FEATURE: How I’m Feeling Now: Taking Care of Artists’ Mental Health

FEATURE:

 

 

How I’m Feeling Now

PHOTO CREDIT: Engin Akyurt/Pexels

Taking Care of Artists’ Mental Health

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A recent study…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lewis Capaldi recently announced a break from touring to focus on his mental health

got me thinking about all the challenges and difficulties artists face today. Back on 3rd November, Music Week published an interview with Rough Trade's Lawrence Montgomery on  International Stress Awareness Week. He addressed artists' wellbeing. I think a combination of things contributes to mental health struggles. There is that financial side of things. Artists not being able to make enough to live in many cases. Struggling to even break even a lot of times. There is also the pressure to be on social media and get the music to as many people as possible. This, coupled with the fact that the music industry is so competitive and it can be hard to keep optimistic and visible, it is no wonder some new findings are quite stark:

“Preserving mental health can prove challenging in the music industry, with artists up to three times more likely to suffer from depression and other mental struggles, particularly indie performers.

A study found that 73% of independent musicians have experienced mental illness. But why is this the case? And what can artists and the industry alike do to change this?

Here, Lawrence Montgomery, MD at Rough Trade, shares insights on protecting the mental health of musicians including five steps to make improvements…

Why is mental health a problem in the music industry?

The music sector comes with its own set of unique pressures that can become a source of poor mental health in smaller artists.

Financial strain is one of the most significant stressors that can contribute to poor mental health, and it’s hardly surprising, with a recent report revealing that nearly half of the UK’s working musicians earn less than £14,000 per year from a full-time music career and 17% of artists reportedly in debt.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Ervi/Pexels

This requires many to find additional sources of income, often in the form of a second job, which results in long working days that can ultimately lead to physical and emotional exhaustion.

Pressure is also added to by the unpredictable nature of the industry, as a lack of job stability can weigh heavily on the minds of independent musicians looking for long-term success in music.

A lack of job stability can weigh heavily on the minds of independent musicians looking for long-term success in music

Lawrence Montgomery

Additionally, constant performing and touring can take its toll on emotional wellbeing, as inconsistent sleep, poor diet, and extensive time away from home can collectively damage mental health.

Collectively, these problems can result in declining mental health among artists and is likely a pivotal reason why as many as 64% of musicians consider quitting the industry.

What can the industry do to change this?

Globally, more needs to be done to solve these problems and reduce poor mental health rates in the music sector.

Labels, executives, managers, and agents should proactively work with health organisations to better understand the factors influencing musician’s mental health and the best ways to support them.

For example, Rough Trade is working with CALM to promote awareness of mental health struggles and break the stigma surrounding them.

Access to mental health services and platforms that provide counselling services can help artists feel supported.

Artists should also be provided with more autonomy over their contracts and finance negotiations, as independent musicians – who make up 40% of the music industry – often have little say, which can leave them without adequate income.

How can artists prioritise and protect their mental health?

Although more must be done in the industry to protect the mental wellbeing of artists, musicians must also take steps to prepare for and overcome unavoidable stresses.

Here are some ways that artists can protect their emotional wellbeing…

1 Establish a support system

Musicians should lean on friends and family who understand the industry’s challenges and lean on them for emotional support.

Connect with fellow music industry professionals by joining local or online communities where they can share experiences with like-minded individuals.

2 Set realistic goals and manage expectations

Set clear and realistic short and long-term goals to reduce feelings of failure from aiming for unrealistic targets.

It’s also important to celebrate small wins to boost positivity and mental health and recognise that success can take time in the music industry.

3 Take time to rest

Establishing a routine is key. Structuring time to include dedicated work and rest hours is a great way to minimise stress and create a work-life balance.

Enough sleep, a balanced diet, regular exercise, and setting strict boundaries will help maintain a healthy mindset and prevent burnout.

 PHOTO CREDIT: RF._.studio/Pexels

4 Don’t compare yourself to others

In a digital age, it’s easy to compare yourself to others on social media. But remember, not everything online is true or realistic, and excessive comparison can be hugely detrimental to mental health.

Limit time on social media and focus on yourself and your own goals.

5 Be kind to yourself

Music is one of the toughest careers to pursue and it can be easy to forget your successes in the face of failure.

Remember that success takes time to build and requires a huge amount of time, effort, and sacrifice to achieve. Setbacks and rejections are part of the process”.

It is positive that there are ways to try to manage mental health. Whilst live music itself eases mental health for so many, it is often the artists providing catharsis and relief that suffer badly from mental health struggles. The Music Minds Matter charity offers support and advice for those in the music industry. At such a very stressful, strange and brutal time in the world, now more than ever, the mental wellbeing of artists is paramount. Those who are responsible for producing music that connects and lifts us should be supported. I think a lot of the bleakness you see with those statistics above comes down to the economy. The fact that artists cannot make enough money. With the cost of living being so high, many are also not making enough to ensure that they can pay rent and afford to eat and live healthy. Many incur debt. This only adds to the stress and struggle. If major artists like Lewis Capaldi have recently taken time out to prioritise their mental health and find some space and rest, smaller artists might not have that option. In recent years, a range of artists have opened up about their mental health. Helping to destigmatise the subject, Billboard collected together quotes from artists who have spoken about their experiences:

“Ariana Grande

“I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience — like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry,” the pop star told British Vogue about suffering from PTSD after more than 20 people were killed in a bombing during one of her 2017 shows. “I’ve always had anxiety. I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it’s ever been.”

Grande also spoke out May 2, 2021, in the hopes of ending the stigma surrounding mental health. “Here’s to ending the stigma around mental health and normalizing asking for help,” Grande captioned a mini gallery of text slides, which included numerous resources. “Healing isn’t linear, fun, quick or at all easy but we are here and we’ve got to commit to making this time as healthy, peaceful and beautiful as possible. the work is so hard but we are capable and worth it. sending so much love and strength.”

Billie Eilish

The young superstar might be on top of the world professionally, but her newfound fame led to depression and suicidal thoughts, she told Gayle King ahead of the 2020 Grammy Awards. “I was so unhappy last year … I was so unhappy and I was so, like, joyless. I didn’t ever think I would be happy again, ever,” she said. “I don’t want to be too dark, but I genuinely didn’t think I would, like, make it to, like, 17.”

Charli XCX

While promoting her self-titled third album in 2019, the singer-songwriter opened up about her mental health. “[I go into] my thoughts and feelings about my mental state and what life is supposed to be as an artist, my depression, and my insecurities,” she told SPIN about using her music to candidly explore her mental health, and how that has impacted her record. “I’m being more honest than ever before. It’s been very therapeutic.”

Halsey

The artist shared in Billboard’s March 2016 cover story that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while in high school, and spent weeks in a psychiatric hospital her senior year. “I had tried to kill myself,” said Halsey, who is also a mental health advocate. “I was an adolescent; I didn’t know what I was doing. Because I was 17, I was still in a children’s ward, which was terrifying.”

In May 2020, the “I Am Not a Woman, I’m a God” singer participated in YouTube’s Artist Spotlight Stories, during which she did a deep dive with Dr. Snehi Kapur for Mental Health Awareness Month. During the discussion, the Grammy nominee also shared her mantra: “Achieving mental health doesn’t happen. Mental health isn’t a destination. You never arrive at mental healthy and go, ‘OK, I’m glad I got here.'”

She has also been outspoken for people to be more understanding of those who struggle with mental health issues. In July 2020, she tweeted: “I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isn’t a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence.”

James Blake

“It’s especially easy to poke fun at the idea that a white man could be depressed. I have done it myself, as a straight white man who was depressed. In fact, I still carry the shame of having been a straight white man who’s depressed and has experienced suicidal thoughts,” the artist wrote in an essay in It’s Not OK to Feel Blue (and Other Lies). “I also believe everybody is entitled to pain, no matter how perceptibly or relatively small that pain is. I don’t want the shame around depression and anxiety in privileged people to become worse any more than I want it for the marginalized”.

I think that we all owe artists so much. They have been so important to all of us. It is a tough industry to survive in, let alone flourish! With it being incredibly difficult for so many artists to make money and sustain a career, we are seeing a wave of mental health issues. A crisis that is impacting the industry, the fact that awareness is being raised is a good thing. With money and its stresses causing a lot of damage, there does need to be some sort of intervention and assistance from wider afield. So many venues are closing down. Streaming sites not paying artists enough. The cost of living maybe mean fewer people can go to gigs or buy merchandise. There are so many artists coming through, often there is so much competition for spaces – and, with venues closing, more people are vying for fewer spaces. It is a really bad time if you want to succeed as an artist. That sounds bleak, though there are shoots of light and promise. In the second mention in as many weeks, Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual provides invaluable guidance and advice. Not only does mental health struggle need to be normalised and fully accepted. I feel there does need to be more financial and therapeutic aid for those in the music industry. Such a tough field to survive in, it is devastating when we have to loss artists. That talent leaving the industry is really notable and heartbreaking! There are, as we saw from that article/interview at the start of this feature, ways the industry and artists can help. It will not solve all the issues like finances and earnings, though there are steps that can be taken to ensure that there is adequate support and awareness. It is only fair that so much is given to the artists and those in the music industry who…

GIVE so much to us.

FEATURE: Streaming Bifurcation: Could Major Artists Earning Millions from Spotify Get Behind An Initiative That Redistribute Wealth to Smaller Artists?

FEATURE:

 

 

Streaming Bifurcation

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

Could Major Artists Earning Millions from Spotify Get Behind An Initiative That Redistribute Wealth to Smaller Artists?

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THERE is this vast gulf…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift performing during her Eras Tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York Times

between huge artists who can command enormous money from a single album or viral hit. Some of the biggest artists in the world like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift get millions of streams for singles on Spotify. Their albums can get giant numbers. Whilst they do not earn megabucks and can retire after a single album, there is no doubt they have made millions alone from the site because of their success. One can look at someone like Taylor Swift and the millions of streams her songs will get. I have enormous respect for her and she is deserving of all the success she gets. As she is a billionaire and someone whose wealth will continue to rise, I wondered whether any central pot or vault could be put onto a site like Spotify where a percentage of her streaming earnings go in. That she can donate to. Think about artists who stream hundred or thousands for their songs. They put so much hard work in but, when the year is out, what does that amount to?! For many, we are talking a few dollars or pounds. It is a very meagre sum for quality music that has reached as far as it can go. Hugely successful and established artists will always have this instantly receptive audience that will stream her stuff. She donates to charity and is worthy of her money. That said, at a desperate time when so few artists can earn a living from touring and rely to an extent on any pittance from streaming sites like (but not exclusively) Spotify, there must be a solution that can work where the earnings gap is reduced.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Keira Burton/Pexels

Of course, it is not incumbent on artists who earn a lot through streaming sites to solve an issue that is caused by the sites themselves! Rather than it being an obligation, it is a redistribution and nice thing to do so that there is some – if not massive and hugely significant – reapportionment of wealth. As it stands, we can see the gigantic earnings gulf between the very biggest artists and pretty much everyone else! Naturally, when we say that, it is clear that platforms like Spotify need to do a lot more. This has been an issue for years now. I think they could raiser their subscription rate too. I pay £10 for full access. It seems like very little to have access to a whole library of albums, songs and podcasts. I, alongside many others, would happily double that pledge and monthly fee if it meant that more artists got more money! This urgency to ensure that all artists are paid – and paid more – comes after some devastating plans from Spotify that heaps misery on artists whose songs do not do big numbers:

“Last month Music Business Worldwide broke the news that major changes were coming to Spotify‘s royalty model in Q1 2024. The most controversial of those changes? A new minimum annual threshold for streams before any track starts generating royalties on the service.

At the time of our report, we couldn’t confirm a precise number for this minimum threshold. Now we can: It’s 1,000 plays.

The news was first nodded to by a guest post from the President of the distribution platform Stem, Kristin Graziani, published on Thursday (November 2).

