Tag: world music

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: EL Drez Shares Hook-Driven and Uplifting “Hosanna”

Marphus L. Drez Stewart, is a Buchanan, Liberia-born and-based Afro pop/R&B singer/songwriter, best known as EL Drez. Stewart can trace his passion for music and his music career to his upbringing: As a teenager, he was the choir director for his church. Since then, the emerging Liberian artist caught the attention of Relumae Liberia, who signed him and has released a handful of singles to date.

His latest single, the KrisBeatz-proudced “Hosanna” is a sleek, hook-riven blend of gospel, Afrobeats, pop, dancehall and hip-hop anchored in a deeply heartfelt message of faith, belief and resilience that’s a much-needed bit of uplift for anyone out there having a difficult time in a mad, mad, mad world.

Directed by longtime friend Parashoot, the accompanying video follows the Liberian artist through a day in his life, attempting to achieve his dream through a steadfast belief in his talent and faith in God.

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Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Ayanna Witter-Johnson Shares Gorgeous, Meditative “Blue”

Born and raised in North London to Jamaican parents, acclaimed and rising, Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Award-nominated composer, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ayanna Wittter-Johnson grew up surrounded by the sounds of reggae, gospel and classical music. After earning a first-class Bachelor’s degree at Trinity Laban Conservatory and a Masters at the Manhattan School of Music, supported by a Higher Education Scholarship, Witter-Johnson has built a career founded in authenticity and cross-genre collaboration.

From composing to performing, the London-born artist’s work is a sonic bridge between worlds, seamlessly blending jazz, reggae and soul while celebrating her Jamaican heritage, culture and identity. Witter-Johnson’s recorded output — 2014’s Black Panther EP, 2018’s Truthfully Still and Ella, Reuben & Aly EP, 2019s full-length debut, Road Runner, 2021’s Rise Up EP and 2023’s sophomore album Painted Light — has seen her collaborating with producers Marc Mac and James Yarde, as well as pianist Robert Mitchell, vocalist Cleveland Watkiss and rapper Akala while earning critical acclaim and widespread acclaim across BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Music 6, Jazz FM and Magic Classical. 2023’s Ocean Floor, a collaborative album with the London Symphony Orchestra Percussion Ensemble dove into her Jamaican heritage, weaving classical textures with island rhythms and ancestral storytelling.

As a composer, Witter-Johson has won the Nordoff and Robbins 02 Silver Clef Classical Award and an RPS and AIM Awards Best Life Performer nominations — and she has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Chineke! Orchestra, Guerzenich Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as numerous chamber ensembles.

The acclaimed London-born artist has been both prolific and very busy: She’s currently working on a major new commission for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to celebrate their 90th anniversary and co-scoring her first TV drama for Sky Arts, which is slated for release this year.

Witter-Johnson’s highly anticipated album New Roots is slated for a September 18, 2026 release through her own Hill and Gully Records. Written across a series of retreats, hotel rooms, quarantine lockdown and quiet pockets of life on the road, New Roots documents moments where stillness becomes a portal, a place to her ancestral voices, confront personal truth and re-anchor yourself in what matters. Further cementing the London-born artist as a world-builder and musical polymath, the album sees Witter-Johnson delving into her heritage and spiritual practice, reflecting on British-Caribbean identity, the inheritance of Windrush Generation wisdom, grief and remembrance and the the strength required to keep choosing oneself. (By the way, the Windrush Generation was the Caribbean Island folk, who moved from the island nations from 1948-1971)“It’s an album about finding centre — personally, culturally, and cosmically — and about learning that new roots can be grown even in unfamiliar or fractured ground,” the acclaimed artist says,

Sonically, the album reportedly sees her expanding on her signature fusion of R&B, soul, classical and jazz, while tracing her Jamaican heritage through lush orchestration and raw, personal storytelling. The result is an effort that’s both deeply rooted and yet forward-looking.

