Love Is Dead – CHVRCHES

Bridging the worlds of indie and mainstream pop with big synths and bigger hooks, Glasgow’s electro-pop trio Chvrches features singer Lauren Mayberry and keyboardists/vocalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. In September 2011, Mayberry, who previously played with the band Blue Sky Archives and holds a law degree as well as a master’s degree in journalism, […]

Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes

It only took Shawn Mendes three years to realize his pop dreams. After catching a wave of fame on Vine, he steered it into solo stardom with two chart-topping albums, a world tour, and a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Then, the Toronto-area native got right to work on his third album, an adventurous […]

As Long As I Have You – Roger Daltrey

Who lead singer Roger Daltrey forged a parallel solo career beginning in 1973, when the group had begun to fall apart in the aftermath of Quadrophenia. Born March 1, 1944 in London, Daltrey grew up in the same Shepherd’s Bush neighborhood as future Who bandmates Pete Townshend and John Entwistle, performing with them as the […]

Big Wave More Fire – DJDS

Los Angeles-based house duo DJDS (aka DJ Dodger Stadium) first burst onto the scene with the release of their acid-drenched, ghetto house debut Stadium Status in 2011. Formed by Jerome Potter (aka Jerome LOL) and Sam Griesemer (aka Samo Sound Boy), the pair released the EP on their own label, Body High. With a handful […]

RECKLESS – NAV

Punjabi-Canadian hip-hop recording artist NAV (aka Navraj Goraya) had his first taste of fame when reality TV star Kylie Jenner posted a Snapchat video of herself singing along to his song “Myself.” The mysterious star had been steadily building a large following through a string of releases via his SoundCloud account, beginning in 2015 with […]

Run to Waters – Justin Nozuka

The maturity of Justin Nozuka’s music, a soulful blend of R&B and pensive singer/songwriter folk that recalls both Nick Drake and Lauryn Hill, belied his years from the start: Nozuka was only 18 when his debut album was released. The son of a Japanese father and American mother (actress Holly Sedgwick, who happens to be […]

Blue Flame – Jon Allen

We have just seen Jon Allen tonight at the Railway Inn Winchester for a very special intimate charity gig. He is Utterly brilliant live pitch and note perfect. We are privileged to have been able to buy the new album before it’s official release and every track is a joy to listen to. 10/10 👌🏻

Rebellion Rises – Ziggy Marley

The oldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and his wife Rita, Ziggy Marley was the natural heir to the throne left vacant by his father’s untimely death in 1981. Along with backing band the Melody Makers, a unit comprising his brothers and sisters, he successfully carried on the tradition of communicating the music’s message […]

Part of the Light – Ray LaMontagne

With a voice that recalls a huskier, sandpapery version of Van Morrison and Tim Buckley, Ray LaMontagne joins such artists as Iron & Wine in creating folk songs that are alternately lush and intimately earthy. The songwriter was born in Nashua, New Hampshire in 1973; his parents split up shortly after his birth, and his […]

Wide Awake! – Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts’ blend of noisy, punk-friendly clatter and snarky, sometimes serious lyrics delivered in a menacing monotone struck a chord within indie rock circles with their 2012 album, Light Up Gold, and after loads of touring and a series of literate and scrappy albums made for What’s Your Rupture? and Rough Trade, they firmly established […]

Good Thing – Leon Bridges

Leon Bridges’ first strides as an R&B artist prompted comparisons to legends like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but the native Texan quickly came into his own with the remarkably refined Top Ten albums Coming Home (2015) and Good Thing (2018), the former of which led to a pair of Grammy nominations. Bridges expanded his […]

Inspiration – Sheku Kanneh-Mason

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason won the prestigious BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2016 when he was just 17 years old, performing Shostakovich’s fiendish Cello Concerto No. 1. The first black musician to win the competition in its 38-year history, Kanneh-Mason was born and raised in a suburb of Nottingham, England. The third […]

Love Yourself 轉 ‘Tear’ – BTS

South Korean boy band BTS (Bangtan Boys or “bulletproof boy scouts” in Korean) blend dance-oriented K-pop with hip-hop influences. The septet’s lineup includes Rap Monster (Kim Namjoon), team leader and rapper; Jin (Kim Seokjin), singer; Suga (Min Yoongi), rapper; J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), rapper and choreographer; Jimin Park, singer and choreographer; V (Kim Taehyung), singer; and […]