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

MBW has subsequently confirmed with sources close to conversations between Spotify and music rightsholders that 1,000 streams will indeed be the minimum yearly play-count volume that each track on the service has to hit in order to start generating royalties from Q1 2024.

We’ve also re-confirmed Spotify’s behind-the-scenes line on this to record labels and distributors right now: That the move is “designed to [demonetize] a population of tracks that today, on average, earn less than five cents per month”.

Five cents in recorded music royalties on Spotify in the US today can be generated by around 200 plays.

As we reported last month, Spotify believes that this move will de-monetize a portion of tracks that previously absorbed 0.5% of the service’s ‘Streamshare’ (i.e. ‘pro-rata’-based) royalty pool.

Spotify has told industry players that it expects the new 1,000-play minimum annual threshold will reallocate tens of millions of dollars per year from that 0.5% to the other 99.5% of the royalty pool.

In 2024, Spotify expects this will move $40 million that would have previously been paid to tracks with fewer than 1,000 streams to those with more than 1,000 streams.

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

One source close to the conversations between Spotify and music rightsholders told us: “This targets those royalty payouts whose value is being destroyed by being turned into fractional payments – pennies or nickels.

“Often, these micro-payments aren’t even reaching human beings; aggregators frequently require a minimum level of [paid-out streaming royalties] before they allow indie artists to withdraw the money.

“We’re talking about tracks [whose royalties] aren’t hitting those minimum levels, leaving their Spotify royalty payouts sitting idle in bank accounts.”

MBW itself nodded to Spotufy’s new 1,000-play threshold in a commentary posted on Thursday entitled: Talking “garbage”: How can Spotify and co. sort the dregs of the music business from the hidden treasures?

In that MBW Reacts article, we referenced comments made by Denis Ladegaillerie, CEO of Believe – parent of TuneCore – made on a recent podcast interview with Music Business Worldwide.

Ladegaillerie specifically expressed disagreement with the idea of a 1,000-stream monetization lower limit on music streaming services.

He said: “Why would you not pay such an artist [for getting less than 1,000 streams]? It doesn’t make any sense”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

As it stands, we have only a select few artists who can make a lot of money from streaming platforms. Even if many other artists do make some money, the reality is that it is very little. There is this unfair competition where the biggest artists are going to keep learning and expanding their wealth, whereas so many smaller acts are going to struggle. Many coming through need platforms like Spotify for visibility and get their music heard. They also need to earn money and continue to make music. I think it is only fair that there are options explored so that all artists earn more than they do. As I suggested, many a Robin Hood-style redistribution from the richest to everyone else would create some short-term relief. It is almost like a literal flood in some way. The digital stream breaking and engulfing struggling artists. Maybe the tidal wave of success that mainstream artists gets compared to the drought that other artists experience. I shall drop the water imagery…though my point is that there could be this bifurcation where incredible capital earned by the most commercially successful artists put something into a central location or Spotify ‘vault’. There is then a redistribution where most other artists can share that. It does sound ambitious and idealistic, yet we have come to a time when there are calls for something to happen! With Spotify seemingly more determined to make it an elite platform where the richest and most bankable can succeed and profit and everyone else seemingly should be grateful that their music is on the site! It would not be a notable financial loss to any of the biggest artists if they were to agree to a small percentage of their streaming revenue gallantly and altruistically, than that can be shared among other artists. When so many artists are finding touring tough and not earning much from it, streaming profits are very low for them – which means that their sources of revenue shrinks. Streaming sites that make huge profits each year need to do more to ensure that people who upload tracks there are compensated and get much more than they do at the moment. I think that we all can agree that it is…

PHOTO CREDIT: Jovan Vasiljević/Pexels

THE least that they deserve.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Towa Bird

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Interscope Records

Towa Bird

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FOUR incredible singles have come…

from Towa Bird this year. The most recent, Drain Me!, was released in October. The Hong Kong-born singer-songwriter is an amazing name that should be fimrly on everyone’s tongue! I think that she is someone who will have a phenomenal 2024. I am going to come to some interviews with Bird. Here is someone who is writing extraordinary queer love stories for the ages. Towa Bird has already won some hugely popular fans in the form of Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish. I will come to interviews so that we can learn more about her. Earlier this year, Udiscovermusc.com highlighted a wonderful artist who shared an incredible debut single. One that made an instant impression:

“Rising singer-songwriter Towa Bird has shared her explosive debut single “Wild Heart” – an attention-grabbing first taste of a wider record to come.

“I could smoke you out/For fun in my leather vest,” the Hong Kong-born artist sings in the juggernaut chorus. “I love you till the death/You’re a bullet in my chest.”

The single was produced by Thomas Powers from the New Zealand indie-pop band The Naked And Famous, with Powers serving as Bird’s main collaborator on her upcoming album.

“It’s energetic and bold, but also incredibly vulnerable and soul-baring — more of that to come,” Bird said in a press release. “The song is about personal growth within my romantic relationships and addresses my past self and actions I’ve taken. I’m personified as a reckless cowboy who meets a girl, gets caught in her grip, and — to his surprise — becomes completely devoted to her. It illustrates the person that I once was and the person I’ve grown into not nearly perfect, but definitely not as much of an asshole.”

Although born in Hong Kong, Bird – who is half-Filipino, half-English – spent much of her childhood in Thailand and London. She began playing guitar at the age of 12, honing her skills and technique by strumming along to bands she discovered through her father’s record collection, like The Kinks and The Who. She formed her first band at 14 and cut her teeth playing dive bars and street festivals in Hong Kong before attending Goldsmiths, University of London.

After two years at the university, she dropped out and focused on music instead, getting her start producing and co-writing for other artists. At the same time, Bird was sharing videos of herself soloing over hip-hop, pop, and R&B songs – something which garnered the attention and admiration of the likes of Willow Smith and Tyler, The Creator.

Bird’s debut album – whose title is yet to be announced – is due for release later this year and will find the exciting young artist offering up an intimate exploration of queerness, identity, and the complexities of love”.

I am picking various sections out of particular interviews. Hopefully it helps paint a picture and broader impression of Towa Bird. The best proof and hit comes from listening to her music. I have put some links at the end regarding where you can find and support her. I am looking forward to seeing whether 2024 sees a Towa Bird E.P. or album - it does seem more than likely. NME have featured Bird a couple of times this year. The first, back in May, reacted to the growing love for an immense and supremely talented musician:

“NME: It was a Jimi Hendrix documentary that partly inspired you to start making music. What was it about that film that struck a chord with you?

“I think seeing how Hendrix expressed himself on stage was the main thing. Live shows drew me to music in the first place, and being able to be a personality on stage and show parts of yourself that people don’t get to see when you’re just having a conversation with them. I think that I present as a generally calm person – or at least that’s what people have said about me – but when I’m on stage I’m like the complete opposite. So it’s nice to be able to have that side of who I am and get a moment to express myself. Watching Hendrix do that – set his guitar on fire and just do crazy stage stunts while also keeping a beat and having the audience engaged – was really inspiring, and just filled me with so much energy.”

Did you need an outlet for that energetic side of your personality when you first started playing live?

“Yeah, I think I’ve repressed that side for a really long time. I wanted to be seen as quite cool, collected and put together – but I don’t think anyone is really cool. We all have sides of ourselves that are completely unravelled and very intimate, and I think performance, songwriting and music in general is a way for me to access that and break down the wall that I’ve built so perfectly.”

You’ve previously worked on other people’s projects as a producer, songwriter and guitarist. What have you learned from working with other musicians that you’re now bringing into your own music?

“There’s a lot of stuff. I think playing with Cassyette, for example, and just watching her on stage – she’s such a lovely person, so charismatic and so in touch with herself, and that really comes across in her performance. It’s so natural, and I really enjoyed playing with her for that reason because it just felt so authentic and she sings like a motherfucker. Being able to watch that every single night and it be consistently great was really inspirational for who I want to become on stage”.

You also have a full album on the way. What can you tell us about the rest of the record?

“There’s so much excitement there and so much energy. We’re kicking the door down with ‘Wild Heart’, which is ridiculously fast – 196 beats per minute, which is stupid. So there’s a lot of energy, fun and playfulness, but then it slows down and there’s space, intimacy and vulnerability as well. There’s real pain and real happiness, too. It’s more just showcasing sides of my personality, which I’m really excited to start sharing with people – more dimensions of me”.

I will wrap up fairly soon. In September, For the Punks spotlighted the fact that Towa Bird was embarking on a new chapter in her musical story. Such an arresting and fascinating artist who is growing stronger with every song that she puts out:

“Towa Bird has become synonymous with her guitar. The musician found her love for the instrument through the classic rock music that her father showcased. That ultimately led her to pick up the dusty guitar that sat in her living room when she was just a child. Since then she has had a love/hate bond with it, noting that she even stopped playing for four years. “It is just that, it is like a relationship. You have to put in the hours and you have to put in the time or else it is not going to serve either of you. It is a lifelong relationship.” Her recent songs use the guitar not only to highlight her music influences, but also as an extension of herself. Vocally the tracks are soft and tender so the instrument brings in a rugged layer to fully embody Towa’s defining character traits.

The latest single “This Isn’t Me” was written based on the singer’s experience at Paris Fashion Week. Examining her place in the entertainment world, the song touches on the feeling of loneliness as a result of being surrounded by people who don’t have the purest intentions. She told us that although she was grateful for the opportunity to have gone to the event, she did feel incredibly isolated during it. In some ways it was a blessing in disguise because when she got back to the recording studio from Paris, she was able to pour her unfiltered emotions onto a page which became this song. Now it’s Towa’s favorite track, especially to play at shows. She said that “Being able to do the arrangement live for it and put it on the stage was the reason why I wanted to put it out so bad.”

Another song that was released earlier this year is “Wild Heart,” which has quickly become a fan favorite due to its upbeat tempo and lively guitar solo. She explained to the press that “‘Wild Heart” was about the way I used to navigate romantic relationships. I used to not respect my partners as much as I do now. And it’s kind of about emotional growth and learning how to respect myself and how to respect other people.” Authenticity is the ingredient that makes Towa Bird’s music so likable. She is not afraid to speak her truth even if it doesn’t always shine the brightest light on her actions. Her goal is to touch on the human experience; the good, bad, and everything in between. Staying true to herself, Towa Bird also openly bares her queer identity in her craft which is especially evident in the music video for “Wild Heart.” When asked about what role her sexuality and identity play in her songwriting Towa said:

“I think it is such a beautiful form of expression to be able to songwrite. To create and draw from real life stories and life experiences and then to make that into a piece of art. I think that is a high form of privilege for me to be able to have. It really solidifies feelings when I.. because when I experience something, to be able to write it into a song really helps to create my mindset around that experience and sort of helps for me to put a lens over what actually happened and be able to introspect and reflect upon it. So like through songwriting it is a wonderful way to learn about yourself and learn how you respond and learn how you feel.”

Something that adds to the visuals of these projects is Towa Bird’s distinctive sense of fashion. In the “Boomerang” video she wears a turquoise sequined suit that features flared bottoms. “Wild Heart” goes a step further by having Towa in an Elvis style glam jumpsuit (another homage to her roots). You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the androgynous style that the singer has acquired pairs perfectly with the rock n roll aesthetic of her songs. That was intentional on Towa Bird’s part because she views music and fashion in a similar manner:

“I think it’s another medium of expression. Like just as important as music and guitar and lyricism. I think fashion and the way I decorate myself whether that be like through tattoos or like through jewelry or through outfits is just another way for me to be the truest form of myself. It also makes me feel so confident and cool and that’s such a wonderful thing to tap into”.

I am going to come back to NME for the final bit of information. So accomplished and so young, there is so many years ahead for the remarkable Towa Bird! I am pretty new to her work, though I am already compelled to follow her and see what steps come next. She is one of the brightest and most talented artists coming through:

“Meet Towa Bird: 23, four singles out, living the life of a rock star. She’s got effortless glam-rock curls that bob to the beat of her music, and a deep voice that drips over the phone. Every night, she clambers on stage to the cheers of rabid fans, where she’s currently touring the US with breakout pop sensation Reneé Rapp. There, her painted nails dance along the fretboard of the guitar that she plays like butter.

