Lucy Whittaker is an up and coming, 19 year-old British singer/songwriter and student at Leeds College of Music. Her debut single “Change Your Mind” pairs shimmering cosmically glowing synths, twinkling keyboards and propulsive 808s with Whittaker’s sultry, soulful vocals to craft a contemporary pop sound that fits in with the likes of Chelsea Lankes, Phoebe Ryan, CAPPA, Heather LaRose and others while possessing a self-assuredness, confidence and perspective well beyond her young years. And although this single is her debut, I’m looking forward to hearing quite a bit more from this young British talent.
Tag: pop
Since their formation three years ago, the Washington, DC-based duo GEMS, comprised of Lindsay Pitts and John Usher, have developed a reputation for crafting material that’s intimate and confessional, and expresses heartache and longing paired with eerily atmospheric and hypnotic synth pop that’s subtly influenced by contemporary R&B.And the duo’s forthcoming full-length debut, Kill The One You Love, which takes its title from a line in Chuck Palahniuk‘s Fight Club will not only further cement the duo’s reputation for their take on contemporary pop, it will also help expand their already growing national profile.
Kill The One You Love‘s latest single “Soak” is a haunting song that pairs ominously swirling electronics, Nile Rodgers-like guitar played through gentle layers of reverb, a shuffling yet sinuous bass line, stuttering and skittering yet propulsive drum programming with aching boy and girl vocals expressing desperate loneliness, heartache and longing that comes as a relationship splinters apart. In particular, the song focuses on that feeling that life being irrevocably different after a breakup — that in some way just trying to move forward and live one’s life without that other person seems as impossible as breathing underwater or walking upside down. And yet, there’s a subtle ray of hope as the narrators of the song blindly attempt to accept the uncertainty of their lives. It’s an emotionally raw song that evokes yanking a bandaid off a barely healed wound — and it does so in a way that’s incredibly sensual.
New Video: Introducing the Dramatic and Moody Pop of Malta’s Berne
Influenced by the likes of Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor, Agnes Obel, and Marina and The Diamonds, Maltese singer/songwriter Berne initially began her career as the frontwoman of the acclaimed and award-winning act Bletchley Park, an act […]
Texas-born, New York-based singer/songwriter Melany Watson has been performing music for as long as she can probably remember — but she can trace the origins of her music career to two particular events: performing in school choirs and touring the Southeast Texas Ol’ Opry circuit alongside her mother, as the mother and daughter country music duo Melva Lee and Melany. According to Watson, her own artistic self-discovery was inspired by Whitney Houston and The Bodyguard soundtrack, and a lengthy list of 90s R&B vocalists, which naturally opened a new world of expression to her. After singing Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” at a local karaoke bar when she was 12, Watson had what she has called an epiphany — that she was singing and performing the music she had to devote her life to. And as a result, Watson realized that she needed to set out on her own path.
So far Watson has had quite an accomplished career, as she’s performed at PBS‘ Christmas at Belmont with Trisha Yearwood while as an undergrad at Belmont University, was a Top 100 Finalist during Season 6 of NBC‘s The Voice and she recently backed YouTube pop sensation Tori Kelly during Kelly’s performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. And among some within the music industry, Watson has been compared favorably to Etta James, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and others — but with a country music leaning towards lyrics that tell stories informed by her own experiences.
“Illuminate,” the first single off Watson’s forthcoming EP, Lilith in Virgo pairs Watson’s effortlessly soulful vocals with a slick, modern production comprised of skittering percussion, shimmering synths, swirling electronics and twinkling piano chords in a way that meshes 90s inspired R&B and soul, contemporary electro pop and a very subtle nod to the country music that Watson grew up listening to and performing. While possessing a dramatic and moody heft, as the song thematically discusses what it truly means to be in a relationship and to be someone’s soulmate, the ethereal production suits Watson’s vocals perfectly, as the arrangement allows room for Watson’s vocals to soar and dart through and above the mix.
If you’ve been following the blogosphere over the course of the past year, you’d likely know that this year has been a big year for pop music — and an even bigger year for women artists, as a number of women artists have dominated the attention of the blogosphere. And with the release of “Illuminate” Watson adds her name to a growing list of artists that are making a name for themselves.