Tell Me How You Really Feel – Courtney Barnett

Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett first came to light in 2012 when her self-released EP, I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris, appeared and was roundly praised across Australia. Her conversational, deadpan delivery and garage rock-infused folk-pop style caught the attention of influential website Pitchfork, which named her song “Avant Gardener” one of its Best New […]

Electric Light – James Bay

A singer/songwriter with a penchant for crafting moving and evocative folk-pop, James Bay hails from the North Hertfordshire market town of Hitchin. Bay honed his skills regionally, eventually landing high-exposure support slots with Tom Odell, John Newman, and Kodaline before inking a record deal with Republic/Universal in 2012. Bay soon began recording material, and charted […]

Elizaveta Antonova & Yuri Vekshin define a new classical music genre with the beautiful ‘Non lasciate chi amate’

Yuri Vekshin is a composer and member of the International Union of Composers of XXI AGE. Yuri composes music in the genre “Classical crossover”. He creates music and music settings with a very special and attractive sound, skilfully balanced harmonies softly reveal the narration. Yuri considers the music as one of the most universal expressions […]

Invasion of Privacy – Cardi B

Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” the most chantable song of 2017, introduced the Bronx MC’s lively around-the-way-girl persona to the world. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, reveals more of Cardi’s layers, the MC leaning forcefully into her many influences. “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, is a nod to her Afro-Caribbean roots, […]

Voicenotes – Charlie Puth

A pop musician who advanced from YouTube likes to RIAA certifications, Charlie Puth has regularly achieved multi-platinum status on his own and with high-profile collaborators. Puth started a lengthy all-platinum run with the Meghan Trainor duet “Marvin Gaye” (2015) and didn’t look back, though he has regularly applied vintage sounds including early R&B, classic singer/songwriters, […]

Die Lit – Playboi Carti

Atlanta hip-hop artist Playboi Carti raps with a repetitive and catchy flow like contemporaries Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug. Born Jordan Carter in the south side of the city, Carti grew up listening to Prince, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Lil Jon, Gucci Mane, and Jeezy, starting his music career in high school under the […]

COSMIC – Bazzi

R&B-influenced pop singer/songwriter Bazzi hit the mainstream after finding viral success with his breakthrough single, “Mine.” Born Andrew Bazzi to Lebanese-American parents in Dearborn, Michigan, he was a natural performer from a young age, imitating Elvis and Ricky Martin as a child and later playing oud and acoustic guitar. At the end of high school, […]

Be More Kind – Frank Turner

A former member of punk rock band Million Dead, Frank Turner turned his attention to folkier, acoustic music after the demise of the hardcore outfit. He has since transformed himself into a singer and songwriter of consequential folk-punk rebel songs (that cover topics as such atheism, excessive drinking, and the power of rock & roll). […]

Singularity – Jon Hopkins

On his own and with collaborators such as Brian Eno, Coldplay, Massive Attack, and Herbie Hancock, English producer Jon Hopkins blends his classical training and passion for electronic music into lush arrangements and soothing ambiences. As the 2010s drew to a close, he established himself as an Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize-nominated composer and musician. […]

beerbongs & bentleys – Post Malone

Dropping basketball references like the old-school but wrapping them in thoroughly modern beats, Post Malone hit in 2015 with his single “White Iverson.” Raised in Dallas, Malone was NFL before he was NBA thanks to a father who worked for the Cowboys. He loved music from a young age, and planned on joining a band […]

I’ll Be There – Jess Glynne

The deep and soulful vocal tone of London-based Jess Glynne became widely known when streams of “My Love,” her collaboration with Route 94 — the house-focused alias of dubstep producer Dream — appeared online in late 2013. The track went on to hit the U.K. number one spot in March 2014, but not before “Rather […]

Flames – David Guetta & Sia

French electronic music producer David Guetta belongs to the sparkling wave of DJs who combined Daft Punk’s sleek house music with a pinch of electroclash’s punch. Guetta had been DJ’ing around France playing popular tunes, but his brain was particularly rewired in 1987 when he heard a Farley Jackmaster Funk track on French radio. He […]