Tag: Urban

H3rizon – SERIOUS [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Our sound is versatile, harmonious, and ever-changing

Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the story behind it?

This is the second song we’ve ever written together! This was around 3 years ago when we were just starting out as H3rizon. We’ve come a long way from writing this song in Bernie’s cozy bedroom with a supply of endless snacks, to being glammed up and wearing boujee outfits for our music video.

Starting out, we wanted to add our own personal touch to the beat of SERIOUS. So we got our producer to take Gabby’s voice memo of a composition for her school assignment, process and manipulate it, and turn it into this vibrant, Y2k-esque beat. Then during the writing process, we wanted to create a cheeky, saucy take on dating life from the perspective of someone just wanting to have fun through it all. It was so fun bouncing off each other to create that chorus. And we had our own verses to write which ended up being the parts we sang solo, so each verse is unique to us! With this music video, we wanted to broaden the meaning of SERIOUS, and just remind everyone of the times we didn’t take life too seriously. Getting our music out there helps us remain positive during these times and we hope it provides a little piece of happiness to our fans too.

For which lyric you are most proud of?

The lyric we’re proud of in SERIOUS is “Why, why, why, why you gotta be that guy?”. We know it’s simple, but simplicity is key! It worked so well as a short and sweet pre-chorus that sums up the message of the song, and it happens during a part of the song that’s lush with harmonies.

Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?

There’s so much talent and diversity within the Australian music scene who deserve the world stage! We want to include a whole bunch of amazing artists. We’ve got A.Girl, Cat & Calmell, Thando, Lara Andallo, Jessica Jade, and Rachel Maria Cox, just to name a few.

What would you change in the music industry?

(Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual assault, and abuse) There’s the inequality between artists of all genders within the music industry. There are women who are subjected to bullying, sexual assault, harrassment, and rape. There’s a lack of diversity and representation of artists and within the boardrooms. These are only some of the many issues to tackle within this industry!

When not writing music, how do you spend your time?

Bernie reads her romcoms on Webtoon, Tay jumps on her FPS games on the PS5, and Gabby explores the art of cooking pasta!

When was the last time you danced?

Bernie: What do you mean? I’m dancing right now 🙂
Gabby: When Serious first came out, I danced my BUTT off in my bedroom. It was pretty bad but at least no one was watching me lol
Tay: The last time I danced was a few days ago when I received cookies from interstate after waiting so long from the covid delay and as soon as I took a bite my brain, heart and soul exploded with joy – I broke out into disco moves

Thank you!

Follow H3rizon
Instagram

MileHi – to love & lie. [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Black boy bops.

Tell us a few things about your new song “to love & lie”. What is the main idea behind it?

*I wanted a song that really spoke to what it’s like being a man. I lost the man who raised me last year and it’s important for me to share the man he raised. Through the good and the bad.
‘to love & lie.’ is like a story of toxic behaviour in a relationship…

Which is your most personal and honest lyric?

“I been missing you & I’m hoping that could change, a little,
If you stay, a little,
By my place, a little.”

Most of the men I grew up looking up to never really showed me what it’s like to be vulnerable. So it’s like the typical thing I’ve done over again… be kinda vulnerable but then say some dumb shit like ‘kinda’ or ‘a little’ so I’m not all the way exposed… just in case.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?

Maxwell was the first male voice I can remember hearing. I grew up on TLC, Toni Braxton, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child.
I would say Miguel has had the biggest impact on me as an artist. Miguel, Usher, Prince.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

I guess it’s the constant feeling that you need to live up to a specific idea of what a black male singer should be like in this R&B landscape. It may not be the biggest challenge because my real self is my best self, but it’s a constant.

When not writing music, how do you spend your time?

Living life. Seeing new shit. Getting inspired. Watching music videos. Anything creative, I like being around it.
I’m not sure if life imitates art or if art imitates life, but I like to experience life in a way that it fuels my writing or music.

Should we expect an album in the near future?

No albums for me. Projects, yes. Albums, no.

Thank you!

