OUT TODAY: Karen Harding Shares Title Track From Upcoming EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’

Following the release of her first six singles, KAREN HARDING returns with the first single release and title track from her Upcoming EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. Written during the Melbourne, Australia Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, dramatic singer-songwriter single, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ dives straight into the heart of fear and anxiety, when sharing a less than perfect side, that you know leaves you open to judgement from others.

Karen says of the single: “We live in a world that is filled with images of perfection.. Where we believe that to be good enough, we must line up with the messages that essentially only show the highlight reels of a life. This leads us to locking away our own vulnerabilities.. That is, until you reach a point, where you realise that your struggles are a secret that no one knows about. The idea of sharing these fills us with fear, questioning and mistrust, and this is the message within ‘I’ve Got A Secret’.”

Hailing from Melbourne, Karen has been steadily growing her following and name, having won the November 2021 Bendigo Bank sponsored Independent Songwriter Talent Show on Radio Eastern FM in Melbourne, Australia, for her single, ‘Anxiety’, Top 10 winner for the World Songwriting Awards, for her single, ‘Something Special’ and a nominee for Best International Artist on Crags Radio Independent Artist Awards in February 2022.

Karen Harding’s music has also had recent attention and plays on Bree Noble’s ‘Women of Substance’ podcast, online radio shows including ‘Good Music Radio’, ‘DTong Radio’, ‘382 Radio’, ‘Eagles Nest Radio’ and ‘Oz Now Radio’ and has been gaining attention through her plays on local Australian community radio.

‘I’ve Got A Secret’ is taken from Karen’s upcoming EP. The four track EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ is being released one single at a time, each month, and will be available in its entirety by October 2022. The EP is available for purchase at Bandcamp in digital download and CD formats.

Listen to ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ below…

YV Shells Takes His Neo-Soul & Punk Influences To A New Level With New Single, ‘LOSS’.

South London multimedia artist YV SHELLS‘ single, ‘LOSS’ sees him taking his Neo-Soul and Punk influences to a new level, creating a totally mesmerising sound.

Produced and directed by Yv himself, LOSS deals with the destructive nature of addiction to another person or a substance. Romantic riffs and punchy drums portray how the mind can be fooled into staying in a bad situation. He details the push and pull of abuse, using his captivating vocals to tell the tale.
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YV shares: “LOSS is a reflection on an addictive relationship and looking at how you can lose yourself in these situations. It’s a song about trying to separate the bad from the good and the paradoxical nature of wanting to stay in a bad situation.”

Born and raised in South London, Yvonne Shelling (his mother was hoping for a girl) makes music that combines his creative and chaotic energy with a sincere message: love honestly. A true multi-hyphenate, his talents extend beyond music to film, art and photography, having been featured in and supported by the V&A and Venice Film Festival.

Inspired by the likes of Bon Iver, Frank Ocean and Joy Division, it was during times of isolation in the pandemic that Yv started to experiment with playing the piano and began exploring new sounds. He enjoys bringing experimentation to the stage with a range of tracks that span Reggae/Dub to Rock and RnB.

Check check the video for YV Shells’ epic single below…

STORRY Puts Rebuilds Her Life On New Single, ‘Intimate Abuse.’

STORRY is a sex-positive, queer, feminist, left-brained artist who is pushing culture forward. Writing and producing, she is intrinsically involved in all aspects of her career from designing album covers to directing award-winning music videos.

Her art is raw and honest to the max. After surviving an abusive relationship, the Toronto-born songstress was left with the shards of broken self-esteem caused by trauma that she needed to put back together again. Her latest single, ‘Intimate Abuse’ is about finding someone amazing and loving, who saw her as beautiful in all of her complexity.

Though rooted in R&B/soul, STORRY is at home in many genres. The JUNO Awards nominated her for 2020 Reggae Recording of the Year, followed by a 2021 nod for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year.

Have a peep at the official video got ‘Intimate Abuse’ below…

Song of the Day: As It Seems – Alice Rowe

ALICE ROWE‘s single ‘As It Seems’, heavily explores elements of jazz and old school hip hop, flush with smooth melodies, uptempo R&B beats and Rowe’s soulful voice, but for all of the surface level peace, there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty brought about by the confusing world we all inhabit.

Here, the British songwriter takes us into further detail about the meaning behind ‘As It Seems’: “I wrote this track after attending an art exhibition in London ‘Alice in Wonderland – Curious & Curiouser’, the concept was about a girl who struggled to survive the confusing world of adults, she also struggled to come to terms with life and learnt that there are many layers/ mysteries. It is thought that Alice and several other characters secretly suffer from mental health issues which helped me to come up with the lyric ‘behind closed doors you can’t see, nothing is ever as it seems’, this is a metaphor for the many doors Alice opens in Wonderland and also for real life where you never know what’s truly going on.

After attending the exhibition I felt that the concept fit with my current thoughts at the time and it felt right that I explore that. I then created the project. The art work is also inspired by one of the pieces of art in the gallery which I have in my home studio. This track is really exciting for me as I feel like this is where I found my sound.”

Any prior listener of Alice Rowe’s will notice her development from edgy pop with a soul overtone into this new realm of jazz and hip-hop inspired soulful R&B, which the young artist promises plenty more of in the coming year. Not only is ‘As It Seems’ a great standalone single, but it’s also part of Rowe’s bigger project, titled Nothing is Ever As It Seems. Have a listen below…

Song of the Day: Livin’ – Cilla Raie

UK R&B singer CILLA RAIE continues feeding fans with new music, with the release of her second single of 2022 called ‘Livin’ produced by Grime producer, Treble Clef.

Experimenting with various sounds, Cilla takes a spin on her frontline R&B sounds mixing this in with influences of grime. Blending in her soft sultry vocals with the essence of confidence. Livin is about embracing who you are and living your life to the fullest despite what people may say, aligning with the idea and values of having no fear in this life.

Previously Cilla released her single ‘Longtime’ at the top of 2022, garnering support from BBC 1xtra and spotify editorial playlists. Becoming Trace Hit’s Recommendation for April aired across the week on SKY TV. In 2021, Cilla Raie released her ‘Reconnected’ EP which caught the attention of MTV, Wonderland Magazine, BBC 1Xtra, Capital Xtra and more. With her EP peaking at number 2 on the UK Itunes R&B/Soul Album Charts garnering further support from Reprezent, Earmilk, Apple News and more.

So from reading all her credentials, it’s very safe to say that you’re in very good company with Cilla Raie…have a listen to her latest ‘Livin’ below…