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Multi-talented viral singer, songwriter, and producer JVKE has released the music video for “golden hour”. Directed by Gus Black, the video made its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, mtvU, MTV’s Biggest Pop and the Paramount+ Times Square billboards.

“golden hour”, a classic love song that exemplifies the feelings of romance and beauty, is now going viral worldwide with the user-generated content for the track on TikTok and YouTube Shorts amassing over 105 million views to date, and sweeping viral charts across the globe –  including Malaysia entering at #1 on Spotify’s Top 200 charts, marking JVKE’s first ever Spotify Top #1 worldwide – as well as Shazam Top Charts in 58 markets with Malaysia and Singapore now at #1.

JVKE has risen to be one of the most compelling young talents making waves in the music industry today, writing and producing and mixing and mastering all his insatiably catchy songs. After finding his footing on TikTok, JVKE has built a massive digital presence, with over 600 million streams, 26+ billion views of his music across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, and an audience of 12+ million followers across social media.

JVKE’s 2020 breakthrough smash “Upside Down” took the internet by storm in 2020, and has generated over 200 million streams to date which was followed up by a Charlie Puth remix that received a nomination for a Trending: VMA Award.  His 2021 follow up track “this is what falling in love feels like” launched his career into the stratosphere, amassing over 210 million streams globally and entered Spotify’sviral charts in 51 markets and Top 200 charts in 15 markets globally including Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong and more territories, as well as Shazam’s Top 200 Chart in 99 markets.

Most recently, JVKE released his stunning debut album, ‘this is what ____ feels like (Vol. 1-4)’ – a collection of songs written, produced, engineered and recorded by JVKE and his brother ZVC that experiments with production, time signatures, tuning and style to create a truly unique listening experience.

JVKE has seen incredible growth in Asia in recent months, and his recent collaborations with RAMENGVRL followed by Stephanie Poetri – arguably some of the most prominent faces in Asia’s music scene – is the cherry on top of his already stratospheric rise in the region. Currently, JVKE’s Top 5 Streaming Cities worldwide include Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta.

Indie rock band Sunsleeper have released their highly-anticipated sophomore album ‘While You Can’ via Rude Records. Coloured by the warm halo of 90s alt-rock nostalgia, the new album revitalizes Sunsleeper’s wider aims.

By reframing moments from an overwhelming past — such as narratives of anxious fulfilment and frustrating years as creatives — into lessons of mindfulness, the group underlines the importance of staying present while being reminded of what brought them here. ‘While You Can’ was recorded and produced by Brett Romnes (Oso Oso, Hot Mulligan) and mastered by Will Putney (Counterparts, Knocked Loose).

“The record chronicles the understanding of being mindful and present in the midst of distractions and compulsions to do the opposite,” explains vocalist Jeffrey Mudgett. “Modern western society often doesn’t give us a chance to pause and appreciate what is happening right in front of us. Sometimes even our muses and expressions can turn into such distractions.”

“These songs dive into moments that we wrestled with letting go of, and the process of being more engaged in the now and letting go of what was or what could be. Letting things be.” ‘While You Can’ includes previous singles “Stay Home”, “Blemishes”, “Currents” and “In The Clouds”, where the tracks have gained press support from the like of Ones To Watch, Hot Topic, Loudwire, Atwood Magazine, and other notable outlets.  “The title of the record is pulled from a lyric on the record; ‘Feel what you can while you can,’ ” says Mudgett. “It’s a reminder to be present and enjoy the vastness of existence while you can. Life is fleeting, and if you’re always looking forward or backward, you’ll miss the now.” Sunsleeper was halfway through the touring cycle for their debut album when the pandemic halted live music. For the Salt Lake City indie rockers, that pause allowed them to reframe what their journey as musicians and people inspires them to create and say. After forming in 2016 and briskly realizing their Nathan Hussey-produced debut EP ‘Stay the Same’, the band entered the studio for their debut album, inking a deal with Rude Records. While the pandemic still rages on in uncertain terms, Sunsleeper found themselves more solidified than ever writing their sophomore LP, with their road-tested lineup collaborating cohesively and with united goals. The band even found time to use the pandemic’s themes to rework Mac Miller’s “Come Back to Earth”, highlighting the track’s balance of self-reflection and hopelessness. Sunsleeper on this recording is vocalist/guitarist Jeffery Mudgett, guitarist Matt Mascarenas, guitarist Cody Capener, bassist Jacob Lara, and drummer Scott Schilling.

