Euphoric Sad Songs is a nine-track EP, and contains tracks such as Natalie Don’t, Regardless, and Love of Your Life. Both Natalie Don’t and Love of Your Life was released previously by Raye, to build the already high anticipation from fans, and it did just that. 

Euphoric Sad Songs is the latest project from Raye following the singer-songwriter taking a two-year break from making music. Her last EP, Side Tape, made big waves back during its 2018 release and contains popular songs such as Cigarettes, Decline, and Wife Me. 

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Raye recruited both Rudimental and Regard for Euphoric Sad Songs. DJ Regard makes a powerful appearance on Secrets, whilst British pop titans Rudimental collaborate with Raye on Regardless. Regardless samples Rapture, iiO’s anthem from back in 2005. 

In an official statement, Raye spoke out about the meaning behind her new mini-album. Raye said of Euphoric Sad Songs: “This project explains the nine stages of grief. The first song is a really dramatic, confused power ballad.”

Raye continued, saying: “Then we progress through to the last song when you finally say with your full heart that you’ve healed. I’m very proud of this work and I can’t wait for everyone to hear all the tracks. I hope everyone enjoys this slice of me.”

Raye announced her new EP via social media last night. Taking to Instagram, Raye posted the EP cover art, as well as a lengthy caption relaying her excitement at the surprise release.

Within the caption, Raye conveyed her love towards her fans, declaring: “my darlings this is something I wanted to surprise you with in this dreadful time so I hope this brings you some joy.” This is certainly true, as the post has gathered over 10,000 likes from Rayes’ ever-growing fanbase. 

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Last week, Raye shared the official music video to Love of Your Life. Raye dances in a 1950s style get up, then the camera projects a kaleidoscopic display of the talented vocalist. In a celebration of girl power, Raye is joined by two dancers, jiving simultaneously to the song’s funky breakdown.

The music video to Love of Your Life was received joyfully from fans, as the video has obtained a whopping 346,000 views. The visual accompaniment to Love of Your Life can be watched in full here.

Rachel Agatha Keen, famously known as Raye, was born in London in 1997. Raye debuted her first EP, Welcome to the Winter, back in 2014.

Euphoric Sad Songs is out everywhere now. The tracklisting for Rayes’ brand new EP can be found in full below:

1. Love Me Again
2. Change Your Mind
3. Regardless (Feat. Rudimental)
4. Secrets (Feat. DJ Regard)
5. Natalie Don’t
6. All Dressed Up
7. Please Don’t Touch
8. Walk On By
9. Love Of Your Life

Man’s World will be Marinas’ first release since her last album, Love & Fear. Released in two parts back in April of 2019, Love & Fear was Marinas’ first project after the Welsh-Greek singer departed with her “And the diamonds” moniker. 

Man’s World is not a standalone single, but the first trinket from Marinas’ fifth studio album. Although the release date of her next work is unknown, Marina confirmed her fifth album will come out sometime in the coming months. 

Marina confirmed that she was working on her latest album back in January. The Primadonna singer announced via Instagram that she was “writing songs in Paris”, and has since shared snippets from her next piece of work. 

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A post shared by Marina (@marinadiamandis)

Marina also opened up about songwriting back in August. The singer-songwriter shared some gorgeous photos from a songwriting session, writing in the caption: “GOOD ENERGY! Bursting with sunbeams to tell you that I’m close to finishing writing my 5th album in a little corner of paradise.”

Marina declared the news of Man’s World via social media last night. Taking to Instagram, Marina shared the single artwork, adding the short but sweet caption: “Man’s World. Coming out November 18th.” The post, which obtained a whopping 220,000 likes, elicited a joyous reaction from fans. One fan wrote excitedly: “Yay! Finally!”

 

 

 

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Earlier today, Marina dropped another social media hint towards Man’s World by sharing a snap of what could be the track’s music video. The post, which has already received 159,000 likes, can be viewed here.

Back in February, Marina composed a song for the soundtrack of To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. The sequel to the Netflix rom-com phenomenon of a similar name, Marina released About Love for the film on February 7th. 

Capitol Records shared the accompanying lyric video to About Love via their official YouTube channel. Featuring a floating collage to some To All The Boys memorabilia, the lyric video to About Love can be watched here.