New Roots‘ latest single “Blue” is built around a sparse yet gorgeous arrangement of Witter-Johnon’s percussive cello playing and subtle bursts of strings beneath her expressive, searching delivery. The result is a song that’s intimate, lived-in and yet cinematic. Sonically seemingly to nod at Joni Mitchell, Meshell Ndegeocello and contemporary R&B, “Blue” was originally written pre-pandemic during a “write-an-album-in-a-week” retreat, and was a way of processing the emotional fallout of a toxic relationship. But with distance and reflection, the song took on a new life.

“With distance and reflection, ‘Blue’ has grown into something broader: a meditation on patterns of pain and the ways in which victimhood can quietly shape multiple areas of life,” Witter-Johnson explains,. “The song now stands as a metaphor for a range of difficult relationships and situations — moments where suffering becomes familiar, and where growth comes from recognising and gently releasing that identity.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Carolina Oliveros Shares Meditative “Oye Camina”

Colombina-born, New York-based singer/songwriter Carolina Oliveros is best known for being the frontperson of acclaimed act Combo Chimbita. Oliveros will be stepping out into the spotlight with her solo debut, Ya Rompimos el Silencio, which is slated for a November 6, 2026 release through Chulo Records.

Inspired by her journey of healing from childhood trauma, Ya Rompimos el Silencio is an act of reclaiming voice, body and memory. The album’s material follows the path forward towards truth, resilience, queer love, collective healing and liberation. Each song is both a personal testimony and an invitation for others to break their own silences.

Sonically, the album reflects Oliveros lifelong dialogue between worlds. Anchored in the Afro-Indigenous musical traditions of Colombia and the Caribbean, vocal harmonies serve as connective tissue marrying bullerengue, cumbia, tambora, rumba, bolero, dembo, salve and other ancestral rhythms with adventurous contemporary production. The result if a sound that’s simultaneously intimate and expansive, ritualistic and contemporary — and honors tradition while boldly pushing it forward. Throughout the album’s runtime, its songs move effortlessly between ceremony and celebration, contemplation and the dance floor, revealing that healing can be a defiant, joyful act.

While showcasing another dimension of Oliveros’ artistry, Ya Rompimos el Silencio is rooted in the belief that music carries memory across generations, that telling the truth can be liberating and transformative, and breaking silence is not an ending, it’s a decision to choose a freer way of living.

Ya Rompimos el Silencio‘s latest single “Oye Camina” feels both timeless and remarkably modern. Oliveros’ powerhouse and expressive vocal asks the listener to slow down and savor the feeling moments that define a life, because nothing lasts forever. Anchored around the refrain “Que se va la vida” (life slips away). the song’s narrator reflects on the raw, fleeting beauty of those things that just can’t be held on to and really matter — love, friendships, and the moments that leave a mark and continue to shape us long after they have passed. “‘Oye Camina’ is a reminder that life is constantly in motion and that our challenge is to live with presence, gratitude, and courage before it slips away,” says Olivero.

The accompanying video is an intimate and deeply personal visual that showcases what may arguably be Oliveros’ most explicit artistic and authentic expression of Queer love and Queer joy rooted in the accumulation of the small, seemingly mundane moments that truly make life worthwhile.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Jimmy Cliff!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 82nd anniversary of the birth of Jimmy Cliff.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Bingo Club Shares Breezy “Bingo Twingo”

Paris-based duo Bingo Club describe their ethos as a club that demands no rules for entry, that’s friendly and where everyone knows your name, and where the club never closes and there’s no dress code.

Their second album is slated for an October 7, 2026 release through Fuzo Music. But in the meantime, the album’s latest single “Bingo Twingo,” is a summery and mischievous Italo-disco song anchored around a strutting, funky dance floor friendly bass line, Nile Rodgers-like funk guitar-driven hooks and dueling boy-girl vocals. It’s perfect for the beach, for the rooftop party — and for the club.

