Following the release of her debut track ‘L.O.V.E’, pop artist RVBY brings on a vibrant single entitled ‘Honey Bee’ via Funnel Music.
The first of a series of singles, ‘Honey Bee’ demonstrates the fun and unique energy of the Bristol native singer. Her quirky, cutting edge pop sound is highlighted in her clever song writing, catchy rhythms and upbeat production.
“Honey Bee is about big dreamers.” states RVBY. “But when those people get caught up in the daily routine of their working lives it can stop the colour from coming in. I wrote this song to say I have the same big dream and I’m going to try and make it a reality.”
RVBY‘s debut ‘L.O.V.E’ was included in Amazon Music’s ‘Girl Squad’ playlist, as well as receiving support from Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing. No stranger to the live circuit, she performed 20 university shows for Coffee House Sessions last year, and more recently supported Self Esteem at Ramsgate Music Hall in Kent.
So put a little colour in your life and listen to ‘Honey Bee’ below:
Introducing SHIRAZ HEMPSTOCK, the young songbird who made an impressive entry on the blog with single, ‘Simmer Down’. As one of the most exciting artists to have come out of the UK, who received support from the likes of BBC 1xtra and BBC Radio One, it’s only natural that NEW LEASE MUSIC hook up with the newcomer…
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. So what have you been up to in the music circuit?
SH: Released two tracks ‘Done The Dirty’ and ‘Simmer Down’ and have a track going out shortly being released on Pussyfoot Records called Rain, Tilt Ft Shiraz, going out on a couple of different mixes, which I’m really looking forward to as it’s a little bit different from my current stuff.
Also, I’ll be supporting Leee John from imagination at the Jam House Birmingham on 6th June.
NLM: Your single’ Simmer Down’ has been named Song of the Month by NEW LEASE MUSIC last month. What was the public reception of the single?
SH: The public reception of the song was amazing, it was taken on by BBC Introducing, who then forwarded it to BBC WM, Radio 1XTRA and BBC R1, it has a lot of following still.
NLM: What’s your inspiration behind the single?
SH: I don’t tend to have any inspo behind my songs, I tend to just write where my heart takes me. It tends to be an imaginative story that I make up there and then, I tend to dive in deep to any emotions this character may be feeling.
NLM: So how would you describe your sound to potential fans?
SH: My sound is very RnB pop.
NLM: If you had to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist, who would it be?
SH: If I had to collaborate with one mainstream artist it would be Drake as he uses a lot of Rnb and pop clips throughout his albums.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
SH: I don’t have any wishes for the music industry to change, but if there were to be one then it would be for everything to be fair.
NLM: So what are your plans for this year?
SH: My plans are to get an EP released hopefully, do a couple more gigs and festivals and to get myself out to the public eye more!
NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?
Ahead of his tour with Kamasi Washington, OSCAR JEROME revealed his striking new video for latest single ‘Misty Head / Sunny Street’ alongside the announcement of his next London show which will see him make the ascent from EartH to Heaven – with his biggest headliner to date booked at the latter venue for November 19th 2019.
The new video sees the warped jazz-indebted funk of ‘Misty Head / Sunny Street’ – supported by the likes of 6 Music, Radio 1 and 1Xtra – set against a thought-provoking video that explores themes of gender, identity and self-expression. The four-minute production was made in collaboration with director Sam Rigal and Oscar’s brother Alfie Laurence, aka Moth, who is a drag and performance artist whose surreal androgynous work using himself as a canvas aims to dissect and subvert notions of gender, beauty and the alien other.
‘Misty Head / Sunny Street’ is the latest addition to a vibrant back-catalogue that’s unquestionably marked Oscar out as a tour de force in the burgeoning London jazz scene that he calls home.
Clap your eyes on the video for ‘Misty Head/Sunny Street below:
Earlier this year, BEN HOWARD reminded everyone why he won two Brit Awards in 2013 when he released his new single, ‘Heave Ho’. It happened during the conclusion of his four-show run at Brixton Academy in January. The shows are part of a massive tour that promotes Howard’s new and third album, Noonday Dream, which was released back in June 2018. HITC’s Christopher Weston hit the nail on the head when he called ‘Heave Ho’ “an accomplished, satisfying single; exactly what you’d expect from Ben Howard at this point,” further explaining that it’s bound to strike a chord with Howard’s established audiences.
And indeed, if online comments are any indication, his fans are – to say the least – highly intrigued. While ‘Heave Ho’ might pass as a hidden track from 2018’s Noonday Dream, its dark, complex, and solemn energy is highly divorced from his debut album’s sound – 2011’s Every Kingdom was arguably more pop than folk. With ‘Heave Ho’, Howard seems intent on experimenting with the possibilities of his neo-folk sound – less pop and more sentimentally otherworldly, arguably also more honest and possibly closer to his true calling. Fans both hate and love this new Ben Howard who’s unravelling right before our ears and eyes.
The mixed fan reactions towards Howard’s new music are to be expected. You don’t get to be the winner of the Brit Awards for British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist without garnering mixed attention. Apart from these accolades, Howard’s star status was practically set in stone last year when he joined artists like St. Vincent, Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar, Massive Attack, and N.E.R.D. at Stradbally’s annual Electric Picnic arts-and-music festival, which Lottoland notes is often called “the Irish Glastonbury”. There’s no word yet on whether or not Howard will be joining Electric Picnic this year – Leinster Express reveals that the festival will be dropping its line upon March 13. And whether or not Howard will be there, it’s going to be a long wait until the festival happens on August 30. Until then, his new stuff can be heard online, with ‘Heave Ho’ being joined by three other new tracks released late last year.
But unlike ‘Heave Ho’, Howard’s releases from September 2018 – Sister, Another Friday Night, and the Sylvan Esso collaboration Hot Heavy Summer – were actually recorded during the sessions for Noonday Dream. Speaking with the NME, Howard explained that during the recording of that particular album, “There were little gems that we didn’t know what to do with but it felt right to put these 3 together, both separate and a part of the album so to speak.” He also added that he was lucky to have had a chance to collaborate with Amelia Meath, also known as the voice behind electro folk-pop duo Sylvan Esso, explaining that once they finished recording Hot Heavy Summer, “the track just felt right for her.”
Armed with a strange new single in ‘Heave Ho’, three new tracks from late 2018, and touring heavily this year, speculation is rife about whether Howard’s next album is going to be released by 2019. With any luck, it’ll be released soon, and will carry with it the same experimental, brutally honest neo-folk sensibility that makes Heave Ho instantly unforgettable. If you are a fan of Ben Howard and looking for a similar artist, we recommend Pedro Syrah.
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