Tag: The Orchard

UK R&B queen Shaé Universe shares timeless album, ‘Love’s Letter’

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,

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Paige Bea Melds Spiralling Pop Hooks, Boundary Pushing Instrumentals And Timeless Songwriting On EP ‘Goodbye, Then!’

London-based singer, songwriter and producer PAIGE BEA‘s EP ‘Goodbye, Then!’ – self-released via The Orchard – re-establishes her within the alternative pop landscape after a 2 year hiatus from releasing music. To date, the EP has received wide acclaim and support from BBC R1 (Jack Saunders), Spotify (Fresh Finds UK & IE), COLORS, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH Magazine, Wonderland, The Rodeo, New Wave Magazine, enfnts terribles, The Pit LDN, Wordplay Mag and more.

Influenced by acts such as FKA Twigs, Tirzah, Caroline Polachek, Jockstrap, James Blake and Sampha – those sonic touch points are evident within Paige’s avant-garde, unpredictable productions as she melds spiralling pop hooks and boundary pushing instrumentals, with timeless songwriting and self-aware lyricism. ‘Goodbye, Then!’ sees the artist uniting with producers Leo Wyatt (aka KINDER) and Jonjo Keefe (Park Hotel).

The six-track EP explores the obsessions and projections that come with all relationships. From lustful beginnings (“4×4”) to shaky middles (‘Autopilot’ and ‘Melt’), bitter ends (‘Stay Still’) to rose-tinted re-imaginings of the past (‘The Quiet Of The Hours’ and ‘Goodbye, Then!’) – the music aims to chart how warped perceptions of romantic relationships directly lead to their downfall. Part catharsis and part warning signal – the songs are an attempt to take back the narrative and add some much needed glamour and thrill to the tricky process of letting go.

“The production, lyrical themes and aesthetics surrounding ‘Goodbye, Then!’ are a slow sharpening of my sense of self,” Paige explains. “It starts dark, murky and jagged and eventually reaches a place of clarity and peace. The maximalist approach to the EP is a significant contrast to how small I was made to feel – and that was important. These songs are about making myself the main character again and I want this EP to make those who listen feel empowered, sexy and resolute in stories of their own heartbreak too.”

‘Goodbye, Then!’ is out now for your inspection…have a peep below…

Must Listens: 4×4, Autopilot, Melt

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Saba Drops Soulful and Nostalgic Track, ‘Come My Way’ Featuring Krayzie Bone

The acclaimed Chicago rapper-producer and Pivot Gang Co-Founder SABA has teamed up with Cleveland rapper Krayzie Bone of the trailblazing GRAMMY Award-winning hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for new single ‘Come My Way.’

An ode to nostalgia and Saba growing up in his hometown Chicago, the latest offering is taken from Saba’s highly anticipated third solo album Few Good Things dropping on 4th February “Come My Way”, features Krayzie Bone’s signature flow adding a classic and familiar sound that helps ground the Daoud and daedaePIVOT co-produced track.

Speaking on the collaboration, Saba says: “When I think back on first discovering Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as a child, it immediately stood out to me as unique. I started paying attention and really learning how to rap from listening to them and trying to recite it. It felt honest and completely true to themselves — authentic in a way that doesn’t come around very often and in a way that will be impossible to recreate. Their mix of melody and rhythms that I had never heard is what connected with me in a way that other music just didn’t. It inspired me to be more creative.“

A successful independent artist, Saba has rooted his career in authenticity and musicality that’s made him one of his generation’s most important and unique voices. A major player in the Chicago scene who’s enviable career has seen him collaborate with and produce for the likes of Chance The Rapper, Noname, Mick Jenkins and more.

Following his first foray into making music at the age of 8 in his early adolescence, he built a recording studio in his Grandmother’s basement on the Westside of Chicago where he and a group of neighbourhood friends formed Pivot Gang. They began taking trains across the city to join creative youth organisations and perform at open mics.

Coming from a deeply musical family, Saba was influenced by his father, a Chicago R&B artist named Chandlar, at a young age who would bring him to the studio with him to record sounds of soul, R&B and jazz. All experiences that developed his sonic palette, sharpened his writing and performance skills and led him to be self-taught on a variety of musical instruments – an innate talent and musicality that has led to support from Pitchfork (8.7 Best New Music), NPR (#1 Hip-Hop Album of the Year for CARE FOR ME), Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Fader, FACT, Complex and more.

With new music on his slate for 2022, Saba is prepared to continue pushing musical boundaries on his climb to rap’s upper echelon.

‘Come My Way’ is available to stream now across all digital platforms via The Orchard. Have a listen below…

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