Directed by Romain Winkler and Bingo Club, the accompanying video is a bright and trippy visual that capture she buoyant, breezy vibe of the song.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Montréal-based JOVM Mainstay Naomi Teams Up with SLM on Sultry, Club Banger “Hershey Kiss”

2026 has been a busy year for Montréal-based JOVM mainstay Naomi: She has continued to be wildly prolific while entering a bold new era working with French producer Elior Chaudagne, who produced “Univers.”

Following the success of “Univers,” the French Canadian artist returns with “Hershey Kiss,” which features Anglophone Montréal-based emcee SLM (pronounced “SLIM”). Built around a propulsive, dance-floor filling calypso-styled riddim, “Hershey Kiss” is a sultry, club banger that’s rooted in Naomi and SLM’s swaggering and defiant, girlboss energy.

“Hershey Kiss” can be trace its origins a back a little bit: Elior Chaudagne, had been pitching the Montréal-based artist an energetic beat inspired by bouyon, a Caribbean music genre that’s currently red hot right now. However, Naomi hadn’t feel confident enough to tackle the genre while adding her own touch — until SLM joined her in the studio.

The two Montréal-based artist’s collaboration, much like the song goes back a little bit: Naomi and SLM have long moved around in the same circles. But despite sharing similar sociocultural references and background — Naomi has Haitian and Guyanese roots; SLM is Guyanese. But they hadn’t worked together until “Hershey Kiss.”

Their initial artistic encounter felt natural — to the point of being seemingly symbiotic. Each artist spontaneously wrote their lyrics on the spot in a matter of a few minutes and recorded their part in practically a single take, without retouching or re-dubs. Throughout the song, they play with the conventions of bouyon with references to the ballroom scene — in both sound and energy. And as a result, there’s a raunchy, uninhibited and cheekily ribald energy to the proceedings.

Directed by Wynn Holmes and Naomi Hilaire, the accompanying video was shot at the Funhub Arcade on Cathcart Street in Downtown Montréal. The video drops the viewer into a sweaty and sultry party featuring twenty dancers performing choreography created by Naomi and Raphaël Gagnon. The video captures the raunchy energy of the song.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Nouveau Vague and Flavia Coelho Tackle Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again”

Founded by Marc Collins and the late Olivier Libaux back in 2003, Nouveau Vague was initially conceived as a one-off tribute to post-punk songwriting in a Bossa nova style. 2004’s self-titled debut, which saw them establish their unique fusion of melancholy post-punk, Bossa nova and French re-interpretational approach, unexpectedly achieved global acclaim. Since then, Nouveau Vague has become a global phenomenon.

Their 10th album, A Date with Depeche Mode is slated for an October 30, 2026 release through Kwaidan Records/[PIAS] Recordings. And as you can probably tell, the album sees the French outfit tackling the work of pioneering British electronic outfit Depeche Mode. The album’s second single, “Never Let Me Down Again” feat. Brazilian artist Flavia Coehlo was according to the a conscious risk, because her voice manages to carry the full light of Rio. The original version is a brooding and hypnotic tune built on an intertwined promise and threat.

Coehlo and Nouveau Vague manage to craft a bold and unique interpretation of a beloved song that doesn’t betray the spirit and intention of the original. The summer breeze and sunshine of Nouveau Vague’s rendition is superficial; the song is underpinned by a tense, brooding unease. Goths at the beach, perhaps?

Seriously though, Nouveau Vague’s work points out the melancholy of English New Wave and Brazilian Bossa Nova are practically two sides of the same coin.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 80th Birthday, Linda Ronstadt!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Linda Ronstadt’s 80th birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Lisa LeBlanc Shares Rollicking “Whole Lotta Talkin'”

Lisa LeBlanc is an acclaimed Rosaireville, NB-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (banjo and guitar) and established Acadian icon, thanks to her sound, a unique blend of roots, rock, disco, funk and country. After achieving commercial success with 2012’s self-titled full-length debut, she switched from French to English for 2012’s Highways Heartaches and Time Well Wasted and 2017’s Why You Wanna Leave Runaway Queen, which landed on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist that year.