Follow MileHi
Instagram

Raquel Liane – F.L.I.R.T. – FINDING LOVE IN REAL TIME [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

I would say healing, soulful, and fun!

Tell us a few things about your new work. What is the main idea behind it?

when I was Developing F.L.I.R.T. I was and still am going through a ver pivotal time in my life of finding myself and figuring out how to love myself without any outside influence. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had it in my head that once I achieve my goals and dreams I will reach happiness or once I reach this goal I’ll love myself more. But the gag is that if you don’t love yourself or be happy right now you definitely won’t be happy or love yourself later no matter what you accomplish. So I chose F.L.I.R.T. to stand for Finding Love In Real Time. And focusing the EP on finding love within yourself and doing it right now in the present not later.

Which song of the EP is your favorite?

This one is soooo hard. It’s definitely a battle between juice and fruits of my labor but if I HAVE to pick one, I would choose Fruits Of My Labor.

What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?

I love being on stage and performing live. I like the human connection and the idea that when people leave my shows they leave happier and lighter.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

Marketing and getting my music out to a large mass of people has been difficult for me. The business side in general has been something I really have had to actively learn but I’m getting a hold of it more as I grow.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to relax and stop thinking so far into the future. There’s no way to give yourself a timeline and as a kid I always have myself a strict plan that never ended up going my way and I think I missed out a lot on certain aspects of my life because I stressed about it too much.

What is the most useless talent you have?

lmaooo I can pick things up with my toes and I can also pinch people with them!

Thank you!

Follow Raquel Liane
Instagram

MVRWVN – Slide

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Different, rhythmatic, unique

How many beats do you listen to before you endup using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

It takes about 5-10 differentbeats before I choose one to work on. My creative process is almost all mental.I think about all types of emotions I’ve gone through and begin with a topic to fit the moodof the beat. I then go over to the mic and i start harmonizing and coming up with melodiesto fit the mood.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

Most ofmy lyrics are about females and relationships. The good and the bad. Other times mylyrics can be about my emotions

Artists and people who have influenced and inspiredyou?

I’m deeply inspired by Drake, Kanye West, The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Dj Khaled, LilWayne

What is the biggest challenge you have faced asan artist so far?

The biggest challenge for me as an artist is getting my musicheard and developing a fanbase while being independent.

What was the best film you have watched duringthe quarantine?

The best film I watched during quarantine was called “Polar”.

When was the last time you danced?

The last timeI danced was a few weeks ago after finishing a workout.

Thank you!

Follow MVRWVN
Instagram

Manny Loveankh – Summer Girl (Feat Pupa Tee) [Interview]

~ Admin ~ 1 Comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

I could use plenty of words to describe my sound, but I’d say Expressive, Classic and Unpredictable. It is expressive because I have agency, Classic because I don’t try to create a particular sound just because it’s trending, and Unpredictable due to my versatility as a multi-genre and multi-lingual artist.

Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the main idea behind it?

Summer Girl is a catchy summer vibe that’s bound to have you humming the melody. Some might describe it as a cross between Afrobeat, Reggae and ‘Unforgettable’ by French Montana Feat Swae Lee, but subjectivity is what makes music interesting.

The song was inspired by a girl I once met while on holiday and saw a few times after that. We were almost inseparable whenever I visited the country but barely spoke each time I returned to the UK. So when I say “Summer Girl”, it could mean anything from a summer fling to an extraordinary person that melts your heart or keeps you warm when the weather is cold.

Which is your most personal and honest lyric?

That would be a line from the chorus “She’s my summer girl if you take her from me, you better love her well”. Let’s be real; when you have that special person who isn’t officially your girlfriend, you have to accept that they might be spending time with other people when you’re not around. She might even be in a relationship by the time you see her next summer, and if, like me, a long-distance relationship isn’t your thing, all you can do is wish her the very best and hope that whoever she ends up with treats her right.

Favourite album of the past decade?

‘Good Kid, M.A.A.d City’ by Kendrick Lamar

What would be your dream performance venue?

UK- Glastonbury and US- Madison Square Garden

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Follow your dreams and don’t allow anyone to tell you that your passion isn’t a “real job”.

