu.

The multi-talented artist began her musical journey at the tender age of six when her dad had bought her a Sing Star set, and she couldn’t stop singing Tina Turner’s hit, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ . Growing up in a household with the likes of Mariah Carey & Toni Braxton playing through the speakers, it wasn’t too long before Nia picked up a microphone of her own. After years of honing her craft, Nia Chennai is now ready to show us what she’s made of and is currently working on her EP set for release in 2023.

But for now, get a taste of her EP and listen to ‘Players Part’…

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