The Rosaireville-born, Montréal-based artist and her backing band toured relentlessly over a handful of years. But by 2019, she took a break from touring to write and travel, and also began to explore studio work, which led her to produce Édith Butler‘s 25th album, 2021’s Le tour du Grand Bois. This new creative path enabled LeBlanc to broaden her musical horizons while using her talents, creativity and passion in the service of others.

The new production skills she learned led to 2022’s Chiac Disco, a critically applauded effort that simultaneously drew from and paid tribute to Lee Hazlewood, disco and funk — simultaneously. LeBlanc supported the album with over 140 shows across North America, Europe and Japan. The album landed on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist — her second time earning the honor. And the album led to a Juno Award nomination. Since then her catalogue has amassed over 35 million streams across all DSPs.

2024’s Live avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec saw LeBlanc collaborating with 63 classical musicians to perform her material.

“Whole Lotta Talkin'” is the acclaimed Canadian artist’s first bit of new material since Chiac Disco — and it marks a return to English lyrics. Sonically, “Whole Lotta Talkin'” is a rollickingly fun, hooky tune featuring a classic, surf rock riff and shimmering 60s-styled organ that sounds a bit like a seamless blend of Dick Dale, Link Wray, The Castaways‘ “Liar Liar” and The B-52‘s while showcasing LeBlanc’s mischievous wit and humor. The song recalls a situation all of us have been in at some point: being cornered by someone who just won’t shut up, and doesn’t get the hint that you’re desperately trying to get away from them.

Directed by Alexandre Pelletier, the accompanying video follows the touring adventures of a dysfunctional rock band featuring LeBlanc and her puppet bandmates — two of which are irremediably thoughtless, lazy, womanizing partiers, who besides playing music aren’t holding their weight on anything else. “I wanted to tell this funny, absurd story with the utmost seriousness, as if we were watching an ultra-dramatic musical biopic,” Pelletier explains. But what starts off on a playful note ends with a double puppet murder and a shared bloody secret.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Indy Fontaine Returns with Flirty “Como Pa’ Mi”

Indy Fontaine is a Cuban-born, Miami-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who can trace the origins of her career to her early childhood: Singing alongside her uncle and his old guitar, she fell in love with music when she was three. By the time she turned six, she was enrolled full-time at a music school in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, where she trained to be professional vocalist and musician. 

Fontaine went on to graduate at the top of her class from Havana‘s prestigious National School of Art. When she graduated, she already had over a decade of experience playing gigs all across her native Cuba, including music festivals, live radio and TV sessions, and more. 

Fontaine then joined Sol y Sun, an act that has made runs of the international festival circuit between the States and Cuba, as well as some of the most popular venues in Havana. The band also frequently performed on national TV and radio shows.

She then relocated to Miami, where she stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist, Her solo debut, 2024’s Moments of My Life ranged across a number of genres and styles, including Adult Contemporary, Easy Listening, Soft Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock and R&B — with songs written and sung in both English and Spanish. 

The album featured “El Amor No Alcanza,” Fontaine’s subtly modern take on bolero, a Cuban genre that frequently focuses on affairs of the heart. Since then, Fontaine spent the past year releasing a collection of successful singles, “Esta Navidad,” “Vacaciones,” “Mariposas En La Lluvia,” “Mejor Sin Ti,” “Que Te Vaya Bien,” “Después De La Caída”  and the Andrés Castro and Guianko Gómez co-written and co-produced “Tú Tienes Algo,” feat. Charlie Cruz.

Fontaine’s latest single, the Fontaine and Guianko Gómez cowritten and Gómez-produced “Como Pa’ Mi” is a thumping, club friendly and flirty bachata tune that captures the feverish desperation of obsessive infatuation, when that person takes absolute hold of every thought and feeling. The song radiates joy –the sort of joy and hope from newfound love. And that joy was the feeling that Fontaine brought into the studio. “I walked into the studio with a happy vibe, a special feeling, and I wanted to share that with everyone — that beautiful emotion that comes up when two people genuinely connect,” Fontaine says.