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…
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…
It’s very rare to come across a song that’s a VIBE, which really resonates sonically and lyrically with the soul, but singer/songwriter NONA BROWN perfectly encompasses those qualities in her single, ‘Latter Days/Greater’, out now on various music platforms.
The soothing drive of contemporary soulful jazz arrangements, alongside Nona’s robustly smooth vocal performance (a cross of Ann Nesby of Sounds of Blackness and Patti LaBelle), helps to hone in on the message of the inspirational single which is to: hold on in those dark moments as greater days are coming.
Nona Brown knows all too well what it’s like to be in the depth of despair when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the terrifying experience, the San Francisco native was determined to fight! ‘Latter Days/Greater’ is a testament to her strength and trust in God during this experience; she’s now an eight year cancer survivor. With the turmoil behind her, Nona is now living life to her full potential and was recently elected as the President of the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy, the first black women to serve in that capacity.
Spanning over 25 years, Nona’s music career includes some amazing accomplishments as an arranger and background vocalist on the GRAMMY Award winning Best Children’s Album, ‘A Colorful World’ by Falu and 2022 Telly Award Winner for her ‘Black Lives Matter’ music video co-written with Tony Saunders. Along with her fruitful solo career, Nona is also a member of the jazz trio Brown, Sturgis & Brown.
Nona recorded her first single, ‘I’ll Sing My Song’ back in 1997. In 2019, after writing music for years, she emerged with her Billboard Gospel-charting sophomore release, ‘Songs from my Journal Volume 1’, ranking #14 and #21 in weeks one and two.
She now follows up in 2022 with the project ‘Songs from my Journal Volume 2’ with ‘Latter Days/Greater’ as the lead single, which is a massive favourite with her fan base. The instrumental version of ‘Latter Days/Greater’ features the amazing sound of saxophonist Kevin Moore and has gained the attention of jazz stations around the globe.
Before you head out, have a listen to the stunning single below.
Named after an amusement park she used to visit in Kansas, Los Angeles based indie pop singer/songwriter SKOFEE‘s brand new EP ‘Joyland’ contains six-tracks that chronicles finding joy in various ways after falling out of touch with it.
Skofee confides, “Joyland represents a euphoric state of mind, and one that isn’t necessarily accessible in the way it used to be. The pursuit of joy, self discovery, absence of comfort and the destruction of familiarity are all themes.”
Musically, ‘Joyland’ thrills with multidimensional sonics including sugary electro, moody indie pop, and introspective folk that touches on love, loss and the search for happiness in familiar places. Its release was preceded by several singles from the collection including her recent tropical house-tinged end-of-summer banger ‘Wind Up Hero’, ‘Quicksand’, a relatable 90’s pop fused anthem about letting go, and the lofi pop ballad ‘I’m Sorry I Killed Your Plant’.
2021 saw the release of the Post Pop Remix of her single ‘Spiderman’ (Post Pop being the moniker of producer Stefan Skarbek, who has worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Jamiroquai among others). This uptempo reworking saw several months of airplay from Los Angeles’ KROQ-FM, arguably the most influential Alternative radio station in the country. In July 2022, Skofee released an incredible duet with famed Dutch singer/songwriter/producer and Grammy nominee Cimo Fränkel – a remake of Fränkel’s hit single ‘Where Do You Hide Your Love’ which saw support from tastemaker radio outlet KCRW and was placed in A-list rotation on Amazing Radio USA.
in the past, Skofee has received acclaim from the likes of Ones to Watch, Notion, LADYGUNN, The Line of Best Fit, LA Weekly, Spotify’s Fresh Finds, Sirius XM and NPR among other tastemakers…so you’re in for a treat here…have a listen to her EP below, out today from all good music platforms…
Must Listens: Mad At You, Quicksand, Wind Up Hero,
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