‘While You Can’  Tracklisting 1. Porch Light 2. In the Clouds 3. Blemishes 4. Stay Home 5. Anywhere 6. Quitter 7. Feel What You Can 8. Currents 9. Way Out 10. Thief

Cross-genre record producer and DJ Matoma, known for global hits like “All Night” with British pop band The Vamps, “I Don’t Dance” with Spanish singing icon Enrique Iglesias, and his RIAA Platinum-certified breakout hit, Matoma & The Notorious B.I.G’s “Old Thing Back(feat. Ja Rule),” has released his energetic new single. “The Power” represents a return to Matoma’s club-inspired roots.

“’The Power’ is the makings of a new era for me. Musically it’s more soulful, industrial, raw, and melancholic. It still feels energetic and fun, but with my return back to the festival and club circuit this year I wanted to push the sonics and sounds into a new world.” – Matoma

The highly anticipated track features uplifting vocals with a twist of electro house. “The Power” spreads positivity with fans by reminding them that life is full of self-discovery, and highlights the idea that they have the power to take charge. Fans will be able to enjoy the inspirational, feel-good song of the season. The single follows Matoma’s announcement of his new 12-stop USA “The Power” Fall tour, which kicked off with his historic performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Zedd and included a monumental performance at New York City’s Brooklyn Mirage with The Chainsmokers. 

Matoma is well-known for expressing positivity through his music and through his charitable donations. In April, he showcased three billboards on the i-10 highway to Coachella; originally intended for promoting his new music, but with the tragic war continuing in Ukraine, he decided to put them towards raising funds and awareness for Ukraine humanitarian aid organization Music Saves UA. A video of the billboards via a drone flyover can be found here. Matoma’s billboards received worldwide news coverage from outlets across the globe including NME, The FADER, The Independent, MSN, Yahoo News, and Metro UK.

“The Power” follows previous singles “Take Me to the Sunshine”featuring Super-Hi and Bullysongs, “Never Surrender” featuring Steve Garrigan of Kodaline, and “Summer Feeling” featuring Jonah Kagen,which scored record numbers of streams in their first week. “Never Surrender”has since taken off in Asia, with Matoma and Steve performing the moving track on The Tonight Show on NET TV (Indonesia’s top nightly talk show).

With each release, Matoma has demonstrated his raw talent across various genres, proving time after time that he is a driving force in the current electronic world.

St. Lucia, a synth-pop band led by husband-and-wife duo half-Taiwanese Patti Beranek and South Africa-born Jean-Philip Grobler has arrived with their long awaited fourth studio album ‘Utopia’ via Nettwerk. To accompany the album release, St. Lucia have also dropped a video for “Gimme The Night”, where director Nicole Lipp’s vision comes to life, starring model Ireland Basinger Baldwin.

Equal parts colourful disco, 70’s funk, and 80’s pop, ‘Utopia’  is a luminous palette of synths, pulsating with vibrant sonics that have come to characterize St. Lucia’s genre-defying career. Inspired by everyone from David Bowie, The Weeknd, Daft Punk, and Parcels, St. Lucia enlisted the mixing talents of trusted collaborator Chris Zane (Passion Pit, The Walkmen) to help steer the sonically sparkling ship to greater heights.

When referring to ‘Utopia’, frontman Jean-Philip expresses, “Our vision for ‘Utopia,’ that only emerged as we were working on it, was to make an album that was the antidote to the last few crazy years, while also acknowledging what we collectively went through. We could have just made a sad record. We could have pretended we were happy the whole time. But both of those would’ve been a lie. What we went through was one of the most extreme periods of our lives: extreme isolation, extreme intimacy, extreme sadness and, at times, moments of extreme elation and joy when reunited with loved ones. We needed to somehow process the ambiguity of that experience, and the making of ‘Utopia’ was our therapist.”

