Following her breakout debut version of ‘Tuesday’ with ILoveMakonnen ft. Drake, Filipino-American R&B/pop songstress DANELLE SANDOVAL circles back and shares single ‘Cold’ which is her most vulnerable to date.
She confides, “I’ve always been curious about how relationships can just flip a switch and how intimacy can be so difficult for everyone, when most of us just wanna feel close to each other. I’ve definitely been on both sides of a relationship where I was either the one being cold or my partner was. This song represents the latter.”
Cold entices with seductive soul-drenched vocals, mood enhancing R&B landscapes, and intimate reflections of love and loss.
After posting a YouTube cover of ‘Tuesday’ by ILoveMakonnen ft. Drake, the song was remixed and went on to receive platinum awards worldwide while reaching the number one spot in over 70 countries on iTunes and Shazam. The viral hit has amassed over one billion streams online. Following the global success of ‘Tuesday’ Danelle has performed on national television in Germany, has written for other artists including Paris Hilton, and has focused on releasing original music.
With more music to be released in 2023, Danelle has refined her sound to represent the places and genres that have inspired her and her creativity the most, from Toronto’s out-of-the-box production and NYC’s jazz influences to LA’s R&B/pop scene. Have a listen to ‘Cold’ below…
Like with so many others championing mental wellness—music has always been therapy for DMV-based Urban Pop Artist LAYNA LAE. Her brand new single titled ‘Throw It All Away’ delivers a “mental pick me up” with big feel good energy!
If a picture could speak a thousand words—the cover art for ‘Throw It All Away’ says it all. The image is an illustration of Layna Lae sitting on the side of a water fountain with the words “pain and fear” and fearful expressions dissolving in the water behind her; and the rainbow coloured water shooting out of the fountains definitely give the vibes of a brighter tomorrow.
With anxiety disorders being one of the most common mental health concerns in the United States (approximately 19.86% adults and 7% children ages 3-17)— Layna Lae is more relatable than ever as she conveys a powerful uplifting message through her own personal experiences battling lifelong fears and painful pessimistic-induced regrets.
Since Lae’s 2019 debut of her self-titled single ‘LAYNA LAE’— Layna Lae has created a new wave of her own with her ambiguous topics on lesbian relationships and nonchalant style of delivery. On a mission to make it, Layna Lae has since been nominated for various awards and performed live for the late WPGC 95.5 radio host DJ Tony Redz, Hot 97’s DJ Drewski, & Love and Hip- Hop’s reality star/rapper Trina. From her diverse ability to sing and rap, which Lae delivered in her 2022 emotionally-drenched heartfelt tribute titled ‘1949’— released after the passing of her grandfather. She followed up with a blend of pop and hip-hop melodies with her catchy and almost animated brand new single, ‘Copycat’.
Layna Lae continues to show the world a new layer of herself that can be much desired…have a listen to her euphoric single below…
The team behind the late K1 released his posthumous 11-track mixtape, ‘Love Never Dies’, with a portion of the proceeds going to two charities selected by his family, Teenage Cancer Trust and Treetops Hospice. Under the direction of K1 before he lost his battle with the illness, the mixtape is a tribute to him, his hard work, and his legacy that will live on. Losing their loved one so young has been incredibly difficult for his family and friends to process but they will do everything they can to help leave a lasting mark on a scene that K1 loved. ‘Love Never Dies’ includes some familiar fan favourites such as ‘Toxic Veins’ and ‘Tomorrow’ featuring KKEDA.
Born and raised in the East Midlands, K1 made a massive impact since his second single, ‘Broken Hearted Crook’ went viral and firmly put him on the map within the UK’s thriving Rap scene. Coming from outside of the capital fuelled his drive and pushed him to work harder and fight for his place, not only for himself but for Derby. There was so much more than meets the eye with this lyricist, he didn’t want to make one specific style, and he aimed to become one of the most versatile Rappers in the scene, and he did exactly that. K1 cited Eminem, Juice Wrld, XXXTENTACION, Little Tjay and Drake as his biggest influences as an artist.
Some of his career highlights included performing at Wireless Festival, Link Up TV’s HB, Mixtape Madness ‘Cold Room’, and GRM One Mic. K1 had already completed his debut album, which he had planned to drop this year. The whole team behind him are committed to continuing to set out his dream, just as he had intended. Please continue to support K1 and his music – ‘Love Never Dies’ –
Must Listens: Different Man, So Close, Believe, Ain’t Fair,How I Feel In Love
BAILEY COATS‘ latest single ‘Lying to myself’, is probably her most honest work to date.
