After I was introduced to her single, ‘Fess Up’, South London’s singer/songwriter CHERYLL has been firmly on my radar, because she is to keeping old good R&B alive – and I must say, this newcomer does it REALLY well.
Her latest single, ‘Fallin’, chronicles her feelings for her love interest. Producer D’wante Navire puts a modern spin on 90s R&B on the single, by injecting a deep flirtatious bassline.
‘Fallin’ follows her debut EP, ‘Transition’. Cheryll discussed the inspiration behind producing the five-track set in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. You can read it right here …but before you head off, have a listen to the track below…
London singer, songwriter, vocal and string arranger & violinist – SIPPRELL has released her first single of 2021, ‘More Than We Are’.
‘More The We Are’ is the follow up to Sipprell’s 2020 EP release Bad History which received critical acclaim from the likes of Complex UK, Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 1Xtra, foundation fm, Amazing Radio & more.
Speaking on the release, Sipprell says “More Than We Are was created during lockdown with producer Solomon Fox. The song is about fear of vulnerability and the games people play to protect themselves.”
Aside from her own solo material, Sipprell also boasts writing cuts and vocal arrangements on Nao’s latest album, ‘And Then Life Was Beautiful’, as well as performing violin and providing backing vocals for Ed Sheeran at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend earlier this year. Fast becoming a tastemaker’s tastemaker – Sipprell’s fans include Rosie Lowe and Barney Artist to name a few.
Check out the video for Sipprell’s spine-tingling single below…
OLOFF circles back to the limelight with second project of the year, ‘Sameways’, which sonically takes on a more sombre route than its predecessor, ‘Expat’, which carries an appeasing presence of retro soul and samples that’s associated with the Golden Hollywood era.
A downtempo, yet somewhat airy electronic drive dominates the ten track set momentarily interrupted by melodic chants (as heard in intro track, ‘Always’), 808/hip-hop beats (in ‘Bonce’ and ‘Half Open’).
Covering the themes of eternal recurrence, amphetamines, paranoia and circular living, ‘Sameways’ concludes with alternating sounds of industrial soundscapes, that can pierce through the coldest of souls, and hypnotic chants.
Sometimes, I wonder what goes through the mind of this indie rapper, who creatives extreme off-the-cuff material that somehow (I think) has potential widespread appeal. If you’re inquisitive enough to enter Oloff’s world, why not hit the button on the album below.
Following the release of his first two Trilogy EPs, Toronto R&B artist THEO TAMS shares a cover of the much-loved Destiny’s Child classic, ‘Say My Name.’
Tams has made the track his own by adding further grit and dirt to the production, a soulful, unapologetic and sexy flipping of the script on the traditional cheating narrative.
‘Say My Name’ is the first of a series of covers that Tams is releasing ahead of Trilogy III, taking time to find meaning and connection in songs that aren’t his own while delivering them as though they were.
With her debut album ‘Phoenix’ arriving this Friday, 29th October, Canadian Cameroonian artist, songwriter, actress, burlesque performer, and poet EROCKFOR [pronounced eh-ROCK-for] brings along the blog’s second song of the day titled ‘Crown’, the last of five singles she has been revealing every month since May in the lead up to her album. ‘Crown’ comes on the back of recent support for Erockfor from the likes of Rolling Stone India, Wonderland Magazine, Earmilk, Ones To Watch, MTV Base, Flaunt Magazine and MEFEater, to mention a few.
Produced by LA-based electronic musician Blaire Michael, ‘Crown’ represents the seventh and final chakra ‘Sahasrara’, following Erockfor’s two previous singles ‘Sacral’ and ‘Heart’ that were named after the second and fourth chakra, with each song signifying different elements of her healing and rebirth journey so far. With ‘Crown’, Erockfor has delivered a rousing and free flowing opus with exquisite indie and pop sensibilities, held together by Erockfor’s spellbinding vocal performance, her magnetic lyricism, lush drum patterns and ethereal guitar arrangements.
Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Crown’, Erockfor says, “The song is about recognising my true essence and my connection to the divine. I am at my happiest when I prioritize my spirituality. Sometimes, I fall off course, but when I walk that path of seeing myself as part of something greater, that’s when magic happens. This whole album is a co-creation with the universe and my ancestors. I wrote ‘Crown’ at a time when I was building my spiritual toolbox and rediscovering the power and importance of community – ‘Crown’ is a time capsule of that period of my life”.
Erockfor has come full circle after spending six years in Seoul, and is now back in her hometown in Montreal, where she crafted her forthcoming debut album ‘Phoenix’, which chronicles her journey between the abusive and adulterous marriage that caused her to escape to Korea and where she is now, over a genre-bending fusion of sonic beds. With a distinctive voice that has brought comparisons to Cyndi Lauper, Macy Gray and Amy Winehouse, Erockfor’s creative outlets also extend beyond music, as she is also revered as a burlesque performer, actress and poet.