In “Gimme The Night”, glistening synths warble beneath Grobler’s glassy vocals. The track swiftly picks up the pace with a shimmering disco-style chant and serves as an anthem for those still clinging onto summertime excitement. “When we were doing a lot of DJ sets, I was watching what people would respond to when they’re on the dancefloor. In the back of my mind, I wanted to make music that spoke that language,” shares Grobler. “Lyrically, ‘Gimme The Night’ is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the lifestyle of influencer culture, which we lived at different points. Being in a band, you’re flying all over the place. Everyone thinks it’s a totally glamorous life on social media. It’s glamorous sometimes, but most of the time, it’s not the jet-set life you imagine.”

The “Gimme The Night” music video features Ireland Basinger Baldwin barricading herself in a local convenience store as she escapes from the relentless paparazzi. There, she meets the clerk, played by Jetta Juriansz, and the two drink and dance the night away together before the paparazzi join in on the fun.

Grobler goes into greater detail on the vision behind the music video by sharing this, “We love videos that have a poignant message wrapped up in something seemingly not so poignant. Here we have a parable of fame and how it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, with the role of the young starlet being played by our good friend, Ireland Basinger Baldwin, who, due to her celebrity status, is well accustomed to this song’s message. The video also has a cameo from our friend and frequent collaborator, Andrè Allen Anjos, aka RAC. Because if one synth-pop artist can’t make it to their video shoot, you should stick another one in there instead.”

Leading up to the release of ‘Utopia’, St. Lucia shared their singles,“Take Me Away”, “Hey Now”, and “Touch”.“Take Me Away” bops along on claps and a falsetto hum with uncontainable energy and a twist of trip-hop production. Its core message depicting how to deal with depression and mental health is enhanced by a colourful fusion of synth-pop, yacht rock, and electronica. With an emphasis on productivity and pop purity, the track was inspired by the chill-out music scenes from the late 90’s and early 2000’s, influenced by artists such as Bent, Zero 7, and a few Café Del Mar compilation records.

Driven by elegant arrangements and warm synths, the emotionally charged “Hey Now”transmits an uplifting reminder in the resounding chorus, “Hey now, well it only takes a second fall, but it only takes a minute to start over again.” Thematically, the song is about getting knocked down, but no matter the situation you must find a way to stand up again. “Hey Now” serves as an ode to never giving up despite all odds.

“Touch”glides out of the gate on buoyant keys and a head-nodding bass line as the refrain reaches for ecstatic yacht rock. The track was complemented with a mirthful, 80’s pop culture style music video directed by Nicole Lipp that features LGBTQ+ dancer/actor, Liv Mai, along with Canyon Carballosa, an inspiring advocate and member for both the LGBTQ+ and autism communities.

‘Utopia’ Track List:
1. ()
2. Separate World
3. Another Lifetime
4. Rocket On My Feet
5. The Golden Age
6. Memory
7. Take Me Away
8. Touch
9. Gimme The Night
10. )(
11. Shame
12. …
13. Hey Now

Dayglow, the artist who has cemented himself as an indie-pop innovator over the last two years, has today dropped his much anticipated new album ‘People in Motion’ on via AWAL.

The 10 tracks that craft ‘People in Motion’, conceptualized, written, played, and produced by Sloan Struble, are delightfully pure, hyper-melodic manifestations of Struble’s desire to steer clear of conflict or drama and offer someone something to love. From the funky and danceable “Second Nature” to the dreamy-pop “Deep End” and first single “Then It All Goes Away”, Dayglow delivers cathartic music that resonates with the masses. And in an era of music when most songs take a team of co-writers and producers to create, Dayglow’s music remains uniquely Sloan’s– created solely by him.

But ‘People in Motion’ isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There is a depth to Dayglow here, a real sense that Struble has faced obstacles of his own and chosen to stand atop them. New single “Radio”, for instance, is Struble’s jubilant manifesto about how, even as the world gets weirder, we’re always able to turn on some song and sing along. “I make music because I love making it,” said Struble. “I just love recording and producing.” That is the inarguable takeaway of ‘People in Motion’, a record about finding something you love and singing about it out loud.