Bird has made good on her sacrifice so far, having released four singles in the run-up to her debut, which she called ‘American Hero’. The title is injected with a healthy dose of irony and self-awareness: “When I think of those two words together, I think of a 6’4 white guy, Captain America – blonde, blue-eyed,” she jokes. “That’s nothing that I represent as an androgynous queer person. I am the anti-American hero, but because I’m an immigrant, that almost makes me an American. I’m sharing parts of my life I’ve never told anyone before; because I’m being vulnerable, I’m almost a hero.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Alanna Taylor for NME

So far, Towa Bird has released four snippets of the album. There’s a slew of lovesick anthems ranging from the fabulously carefree (‘Boomerang’) to the rambunctious and sexy (‘Drain Me’). There’s also Bird’s first single, April 2023’s ‘Wild Heart’, which is so catchy it sounds like it’s straight off a noughties British teen romcom soundtrack. But there’s also space for the more anxiety-riddled ‘This Isn’t Me’, inspired by Bird being thrust into her entirely new world, bursting into a dreamy Phantogram-esque chorus. There’s even some impressive guitar tapping thrown in right at the beginning, just in case you doubted Bird’s abilities.

Along with her relationship with Liv and her new, unfamiliar environment, Bird’s north stars for the album were “being a personality on the stage” and “the guitar”, her eternal love. “I wanted to make an album that would feel good to play live and that the crowd will love,” she says. “I have written a lot of my choruses with a crowd in mind.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Alanna Taylor for NME

To do so, Bird enlisted the help of Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith from Kiwi indie legends The Naked and Famous, who she calls “mentors”. Bird stayed with Powers and wrote nine out of 10 songs with him, spending almost a year in his studio in LA. She also cites Xayalith being an early inspiration: “I remember being young, looking at Alisa: she’s an Asian woman, she’s in rock, she’s got this big voice and she’s powerful. Having the opportunity to write with her was so cool.”

The album’s been kept tightly under wraps, but Bird tells NME to expect “big riffs”, “big beats”, and “a lot of vulnerability and heart”. It’s the first time Bird will be writing about a romantic relationship, something which she says is “surreal”. Bird’s latest single ‘Drain Me’ is a nod to steamy lesbian sex: “Tip of my tongue/Sweet and sour/Back of my car/In the shower”.

“To me, I was just writing love songs,” she says. “You don’t hear that many songs about queer sex like that. It’s my sense of normal, but I suppose to the outside world, it represents much, much more. So in a way, I’m happy I can be that representation, that I can put out a rock song about lesbian sex.” However, Bird also teases that there’s some “mid-tempo, slow jams” on the record: “I’ve saved the more vulnerable songs for last so people can hear the whole project.” Bird wants to use her experience growing up in disparate cultures to create a queer love story for the ages – and ultimately, for her to connect with people who might not know her yet. “I want people to dance to it, I want them to cry to it. I hope it evokes the same amount of emotion that I have, but I also hope people can feel my heart in it”.

An artist I can emphatically recommend people check out, the astonishing Towa Bird has coming near the end of a successful and amazing year. With such strong and distinct music out there, it is clear she is primed for great things. 2024 offers and promises special rewards for a songwriter that should be on your radars. Make sure you follow her. As many publications prepare their lists of ones to watch in 2024, it is obvious that Towa Bird should be…

ON all of them!

____________

Follow Towa Bird

Official:

https://www.towabirdofficial.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/towabird/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@towabird

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/towabirdd

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Yq3rS7K1SQKqjMOHXpqqt

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FEATURE: Some Moving and Emotional Words… Victoria Canal’s Recent Instagram Post Describes the Ups and Downs of Modern Touring

FEATURE:

 

 

Some Moving and Emotional Words…

IN THIS PHOTO: Victoria Canal 

Victoria Canal’s Recent Instagram Post Describes the Ups and Downs of Modern Touring

_________

I was caught by and struck…

by a recent Instagram post from Victoria Canal. It was a touring confessional that Canal was going to delete. Although she ends on a high and looks ahead to a big your and some great dates, she also mentioned how there are definite lows and realities that artists have to face. A truly brilliant and inspiring artist that everyone should check out, I do think that her success and the demand that has come for her music has led to this live schedule being packed and expansive. Canal was presented Rising Star award at the 2023 edition of the prestigious Ivor Novellos. The award win, as she said, was important:

"For the first time, I'm trying to talk about it in a way that makes me feel like I have ownership over it."

Victoria Canal has just received the Rising Star gong at the Ivor Novello awards, becoming the fourth consecutive female songwriter to do so.

The 24-year-old was born with one arm, and she tells Newsbeat music helps her "process" her disability.

"I think I've been navigating the whole 'having a limb difference as someone on stage thing'."

German-born Spanish-American Victoria recently shared a vulnerable song about having a disability.

She describes "old wounds and trauma" having an impact on her "for a very long time", but says she's writing about it "in a way that is helping me let it go".

"I don't think there will be a day where I get over it," she says.

"But at least saying it out loud helps me understand that not I'm not the only one feeling that way.

"And it feels very empowering."

The Ivors, as they're known, are the awards the most musicians want to win, because they recognise achievement in songwriting, rather than pure commercial sales.

And Victoria says being recognised at the Ivors - which also saw Raye and Harry Styles win awards - is a special feeling.

"It recognises craft in a way that I think other award shows don't do, specifically for songwriting”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Amanda Fordyce for The New Yorker

One thing I loved about Victoria Canal’s Instagram post was that she was very honest about touring and its downsides. She loves her fans, yet there are travel and economic issues that make it very hard. The cramped travel conditions and the stress and energy that is expanded and impactful when you perform all around the world. Canal talked about crammed sleeping spaces and that inevitable toll on the body and mind. It is not a new thing. Artists are discussing mental health and the fact that touring is difficult. Artists rarely making a profit and able to sustain long tours because of the impact it has on them. I will come back to Victoria Canal. She said on Instagram how she is in a better headspace now, but it was important to share her post. Looking ahead to touring, it is important that artists share the realities of what touring is like. An article from last year focused on Lorde and how she is feeling the economic issues with touring:

“Lorde has discussed the current economic realities of touring in a newsletter sent to fans.

The singer – who has been on the road for most of the tour touring in support of her third studio album, ‘Solar Power’ – is currently in the midst of a string of South American shows, having completed North American and European runs.

“Basically, for artists, promoters and crews, things are at an almost unprecedented level of difficulty,” Lorde wrote in her letter, citing factors like “three years’ worth of shows” occurring simultaneously, global economic downturn, and concertgoers’ “totally understandable wariness” around health risks.

She went on to acknowledge logistical factors such as widespread crew shortages, linking to an article from New Zealand news outlet Stuff about the issue. “Extremely overbooked trucks and tour buses and venues, inflated flight and accommodation costs, ongoing general COVID costs, and truly mindboggling freight costs” were also listed as factors.

“To freight a stage set across the world can cost up to three times the pre-pandemic price right now. I don’t know shit about money, but I know enough to understand that no industry has a profit margin that high,” Lorde continued.

“Ticket prices would have to increase to start accommodating even a little of this, but absolutely no one wants to charge their harried and extremely-compassionate-and-flexible audience any more fucking money.

“Nearly every tour has been besieged with cancellations and postponements and promises and letdowns, and audiences have shown such understanding and such faith, that between that and the post-COVID wariness about getting out there at all, scaring people away by charging the true cost ain’t an option. All we want to do is play for you.”

Lorde went on to say that she’s lucky because profits being down across the board doesn’t pose an issue for an artist of her stature, but touring has become a “demented struggle to break even or face debt” for artists selling less tickets than her – which in some cases, can make touring prohibitive altogether. Such was the case for Animal Collective, who cited economic difficulties for cancelling a recent UK and European tour”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Rahul Pandit/Pexels

It is harder now than ever for artists to make a living from touring. Even huge artists like Taylor Swift struggle and have issues, though they are in a very privileged position regarding finances and their experiences. For the vast majority of artists, there is that mix of pleasure and pain. The discomfort and financial struggles are set against the euphoria and connection you get from that live space. The relationship with the audiences. The chance for your music to be shared and get an instant reaction. I can see why artists are so compelled to perform live and do it in spite of the hurdles and drawbacks. There does seem to be a lot of barriers and heartache. Not making enough money and spending a load getting to see people. Travelling in buses and cars and not sleeping well or comfortably. The loneliness and exhaustion that you feel. Again, all things that have existed for decades, though I feel there is more pressure on artists now when it comes to touring endlessly to make money. This 2015 article revealed the darkness of touring. Here is another feature that reveals the lows and problems with touring today. With Brexit, the cost of living, and people maybe having less disposable income, tied to the fact artists want to be environmentally conscious and still get to see fans, there is so much to think about. It was very brave and important for Victoria Canal to share her thoughts.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shukhrat Umarov/Pexels

She is in a better place now, yet fans and everyone might think it is all glamour and fun. The reality is, for all artists, there are some real lows and gut punches. Even if ticket prices can be pretty steep, consider what some artists have to go through and how much of themselves – and their own money – they are using to get onto the stage in the first place! It is a real gruelling and hard thing to do (touring as an artist). That said, there are clear highs and positives. You get to be in the same space as the people who support your music. The thrill and phenomenal rush and high you get from performing and being in front of a crowd cannot be matched. Lots of love and best of luck to Victoria Canal – who has some big dates coming up. Support to all artists out there. Again, I would refer back to this invaluable book, Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual by Tamsin Embleton. It is an invaluable guide for artists when it comes to their mental health. That is something impacting so many artists. That desire to please their fans and get their music out there comes with that risk. The psychological impacts together with economic ones can be really devastating. I could not let Victoria Canal’s post go. It did make an impact on me. Her words will definitely resonate with other artists around the world. I am glad that things are better for her now. We do need to shine more of a light on touring and the effect it has on artists that are…

SO very valuable to us.

FEATURE: The Ex-X: Are Artists Today as Bold and Provocative When It Comes to Themes of Sex and Passion in Music?

FEATURE:

 

The Ex-X

PHOTO CREDIT: Ali Pazani/Pexcls

Are Artists Today as Bold and Provocative When It Comes to Themes of Sex and Passion in Music?

_________

EVEN though music has not…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Christina Aguilera/PHOTO CREDIT: Zoe Rain

become completely free of sexual content in music, it is clear that there is not the same degree of boldness and revelation that there was in the 1990s or the 2000s. Think about that first decade of this century. There were some really confident and revealing artists who were very open about their sexuality and desires. Some would say that there was a degree of exploitation back then. Think of artists emerging from that time like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. How much of those images and videos were controlled by the artist?! I feel there was over-sexualisation. That is problematic and is not as common now. Women are still exploited and sexualised by the industry though, when it comes to the nature of sex and sexuality, I also feel they are producing the type of songs that raise the temperature and put everything out there. These really emboldened songs. When it comes to a certain intensity and passion, female artists are leading the way. More and more, they are carving their own narrative and controlling their voices – though a lot of major artists still have labels behind them pushing sex and a particularly provocative image. I guess that opens other questions when it comes to the line. Is the artist having a say regards their images and whether they want to be sexualised?! What is the right balance for our time?!