Marina had planned to spend some of 2020 embarking on a US tour in between the making of two albums. The tour, which was affectionately but unofficially titled as ‘The Inbetweenie Tour’, was sadly cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Marinas’ ‘Inbetweenie Tour’ was supposed to ensue in April of this year.

Marina Diamandis was born in Brynmawr, Wales, in 1985. Her debut album, The Family Jewels, was released back in 2010, and skyrocketed the singer-songwriter from emerging artist to pop princess status.

The latest album from Marina is Love & Fear, which dropped on April 26th, 2019. A polished pop album filled with catchy bangers and a touch of soul, Love & Fear contains songs such as Emotional Machine, Karma, Believe in Love and To Be Human.

Man’s World will be out on November 18th.

This news comes as a lovely surprise to Lily Allen fans, who have not heard new music from the Smile hitmaker in years. This next project will be Allen’s latest record since No Shame, her fourth studio album which was released back in June of 2018. No Shame contains hit songs such as Apples, Higher, and Pushing Up Daisies, and went on to get nominated for Mercury Prize. 

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All dressed up and absolutely nowhere to go.@ellenvonunwerth for @theststyle OUT NOW

A post shared by Queen of MySpace (@lilyallen) on Oct 24, 2020 at 4:49pm PDT

In an interview with The Times, Allen spoke out on her next record, specifically about how she plans to release it. Allen relayed that she plans to share her next piece of work individually, instead of releasing it through large and established record labels. 

When it comes to managing her music, Allen maintained that “I’d never sign a record deal with a major label again. I don’t want to work within that corporate structure.” Allen also expressed her disinterest in using social media to promote her music, stating that “I don’t want somebody telling me I have to be talking into my camera phone all day, for ‘engagement’.”

Allen also revealed that she has been working on not one, but three musicals. Unfortunately, details surrounding these upcoming works remain tightly under wraps, and fans can only hope that Allen will shed some light on the upcoming projects in the near future.

Recently, Allen collaborated with German company Womanizer for #IMasturbate, a campaign that focuses on female empowerment and sex-positivity. In an official press release, Allen said of the campaign: “We want to challenge existing assumptions and myths with the #IMasturbate and invite people to reflect on their own, often negative attitudes towards this topic”.

 

 

 

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I’m really excited to reveal something I’ve been working on with one of my favourite brands @womanizerglobal… My very own sex toy! The Liberty is available everywhere now. Womanizer changed my life, and I wanted to share my experience. Women shouldn’t be ashamed of their sexuality, and we all deserve to own our pleasure. Hopefully this little toy will help you do that! #IMasturbate #LilyAllenxWomanizer. Get yours now via the link in my bio A post shared by Queen of MySpace (@lilyallen) on Oct 22, 2020 at 1:00am PDT

Allen continued, adding that “The only way to make taboo subjects no longer taboo is to speak about them openly, frequently and without shame or guilt.” More information surrounding the campaign can be found here.

Born in London in 1985, Lily Allen is a singer, songwriter, and author. After gaining a serious buzz on MySpace, Allen burst onto the scene in 2006 with her debut album, Alright, Still. The striking Alright Still contains the hit songs Littlest Things, Knock Em Out, and Smile, and cemented Allen in the British music scene,  where the star has rightly remained ever since.

Temptation is taken from the tracklist of Celia, Tiwa Savages’ swiftly approaching new record. Celia will be the fourth studio album from Savage and is set for release on Friday the 28th of August. This month Savage shared two tracks from the upcoming Celia, entitled Koroba and Dangerous Love. 

Sultry and smooth, Temptation encapsulates why Tiwa Savage is widely known as the ‘Queen of Afrobeats’. With sunshine bright instrumentation, powerhouse vocals and Afrobeats-infused percussion, Temptation explores an unrelenting desire between two people. 

Savage leads the first verse and chorus of Temptation, her mighty vocals belt the lyrics: “If you do me nice/If you do me right/I’ma give you everything you like.”, which immediately set the song’s flirtatious tone.

Sam Smith’s work on the second verse and chorus takes Temptation up a notch. Smith’s angelic voice sings “The shape of your body, replays in my mind/The sound of your promises, echo in me deep inside/Crave your attention, it compliments my pride”, amping up the track’s sensuality. 

