Tag: Phoebe Ryan

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: tiger lily and Fluencie Team Up on a Slickly produced, Top 40-like Pop Confection

Rising Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and pop artist tiger lily met collaborator and electronic music artist and producer Fluencie when they were both high schoolers: The pair met in the hallways of Seattle’s Ingraham High School. At the time, tiger lily was fronting a grunge band while Fluencie was busking with his keyboard after school for tips.

Fast forward a few years, and the pair have managed to make major moves in their careers: Fluence has been hailed by Dance Music Northwest as “Seattle’s Next Big Thing,” while playing some of the region’s largest festivals, including Capitol Hill Block Party. Adding to a growing profile, the Seattle-based electronic music artist and producer has opened for the likes of Blackbear, Said the Sky, and Joey Bada$$. Simultaneously, tiger lily has won the attention of media outlets like Spin Magazine, IGGY Magazine, DJ Magazine and Earmilk, who described her sound as pop that
“radiates heat . . . the grainy film of memories so sweet and persistent.”

The duo’s first official collaboration together “juneau, alaska” is a slickly produced, radio friendly, Top 40-inspired confection. Starting with an acoustic pop intro featuring tiger lily’s ethereal yet sultry cooing and acoustic guitar, the song morphs into a Taylor Swift/Phoebe Ryan-like banger centered around shimmering and wobbling synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rocking beats and an enormous hook. But underneath the song’s crowd pleasing surface, the song is rooted in an aching nostalgia for a period of time that seemed simpler and can’t be had again. In the case of “juneau, alaska,” the song describes a longing for the narrator’s high school days — in particular, the memories of an almost beau/situationship, the records they used to love and play all the time and other small but significant moments.

The recently released video features the rising pop star in a director’s chair, being fierce while strobe lights flash and projections of Alaskan scenery show up behind her. At other points Fluence is with the rising pop star, rocking out while Pro Tricking Athlete World Champion Bailey Payne back flips and somersaults around the room.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Phoebe Ryan’s Lysergic and Animated Visual for Shimmering Pop Confection “Reality”

Phoebe Ryan is an acclaimed Texas-born, New Jersey-based singer/songwriter andNYU Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music grad. Upon graduation, Ryan headed out to Los Angeles, where she landed work as a songwriter, writing songs for a number of artists, eventually writing Britney Spears’ “Man on the Moon.” 

With the release of sultry and attention-grabbing  mashup of R. Kelly’s “Ignition” and Miguel’s “Do You Like,” the Texas-born, New Jersey-based singer/songwriter exploded into the national scene, eventually signing with Columbia Records, who her first two EPs — 2015’s Mine and 2017’s James. Ultimately, Ryan felt at her best, guiding her own creative vision and returned to independent status, so that she could do things her way.

Last year, Ryan released two singles “ICIMY (In Case I Miss You)” and “Ring,” and opened for with pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen. And continuing on that momentum, Ryan will be releasing her long-awaited full-length debut How It Used to Feel on June 26, 2020. The album’s third and latest single is the woozy and kaleidoscopic, pop confection “Fantasy.” Inspired by the production on The Flaming Lips’ 2006 effort At War With The Mystics, the track which features shimmering and twinkling synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rocking low end and shuffling beats, will remind the listener of Ryan’s unerring ability to craft an infectious, radio friendly hook. But underneath the slick, modern production is some earnest songwriting. “‘Reality’ is about a time in my life where I was very dishonest with myself, trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted, and basically just living a lie because it was far less painful than the truth. I love the lyrics, they’re all straight from my dumb little heart, but I think the production of the song is what really hits me. It’s so upbeat and psychedelic, anthemic, bright, yet sorrowful.”

Directed and animated by Richie Brown, the recently released video for “Reality” is a wild, technicolor video is a lysergic journey through a cartoon Phoebe Ryan’s fantasies of bulging and pulsating bodies, fortune tellers and intergalactic travel — seen from the perspective of her pet parrot, who at times seems kind of confused at everything going on. “This is one of the most exciting videos we’ve gotten together for the album,” the Texas-born, New Jersey-based artist explains in press notes. “It’s exotic. It’s erotic. It’s everything I see in my head when I go to sleep at night. Collaborating with Richie Brown was such a fun experience, not only because I’ve been a fan of his work for years (the first video I saw of his was Brick + Mortar’s “Old Boy” in 2014), but because it’s honestly hilarious being able to text someone so open to the weirdest ideas at all hours of the day and night. Crocs? Obama? BDSM? He’s a genius. I love his wild visions.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Bülow Releases a Mischievous Video for Attention Grabbing Single “Not A Love Song”

Megan Bülow is a 17 year-old pop artist, who writes and records as Bülow, and who has spent time living in the States, Canada, the UK and Germany and is currently finishing high school in The Netherlands, making the up-and-coming pop artist a true citizen of the world. And with the release of her debut Damaged, Vol. 1 late last year, an effort that featured attention grabbing singles “Not A Love Song” and “Like This Guy” and “Lines,” Bülow became a viral sensation as those tracks have amassed several million streams, cracking the Spotify Global Viral charts, and receiving praise from the likes of NME, Vice Noisey, Pigeons and Planes and this site. 