Things have changed in the past couple of decades. We have mainstream artists like Charli XCX and Dua Lipa who are given strength and confidence to women when it comes to discussing sex and being unashamed and unapologetic. Some terrific Rap and R&B artists who write songs that are sensual and sweat-inducing. Of course, being too explicit and lurid can cause offense and be seen as a way of creating controversy. It is a balance that seems to still be tipping towards the safe and less expressive/sexual. I think there has been a slight decline in terms of the nature of music and lyrics the past five or ten years. Not to say there is more of a focus on passion and love as opposed something more physical and transient. The sexual spectrum is more open now than years ago. The L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community sharing their voices and are being given spotlight in a way that was not visible or permitted by the industry before. It is a much more accepting as broad landscape to the one I grew up listening to. That is a really positive and progressive thing – though the mainstream is not as diverse as it could be when it comes to spotlighting and supporting that community. I am glad that we do not have the same sense of exploitation and lurid interest in artists as there was back then. It applied to women and how the industry represented them. Problematic and often very degrading, I am not sure how many of those major artists could create their own visions and images. That idea that ‘sex sells’.

I am not sure what channels people are turning into, though a recent study showed that teens want less sex in their T.V. and films. I would say one of the issues with film is that sex is not present enough. Not in a real way. Often quite tame and unrealistic, perhaps there are certain films and shows that are too explicit. In general, I do wonder if those people asked are seeking out shows and films that are more provocative and sexual. Look at modern film and, sure, there are those that deal with sex in a bold and realistic manner. I don’t think we live in an overly-exploitative and sexualised age when it comes to film and T.V. Maybe there is so much more music now that, inevitably, things are varied and there is still a lot of artists discussing sex. I think that Pop still has that to a degree, yet there is more of a focus on the complexities of relationships. Artists more revealing about their thoughts and depths rather than something more shallow. Rap and R&B still push things though, similarly, maybe it is less common to see artists of all genders put sex at the front. This is not a prurient desire or itch. I actually feel that film and T.V. has become safe and a little too restrictive when it comes to sex right across the spectrum. This new article argued whether we have seen the death of sex on T.V. Contrary to a recent survey, maybe sex not being portrayed and visualised in a realistic way that often. It is clear many disagree. I think one big change from decades ago is that Pop is less hypersexualised. We have (thankfully) got rid of lads’ magazines and that reliance on smut and ‘pin-up’ artists. It was something that was more aimed at female artists. That need to show them with as little clothing as possible in order to sell and image and, importantly, records.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kylie Minogue/PHOTO CREDIT: Shore Fire Media

It is good things have progressed. If there might not be as much challenging and boundary-pushing songs, artists and videos about sex and the physical, maybe the nature of sex and relationships means that artists are creating something deeper and more fulfilling and positive – as opposed songs that could be seen as quite cheap and dangerous at times. Many modern artists might react to criticism of the past. This 2015 article argued modern music might be more about sex and less about love. Some see modern Pop as too sexualised. Not to focus on women too much. I feel that they were given a raw deal back when. Too exposed and sexualised. Now, we are seeing a crop of young and legendary artists – from Cardi B to Kylie Minogue – who are very much in control of what they are putting down. Maybe I have seen this wrong. Rather than there being a comparative lack of sex and something thrilling in music, artists are going for staying power and pride. Many artists seen as sensual rather than sexual. This debate is more complex and deeper than I imagined. I want to finish with a couple of fairly recent feature that react to the changing face of popular music. How the nature of sex and body confidence has shifted. In a BBC article, Arwa Haider asked whether explicit expressions of female sexuality in Pop really be empowering. It did seem, after a few years of raunchiness being less common from the queens of modern music, there was this new breed of empowering artists bringing it back on their own terms:

“A lot of songs about love are really about lust and desire,” says Davies. “Now, what I like about WAP is that it really doesn’t stop; I totally understand the feeling that ‘men in this field have been so overt in talking about my body, it’s time for me to say something’ – and it’s not just a little bit of ‘hey, I’m going to play you at your game’ titillation. Cardi B has all these different ways of trying to really shove the message home. I still haven’t got my head around the bit with the macaroni…”

While WAP smashes mainstream boundaries, I still find myself questioning who gets the biggest kicks from its boldness, in an industry that remains largely patriarchal

While WAP smashes mainstream boundaries, I still find myself questioning who gets the biggest kicks from its boldness, in an industry (songwriters, directors, CEOs) that remains largely patriarchal; as with Madonna’s Sex and Lil’ Kim’s Hard Core album (1996), the visuals fetishise female flesh (particularly non-white bodies), rather than male objects of desire.

“When Madonna did the Sex book, some people thought: ‘this is so brave, the biggest star in the world baring all’. I just thought, ‘what else have you got to show us now?’” admits Davies. “It reminded me of a time when women would get the dirty joke in before men did. Obviously, women are entitled to talk about their bodies and what they want as much as men, but often, men will choose to react to that in a way that gives them the power.”

At the same time, 21st-Century pop seems to embrace a positively broad spectrum of female sexuality, including creative trailblazers like Janelle Monáe (modelling ‘vagina pants’ in the gorgeous video for 2018’s PYNK) and headstrong young stars such as Sweden’s multi-platinum-selling Zara Larsson – who, at 22, seems wowed that I’m old enough to recall the original release of Like A Virgin. “Pop music is beautiful because it’s a form of empowerment: be who you want to be,” Larsson tells me. “I’ve always looked up to women who embrace their sexuality, and I’ve always idolised strong women with big voices – Christina Aguilera, Céline Dion, Beyoncé. They represented what I wanted to be. Or when Rihanna is singing Sex with Me (2016), I love that she’s addressing the guy, unapologetically.”

Larsson argues that, regardless of the songwriter, just hearing women sing about sex is empowering – although she adds that there have been very contrasting traditions: “Usually, when women sing about sex, it’s like: ‘I wanna feel this’; guys are more likely to express: ‘I’m gonna do this to you’; sex is something being done to you, rather than something you’re part of. When I write songs, my favourite thing to explore is that initial attraction, when you see someone on the dancefloor, and it’s raw lust. That feeling is so fun to write about, and it’s so relatable.”

For another contemporary talent, British singer-songwriter/musician Shingai Shoniwa, fronting a band (Noisettes) and drawing from her African Bantu heritage proved an empowering experience, in advance of her exhilarating solo album, Too Bold (2020). “I’d been making music for a living since I was 16,” says Shoniwa. “Being in a group, playing bass and guitar, I didn’t feel pressure to perform for the male gaze. I was this black girl with natural hair who made my own clothes, and I was confident in the communication of the music – jazz, rock’n’roll, blues, funky house.”

Shoniwa notes that there is still “a whiff of post-colonialism” in the commercial industry: “Every corporate machine is going to encourage black and brown bodies to be hyper-sexualised in pop music, often for a short-lived moment of success, and not to the financial benefit of these women. It means you have this conveyor belt of forgotten female talent.”

“It doesn’t help when we’re not allowed to be positioned if there’s more than one of us,” says Shoniwa, bringing to mind the current much-publicised ‘spat’ between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. “When a lot of female talents know they might only get a year or two in this business, they might think: ‘How am I going to maximise on that?’ We’re talking about ownership of image, of beauty, of curves, of brands. And when I see how a lot of major label artists are signed now, you’re better off being self-funded. Besides Madonna, there are so many women artists that prove you can be sexually empowered without feeling like you have to sexually entertain everyone else.”

In modern pop culture, there should be space for multiple queens – and female solidarity and staying power turn out to be the most provocative moves”.

There have been cultural moments and complications in the past that have forever changed how artists explore sex and sensuality. I want to go back six years to an article from The Guardian. Laura Snapes wrote how songs and artists (male mostly) blurred lines. Talking more about coercion, rape and taking away consent. Together with an industry still overly-sexualising women, it was obvious things had to change. In a modern time when we are hearing so many cases of sexual abuse and assault, is there a fear from artists that they need to hold back when it comes to sex? Can they use their platform to fight against those who take away their rights and consent? In 2023, we still need to be quite careful when it comes to sex in music. The 2018 article from The Guardian discusses a particularly damaging and problematic watershed moment in modern music:

“When Robin Thicke and Pharrell released Blurred Lines on 26 March 2013, they had no idea (or claimed not to) that it would kickstart a debate about rape culture and misogyny in pop . The outraged response to its suggestive lyrics – particularly the refrain “I know you want it” – permanently changed the standards to which pop is held, and the way in which pop itself deals with sex.

That is not to say that sex has vanished from pop since the controversy. Jason Derulo and Bruno Mars are no strangers to objectification; ex-boybanders such as the former One Direction members are still breaking with their clean-cut pasts by letting you know in song exactly how much sex they’re having; while Brit awards nominee J Hus cackles in the face of good taste. In 2016, Ariana Grande released a classic of the form in the admirably brazen Side to Side, about the inability to walk straight after a long night at the coal face.

But pop’s portrayals of sexuality have been complicated – and muted – by an unusually eventful half-decade. Intimacy has been corrupted by technology and anxiety. Female artists are redefining sexuality. Would-be seducers must acknowledge conversations about consent and gender politics. Provocateurs who aren’t progressive are soon rumbled. R&B is grappling with what pleasure looks like when black bodies are under siege from police brutality and cultural fetishisation. And LGBTQ listeners are demanding more than rote heterosexual hook-ups. This immediacy is nothing new – pop has always either shaped or reflected the social and sexual mores of its era – but the outcomes are.

Last year, US critic Ann Powers published Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music, an inspired history of sex in pop. She writes of how rock’n’roll validated teenage desire and liberated girls; posits Robert Plant’s moan and Donna Summer’s gasps as music’s answer to the mainstreaming of pornography in the 70s; and Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson “playing freely within the dreamscape of eroticised fantasy” as a safe outlet for sexuality during the Aids crisis. Female rap and R&B acts in the early 90s – Salt-N-Pepa, TLC – stoked a playful consciousness where safety didn’t come at the expense of pleasure. This segued, however, into the turn of the millennium and the scantily clad, raunch culture of Paris Hilton, MTV’s Spring Break and Christina Aguilera’s Dirrty. Music channels were full of pornified dance-pop videos: the likes of Eric Prydz’ Call on Me or Alex Guadino’s Destination Unknown.

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese-born, London-raised DIY pop star tipped to break out this year. Her slick sound is influenced by mainstream music from the turn of the millennium, “when labels and A&Rs were actively promoting young sexuality through acts like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera”, she says. But that is where the similarities end. “People are more sensitive to manufactured sexuality, especially from female artists.” she says. “If singers are going to talk about sex, then it has to come from the artist; authenticity is important.” She praises the “comfy erotica” of SZA and her track Drew Barrymore: “She talks about the TV show Narcos in the first verse; it’s a perfect Netflix-and-chill song. I think it echoes how millennials – and especially people of colour – want to spend our time, in a safe space with the people we love.”

The gold standard of empowered female pop sexuality is another holdover from 2013. On Beyoncé’s self-titled surprise album, she sang with explicit command about rediscovering her sexuality after the birth of her first child. “Beyoncé boldly proposes the idea that a woman’s prime – personal, professional, and especially sexual – can occur within a stable romantic partnership,” wrote Pitchfork’s Carrie Battan.

But Beyoncé’s next album represented another paradigm shift in how artists – and specifically black artists – address sexuality. Built around images of matriarchy and female solidarity, 2016’s Lemonade was assumed to confront longstanding rumours of husband Jay-Z’s affairs. “But the trauma of infidelity is about much more than matters of adulterous fucking in Lemonade,” wrote MTV News critic Doreen St Félix. “Black women in America are cheated out of spiritual and material things.” Lemonade confirmed the inseparable nature of structural injustice and interpersonal love, St Félix asserted.

In the age of Black Lives Matter and an evidently racist White House, more black artists are confronting these themes. “It’s difficult to express intimacies, or make room for pleasure, when thinking about the body demands facing the many ways it can be diminished, even extinguished, instead of serving as a vessel of joy,” Powers writes. R&B star Miguel was singing straightforwardly pornographic lyrics on his 2015 album Wildheart, but last year’s War and Leisure saw sex newly intertwined with apocalypse; Beyoncé’s sister Solange’s 2016 album A Seat at the Table proposes sex as alleviation from the exhaustion of racial aggression. “I slept it away, I sexed it away,” she sings on Cranes in the Sky. “Artists like SZA, Kelela and Jhené Aiko definitely explore eroticism while also insisting on being introspective and self-reflexive in other ways,” Powers tells me. “They question the mandate for women – especially women of colour – to be sex symbols while insisting on claiming erotic agency”.