 Savage and Smith continue with an amorous back and forth for the remainder of the track, singing “Temptation, temptation/That’s all I see when I look at you.” When speaking on the single, Tiwa Savage sang Smith’s praises. In a recent statement on Genius, Savage relayed that “we don’t know how amazing Sam is…it just changed the face of the project.”

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‘Temptation’ with @samsmith is #1 on @Applemusic New Music Daily GLOBAL playlist. Go stream it!Cc @motownrecords

A post shared by Tiwa Savage ⚔️ (@tiwasavage) on Aug 24, 2020 at 11:39am PDT

An accompanying lyric video of Temptation dropped concurrently with the track’s release yesterday. A smoke show of pink and purple hues, Savage premiered the lyric video to her official YouTube channel, which has received a whopping 65,000 views.   

Along with fan’s joyous reaction to Temptation, Savage and Smith’s creative collaboration has been warmly received by Apple Music, as the new single is currently sitting at #1 on the streaming giant’s coveted playlist, New Music Daily. Savage took pride in the well-deserved recognition with a post on Instagram, which has already gathered over 42,000 likes from Savage’s extensive following.

Sam Smith also took to social media to ring in the release of Temptation. Featuring a snippet of the sultry song to their Instagram platform, the Only One singer added the sweet caption: “I had so much fun working on this one with the unstoppable and beautiful talent that is @tiwasavage – thank you for the opportunity.” Garnering over 189,000 views, fans were clearly ecstatic at the news of the talented artist’s creative union. 

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I had so much fun working on this one with the unstoppable and beautiful talent that is @tiwasavage – thank you for the opportunity. Hopefully one day we will be dancing and singing this together, cocktail in hand x

A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Aug 24, 2020 at 9:45am PDT

Celia Tracklist:

1. Save My Life
2. Temptation
3. Pakalamisi
4. Koroba
5. Bombay
6. Dangerous Love
12. Park Well
13. Interlude (US)
14. FWMM
15. Ole
16. Attention
17.Glory
18. Celia’s Song

Surrealist and expressive, Sister is the first taste from TSHA’s forthcoming EP, Flowers. A four-track EP, Flowers is geared for release in October through independent label NinjaTune, only two shorts months to wait!

TSHA did not spare any sonic expenses in Sister. Beginning with a simple piano riff, TSHA slots layers upon layers of vibrant percussion, bright synthesised keys, and moving strings. Let’s not forget the trademark TSHA edgy electronica beats, and the beautifully distorted vocals singing “I was always waiting for us.” Yet despite its many intricacies, Sister has a light, summery feel to it. 

TSHA took to social media today to celebrate her exciting new release. In a post to Instagram, TSHA broke down the meaning behind the uplifting track.

In the instance of Sister, art does imitate life. The producer says her inspiration comes from recently discovering that she has an elder sister from her estranged father’s side, whom she had never previously met. Connecting during lockdown and meeting properly for the first time only recently, Sister is a beautful ode to TSHAs’ new-found familial relationship. 

TSHA spoke lovingly of her sister in the statement saying, “She’s lovely and we got on straight away, so I’m very happy to have a new member of my family as I’ve not had much of that in my life. The song is an expression of all of those feelings.” 

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I’m incredibly excited to announce that the first single from my upcoming EP ‘Flowers’ is out now. I wrote ‘Sister’ during lockdown after finding out I had an older half sister, who I recently met for the first time. She’s lovely and we got on straight away, and I’m very happy to have a new member of my family, as I’ve not had much of that in my life. I hope you like it. Flowers is out on @ninjatune on October 16th

A post shared by TSHA (@tshamusic) on Aug 18, 2020 at 7:11am PDT

Sister has only heightened fan’s anticipation for the upcoming EP from TSHA, Flowers. With a penchant for experimental sounds and collaborations, Flowers will see a creative collaboration with Malian group, Trio da Kali.

When speaking about the incoming Flowers, TSHA relays being infatuated with Malian music. The Sacred artist said “I was searching for Malian singers, as I had fallen in love with the tone and emotion in Malian music. A vocalist called Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté was recommended to me by Dr. Lucy Duran – a professor of music at SOAS University of London who specialises in West African music.” Fans can certainly expect the unexpected from Flowers, as TSHA herself was shortlisted in the NME Hot 100 of 2020, a list that shines a light on fresh, promising artists. 

