Olivia Henry – “In My Touch”
California songbird Olivia Henry is relaunching herself into the music scene in the most amazing way. With an amazing 2014 debut EP Sessions but a life changing tale of events to follow, Henry bounces back with her brand new single “In My Touch“, the first single from her forthcoming album.
Lead single “In My Touch” is a strikingly modern entry into her catalogue, yet imbued with the kind of fabulous vocal risks made popular by the forebears of jazz and soul. Raw and thumping with intensity, it’s the sort of energy, running concurrently with technical ability, that we see in an artist ready to claim her spot.
“I don’t want to be grouped in with other vocalists or current trends. I’d like to pave my own lane.” Olivia asserts. “I’d like to make people say ‘I want to sound like that!’ Like I did with Ella Fitzgerald when I was a little girl.”
Her new album Part I — Expectations is expected for February 5 and it documents her evolution from neo-jazz darling, to large scale Cinematic Pop songstress. This should be the beginning of a new beautiful chapter to only soar upwards from here.
Tilly Valentine – “Brick By Brick”
British artist and BRIT School alumni Tilly Valentine has released her soulful new single “Brick by Brick“, the follow-up to her debut single “Coins“.
Incorporating jazz and alt-R&B elements, much to do with her background, her latest single is bright, innocent and easy on the ears. Subtly led by delightfully charming guitars and complimented by her British accent, it’s no wonder Valentine’s style has been best described as “the type of quirky you can pair with a coffee or party”. But “Brick By Brick” also holds depth.
“I wanted to write about the process of going through a bad situation and fixing it before it’s too late. ‘Brick by Brick’ is about seeing things with a new perspective; knocking everything down and starting over. Releasing it in the new year felt like the perfect time.”
Since moving to London from her home in Oxfordshire, Tilly Valentine has since been hailed as ‘One To Watch in 2019’ with her recent rise. She’s received incredible support from tastemakers including BBC Radio 1Xtra very own Jamz Supernova, also reaching the Top 10 of BBC 6’s ‘Fresh On The Net’ favourites.
With more shows to be announced and new music in the pipeline, it has set the tone to make 2019 her best year yet.
Day Day – “Paid In Full”
Hailing from South West London, fledgling 16-year-old rapper Day Day comes through with a point to prove with his debut single “Paid In Full“, the first single off his forthcoming project.
The track sees Day Day spitting the hardest and most unapologetic bars over Kazza‘s bass-heavy production and shows us exactly why he’s come into the game at such a young age: his unshakeable talent. “Paid In Full” is a tribute to moving correct and keeping your head screwed on, showing Day Day manifesting his movements for 2019 in securing the bag.
In a climate where drill music has become so prevalent, Day Day holds his own as a fresh face on the scene proving age is just a number. With so much more music coming this year and working under newly established urban label Street Dreams, Day Day is set to break.
This debut release shows us exactly why Day Day is quickly becoming one to watch for 2019. There is no doubt this is a milestone year for Day Day, and if he stays on this path there will be many more to come.
AJR – “100 Bad Days”
Following the huge success of their singles “Weak“, “Sober Up” and “Burn The House Down“, and now with over 1 billion global streams to date, AJR kick off 2019 with the release of an undeniable anthem in “100 Bad Days”.
Underscored by an orchestral hum, slick bass, and heavenly horns, new single “100 Bad Days” slips from memories like, “Remember when we all got drunk, I ended up with two broke thumbs,” into a handclap-driven hypnotic hook, “A hundred bad days made a hundred good stories. A hundred good stories make me interesting at parties.”
Sonically, you could liken it to Death Cab For Cutie and Weezer teaming up to score Curb Your Enthusiasm.
AJR share their personal sentiments on the new single: “As a band, and as guys in their twenties, most of our experiences end in rejection, failure, and bad days. We wanted to write a realistic look at that… what doesn’t kill you doesn’t always make you stronger. But what doesn’t kill you always makes you more interesting.”
Comprised of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, they’ve gone from busking in Central Park to RIAA Gold certification. Having smashed a world tour last year and festival our dates and European shows to come this year, 201 is beginning to look even more promising.
Chris Brown – “Who Dis”
It has been a rough week for singer artist Chris Brown. He was accused and arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Paris. But after being released and proven innocent, Brown is back at it again with a brand new single titled “Who Dis”.
Breezy brings back his iconic R&B harmonies and sings about his significant other finding out that he has been cheating and having a different girl over every night.
“She be like ‘Who dis b*tch all up in my house? Why she hiding behind the couch’”, Brown sings. “Can’t even play like I’m innocent. Every night I f*ck a different b*tch. I should’ve known better. Gonna teach me a lesson”.
Chris Brown had been teasing the track for years and on Friday, as a thank you to Team Breezy for sticking up by his side during the past rough week, the artist has blessed his fans with the long-awaited single.
“Who Dis” serves as a follow-up to his latest hit single “Undecided” which gained major recognition in the R&B music scene. Breezy is currently readying his upcoming album Indigo which is set to drop some time this year. The project follows his 2017 Heartbreak on a Full Moon that featured 45 tracks.
Moreover, Brown has finished shooting the visual for his song “Back 2 Love” in Paris and we can therefore expect that to be released soon.
The loyal fans are definitely looking forward to his next masterpiece. But until then we can enjoy this brand new single. Make sure to check it out below.
24Hrs + Soulja Boy – “My Valentine”
Just in time for the approach of Valentines Day, Soulja Boy and 24Hrs have released their new track “My Valentine”. After recent public eye attention, Soulja Boy is really making a strong comeback to the rap scene, and “My Valentine” is definitely a needed holiday track.
With these lyrics: “You get flowers, you get chocolate”, I’m not entirely sure if he thinks this is what all girls want, or if it’s just a lyric to move the song along, but I wouldn’t call him a romantic for this. For me this seems like a cop-out; he’s just trying to please his girl with flowers and chocolates, but I suppose that’s just personal preference.
There’s also a major lack of lyrics, with a lot of repetition, and it seems that the focus should be on the beat and the sound and the auto-tune rather than the words. I agree. Try not to focus too much on the words. Unless all you like is flowers and chocolate?
Also is it really that hard to say ‘Like an alcoholic’ instead of “Like a alcoholic”? Two words: “A OWL”
Other than this, Soulja and 24Hrs’ song will definitely hit the charts and will likely bring them up in the rap game.
Words by Jay Tijani, Nicole Russell and Pia Subramaniam