There is a lot to consider and balance. With many feeling sex is too evident and there is not enough music about relationships and passion, there is also visibly less sexy and provocative songs in certain genres. I still think it is women that are more prolific and confident when it comes to desire and sex. I am not sure why this is. Perhaps it is that liberation and taking control. Is there a fine line between liberation and objectification? It is a tough debate and sticky subject. I would disagree that there is too much sex in Pop or other genres. The reason I am writing this is because you do not quite see the same sort of striking and memorable songs that really do put it out there. Perhaps radio stations have to censor and limit that. Music videos not as explicit as they were (which can be a good thing). Mainstream artists like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles talking more about love than sex. Other artists in the mainstream sprinkling other subjects and lyrical angles among songs about sex and desire. In a moment when young people do feel that film and T.V. is too obsessed with sex and there is too much being revealed, is music suffering the same thing?! Is the opposite true?! Artists definitely need to talk about sex and communicate that with their audience. It can be very empowering and powerful if artists do have that frank connection. There is a fear that, in a social media age where there is too much sexualisation and a lack of filters when it comes to young people and sexual content, that music needs to be more responsible. It is a debate and thought that I wanted to open up. Personally, I feel that music is a lot less ‘icky’ and coercive than it was. Women more in control of their voice and image, even if there is still some way to go. Perhaps fewer songs that take risks and do linger in the mind when it comes to the physicality and intensity. Though, all things considered, maybe that is…

THE way things have to be.

FEATURE: Magic Again? Kate Bush’s December 1978 and January 1979

FEATURE:

 

 

Magic Again?

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz 

Kate Bush’s December 1978 and January 1979

_________

THERE are quite a few…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

features about Kate Bush coming in December. I am thinking about 1978. That was her first full year in the industry in terms of releases. Forty-five years ago, Bush would have been looking ahead of Christmas and a break. Spending time with her family and being as normal a twenty-year-old as possible. What was the reality then? What about the January too? After such a busy 1978, there would have been demand and desire for her to capitalise and keep going. How much of a rest did she get? I love looking at 1978, as it was her busiest year. In terms of expectation from EMI and what Bush might have wanted, I feel the hectic schedule of 1978 influenced her decision to tour in 1979 and, with it, assume more say and control. At the end of a frantic 1978, things did let off slightly. There was a little break for Christmas and that period, though she was back into the swing of things in January. I will come to this amazing website that lays out what Bush was doing in December 1978 and January 1979.

Even though singles like Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes were not really embraced or played in the U.S., there was still intrigue and demand:

“December, 1978

Kate is off to promote in the U.S.A. for the release there of The Man With the Child in His Eyes.December 9, 1978

Most importantly, she performs two songs on the U.S. NBC-TV programme, Saturday Night Live. [This is the only live entertainment programme on U.S. television, and is the most influential programme for the pop music market, as well the most important American showcase for "alternative" music. Kate performs The Man With the Child in His Eyes, seated on a piano, to the accompaniment of veteran rock keyboardist Paul Shaffer; and Them Heavy People, in a raincoat and Fedora hat. Nothing remotely like it has ever been seen on American television before.]

She is invited by Eric Idle, who is host of that edition; and she is visited by Mick Jagger. Paul Simon drops in to watch her performance.

Kate does press and radio promotion and moves on to Canada for more of the same. She is known to have made no other North American television appearances during this trip, however.

Back in England the Kate Bush Club, the official fan club, is formed.

It was quite an important month in many ways. Forty-five years ago this December, Bush was established more of a footing in the U.S. Here, the fan club was set up. Confirmation that she was an artist with a lot of fans behind her! That brief stint in North America is interesting. That Monty Python (Bush was a fan of them and a friend, particularly with Terry Gilliam) connection and Eric Idle asking Kate Bush to perform. Aged twenty, she had already travelled so much and was getting used to the promotional trail. She had ticked off so much before Christmas. Coming back from the U.S., she would have been glad to get some rest in Kent with her family!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979 during The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Only a few days into 1979, there was a definite move away from promoting her first two albums, The Kick Inside and Lionheart, and starting something else. I like the fact the seeds for The Tour of Life were being planted – even if it was quite modest and conceptual. With a little break at the end of December, there was not much pause before Kate Bush was back in action:

January 6, 1979

Kate is voted Best New Artist of 1978 in the Record Mirror annual poll.

Kate is guest of honour at the San Remo Song Festival in Italy. This is screened in most of Europe, but not in the U.K.

Preparations for the live tour begin in earnest. Kate's own concept is to combine poetry, music, songs and dance in an entirely new way. Her dance ideas and training will be supervised by Antony Van Laast, of the London Contemporary Dance Company (who had appeared with Kate in the video for Hammer Horror). Kate will be backed by a seven-piece band, the core of which will be Paddy Bush (mandolin, backing vocals), Del Palmer (bass), and Brian Bath (rhythm guitar) of the KT Bush Band, supplemented by Alan Murphy (lead guitar), Kevin McAlea (keyboards, saxophone), Ben Barson (keyboards), and Preston Heyman (drums).

January 20, 1979

Kate appears on The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop on BBC TV, and is interviewed by Noel Edmonds and via a phone-in by the viewers”.

It was clear that December 1978 and January 1979 was about rounding and wrapping things up and clearing a path for new things. After going to the U.S. to do her only live T.V. appearance there, Bush was being celebrated in the U.K. with a new fanclub. A satisfying end to 1978 – even if the U.S. audience was not as large and important as elsewhere in the world -, there was some success and new plans in January 1979. Conceiving her tour and plotting ideas, one of my favourite event s in early Kate Bush timeline was her appearance on The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop. Bush had clearly established herself as an artist and was very much in demand. Some of her T.V. appearances were with stuffy interviewers, though most were quite fun and casual. She did appear on children’s shows and in that environment a few times. You might think she would be more teen-focused or an older audience, yet there was also this very important much younger demographic that was being included.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

One could write an entire book on Kate Bush’s 1978. It was so busy and varied, few other artists have had that sort of start! Even in December 1978, there was stuff going on and there was this push (brief as it was) in North America. It took a while for the U.S. particularly to really get behind Kate Bush. That said, I do love her appearance on Saturday Night Live. Starting 1979 with sketches of The Tour of Life and some further promotion, you get this crossover one can imagine would have been tiring for Bush. Soon enough, The Tour of Life would take shape and she could focus on that – even if there was still album promotion and singles did come out in 1979 (Wow came out in March). Forty-five years ago, this amazing artist was ending her first full professional year in music. Rather than have a period off or kick back, the always-prolific and creative Kate Bush was in an ambitious mindset early…

IN 1979.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Kenya Grace

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Hannah Diamond

 Kenya Grace

_________

WITHOUT doubt…

one of the most impressive and important feats of this year was when Kenya Grace’s major label debut single, Strangers, got to number one. It was written and produced by her. That made her the second female artists - the other being Kate Bush - to ever achieve that. That alone deserves respect! The South African-born, London-based artist is someone who rightly has a lot of interested eyes on her. I am going to come to a few interviews that were published around Strangers and its release. Even if that was her major label debut single, Kenya Grace has been performing for a few years now. An artist that come to attention during the pandemic in 2020, I think that 2023 has been her most successful year. Before coming to recent interviews, I want to go to a Wordplay Magazine interview:

“Kenya Grace is a self-taught singer/songwriter/producer hailing from London. She has grown up on an eclectic mix of music which permeates through to her current sound and has been likened to Banks and Flume. She’s managed to stay creative and productive throughout lockdown; dropping the syrupyTalk earlier this month on Trash Like You Records. We caught up with Kenya to discuss her musical journey, her current musical output and her plans for the future…

What influenced you in pursuing music as a career and have there ever been times when you doubted yourself in your pursuit?

I remember the first time I wrote a song and the feeling I got; I literally couldn't compare it to anything else so I think I then just decided this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life! From then I diverged into production and my mind was literally blown with how much you can create from a laptop - we live in such an exciting time! I think every artist has doubts (we’re such a sensitive bunch) but I know for certain I would not be happy at all if I quit music and did something else.

You graduated from the Academy of Contemporary Music in August 2019 - what were the main things you took away from that and how has that impacted you as a musician?

Before ACM I couldn't even sing in front of people. I was so shy with my music and barely believed in myself at all, So I think ACM impacted me as a musician in a huge way - I was finally surrounded by people just like me, we worked on so many different projects and really supported each other. I really have met the best people during my time at ACM and I learnt so much about myself and really worked hard on building up my confidence and my sound.

For someone that has never heard a Kenya Grace song, how would you describe your soundscape in seven words?

Sultry, smooth, delicate, dreamy, electronic, empowering.

You’ve described your latest song Talk as "an acknowledgement of a toxic relationship and a decision not to take someone's shit anymore" - how do you hope tracks like these will help others who may be going through similar situations?

I wrote Talk after getting out of a toxic relationship and the journey of finally letting go and moving on which gave me back my power. I really hope people can relate to the lyrics and perhaps see similar situations in their own life and get out of there!! It may seem hard at first to let someone go especially if they are close to you but it's also so incredibly empowering to finally do what is best just for yourself.

The track was created in your bedroom during isolation - how did you find lockdown had an impact on your creative process and did it change your process when putting together a track?

I love creating sounds and writing on my own. I think it's when I'm my most authentic and creative, so lockdown wasn’t really too much of a change for me! However after I create a demo or the basis of a song I now usually involve more people and get them to add some different elements to the song. However for this one I just made it all myself and then @bandicootstudios did an amazing job of mixing and mastering my little bedroom creation. In a sense, I am more proud of this one because it's all mine, made from my room during lockdown and about something that really impacted my life so it feels very genuine to me.

With 2020 returning to some semblance of normality - what do you hope to achieve over the next few months and what are your short term goals with regards to releasing music and developing as an artist?

One of my short term goals in music is to get back in the studio - I’ve missed it so much!! I have been writing so much during lockdown and can't wait to bring these creations to life in the studio. Although we have been doing lots of zoom writing sessions, it's just not the same as that feeling of when you’re vibing in the studio! I really can't wait to release the projects we have been working on over the past few months and hopefully in the near future I’ll be able to perform them in front of a live audience”.

I am going to come up to date now. 2024 is going to be a massive year for Kenya Grace. After a number one single that showcases her skills as a songwriter and producer, many will be looking at an E.P. or album. She is someone who is being talked about as a serious artist to watch closely. The Independent reacted to the news of the wonderful Strangers going to the top of the charts in the U.K. It is an amazing accomplishment for Kenya Grace:

“Chart newcomer Kenya Grace has made history as her debut single “Strangers” reached the No 1 spot.

Born in South Africa but raised in Southampton, Grace began releasing music independently in 2019. She put out tracks such as “Tell Me Why”, “Talk” and “Oranges”, which failed to make an impact on the charts.

But it was “Strangers”, Grace’s self-produced drum and bass single which put the singer on the musical map. The track became big on TikTok and rose up the charts, hitting the top spot on Friday (13 October).

In doing so, Grace became one of only two British female artists to reach the No 1 spot on the Official Charts with a track performed, written and produced entirely solo.

The only other act to hold this record is Kate Bush. However, it wasn’t “Wuthering Heights” that earnt Bush this accolade, but her 1985 track “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” when it re-entered the charts in 2022 following a feature on Stranger Things.

Paloma Faith on her heartbreak and being a single mum: ‘Our relationship ended because we had those children – it was worth it’

Paloma Faith on her heartbreak and being a single mum: ‘Our relationship ended because we had those children – it was worth it’

On her No 1 song, Grace said: “This is absolutely mental. Thank you so much for everyone who has streamed and supported and made videos with this song. This has literally changed my life, 100 per cent. Thank you so much!”