On the 17th May, TSHA released an elevating remix of Can’t Fight. Originally by fellow British artist Lianne La Havas from her self-entitled album, TSHA Can’t Fight remix is a fresh spin on soothing song. 

TSHA, real name Teisha Matthews, is from London. Making huge waves on the scene, TSHA is an underground producer swiftly on the rise. 

Striking up a strong relationship with Spotify, TSHA has secured spots on coveted editorial playlists such as New Music Friday UK, Ibiza Sunset and Electronic Rising. In addition, TSHA has her own Spotify curated playlist, Dusk Till Dawn. The most recent body of music from TSHA is her EP, Moonlight. Released back in November of 2019, Moonlight features songs like Back To You and Vibe.

Sister is out now.

For the past 21 years, the AIM awards have celebrated emerging, unconventional artists of the independent music sector. Some notable artists who have been honoured at past AIM Awards are indie rock band Wolf Alice, rapper Stormzy and the indie-pop trio, London Grammar.

The #AimAwards2020 saw the ever virtual instalment of the ceremony. Originally set to take place at the Roundhouse, the iconic performing arts and concert venue in Camden, London, the ceremony transitioned to a virtual platform to adhere to health guidelines amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

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Pioneer Award AIM 2020. Crazy scenes yo. thank you @aimawards

A post shared by simz (@littlesimz) on Aug 12, 2020 at 12:10pm PDT

As well as scooping up the coveted Pioneer Award, Little Simz also delivered a blinding performance of her song, Might Bang Might Not. Little Simz, who describes herself as a “one woman army”, spoke on her somewhat difficult but rewarding music making journey, saying “it has been the stairs and not the escalators.”

When accepting her award, Little Simz elaborated on the many challenges independent artists face. Simz declared that “The hardest thing you will probably ever do if you are independent is to remain independent, but the rewards are so great.” Simz also gave some valuable advice to aspiring musicians, saying “the best thing to do is stay on it, surround yourself with people that believe in your journey and you will get there.” 

Little Simz took to social media today to revel in her well-deserved win. Posting to Instagram a photograph of herself holding her brand new award, Little Simz wrote “Pioneer Award AIM 2020. Crazy scenes yo. thank you @aimawards.” Gathering over 26,000 likes, the post was met with excitement from fans.

To the delight of her social media following, Simz also posted a clip of her performance at the #AimAwards2020. Featuring a snippet of You Should Call Your Mum, Simz’ powerful performance has received over 33,000 views on Instagram. 

Other British artists that stormed the #AimAwards2020 include rapper AJ Tracey, who picked up the amazing Innovator Award, and singer-songwriter FKA Twigs, who took home the Best [Difficult] Second Album for her breathtaking record, Magdalene. 

Little Simz, real name Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, was born in 1994 in London. As well as her success in music, Simz is also widely known for her roles in E4’s Youngsters and the BBC original, Spirit Warriors. 

 

 

 

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A post shared by simz (@littlesimz) on Aug 13, 2020 at 2:55am PDT

Simz charged onto the scene with the release of her debut mixtape E.D.G.E in 2014, and has been making huge waves in the rap game ever since. Penning hits like Offence, Venom and You Should Call Mum, with knife-sharp lyrical wit and a sonic blend of jazz, hip-hop and experimental rap, Simz’ sound is hard to pin down, which makes it so ear-catching in the first place.  

The latest release from Little Simz is EP Drop 6, which graced streaming platforms on the 6th May 2020.

Gracing streaming platforms last week, Swift dropped folklore on the 24th July 2020. The indie-infused album, which features collaborations with the likes of Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner of The Nationals, diverts from Swift’s usual stylings, which are deep-rooted in pop. Placing a sharp focus on instrumentation and folky guitars instead of preened, poppy production, the soothing folklore is a breath of fresh air from industry giant Taylor Swift. 

In its first week, folklore sold 37,060 copies in the UK. Following this mighty debut, folklore reaped 12,152 album downloads and 24,050 streams also within the first week, catapulting the record to the top of the UK charts. Folklore has now sold 2 million copies worldwide, as well as smashing Spotify records for first-day album streams by a female artist. 

Consisting of sixteen songs, folklore begins with the 1. A wistful look back at what might have been, the song reflects Swift’s past relationships, and the scars they may have left behind. Swift sings heartfelt lyrics like “Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool/And if my wishes came true, It would’ve been you.”. 

