As a singer-songwriter growing up in Toronto, LOREN ARONOV had big dreams of becoming a pop star. She wrote and performed songs that portrayed a certain persona, more to please others than herself. Having just turned 14, she has decided to stop trying to live up to outside expectations and to instead be real with herself.
What she can promise listeners is genuine honesty from the heart and mind of a young girl living out her teenage years. ‘Uncool’ is exactly that, inspired by feeling like the odd one out among her peers at school; lonely and even unwanted. She soon accepted that some of these labels make her unique, and that personal obstacles could be used to propel her music. Check out ‘Uncool’ below…
Modern soul songstress/songwriter DEMI JORDANAE takes us on an emotional rollercoaster with self-produced EP, ‘How Did We Get Here’.
Each song offers up a cocktail of different mood, emotion, sound and style, some that that takes you down the lane of smooth slows jams of yesteryear and the boisterous soulful sounds of Beyoncé.
Dem says of her new EP: “I had no narrative or idea whatsoever for the EP. I was just creating and writing about anything I felt. I don’t write from personal experience but from imagination. I get inside a character’s mind with lyrical places that can resonate or relate with other people’s life experiences.”
Embodying all that is Hip Hop, Bristolian based artist, producer, radio host and hip hop event director BLACKSMITH, releases long awaited new music in the shape of ‘Price of Love’ featuring UK legend Skinnyman (pictured left) and production by New York’s Statik Selektah.
Already a constant within the depths of UK Hip Hop, Blacksmith’s CV reads as a rundown of some of the biggest accolades an artist can boast of. From performances at Glastonbury to Fusion Festival in Germany, he has also supported the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Common, Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Evidence, Brother Ali and many more. As an MC and producer, he can also include Jeff Wooton (The Gorillaz), Hodgy (Odd Future), Dilated Peoples, Carasel, Stamina MC and Dynamite MC, as fellow artists he has worked with and produced music for, and his love for hip hop doesn’t stop there. A self-made events promoter and radio host, Blacksmith is a key component to UK hip hop, giving both established and upcoming artists a platform through his regular hip-hop events and radio shows.
Led by the two well-received singles she released this summer ‘August’ and ‘Silent Mode’, and having been championed by the likes of BBC Introducing, Vogue Paris, Worldwide FM, Dummy Magazine, and British Council’s Selector Radio recently, emerging West London neo-soul singer, musician, and producer YAZ LEÓN releases her resounding new debut EP, ‘It’s Only Takeout Ma’.
Written and produced by Yaz León herself, with additional production from Ess West, and live instrumentation from Luke Bachuss, Seun Folayan, Jack Oliver, and Starkey the Messenger, the six-track EP sees the Spanish Iraqi native exploring her familial and romantic relationships, while also having conversations with herself about these emotional ties. Sonically, she experiments with interesting production and soundscapes, weaving through and merging genres such as soul, funk, R&B, and pop music, to tell her stories, and explore topics like nostalgia, distrust, intimacy, and toxic masculinity.
Citing influences such as Childish Gambino, Erykah Badu, Paco de Lucia, George Benson, and Kendrick Lamar, Yaz León pushes her songwriting to new heights on this project, making use of multifaceted storytelling and lyrical narration to create a work of art that can truly speak to everyone – whether it’s ‘August’ where she reminisces about falling in love with a girl for the first time and comes out to her family, or ‘Spend Your Coins Here’, which pushes against fragile pride and selfishness, or the narrative ‘Dunya’ about maturing through life’s growing pains.
‘It’s Only Takeout Ma’ was released today (28th October) across all good music platforms. Have a listen below…
BBC 6-approved singer-songwriter TILLY VALENTINE‘s new brand EP, ‘Half Full/Half Empty’ symbolises love and loss, with each song is written from a different perspective taking us on a journey from hope to heartbreak.
Pop and soulful soundscapes set the tone for the EP, with hints of jazz and R&B. The optimistic narratives in opening tracks ‘Plus One’ and ‘Gin & Tonic’, tell the story of meeting your perfect match. Valentine’s love songs have been added to playlists such as New Music Friday, Riffs & Runs, Low-Key, Winter Moments, Starbucks and more. The EP later includes the sassy break-up singles, ‘XOXO’ and ‘Thinking of You (Déjà Vu)’.
The newest EP track, ‘Birthdays & Funerals’, is co-written with Easy Life’s producer, Ben Matravers, and samples real voice notes of Valentine’s loved ones. It’s about a relationship that has gone full circle; from growing together to grieving the loss. “Birthdays can be as hard as funerals when the ones you love aren’t there”, Valentine says. “Realising that you’ll never see someone again after a break up can be so heavy. It’s grieving a loss that feels like a death”.
Released last Friday (21st October), ‘Half Full/Half Empty’ is an honest and reflective EP that touches on both the good and bad experiences of love. Have a listen below…
New Lease Music 