“Strangers” rose up the charts over a six week period, knocking Doja Cat off the top spot she had occupied with “Paint The Town Red” for five weeks”.

The fact is that Kenya Grace is in very exclusive company regarding her number one single feat being on par with Kate Bush. Both artists releasing this debut that was written, produced and performed by them. I don’t think it will be a one-off for her either. Vogue interviewed Kenya Grace after Strangers’ success to get her reaction – and also learn more about a tremendous young artist:

“With that feat, the 25-year-old has also made history: she is the second female solo artist to claim that spot with a song she wrote, produced, and performed entirely by herself. The only other woman to do so? Kate Bush. “It has been a very crazy few weeks. At the start, it was a lot and I was struggling. But,” she says, her smile growing, “it’s just been amazing.”

While she only started to release music last year, “I’ve made music since I was a kid. I feel like I’m meditating when I do it… I can truly express myself.” A Boomtown regular, the music she makes now is shaped by a youth spent partying. From the age of 16, “we would go to a bunch of, like, questionable drum ’n’ bass raves.” A sound resonating with a new generation of Brits, along with peers like PinkPantheress, Nia Archives, and Piri & Tommy, she brings the genre to a global audience with their Gen-Z twist. “It’s more like songwriter-y vibes now, I love it.”

Although she has an invested online audience, over 600,000 of whom like and comment under all her music snippets, hungrily demanding each release, she has just one performance under her belt so far. Grace is about to jump from practicing for family and friends to touring Europe, headlining venues like Berghain, and America, in her first time on the continent. “It’s come around really fast,” she grins. “I don’t have some crazy dream. Hopefully I can just keep connecting with people.” Below, Grace discusses musical theatre, tattoos, and Tinder.

What was the inspiration behind “Strangers”?

Sonically, I wanted to make something that was more ethereal sounding, so I layered synths, high-backing vocals and lots of reverb to try and create this euphoric sound. Lyrically, it’s just something that I’ve been noticing a lot recently through my own past relationships and other people’s too: how you can speak to someone for so long and then randomly one night, you just never speak to them ever again. That complete polar opposite change is so common now – I think it’s through Hinge and Tinder and dating apps. I feel like it’s so easy just to dispose of people. Sad but true!

It’s interesting you wanted to give that subject a euphoric sound. Why the contrast?

I always love that juxtaposition. It’s one of my favourite things when you have a really fat reese base, fast drums and low frequencies, and then the opposite of that would be light airy vocals, and soft, delicate, pretty-sounding harmonies. I’ve loved that ever since I first heard it with Banks: really deep bass and then her vocals were really soft.

What were your formative music experiences?

My mum always used to play Norah Jones and Katie Melua. That’s such a big memory actually, this song called “Sunrise” by Norah Jones. And a really important part of my musical journey: I got into musical theatre in primary school really, really young, and then I was like, “I love singing!” When I went to secondary school I got into it even more and that’s helped me to sing properly and perform. It’s really crazy thinking back, musical theatre to now – mad difference but yeah!

@kenyagracebaby Writing sad songs is my therapy 🥲✨ #songwriter #femaleproducer #dancemusic #drumandbass #dnb #liquid ♬ Strangers - Kenya Grace

How did raving shape your sound?

That time in your life, you’re like a sponge. You take in so much when you’re a teenager. It made me really fall in love with the party scene – the good and the bad. It’s almost the imagery of going into the club is imprinted in my brain: getting there; going out to the smoking area; all of it is such good imagery. That is imprinted in my soul.

How did you find your own personal style?

I’ve always loved it ever since I was in school, and I used to get piercings – or pierce myself. Two years ago, I worked at a piercing shop in London and that has definitely influenced me. I love the alternative space: piercings and tattoos. I want to be completely covered in tattoos soon. I love vintage clothes. My favourite place to get vintage jackets is a secondhand leather shop in Camden… and I love New Rock shoes.

Your comments are begging you to release the other songs you’ve teased; when do you plan to?

I don’t know, to be honest… I love posting those videos so much and I’m really happy I did, but that’s all that exists of those songs. Some of them are such works in progress. Some artists tease songs and there’s a full song but it’s not like that for me. I don’t know what I’ll do with them. Eventually, maybe I’ll just do an album of mini songs.

“Strangers” resonated with a car ride-loving community; what is your favourite music to play in the car?

If I need hyping up then maybe like some really heavy drum ’n’ bass. Or, I really love neo-soul and pop music. But probably Flumes’s album: I always go back to Flume. Or Disclosures’s new album, that is really good”.

There are some more interviews that I want to come to. Official Charts spoke with Kenya Grace recently. The songwriter was asked about her path to success and who has influenced her as a producer. It is always fascinating to hear from this wonderful artist. She is definitely someone who is going to have a long future in music:

“I'm a big proponent of moving home to focus on your dreams

Honestly, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I was really scared at first, because it does feel once you've moved out and then come back, you're moving backwards a little bit? I really thought that at the start, but it's actually been life-changing.

You went to ACM Guildford - please tell me it was like Glee, I'm seeing people dancing on tables

Honestly, I met people I still work with now there. It was basically a massive networking event. I did a songwriting course at uni, and that's what made me realise that I wanted to get into production. So, while I was studying songwriting, I was back at home teaching myself how to produce my own music. I needed to do it. I kind of wish I had a done a production course...

Honestly, I think all the best producers are self-taught

The best thing I learned [trying to do it all myself] was when I was going into sessions with people I'd never met before. They were so much better than me, so I just ended up watching them, and thinking how I could do that myself. It was like, OK, that's how you do that.

Production-wise, who are your artistic touchstones?

When I was at college I was massively influenced by Disclosure and Flume. They kind of changed my life. I knew that was the kind of music I had to make.

What was the initial idea that sparked the genesis of Strangers?

I don't really sit down and mean to write things, if that makes sense? It really fascinated me how you can have a relationship with someone, romantic or platonic, where you go from literally seeing them every day for months and months and then you just never speak again. It's quite sad! And I don't know about most people, but I could never handle being friends with my ex. But I didn't even mean to start writing about this! It just happened. I just felt so strongly about how sad it is.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kenya Grace (@kenyagrace)

My favourite thing about the song is that the production is completely banging, but the lyrics are, like you say, about a really sad situation

The juxtaposition there is my favourite thing too. It's really vibey and it makes you want to party, but at the heart of it, it's really sad. If I'd made a sad version, you'd literally be sat alone in your room crying.

This is your major label debut single - was it clear from the time you finished it that this was the track to lead with?

No. It wasn't! I wrote Strangers in February and actually...this is quite funny...I was originally [going to lead] with a different song. It's very trance, I was leading that across all my socials and that is coming out soon, but I wrote Strangers as a filler post. I wanted to keep people engaged! When we actually finished it, though, I think everyone knew this was the one to go with.

I think this has come at such a great time for women in dance music - drum'n'bass as well, which is seeing such a resurgence. Becky Hill and Chase & Status just scored a Top 10 with Disconnect, too. There's also so many women in pop writing and producing all their own stuff - Charli XCX, Eliza Rose, PinkPantheress...

I honestly think this is such an inspiring time for women in general. There are so many sick girls out there right now smashing it. We're feeding the narrative of girls absolutely slaying it, as they should! I actually love it, and I'm so happy to be a part of it”.

I am going to finish with a Rolling Stone UK interview. It is clear that Kenya Grace will get a lot of international attention and requests very soon. With more singles undoubtably in her mind – she did release Only in My Mind after Strangers -, it is not too long before her name is known far and wide. If you are new to her or completely unaware, do make sure to check out Strangers and her other music. These are early days, though this is an artist that you need to keep your ears open for:

“It’s been the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me,” she says, reflecting on the tune’s success, “and the best thing as well. It’s just been insane — I’m very grateful.” On her debut tour, she’s seen the real-life manifestation of this success. “Sometimes people on Instagram and TikTok don’t feel like actual people, so when you meet them in real life, it feels a lot more real.”

As well as her formative electronic influences, Grace is a musical peer of PinkPantheress. There are also plenty of similarities to the conversational, charismatic songwriting of Lily Allen in her work. Asked whether she considers herself primarily a producer, songwriter or both, Grace shrugs and plays down the importance of labels. The two terms feel equally applicable, though; her songs are far from just lyrics put on top of beats, and the tracks could have their dance-led dressing removed and stand strong as stripped-back, singer- songwriter tunes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Hannah Diamond

Following ‘Strangers’ is the ecstatic new single ‘Only in My Mind’, a track even catchier and more immediate than the chart-topper. With the promise of a bigger body of work on the way, it shows the next steps of an artist interested in building longevity, not simply a viral moment. As for the future, Grace is contemplating moving out of home and entertains ideas of collaboration and studio-based work. Despite these doors now being open to her, she feels drawn back to her comfortable and creatively stimulating origins, and there’s something irreplaceable and special about the songs being created purely inside the mind — and bedroom — of this intriguing new voice in British music”.

The Strangers title seems ironic now for an artist who is well-known and has a growing and loving fanbase. There are still those who do not know about the music of Kenya Grace. If that applies to you, then make it is a point to go and check out this brilliant artist. This year has been a hugely successful one for Kenya Grace. I have a feeling that 2024 will be…

EVEN better.

____________

Follow Kenya Grace

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kenyagrace/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kenyagracemusic

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kenyagracebaby

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7uMDnSZyUYNBPLhPMNuaM2

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@kenyagracebaby

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/kenyagracemusic/

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  IN THIS PHOTO: Jamila Woods/PHOTO CREDIT: Bradley Murray

Songs from Albums Turning Five Next Year

_________

WHEN I did this series…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

last year, I focused on albums celebrating big anniversaries in 2023. I started with those turning sixty, right down to those turning five. I started this run starting at fifty – 1964 and 1969 omitted -, whilst I was also going to stop at ten. I have decided to end on 2019 as, compared to 1964 or even 1969, there is a wider range of incredible albums that will get some focus in 2024. I know that a fifth anniversary is not really a big one, through many artists reissue albums that turn five. In any case, it is an excuse to spotlight brilliant albums that are five. In any case, as you will see, below is a selection of songs from albums that…

DOMINATED 2019.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Ten Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Ten Next Year

_________

THE penultimate part of this series…

celebrates albums that turn ten in 2024. The year 2014 was especially strong when it came to albums. I have included a song from a range of wonderful 2014 albums in a playlist at the bottom. I suspect that a few of the albums will get a reissue treatment sometime next year. As we look ahead to 2024 and what new music will arrive, I wanted to take us back a decade to some of the brilliant albums that came out that year. If you need a refresher as to what was happening then, the playlist below assembles songs from sensational albums that…

ARRIVED in 2014.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen Next Year

_________

I am going to do one more…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Armin Rimoldi/Pexels

edition of this series before wrapping up. This penultimate feature spotlights albums that turn fifteen next year. Focusing on pearls from 2009, the playlist at the end has more than a share of quality songs! Maybe there are fewer classic and huge albums as features earlier in the run. I am heading briefly back to 2009 to celebrate albums that are fifteen in 2024. I will end with albums turning ten for the final in this run. Right now, and if you need a reminder of what was popular in 2009, then I think that the playlist underneath should…

JOG the memory.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty Next Year

_________

IN this feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

counting up to 2024 and looking ahead to legendary albums that have significant anniversaries coming up, the playlist below is all about 2004. Albums that are coming up for twenty years. Definitely a big and important milestone, it is a pleasure to go back twenty years and albums that were gaining acclaim – even if I am a bit earlier and we are still in 2023. It has been interesting putting together a playlist of tracks from epic albums of 2004. A terrific year for music, you can see the quality below. It is a pleasure to embrace and spotlight albums that turn…

TWENTY next year.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five Next Year

_________

NEXT up in this series…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Diana Onfilm/Pexels

that looks ahead to 2024 and albums that have important anniversaries, it takes us now to 1999. This is a celebration of albums that turn twenty-five. A big milestone, there are some real classics and masterful albums in the pack! A superb playlist with songs that ended the 1990s with real style and impact, it is worth saluting a quarter-century of some sublime work. Like I say with every feature in this run: there will be albums and songs you will recognise, though there will also be ones that you are not necessarily familiar with. Whether you were growing up in 1999 or it was before your time, you cannot deny that the songs in the playlist below are from some…

SERIOUSLY important and incredible albums.

