Shihori Unveils R&B-Tinged Ballad, ‘Harmonizer’

SHIHORI‘s new track ‘Harmonizer’, is a nostalgia-tinged R&B pop ballad, with the LA-based singer-songwriter showcasing her dreamy vocals, reminiscing on her true love and the magical connection they shared together.

Shihori explains, “In 2020, I began a journey to rediscover myself after I lost confidence, releasing several tracks that explored topics of self-compassion and self-acceptance. Being in love is like creating art, and when people love one another, they create something beautiful together that previously didn’t exist: like carving a unique sculpture out of solid rock. ‘Harmonizer’ is a celebration of the unlimited joy and creativity that results from these relationships.”

Born in Japan, Shihori has achieved phenomenal success in her home country as a singer and songwriter. With 12 Gold Disc Certified hits and multiple top fives in the official Japanese hit chart, Shihori’s career encompasses music written and performed for stage, film, television, anime and video games.

Following her move to the United States, Shihori has received a number of accolades, including wins at the Rome Music Video Awards, Auber International Film Festival and Euro Music Video Song Awards. Shihori also composed and performed the theme song to the video game League of Legends (‘Battle Queens 2020’), which has received 1.2 million views on YouTube and over 2.2 million streams on Spotify to date.

‘Harmonizer’ follows the 2021 release of Shihori’s debut album, Mutation, which explored her journey of personal change and transcendence in the next evolution of herself. Have a listen to the dream-like beauty below…

Song of the Day: Exposed – Neela

NEELA has leant a lot from making her latest single, ‘Exposed’. Pure, raw and unapologetically her, the young songstress used this song to begin the healing process of years of feeling insecure – and is now ready to share her experience.

“I used to weigh 240 lbs for most of my life,” Neela confides. “I’ve been scrutinized and bullied for my body size. Although my body went through a transformation, it also left stretch marks and loose skin. These experiences created a lot of insecurities and it’s been a journey to accept and love my story, body, and identity.”

‘Exposed’ is also about experiencing that unconditional love where one can be their true self. The single is the title track from Neela’s upcoming EP – be sure to look out for that. Until then, why not listen to the heartfelt single below…

Song of the Day: One More Night – Tony Luke Jr.

Tony Luke Jr. beautifully expresses his grief in ‘One More Night.’ This beautifully crafted heartfelt piano ballad is inspired by his late son’s death, after a grueling battle with addiction in 2017. The song is composed of delicate piano chords joined with Tony’s rich, emotive voice to create a track that will touch any heart who has experienced loss.

Following his lost, Tony Luke Jr started The Sound Mind Network, with multi-Grammy award winner Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo, where he will be donating all of the proceeds of ‘One More Night’ to the organization. The Sound Mind Network has grown immensely over the last few years with support from The Bacon Brothers (Kevin and Michael Bacon), Cyndi Lauper, Kathy Sledge, Wyclef Jean, G. Love and Special Sauce, Taj Mahal, ElectraQueens, Cory Singer, Bailey James, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Tony Luke Jr. himself.

The music video shows the pain and emotion behind Tony Luke Jr.’s raw lyrics. The setting’s sparsity of Tony standing with a microphone, no instrument in hand, immersed in the music brings attention to the message. The true focus is on the emotional story, adding an even more personal touch to an already personal song.

The instrumentals do not overpower him. We get close-ups of the different instruments used in the song, which make them more noticeable in the background of the track. This allows you to sink into the song more and really let it wash over you. Such a powerful song needs only a simple video to accompany it, and Tony did just that.

Have a listen to the touching ballad below…

Song of the Day: Condado – Chris Jedi (ft. Young Miko & Lunay)

CHRIS JEDI, the renowned producer and mastermind behind hits like “Ahora Dice” and his most recent triumph alongside Chencho Corleone, Anuel and Ñengo Flow, “La llevo al cielo,” adds some spice to today’s hotspot with his latest single ‘Condado’ featuring Young Miko and Lunay.

‘Condado’ is a powerful reggaeton that makes every fiber of the body vibrate. Chris Jedi appears as the main artist singing the first verses of the song and revealing his multifaceted talent, which is backed by his unstoppable hits. For his part, Young Miko sets out to try out a new style that further affirms his rapid growth in the urban genre.

Known for his collaborations with giants of urban music such as Daddy Yankee, Wisin & Yandel and J Balvin among others, Chris Jedi has also become the godfather of new talents that emerge on the Enchanted Island. Now he is once again mesmerizing his followers with this new release and is also the producer of the most recent hit by Spanish singer Rosalía, “Despecha,” which is already positioned in the Top 10 of the global charts. Chris Jedi is, without a doubt, a hitmaker and ‘Condado’. Start your weekend right and hit that play button on the fire track below…

OUT TODAY: Listen To Qbanaa’s Debut Single, ‘Truth and Desire’

Citing Erykah Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kali Uchis, Khruangbin, Amy Winehouse and Greentea Peng as inspirations, Cuban/Irish jazzy neo-soul singer-songwriter OBANAA – pronounced Cubana- has released her debut single ‘Truth and Desire’.

With a catchy bassline and soulful vocals ‘Truth and Desire’ mixes Qbanaa’s Spanish and English native tongues to create a flirty song celebrating the euphoria of re-discovering love after long periods of loneliness and includes choir like sections resembling the honeymoon period of new lovers.

Qbanaa explains the inspiration of ‘Truth and Desire’: “The song was inspired by 1989 and 2008 movie ‘The Little Mermaid’ – I’m sure people will think ‘oh that’s a bit weird’. But if you look into it, there’s some insane soul and beautiful ethereal sounds in there that I took inspiration from. The movie is all about the unconditional nature of pure love, and the universal power of music, which really resonated with me growing up and carries the theme of Truth and Desire, it was the first thing I thought of when I opened the track.’

Qbanaa’s collaboration ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘New Day’ with Absentee was well received, featuring on BBC Across The Line, Hot Press, Peter Curtin RTE 2XM and Nialler9’s Best New Music playlist. With such warm feedback, she took to South East London by herself to immerse herself in the jazz/soul scene. Sharpening her skills with live performances at multiple jazz venues in London and venues in Dublin, Qbanaa has finally decided to take the plunge and write her debut single with R&B and hip-hop producer Mickzart – Truth and Desire.

‘Truth and Desire’ is out today (7th of October) across various music platforms. Have a listen below…