Co-written with veteran producer of The Rascals’, Khris Riddick-Tynes – also known for his work with Ariana Grande, Kehlani, and SZA – ‘Lying to myself’ reflects a real-life experience of putting aside her ambitions and passions for the sake of making someone else happy. Worrying about potentially missing out on life, she realized that she had evolved and was no longer the same person she was when she started her romantic relationship. The end result is this lyrically honest track that Bailey hopes encourages her listeners to embrace the truth in themselves and pursue their passion – even if it’s not the easiest choice.
Ready to captivate the hearts of millions globally, Bailey began working with vocal coach Robert “RAab” Stevenson (Justin Timberlake, Dave Matthews, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, etc.) in 2017. Two years later, she started working with VP of A&R and co-head of Urban Music at Arista Records, and Grammy-award-winning producer, Khris Riddick-Tynes (Ariana Grande, Kehlani, SZA) to provide his expertise and experience on her upcoming projects.
Bailey went on to release her debut single with The Rascals titled ‘Stranger Things’ in 2020 which has amassed over 100k+ streams alone on Spotify. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Bailey continued to release numerous singles, but chose to focus on various songwriting opportunities during this time including her contributions to ‘Clarity’ by ZOE Music which has gone on to amass over 200k+ streams on Spotify.
To start off 2023, Bailey will release more singles leading up to an EP set to release later on this year in addition to several features and collaborations with other artists throughout the year. Bailey strives to be a positive influence on all ages both on and off the stage and she especially desires to be an empowering role model for young individuals everywhere. With a diverse catalog and an ambitious work ethic, each of Bailey’s songs reflects her authenticity and passion as an artist and an individual.
Three years after the release of her seminal debut album ‘The Almanac’, which was championed by the likes of COLORS, HotNewHipHop, and Ladygunn, among others, multidimensional Baltimore lyricist, songwriter, composer, and producer NERU THEE FOURTH FUGEE is finally ready to go again, as she begins to share details of her long-awaited sophomore album titled ‘Greater Than’, which is set to be released in the summer. To whet the appetite for the highly anticipated project, the Maryland native has unveiled the project’s lead single ‘End Daze’ featuring US rap royalty BbyMutha.
Written, arranged, and composed by Neru Thee Fourth Fugee herself, with additional production from Serbian beatsmith Shotta Beatz, ‘End Daze’ is a hard-hitting collaboration from two female rap powerhouses, which sees both Neru and BbyMutha in incomparable form, as both artists flex their lyrical prowess throughout the track from start to finish. ‘End Daze’ is signature braggadocious rap in its best form, with Neru and BbyMutha addressing any detractors, whether those are old school classmates trying to act familiar, or their rap competitors, or the “bxtches hating” on them.
Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘End Daze’, Neru says, “The song was inspired by MF Doom and Vince Staples, while the title itself is a double entendre on ‘End Days’, referencing a catastrophic end-of-the-world event, and ‘In Daze’ connecting those moments when you find yourself lost inside your thoughts. ‘End Daze’ brings a lot of boastful and confident energy, and that’s how I want my listeners to feel when they hear the single – powerful and confident like they can take on the world. I wrote ‘End Daze’ to continue to create balance with my music, but to also show that I cannot be categorized or boxed in – my music and style transcend genres”.
With a genre-defying sound that fuses hip-hop with neo-soul, ambient, funk and psychedelic music, to create her own musical universe, Neru Thee Fourth Fugee stands out for her abstract lyricism, transcendental harmonies, and trance-like kaleidoscopic soundscapes – her music offers a thought-provoking mind-bending listening experience that allows you to use both hemispheres of your brain simultaneously. Neru Thee Fourth Fugee might remind you of early Parliament Funkadelic music, with sprinkles of the great Ms. Lauryn Hill, but she remains firmly in her own artistic lane.
Neru Thee Fourth Fugee is also the founder of Baltimore creative community, AstroKnot Collective, which she birthed in 2021, and has grown to become a staple in Baltimore’s art scene. With a common goal to elevate, cultivate, reciprocate and be great, Neru currently mentors fifteen different artists across the US, through AstroKnot. Made up of diverse musicians, visual artists, designers, and activists, among others, Neru’s AstroKnot collective curate youth drives, art residencies, music videos, concerts, community events, and more, all over the city of Baltimore.
With two critically acclaimed EPs and a seminal album already under her belt, Neru has also shared the stage with stalwarts like The Roots, Danny Brown, Oddisee, Princess Nokia, and JPEGMafia, just to mention a few, while she counts the likes of Pigeons & Planes, COLORS, Brooklyn Vegan, HotNewHipHop, and Sway’s Universe among some of her supporters. In 2023, she plans to release her sophomore album titled ‘Greater Than’, which is set to feature Wu-Tang’s Killah Priest, Metaphor the Great, and BbyMutha, with whom Neru has unveiled her brand new single, ‘End Daze’. Check it out below…
New Lease Music 