When was the last time you danced?

This morning! Am a terrible dancer but hey, anything to embarrass my little sisters *Laughs*

Thank you!

Follow Manny Loveankh
Instagram

ALi – party [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

i would say it’s a mixture of pop, hip-hop, and dance, but i never like to make labels with my music because i always like to expand my boundaries with genres and make something new everyday

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

i usually come up with an idea for a song in my head and then make the beat as i envision it to be, or if i don’t have an idea right off the bat, i play around with sounds for a bit and then usually i slowly start to envision soemthing out of the sounds i play around with and the beat ends up building itself slowly. that’s how i made this album as far as production-wise. i spent all of last year doing just that and i ended up making around 30 beats till november of 2020. in november of 2020, i started recording vocals for the album and from there on out till may of 2021, i hand-picked 13 beats that i wanted to create songs for on the album.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

i would say collectively throughout my whole discography, it’s just self-confidence and being happy. in my new album ‘party’, i continued that, but i also wanted to touch on other topics, such as insecurities & strengths, reminiscence, resilience, and hope.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?

the list is so long, but some notable people are definitely Selena Gomez, Doja Cat, blackbear, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding, and Charli XCX, especially for this album.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

the self-funding process i would say. i’m an independent artist and finding yourself and your art does get challenging at times and it sometimes even gets to the point of “is this even worth it?”, but then i realize that i create music because i want to do it and i am passionate about it, and people relating to it and making my music their own is success to me.

What was the best film you have watched during the quarantine?

Shutter Island for sure. i might get called out for never watching it before, but it’s a must see for everyone. it really messes with your head, but in the best way possible.

One last thing we should know about you?

i wanna thank everyone so much and please have a listen to my new album ‘party’: i want everyone to make this album their own and feel free and celebrate life as we know it, even though it might be challenging to do so in this time. i love seeing people enjoying my music and relating to it in their own way, and that really gives me motivation to keep going. thank you so much!

Thank you!

Follow ALi
Instagram

Splaze – Tried To Give [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Visionary. Imaginative. Decisive

What is your creative process like?

I view my creative process as very natural and non forced when it comes to creative thinking. I go to a “creative” mode very easily, I think a part of this also has to do with my single-sided deafness. I hear things only from my right side which means that the sound that I hear hits the creative side of the brain. And when I immediately hear things I see pictures of scenarios and movies in my head.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

The main topic of my lyrics varies from song to song, but I always write scenarios that have happened in my life. I like to keep things as authentic as possible and I believe that’s where people recognize themselves from when they hear my songs.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?

There’s a lot of artists that have inspired me in many ways, especially when I was younger and was hearing Pop, Rap & R&B hits all the time. It would be a long list if I mentioned them all. Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown are a few of the list who have influenced and inspired me, however, I’ve listened to so many artists and have taken so much inspiration from every single one of them, which is why I believe many people like my music. They hear a lot of artists in my voice, yet it’s a totally new fresh voice that they didn’t know they were missing until now.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced as an artist so far, is marketing. Marketing is not a cheap thing and you have to find ways to look for different solutions to market your music which is not an easy task.

When not writing music, how do you spend your time?

When I’m not writing music. I most of the time listen to music and imagine myself singing them myself on stage, in music videos, etc.

What is the most useless talent you have?

I don’t have any useless talents, every talent of mine if useful 🙂

Thank you!

Follow Splaze
Instagram

Ricky Rique – Use 2 Love You [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Groovy, Nostalgic, & Emotional

Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the story behind it?

Use 2 Love You is about reminiscing about a toxic relationship. The relationship finds itself ending with abuse. Verbal, physical, and emotional.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

The lyrics describe how the toxic relationship was ending and how I “Use 2 Love You” but I’m living better without you now.

Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?

Most definitely! An R&B artist named JayT. We actually went to the same college in NYC. His voice is phenomenal and he been working hard putting his music out there. If you’re an R&B lover definitely check him out.

What would you change in the music industry?