Then you have cardigan, a vulnerable introspection that comes from learned wisdom. Swift’s angelic voice sings “A friend to all is a friend to none/Chase two girls, lose the one/When you are young, they assume you know nothing.” For track Exile Swift unites with the legendary Bon Iver, an emotive ballad that sings of love lost. 

The Nationals frontman Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote much of the album, discussed their work together during lockdown in a recent interview with Pitchfork. Regarding their creative collaboration, the pair kept in close contact during their respective quarantines, as Dessner reveals “We were pretty much in touch daily for three or four months by text and phone calls. Some of it was about production and restructuring things but a lot of it was just excitement. We both felt that this was some of the best work we have done.”

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cardigan “cabin in candlelight” version is out now

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 29, 2020 at 9:12pm PDT

When elaborating on how their friendship began, Dessner reveals he met Swift on the set of Saturday Night Live back in 2014. Dessner recalled that “She talked a lot with my brother and me. That’s when we realized how much of a fan she was, and how lovely and down to earth.”

On the 30th June, the Bad Blood hitmaker released cardigan (cabin in candlelight version), a delicate reworking of the folklore original. Sharing to Instagram, the post gathered a whopping 1.3 million likes, reaffirming folklore as an immediate worldwide success.  

folklore is out now.

Kitchen Sink is the fourth studio album from the South Tyneside-based artist, following the critically acclaimed and Mercury-nominated album Holiday Destination. One of Nadine Shah’s most distinguishable qualities as an artist is her natural aptitude for dissecting societal constructs. This can be heard loud and clear on Kitchen Sink, as the record playfully ponders the idealistic expectations projected onto women. 

Shah’s mighty voice subverts the usually uncomfortable topic of getting older, whilst also at times jokingly magnifying the existential dread surrounding it. All the while, the record fizzles with the intricate instrumentation fundamental to Nadine Shah’s discography. When discussing Kitchen Sink with The Guardian, Shah maintains that getting older is “something women have to think about all the time, but you never hear songs about it”. 

Composed of eleven tracks, Kitchen Sink allows Nadine Shah to meditate her own dichotomistic desires, such as feeling simultaneously repelled from and inclined towards marriage and settling down, societal constructs that are still bound to modern femininity. On DillyDally, Shah rejects ideas of female-against-female comparison and women being age-shamed: “Stop the counting of years/Stop the wracking your mind/Stop your fuelling of fears/You’re divine”, delivering an empowering message to women everywhere. 

Along with its introspective and sometimes satirical lyricism, Kitchen Sink is a fusion of genres, rife with a deep, jazz-like instrumentation of guitars, horns, and drums. The album’s opening song Club Cougar epitomises this: a percussively charged, smokey anthem that plays on its marvellous extended instrumentals. 

Reminiscent of 1960’s grooves, Ukrainian Wine and Buckfast are jam-packed with riffy guitars and defiant percussion. In Trad, Shah undermines the dreaded ‘biological clock’ stigma, her expansive vocal ability at its finest as she booms the rhyming couplet: “Shave my legs’/Freeze my eggs” 

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Long overdue but worth the wait. Today at 00:01 my baby was birthed. Please welcome into the world my little bundle of joy.. Kitchen Sink! Link in bio

A post shared by Nadine Shah (@nadineshah) on Jun 26, 2020 at 2:00am PDT

Shah took to Instagram on 26th June to relay the news of her latest release to her 14,000 followers. In a short clip of Shah standing in her kitchen, the singer-songwriter captioned the video clip: “Long overdue but worth the wait. Today at 00:01, my baby was birthed. Please welcome into the world my little bundle of joy…Kitchen Sink!” The post gained an amazing reception from fans and saw over 3,000 likes.

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing the artist’s tour plans to grind to a halt, Nadine Shah’s next scheduled show is set to take place on the 28th May 2021, at the This Is Tomorrow festival in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Kitchen Sink is out now. 

Tour Dates:

28/05/2021 – This Is Tomorrow Festival – Newcastle Upon Tyne – United Kingdom

Kitchen Sink Track Listing:

1. Club Cougar
2. Ladies for Babies (Goats for Love)
3. Buckfast
4.DillyDally
5. Trad
6. Kitchen Sink
7. Kite
8.Ukrainian Wine
9.Wasps Nest
10. Walk
11. Prayer Mat