Now, as you may recall “Not A Love Song” is an incredibly self-assured and sultry track that features Bülow’s smoky crooning over a slick and hyper contemporary production consisting of arpeggiated synths, tweeter and woofer rocking beats and finger snaps, and unsurprisingly, from this track Bülow remind some of pop contemporaries like Phoebe Ryan, Chelsea Lankes, Sofi de la Torre,  and others, as “Not A Love Song” is centered around a fearless, unvarnished honesty, capturing the messiness, uncertainties and insecurities of a young woman trying to maneuver the complexities of love, her impending adulthood and growing sense of independence. In fact, as Bülow explained to me via email, “‘Not A Love Song’ is about the excitement of meeting someone for the first time. Initially, it feels so new and overwhelming good, but I eventually decided I wasn’t ready for that commitment. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. You can’t let lust fool you. Be honest with yourself. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not mean tot be; but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun!”

The recently released video for the song was shot in Berlin and captures, the up-and-coming pop artist in a rather natural setting, capturing a young woman who can be equally confident, awkward, vulnerable and mischievous. As Bülow says of the video treatment, “I wanted this video to be natural, just being myself in a fearless city. Berlin is a special place to me.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Megan Bülow is a 17 year-old Dutch pop artist, best known as Bülow, who recently released her debut Damaged, Vol. 1 and its lead single “This Is Not A Love Song” is an an incredibly self-assured and sultry track consisting of Bülow’s smoky crooning over a slick and contemporary production featuring finger snaps, layers of arpeggiated synths and tweeter and woofer rocking beats. And the first time I heard the song, I was immediately reminded of Phoebe Ryan, Chelsea Lankes and others, as the song is rooted around a fearlessly unvarnished honesty, capturing the messiness, uncertainties, insecurities of a young woman trying to maneuver love, life and her independence; in fact, as Bülow explains “This Is ‘Not A Love Song’ is about the excitement of meeting someone for the first time. Initially it feels so new and overwhelmingly good, but eventually I decided I wasn’t ready for that commitment. Or at least that’s what I told myself. You can’t let lust fool you. Be honest with yourself, If it’s not meant to be it’s not meant to be, but doesn’t mean you can’t have fun!”

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Introducing the Radio-Friendly Pop of Up-and-Coming Canadian Pop Artist Dani

Up-and-coming Canadian indie pop artist Dani is a classically trained pianist and vocalist, who grew up in a small Alberta Canada town and upon realizing that being in her small town wasn’t going to help expand her career, she relocated to Toronto, where she spent as much time as possible to develop her own sound. The Canadian pop artist began receiving some attention with the release of her debut single “Love U More,” earlier this year, and building upon the attention she’s received, the Toronto-based indie pop artist recently released her latest single “Cruel,” a slickly produced and radio-friendly pop song that’s reminiscent of Phoebe Ryan, CAPPA and others — while being deeply personal.

As Dani explained via email “‘Cruel’ is the follow up to my debut single ‘Love U More.’ The lyrics were not only intended for myself, but also for others who may have experienced the strange and disconnected feeling of being addicted. The feeling of wanting to make excuses for someone who you are aware, deep down, is influencing your life in a negative way. Every so often you will get this glimpse of beauty from them and you just want to feel and relive that moment again.” And as a result, the song possesses the realization that a great deal of our relationships leave us feeling a conflicting and confusing array of emotions, even in the best of circumstances.

Directed by Chad Rook, the recently released music video for “Cruel” continues the up-and-coming pop artist’s burgeoning reputation for accompanying her songs with cinematically shot, stylistic visuals that nod at commercials and art films.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Bittersweet Visuals for Fleurie’s Gorgeous, Swooning and Anthemic “Sparks”

Certainly, if you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past 12-18 months or so, you’ve likely come across a handful of posts on Canton, MI-born, Nashville, TN-based classically trained pianist and singer/songwriter Lauren Straham, who writes, records and […]

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Check Out a Gorgeous and Aching, Acoustic Version of “Hurts Like Hell”

Building on the buzz of her critically praised and commercially successful EP Arrows, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter release “Hurts Like Hell, ” last year, and the single was featured on MTV’s Scream. Recently the folks at OurVinyl TV invited Straham in for an acoustic single and the first released bit of footage from that session is a gorgeous and stripped down rendition of “Hurts Like Hell” that features Straham accompanying herself on piano.

Lyrically, the song focuses on the conflicting feelings in the aftermath of a breakup — loss, longing, emptiness, heartache and self doubt, along with the sensations of self-reflection, of finality and of one’s life being altered in ways that are frequently beyond your own control and influence. And if you’ve been through a particularly messy and disastrous breakup the song should feel deeply familiar.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of “Ruins,” up-and-coming Los Angeles, CA-based indie pop artist Ryder received attention across the blogosphere for a slow-burning, atmospheric pop sound with soaring and anthemic hooks, skittering drum programming and Ryder’s expressive and sultry alto — all while comparing favorably to blogosphere darlings Phoebe Ryan, CAPPA, Chelsea Lankes and others.

Ryder’s latest single “Fade Away” will further cement her growing reputation for slow-burning, atmospheric and seductive pop as the song pairs Ryder’s expressive and sultry vocals with industrial clang and clatter, swirling and ambient electronics and a soaring, anthemic hook; however, unlike “Ruins,” “Fade Away,” is arguably the most sensual song she’s released to date, as the song’s narrator is urgently expressing her desire for a love object in a dysfunctional and confusing relationship.