INTERVIEW: THE GOA EXPRESS

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDITS: Cal Moore

THE GOA EXPRESS

_________

WHILST most bands…

would be resting or unwinding with less than a couple of months to go until the end of the year, there are definitely thinks to look forward to if you are a fan of THE GOA EXPRESS (James Douglas Clarke (guitar + vocals) and Joe Clarke (keys), along with Joey Stein (lead guitar), Naham Muzaffar (bass) and Sam Launder (drums). Their self-titled album arrives on 1st December. On 27th November, they release their new single, It’s Never Been Better. You can pre-order their album now. The Burnley-formed band will definitely win new fans with their approaching debut. With some December dates in the diary, go and check them out if you can. Prior to the unveiling of a song that is hook-laden and will be a hands-in-the-air anthem, I have been speaking with James from the group about some exciting forthcoming releases. On the debut from THE GOA EXPRESS, songs will document experiences of growing up, their spirit of friendship and dreams of escape. The band summon music that is infectious and relatable, yet fresh and original. I ask about their debut album and new single, whether enough focus is being given to artists from the North, what the rest of the year holds in store, and what it was like working with producers Damon Minchella and Tom Manning. It has been a pleasure discovering more about the mighty THE GOA EXPRESS. They are a band who will have…

A very bright future.

___________

Hi guys. How are you? How has your week shaped up?

James: We are busy busy busy. Dressed up for a Hallowe’en party on Friday night, spent all day Saturday feeling sorry for ourselves, and then watched the Manchester derby on Sunday at the pub in Hebden. It hasn’t stopped raining for a few days now, so just trying to get things in order while we have the time, keeping warm and staying dry.

You are releasing the new single, It’s Never Been Better, on 27th November. Can you tell us a little something about how the writing of that song?

The song was written many years ago as a demo on GarageBand and is the oldest track on the album and, therefore, weirdly feels right as the single we release before the album. All of the boys loved it from the first listen - and that was the general consensus from the others who also heard it. I guess the track is about how all good things come and go: friends, relationships, the weather…

“There wasn’t a moment wasted, and yet we somehow managed to get everything done”

It precedes your self-titled debut album on 1st December. How excited are you knowing it will soon be in the world? Are there any clues/teasers you can give as to the type of sounds/subjects documented on the album?

We’ve been in a band for a long, long time now, so to be able to have something physical to release to the world and show for it means a huge amount to us all. It’s hard to speak about the specific themes on the album, but I guess it’s largely about growing up, messing around, making some mistakes along the way, and doing your best to make stuff happen.

A lot of bands and artists take a while to record an album and can get into difficulties. What was it like being in the studio recording THE GOA EXPRESS?

We did the album and a few extra bonus songs in three weeks. Being in the studio with The Goa Express is good fun, we think…you would have to ask Damon and Tom. We tend to do most things  together and make sure to not run out of things to do. There wasn’t a moment wasted, and yet we somehow managed to get everything done.

“People have been asking for that song for years now”

I understand you worked with producers Damon Minchella and Tom Manning. What was that experience like?

Working with Damon and Tom was incredible. We have a huge amount of respect for the both of them and we can’t speak any more highly. Initially, we recorded a load of demos at our old studio in Manchester, and therefore knew what we wanted to achieve when we got to the studio. So when we got there, we knew what to do.

Do you have any personal favourite songs from the upcoming album?

It’s hard to say. All of the songs came naturally while writing, and therefore tell personal stories from different parts of our lives over the years. Small Talk has always been a fan favourite, so I guess we are pretty happy that people will be finally able to listen to it properly. People have been asking for that song for years now.

You grew up in Burnley. How important was the community and the spirit of Burnley important regarding your friendship and sound? Do you think that part of the North is still under-exposed and recognised?

I think the North is under-exposed. Of course, there are the big cities that we all know about like, but the smaller places around the edges seem to go unnoticed. Burnley gave us a work-hard-play-hard spirit that has kept us moving throughout the years. We try not to let things get us down and know good things come to those who wait.

“We might even win some awards along the way…”

You must be excited to be touring and performing after the lockdown! Did anything change in regards your dynamic and songwriting approach having gone through lockdown and the pandemic?

Lockdown was a strange time for everyone, but we just kept ticking along, doing our own thing, making our own plans. A lot of our plans and touring schedule got really messed up, but we didn’t let it bother us too much. I guess that’s the way we tend to operate. Just getting on with stuff. Things will work out in the end.

In addition to the album release, what else is in store for the remainder of 2023?

I think the plan for the rest of the year is to release another single some time down along the line and then play some shows for our release. Hopefully, we will be amongst many of the festival line-ups and we can have a good time doing what we do best. We might even win some awards along the way…

____________

Follow THE GOA EXPRESS

Official:

https://www.thegoaexpress.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thegoaexpress

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/thegoaexpress

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thegoaexpress

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uuWKORLosOJB3L6D7zplX

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/thegoaexpress

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thegoaexpress/

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty Next Year

_________

IN the next…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

of this series of features marking albums that have important anniversaries next year, it is a beautiful one-two. The previous one was concerned with 1989. One of the finest years for music ever, perhaps it is bettered by 1994. That brings me to albums that are thirty in 2024. Such a beautiful bounty of stunning albums that defined a truly wonderful and memorable year for music, I have chosen a song from each and popped them into a big playlist. I know that a fair few of these albums will be reissued next year in anticipation of their anniversary. I think that 1994 is the best year for music. The playlist below is a good argument that I am…

RIGHT on the money.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five Next Year

_________

CARRYING on…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

with features that celebrate albums that have big anniversaries next year, we are now at 1989. One of the very best years for music ever, this is a brilliantly full and varied playlist! I am going to include as many as I can. There might be albums that I have overlooked. Turning thirty-five in 2024, below is a selection of the magnificent and genius albums that ended the 1980s in real style! Such a wonderful and near-unbeatable year for music, I have collated the very best of 1989. As many eyes will be turned to these albums next year – as there may be reissues and anniversary releases – I wanted to get in early and focus on them. Again, you may know most of these albums, yet there will be a few that are new or a bit less familiar. Here is a playlist featuring cuts from the very best and most important albums…

OF 1989.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Forty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Forty Next Year

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KEEPING going…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

in features that celebrate albums with big anniversaries next year, it is now to 1984. A terrific year for music, I wanted to mark forty years of some giant albums. Even though we are not in 2024 yet, it is worth looking ahead to some world-changing and classic albums that have those important anniversaries approaching. You will know about most of these albums, yet some might be new to you. I hope that you enjoy the playlist. As so many albums get these anniversary reissues, I think we may see some of those included in the playlist get a new vinyl/physical release next year. Let’s hope so anyway. Take a listen below to some wonderful songs from some seriously worthy and standout albums that turn…

FORTY next year.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five Next Year

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IN this run of features…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Grzegorz/Pexels

I am casting ahead to albums that celebrate big anniversaries in 2024. There are lots of timeless albums that will be included. For this part, I am looking to those that turn forty-five next year. Those treasures from 1979. One of music’s best years, there were so many unbelievable and legendary albums that came out then. Apologies if I miss a few, though I think I have managed to capture the very best from that year. There will be a load of songs in this playlist that are familiar and get played a lot – some of them might not be. I am excited to bring the best of 1979. For the next instalment in the series, I am compiling a best of from those wonderful albums…

FROM 1984.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty Next Year

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I was going to go back…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

sixty years to celebrate albums that hit that milestone next year. 1964 saw some fantastic albums release, though I think I will start this run of feature looking back fifty years. I am starting with the best albums released in 1974. Such a rich, fantastic and iconic year for music, below is a playlist feature selections from songs from the very best. You may have been around then or it was before your time. Either way, enjoy a combination of wonderful songs from legendary albums…

RELEASED in 1974.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Some Sexy, Hot and Sensual Songs from the 2020s

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

 PHOTO CREDIT: nappy/Pexels

Some Sexy, Hot and Sensual Songs from the 2020s

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I am in the midst of preparing…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Samuel/Pexels

various features and playlists for Christmas and next year. From Christmas playlists, present guides, plus albums celebrating big anniversaries next year, there is a distinct vibe with that music. As it is cold and the days are shorter, I wanted to use both of those things and provide a playlist featuring the sexiest , most sensual and hottest tracks from this decade so far. It has been one when we have seen some alluring R&B, fiery and intense Pop, together with some red-hot Rap. Below are a collection of songs that will bring thew heat and sweat. For those cold days and long nights, this a selection of some pretty racy and intense songs. Even if, in my view, genres like Pop and R&B have become less provocative and risk-taking when it comes to discussing sex and passion, there is still plenty of raw and revealing songs. From nakedly direct tracks to those that have a sensuous backdrop, here are some temperature-raising songs for…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Luiz Gustavo Miertschink/Pexels

AUTUMN’S chill.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Kevin Abstract

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Kevin Abstract

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ALONGSIDE new and rising artists…

there are those are more established that I like to highlight for Spotlight. In the case of Kevin Abstract, there may be those who do not know about his work. Born Clifford Ian Simpson, the Texan rapper, singer, and songwriter is a founding member of Brockhampton.   His debut album, MTV1987, arrived in 2014. Kevin Abstract’s second album, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, was released in November 2016. His third, Arizona Baby, was released in April 2019. Now, with Blanket fresh out, we have this impressive body of work from an amazing artist. I still think there are people not aware of Kevin Abstract. Rather than spotlight him as an artist coming through, it is a chance to make people aware of the brilliance of Kevin Abstract. Before coming to some recent interviews and reviews, I want to take things back further. Office Magazine spoke with him in 2016. After the release of his second studio album, it was a busy and eventful time for Abstract:

“OFFICE — So American Boyfriend’s just come out, what’s this past week been like for you?

KEVIN ABSTRACT — It’s pretty calm. I guess things happen here and there that I get stoked off of, but it’s pretty calm. Yeah, it’s just been figuring out what I’m gonna do next— not figuring it out, but just trying to do it.

O — Well that’s nice that it hasn’t been hectic. Have you been doing a lot of press?

KA — Yeah, a lot of the press I did, I did right before the album came out, so I get to finally see those things come out. I’ve been planning a video for the next single, that’s been taking up a lot of my time. It’s for a song called Runner, it’s one of my favorites. I’m also planning this prom, like to have my own prom basically for kids that never got to go to theirs. People like me, and most of my fan base. That’s gonna be fun.

O — And you’re performing? 

KA — I’m gonna do the whole album, I’m gonna have Jaden Smith come out, and the Neighbourhood.

O — So you moved here to LA about six months ago, right? 

KA — Yeah, I moved here from Texas, and I lived in Georgia for a little bit, the last two years of high school. In Texas I lived in Corpus Christi, and I lived in The Woodlands, which is like a suburb north of Houston. Arcade Fire, some of them are from there.

O — What made you choose LA, as opposed to, say, New York, as your destination? 

KA — New York’s too cluttered for the way I think about things, and sometimes I just have to be somewhere where I can go outside and breathe a little more, if that makes sense. See more of what’s actually around me, and be a little more in control. I like having control of certain things in my environment, when I’m in New York I don’t feel like I have that—maybe just not now because I’m, uh...I’m not rich. If I had more money, then maybe. But California feels like its own world, it’s crazy. Coming from Texas at least. I love it here.

O — Tell me about Texas.