Live Footage: The Soul-Leaning Pop Sound of Judith Hill
Singer/songwriter Judith Hill comes from a very musical family — her mother is a renowned, classically trained pianist from Japan and her father is a bassist, who had stints playing with Sly Stone, Chaka Khan, […]
New Video: Sorcha Richardson’s Achingly Sincere Pop Single “Petrol Station”
Born in Ireland and currently based in Brooklyn, electronic music artist and singer/songwriter Sorcha Richardson initially came to the States to study but after developing a number of close relationships within Brooklyn’s electronic music scene, Richardson’s […]
Comprised of Russ Flynn and Alexandra Stewart, the Brooklyn-based duo ACES craft a painstakingly meticulous sound that pairs Flynn’s sparse, shimmering and atmospheric production with Stewart’s tender and breathy vocals and soaring, anthemic hooks. Now, if you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past week or so, you may recall that I’ve previously written about the duo’s first single “What Do You Think They’ll Say About Me,” a song that managed to evoke sunset drives, slow-burning romance and of wisps of smoke gently dissipating into the ether— while just underneath the surface the song possesses an achingly desperate vulnerability and longing.
Flynn and Stewart’s latest single “I’m Already Gone” is an R&B leaning track that pairs eerily, atmospheric synths, skittering, four-on-the-floor drum programming with Stewart’s breathy, achingly tender vocals and brief blasts of guitar to craft a slow-burning, moody and tense ballad that’s one part old-fashioned torch song, and one part wishful and tender farewell. From both “I’m Already Gone” and “What Do You Think They’ll Say About Me,” the duo of Flynn and Stewart have quickly proven that they specialize in a gorgeously, spectral and delicate pop sound.
New Audio: Neon Indian’s Latest Single Channels 80s Synth Funk and Synth Pop
If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past month or so, you may recall coming across a couple of posts on indie electro pop sensation, Neon Indian. But just in case you might be new to […]
Interview: A Q&A with Corina Seas
Born and reared outside of Tampa, FL, the up-and-coming Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Corina Seas has what may arguably be a prototypical American, feel-good story, as the singer/songwriter is the daughter of Honduran immigrants, who settled […]
Daniel Cartisano is a Sydney, Australia-based electronic music artist, producer and vocalist, and his solo recording project MK Grands draws from a diverse array of influences including Tom Waits, Arca, Bon Iver, and Flying Lotus, and in a relatively short period Cartisano has received praise and attention nationally and internationally through features on Triple J‘s Unearthed, HillyDilly, French publications Teez FM and Pause Musicale and GQ Magazine UK among others for a icy and broodingly atmospheric pop sound.
Building on the national and international buzz that he has already received, Cartisano will be releasing an EP at some point in the near future — but in the meantime, his latest single “Hold You Down,” is a sparse track that pairs ominously swirling and icy synths, glitchy beats and Cartisano’s plaintive falsetto as the song slowly builds up with a layer of cascading synths that appear towards the song’s last 45 seconds or so.
The song is centered around the deeply conflicting and intense feelings shared by two people, who are trying to leave each other after being together for a considerable period of time. In other words, it captures the strange push and pull sensation of desire, longing, revulsion and contempt that can frequently come about in long-term relationships. But at the core of the song is the sense that it comes from a deeply personal experience — one that’s paradoxically almost universal for anyone, who’s been in a long-term relationship.
New Video: The Soaring and Anthemic Pop Sound of London’s Lucy Mason
Initially influenced by No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries and Radiohead, the Australian-born, London-based singer/songwriter Lucy Mason first learned the guitar when she was 13, and after finishing school in Australia, the up-and-coming singer songwriter relocated to the UK, where […]
New Video: Cat Marino’s Stranger Cat Creepy Pop Sound Channels Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel
Cat Marino is a Brooklyn-based electro pop artist, who has collaborated with the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, The Shins and Sharon Van Etten. Earlier this year, Marino released a solo full-length In The […]
New Audio: Kisses’ Disco-Friendly, New Single “Jam”
Comprised of Zinzi Edmundson and Jesse Kivel, the Los Angeles-based duo Kisses have developed a reputation for crafting records that had been intentionally and conceptually cohesive synth pop — with both Edmundson and Kivel assembling […]
New Audio: Introducing The Dreamy Sound of Praxis Canta
Originally starting his career as a guitarist and composer for the Brazilian indie act Sexy Fi, João Paulo Praxis recently relocated to Brooklyn to purse a solo career with his solo recording project, Praxis Canta. “Rimel,” […]