KOKAR – a rapper, singer, songwriter — emerged from Deptford with the critically acclaimed ‘For Me’ as a debut single in late 2018 and has followed up with prominent singles such as ‘Coulda Been’ and ‘Lessons’ throughout 2019.
Hitting 2020 with a brand-new drop, Kokar releases ‘Coulda Been Pt 2’. The track picks up the story from the original, which premiered with GRM Daily last year, and emanates the smooth R&B vibes with a soulful Afroswing undercurrent.
Raised by a single mother and signing a professional contract with Barnet football club at 18, Kokar’s direction turned to music in 2018 having decided to focus on being expressive and creative in his craft. Already building an impressive catalogue of numerous singles and his ‘RTW’ project in a short space of time, the forthcoming LP release ‘Dorking Close’ hones on his skill to work with varying sounds and styles, and draws on his musical experience of the last 3 years. Housing songs that cater to a mix of taste within the Rap, Grime, Hip-Hop and R&B, ‘Dorking Close’ is marked to release this month across all digital platforms.
Steeped in heartache and bravado, ‘Home’ finds TALITHA FERRI caught between the sweet surrender of love and the inability to move beyond her own trauma. Held in an intimate embrace of another, both parties endlessly pursue and resist one another. The singer strips down for her lover, asking him to lie with her, but not to touch. She begs him to hold her, but to keep his distance.
‘Home’ is an exploration of the fear of – and the craving for – intimacy. The age old dance between two lovers bound together by the sacred oath of an unspoken agreement: not to ruin a perfect friendship with love. The gentle flutter of an aching heart, longing to heal, to hold, and be held.
‘Home’ is the first single off Talitha Ferri’s debut album ‘Get Well Soon’, a personal project turned concept album.
MICHAEL BAKER‘s first release of the year, ‘They Look Just Like They Know’, is a stirring acoustic piece of delicately plucked strings, rich reverb and cinematic movements, all of which steers the listener’s attention to Baker’s tender vocals and penchant for storytelling.
As with previous single, ‘Baby Books’, the Brighton songwriter once again turns to the subject of mental health, signified by the line “the mind can be a deadly place,” which Baker sheds further light on in the quote below:
“I wrote ‘They Look Just Like They Know’ when I had moved to Brighton after spending a couple of years of living in my Van and moving around. This song is a melancholic ponder on both the comfort and discomfort of memories, and how sometimes, in the darker times, your own home can feel strange and unfamiliar. It’s the difference between feeling at home in your mind, and feeling trapped in it.”
‘They Look Just Like They Know’ also follows previous single ‘Past The Evening’, which was premiered by Clash Magazine, who described it as “a tender return, showcasing the songwriter’s deftness of touch, and his gilded use of colour.”
Previous support for Michael Baker has come from BBC 6 Music , Youtube and Spotify Tastemaker Alex Rainbird with ‘One God Damn’, The Independent with single ‘The Steady & The Stuck’, and was selected for BBC Introducing London’s Artist of the Week . Michael also supported Sarah Jarosz at Union Chapel, performed at the inaugural Black Deer Festival and completed a UK and European tour back in November 2019.
With unique vocals described as ‘candy-coated pop’ with an undeniable edge of R&B, ROMYSA slammed down her brand new pop single, ‘Missin Out’ last Friday (7th February).
The Amsterdam upcoming urban songstress’ musical background has been very niche, having previously released records in the Electronic Dance Music Scene, which led her to work with dance heavyweights like DJ Afrojack. Since then Romysa has been travelling around the world to collaborate with various renowned DJ’s. Last year, Romysa decided to focus on her solo music career which brought her to a new team that believed in pushing her project internationally. Since then Los Angeles has pretty much become her second home, as she develops her artistry in the city of angels. Her new musical offerings pay homage to her EDM musical grounding but also delivers across the pop and RnB spectrum, and more, to produce a whole new fresh sound. She says herself her new sound is “a kind of rhythmic pop that explores the genres of modern R&B, Pop, and Hip Hop”
Romysa in video clip for single, ‘Missin’ Out’.
The latest release is her first single as a solo artist. She says of her debut offering: “’Missin Out’ is a type of record you’d play to boost your self-esteem while moving on from a break-up. It has a catchy melodic vibe and sing-able chorus to it. It’s pretty much a song about all the f**k boys that missed out on me!”
It’s very clear that no one messes with Romysa! Check out the video for single below…
NEW LEASE MUSIC has caught up with THBENJ, who’s debut album, ‘T.H.B’ stole the top spot on the blog’s Top Ten Albums of 2019 list.
Get to know the upcoming Italian rapper, as he discusses his critically acclaimed album and his plans for 2020…so are you ready? Good!
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How’s life treating you?
TB: Hey, It’s a pleasure to be a part of the New Lease Music blog and I appreciate the support you’ve shown my music so far. I’m doing good, I recently moved over to Australia, everything is going amazing. I’m working on a lot of new music, I’ll be releasing a lot this year.
NLM: You released your album ‘T.H.B’ last year (which is #1 on New Lease Music’s Top Ten Albums of 2019). Have you received other accolades on the album?
TB: Being #1 on NLM Top 10 Albums for 2019, was a nice surprise. I’m very grateful and glad you guys enjoyed the album. Yes, 2019 has been a good year for ThBenj. We hit #1 on Google Play for the most albums sold in Hip Hop in Italy for 3 days and stayed in the top 10 for 5 consecutive weeks. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Really cool!
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
TB: The inspiration to write T.H.B. came from all over the place. Really, it’s a spontaneous album where I tell my story through my experiences. I tried to absorb as much vibe as I could and translate that into sounds, melodies and words everywhere I went.
Although, I always say it’s not me writing the songs, it’s something through me that makes the magic happen.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
TB: I like all of them and I think it makes sense to listen to them in the exact order that we’ve chosen for the album. But taking them singularly I would say “Mumble Acid”, “All Stars” and “Myself Again” for the deep messages they hold.
NLM: Do you have any plans to release a video for any of the songs on the album?
TB: Not at the moment, but definitely will be for the new music I’ll be releasing.
NLM: So how would you describe your sound to potential fans?
TB: I make music mostly for clubs and that’s my sound, a club sound.
NLM: If you had the chance to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist on the album, who would it be?
TB: Russ, he’s not afraid to make something different.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
TB: I’ve only got one, changing the main topic. I Can feel it’s already changing though.
NLM: lol OK fair enough! So how can potential fans contact you?
TB: Just hit me up on IG @th_benj or FB ThBenj
NLM: Finally, any New Year’s resolution(s)
TB: I’ve just dropped my most recent single “2020” and I’m exclusively letting you know that I’ve scheduled the release of “Reasons” for February 14th. I may even leak a song or two before that, so yeah, this year is going to be a movie. Lot of music coming out.
I wish lots of success, health and joy to anyone reading this. A big thanks to New Lease Music, this is dope!
KOKAR – a rapper, singer, songwriter — emerged from Deptford with the critically acclaimed ‘For Me’ as a debut single in late 2018 and has followed up with prominent singles such as ‘Coulda Been’ and ‘Lessons’ throughout 2019.
New Lease Music 