KA —Well Corpus is kind of like a beach town almost, there’s the ocean, and the palm trees. That’s one of the reasons I like LA so much, because it reminds me of it. Except Corpus is not as beautiful as LA, but it’s beautiful in its own way. Selena’s from there. Pretty cool. The type of hip-hop scene there is like Baby Bash, Paula Deanda, just weird pop things. I was just always on the internet growing up, so I found Kid Cudi through Kanye West’s UniverseCity blog, that sparked a lot for me. Tyler, the Creator, Odd Future, all that stuff was like a really big turning point for me as an artist, and as a person. The Woodlands was just a boring suburb with a bunch of white people, not many black people or people of color, not too much culture I could resonate with. But what I found that I liked the most about the suburbs was the fact that there’s a lot of pain behind the beautiful homes and shit. I ended up bringing that to my music, and that’s what my entire album is.

O — What is that pain, where does it come from? I guess I’m not really surprised to hear that it exists.

KA — It’s not really surprising. I think it just comes from broken families, and lies. People should just be way more real with each other, and there’s a lack of that, in the suburbs that I grew up in.

O — Do you think there’s something about the suburbs that’s inherently less honest?

KA — People just want to keep up with other people’s lifestyles and money, they all have to look a certain way and they don’t want to be real with each other. This guard is up, no one ever wants to let their guard down”.

 

I will bring things more up to date. Some might not know about Kevin Abstract. There is a lot to explore and dive into when it comes to Blanket. It is an album that I realty love. One that everyone needs to hear. Vulture recently spoke with Abstract about his new album:

“Kevin Abstract is mellowing out, singing in a low whisper, and trying to abstain from antics that incite indignant threads in fan forums. Blanket, his third solo album, is a dark, tender rock opus that centers sounds he has dabbled in before — in the psych-rap jams “Tattoo” and “Yellow” from 2016’s American Boyfriend and the indie-trap deep cut “Cash” off Saturation, the 2017 release from his boy band Brockhampton — and he doesn’t want to distract from the music. “For the first time, I feel myself growing older,” Abstract sings in the shimmering, devastating “Voyager.” Maturity means making more focused art and seeking less attention. This will excite Brockhampton fans who were incensed last year when the group announced an indefinite hiatus and a final album called The Family, which turned out to be a captivating one-man postmortem on the collective’s career starring Abstract, before following up the next day with the real swan song, TM. Collective exhaustion and an itch to be done with a record deal inspired the feint last year, the 27-year-old rapper, singer-songwriter, producer, and director explained during a call last week. I wanted to confirm my guesses about which Pacific Northwest rock bands from the ’90s influenced the new songs and to trace the polymath plays that landed him a consulting job on HBO’s Euphoria.

There were guitars in the mix on your first two solo records, but Blanket is a full-fledged rock album. What brought that about?

It happened naturally. For years, I’ve been trying to make something that I genuinely would want to listen back to and stand next to on the road as a solo act. I finally did something that I’m beyond proud of. At times, I just haven’t allowed myself to fully go all the way there, but this … instinctually, it just felt right. I kept saying early on that I wanted to make my punk version of folklore. It’s a little joke we were throwing around, but it became a vision I ended up chasing throughout the whole album-making process. I was writing about exactly where I was and also dreaming of old memories from my childhood, not living in that nostalgia, but just looking back.

What have you been listening to lately?

A lot of current rap, some classical music. A lot of stuff I listened to growing up: Sunny Day Real Estate, Modest Mouse.

I like hearing that you were listening to some of the specific indie rock your new stuff made me think about. There’s a sense of intimacy because Modest Mouse at one point was just three guys trying to fill space in a song.

There’s also something supermodern about that. In a lot of rap, there’s so much space. You hear one line over and over, and it’s hypnotizing and kind of psychedelic. I thought it’d be cool to do that with these sonics and this whispering vocal style. Everyone was like, “Oh, it sounds like Alex G.” I Love Alex G so much. God Save the Animals was on repeat in my crib and in the studio all year. But the thing is, those chords are very similar to Modest Mouse chords, and growing up in high school, every boy I had a crush on was playing Modest Mouse. So it’s just in my soul and in my DNA to naturally like those kinds of chords. I think that’s why I like Alex’s music so much. I’ve been a fan since living in Texas, before we put out any of the Saturation stuff.

The timing of Blanket is very, “All right, there’s gonna be some changes around here.”

The last Brockhampton album was me straight up rapping every song. On this one, I didn’t really want to do that. But I still view it at its core as a rap album, maybe because I’m a rapper and I love rap music.

Let’s talk about those last two Brockhampton albums. When I saw the back-to-back release dates of The Family and TM and realized everyone would get 24 hours to think the final Brockhampton album had cut the rest of the group out, I knew people would be fried. How did that go for you?

People hated me. But I think it will be appreciated later down the line. I cringe a little bit saying that, but I love the fact that the group allowed me to do that.

What were the conversations about making The Family like?

They were easy because everyone was pretty much over it. Like, “All right, cool. Run it.” I think they felt betrayed by it, but we were just fully off it at that point. No one wanted to do another album, basically. Everything I say on The Family sums up how everyone felt about our decision to do that. It wasn’t just mine. It was me and a few other members.

Did you really make that album to wrap up a deal?

A thousand percent.

Before that, you became a consultant on Euphoria. What does that job entail?

Really just Sam Levinson showing me vibes and having me come to set to be like, “Yo, what do you think of that? Does that look cool?” I’m like, “Yeah, it’s cool.” It was lit. It was sick. You’re killing it. All the actors are great. I’m around all these new Hollywood people. It’s crazy energy to be around. Inspiring. One of my favorite videos I ever directed, the “Sugar” video by Brockhampton, opens with an alien in a sex scene. I sent it to Sam, and he liked it and asked me to be a consultant. I saw a bunch of cool stuff I never experienced before because of that opportunity. Truthfully, all I want to do is make movies, TV shows, and commercials. I try to take advantage of the chance whenever I’m rolling out my own music. World building — making an experience for people — is my favorite. It’s equally as important as the music. The music is just a piece of that for me.

I heard you met Drake.

I met Drake through Euphoria. I mean, I didn’t really meet him. Right before lockdown, I was at a table read, and there was a lot of food. I had a cheeseburger, and I saw him and I was like, “Bro, thank you for the food.” He said, “Of course, man.” That was great.

How has your creative process evolved since Saturation?

Back then, I was so broke and so desperate for attention. It was like, “How can I get everyone in Los Angeles and in New York and on the internet to look at me? How can I carve out my own lane where I can make albums and remind an audience that they can only come to me to get this specific sound?” I’m very patient with it right now. I’m not desperate for the attention. I’m not in a hurry to get there.

How was writing lyrics without a group to bounce ideas off of?

It was hard. It was lonely. It was challenging. But once I broke through, it was incredible. I need to be pushing myself more. It showed me how I was slacking in the past, relying on others too much”.

I am going to jump to reviews. CLASH were among those keen to praise a stunning album. Blanket ranks alongside Kevin Abstract’s very best. The more I listen to it, the more I seem to get. It is clear that this artist needs to be on everyone’s radar:

“Blanket’ is the moody new record by Kevin Abstract, a sometimes-minimalist project bathed in vulnerability and boasting a defined essence of melancholia and reflection. Coming nearly one year after the final BROCKHAMPTON album, ‘TM’, this new record from Abstract marks his first solo venture since the end of the band. ‘Blanket’ will clearly attract the lion’s share of BROCKHAMPTON fans, but where this record shines is in its absence of hip-hop, and in its embrace of genres Abstract has yet to toy with this heavily. It casts fuzzy guitars and pitched vocals in leading roles, providing a raw live concert feel – though Abstract ensures the tracks retain the hard-hitting nature of his hip-hop background.

What makes ‘Blanket’ thrive and pulse is its completely commitment to unrelenting honesty and vulnerability from Abstract. He runs through the record naked, speaking odes on his identity, atop of some gloriously fuzzy riffs, synthesisers and drums. The Texan polymath cultivates a visceral world on ‘Blanket’, the track list a diverse conglomeration of grunge, bittersweet ballads, pop and hip-hop. The record is at its best when noisy and scrappy, nineties West Coast undertones the thread throughout – the dynamic ‘The Greys’ sparse but still thrashing and heavy, ‘Today I Gave Up’ downtempo but oozing that Pacific Northwest emo tonality.

Though between the rock sensibilities, Abstract’s knack for the subtle shines brightly on penultimate cut ‘Heights, Spiders and The Dark’, a brooding, country-tinted moment with a healthy dose of expansive sub-basses. Though the tracks on ‘Blanket’ may not see the virality of previous material like the Dominic Fike-bolstered ‘Peach’, Abstract’s writing across this new record is some of his most assured and confident to date, with the phenomenal Romil Hemnani (also of BROCKHAMPTON fame) and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Abraham lending their skills to the creation of ‘Blanket’.

Remaining true to form, Abstract retains his genre-less but directed appeal, this new LP an incredible effort and easily his greatest opus to date. While the bulk of his hip-hop flair has been thrown to the side on this project, his voyage into guitar-based territory was clearly a fantastic move, Abstract sounding as comfortable and infallible as ever. As his first solo outing since the denouement of BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin Abstract’s newest studio album continues to assert him as one of the greatest talents of this generation, an individual who eliminates conformity and remains earnest and candid, regardless of the sonic environment he visits. 8/10”.

I am going to end with a review from The Standard. More alternative and broader than his previous work, some critics have not been sold and won by that. Regardless, there are plenty who have shown affection for Blanket. I think that it is one of the strongest albums from this year. Go and listen to it if you have not heard it already:

“A former boyband member making a solo rock album is not a surprising concept. From Charlie Simpson of Busted going indie with Fightstar, to Harry Styles channelling David Bowie on his first single, a guitar is a common shortcut to credibility for those suffering from a shortage of the stuff.

But as with everything involving Kevin Abstract and his former group Brockhampton, it’s a bit more complicated than that. The diverse LA rap collective, who notoriously formed on a Kanye West fan forum and included a web designer and a photographer among their members, always seemed to be using the “boyband” term to subvert it rather than because their music had much in common with production line pop, and tired of it well before the media did.

Meanwhile Abstract, real name Ian Simpson, was operating as a solo act even before his group really got going. This is his fourth album since 2014, while Brockhampton managed a remarkable eight between 2017 and their official split this time last year.

Nor is this the first time he has put guitars on a record. On his 2016 album American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, songs such as Seventeen, Tattoo and Papercut (the latter famous as the moment he came out as gay on record) all feature casually strummed guitars and a lo-fi, indie feel. But he was still mostly rapping back then. On Blanket he sings throughout in a semi-whispered, intimate voice.

Abstract has described the album as follows: “I wanted to make, like, a Sunny Day Real Estate, Nirvana, Modest Mouse type of record. But I wanted it to hit like a rap album.”

The song Heights, Spiders, and the Dark does have the kind of grim-faced acoustic chords and cello that recall Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged album. Earlier in the album, Running Out is a melodic highlight with pretty, energetic chords that might remind listeners of the Smashing Pumpkins favourite 1979.

The idea of Blanket hitting like a rap album is a tougher sell. The distorted electronic buzz and chopped-up screams of the song Mr Edwards has more dynamism, but it’s over in less than a minute. The track he calls Madonna has the brightest chorus, but he refrains from making the musical backing as forceful as it could be.

More commonly, as on Scream and Today I Gave Up, he sounds sad and sleepy, the style coming closer to the laidback indie feel of Mac DeMarco or Alex G. It’s not the kind of album that will launch him to solo superstardom, but it doesn’t sound like that would appeal to him anyway”.

Even though he is quite an established solo artist, maybe there are not as many people in the U.K. as know his work when you compare that to his U.S. fanbase. Kevin Abstract is a remarkable artist who you know is going to keep putting out these wonderful albums. If you have not tuned into his music, then make sure that…

YOU do that now.

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Follow Kevin Abstract

PHOTO CREDIT: Jesper D. Lund for Office Magazine

Instagram:

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Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kevinabstract

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinabstract

Spotify:

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