I would change how everything tends to be a popularity contest. There are many talented artists that do not get the shine they deserve due to not sounding a certain way or doing what is considered “cool” copying trends. It should go back originality and talent.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

The best advice I was ever given was that, don’t expect everyone to like your music. I think as I started making music, I expected everyone to love and appreciate what I create. As I learn more about it all, I realize not everyone will like a song or even how I sing. On the other hand, there are people who anticipate my next song and loves my voice. So I’ll continue to make music for those that do enjoy what I put out.

Should we expect an album in the near future?

I am considering creating an EP in the near future. My last few songs have strong r&b/pop elements to it. I want to become more experimental with my sound. I think I really want to tap more into my R&B bag.

Thank you!

Follow Ricky Rique
Instagram

ibbi Too Vicious – Amethyst Skies [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Vicious. Benevolent. Wavy.

Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the story behind it?

Turner Allen, our audio engineer who is also featured on the song, at Timeless Recording Studios invited 380 Melo & I one night randomly for a late night session to hang out and see what we could make. We didn’t have any plans or vision of making anything, but came through to see what would happen. 380 Melo pulled up the ‘Amethyst Skies’ beat and all of us loved it. We all freestyled on the song until we had something cohesive on it, and it luckily came out amazing. We were in the studio that night until about 3 AM. It was also really fun to make because individually none of our music sounds like ‘Amethyst Skies’ so all three of us were doing something we didn’t usually do and had to step out of our comfort zone. And even though none of us made music that sounded like this, we ended up with something where our individual sounds meshed really well and created a huge Summer vibe. A lot of that mesh definitely came from the fact we were all already friends and it was easy to try something new in front of each other and get criticism and bounce ideas off each other in real-time while recording. It was definitely the most fun studio session I have had so far.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

The lyrics are about a complicated relationship I was in where both of us were confused about what to do, and the lyrics are focusing on me asking her why she’s confused and that we can make everything alright if we choose to. It’s me questioning her decisions and what she wants to do next and telling her I know what I want is to move forward. 380 Melo and Turner Allen’s verses focus more on the “fuck you” side of emotion and how they won’t tolerate the indecision and move forward alone.

Favourite album of the past year?

My favorite album that came out this past year was probably Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti. My favorite album that I found in the past year though was Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols by the Sex Pistols.

What would you change in the music industry?

I would want to change the amount of transparency between labels and artists. I think artists now more than ever need to be highly educated on the music business as well as focusing on their art, but labels should also be more transparent and honest with how they conduct business and their contracts.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell him to continue not being afraid of what others think and do what you want. That’s the advice I’ve followed my whole life, and it usually takes me exactly where I want to go. I would tell him to stick to the path he’s on and don’t worry because everything is going to be fine.

You’d give up making music for…

Absolutely nothing.

Thank you!

Follow ibbi Too Vicious
Instagram

Natalie Grace – Driver’s Seat [Interview]

~ Admin ~ Leave a comment

Describe your sound in 3 words

Addictive, danceworthy, raw

Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the story behind it?

This new song is essentially about seeing someone who’s a little timid and unsure in the bedroom, and wanting them to take the reins more and assert themselves. You teach them how to be more confident and make decisions, until eventually you’re being spontaneous together and having sex in the car, making sex tapes and equally letting loose together.

Which is your most personal and honest lyric?

I think my most personal lyric is from my song Ask You One Thing, where I sing “did it ever even cross your mind that this would break me up inside and have my heart feeling all fried”.

Favourite album of the past decade?

Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

I think it’s been getting noticed through all the social media algorithms and defying the ways that the powers that be try to stunt smaller artists and creatives, because it’s really not helpful in terms of us growing our audiences and it’s just a case of taking from the poor to give more to the rich in terms of outreach.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Probably to just keep going as I have been and not let anyone else’s words make an impact on my work ethic and my dedication to what I do.

One last thing we should know about you?

If we’re talking random facts not necessarily music related, then I have 3 kinds of animal at home who absolutely can not ever come into contact with one another: a cat, 3 snakes and a hamster. Talk about a living food chain!

Thank you!

Follow Natalie Grace
Instagram