Sloan Struble never really thought about who exactly, if anyone, would be listening to Dayglow when he started the project from his childhood bedroom just 4 years ago. He wasn’t thinking about what kind of response he would generate or what impact his music would have on the lives of others. It was his own personal place where everything seemed to make sense, the evidence of a long summer spent documenting a pivotal phase of his life in the best way he knew how. When he clicked upload on his first album ‘Fuzzybrain’ the evening before leaving home for his freshman year of college, he invited everyone into his little world. So when ‘Fuzzybrain’ began to rapidly gain an audience in the months after its release in 2018, it was surreal to see how his sounds and his words had the ability to create joy in strangers’ lives.

Since then, Dayglow has toured the globe – selling out his North American headline tour, a slew of UK/EU dates, and gracing stages ranging from Lollapalooza and Bonaroo to The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as well as the iconic Austin City Limits (a highlight for the Austin native). Fans around the world haven’t just come out for the shows but they’ve listened and streamed and streamed, more than a billion times in fact. His debut hit “Can I Call You Tonight”, from his debut record ‘Fuzzybrain’, not only went Platinum but was also 2020’s biggest independent Alternative Hit. Its official video has become a favourite on YouTube, sparking a wave of fan-made spin offs and exceeded over 91 million views. Dayglow’s sophomore album ‘Harmony House’ did not disappoint either–with its hard-won and palpable sincerity, it garnered wide acclaim from the likes of Billboard, NPR, Ones to Watch, The Talkhouse, and NME.

There is, for Struble, plenty about which to be giddy. A week after the release of ‘Harmony House’, he married his college sweetheart, who he met soon after starting at the University of Texas in Austin and just before his musical ascension began. ‘People In Motion’ – according to a recent profile in Sunday Times – sees Dayglow lead the charge “along with Harry Styles and George Ezra…for ‘nice guy pop’: a wave of young male artists rejecting rock n’ roll cliches in favour of emotional honesty.” Steadily building his fanbase in Asia, his Top 15 Streaming Markets worldwide include the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.

Check out ‘People In Motion’ now and catch Dayglow once he starts touring again in early 2023.

‘People In Motion’ Tracklisting:
1. Second Nature
2. Radio
3. Then It All Goes Away
4. Deep End
5. Stops Making Sense
6. How Do You Know?
7. Someone Else
8. Like She Does
9. Turn Around
10. Talking To Light

Filipino five-piece outfit NOBITA returns with a lighthearted folk-pop track that evokes the reassuring warmth of home and romance.

Their new song “Sa Ulan” finds comfort in knowing that there will always be someone willing to stand by your side when everything else doesn’t feel right.

According to vocalist/guitarist Jaeson Felismino, the lyrics of “Sa Ulan” was inspired by a pivotal moment in his life and it’s his way of expressing gratitude to that special someone who stayed and lifted him up on days when he felt down or unworthy of love.

“It’s comforting to have someone encourage you to be the best version of yourself,” Felismino reveals. “This song is my way of thanking that person, for inspiring me to aim for greater heights, and to believe in what I’m capable of as an individual, and as an artist.”

Veering away from the pop-rock grit of their previous releases, “Sa Ulan” weaves in effortlessly a more subdued musical direction while retaining the melodic smarts that defined some of their biggest hits to date. With acoustic guitars, a piano, and a cajon as part of the ensemble, the stripped-down ditty displays the band’s knack for simplicity and detail in the most riveting way possible.

“We had a lot of fun doing it,” shares Felismino. “It took us five days to wrap up the recording, but with the guidance of Isagani Palabyab, our producer, we were able to make gold out of something spare and unassuming.”

NOBITA’s “Sa Ulan” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.

Having already beguiled with beautiful new offerings “The Way You See Me” and “Before I Go”,  California born, London based artist Sophia Alexa reveals her gorgeous new single “Going To California”. Laying her striking vocal tones over plucked guitar lines, the track is a relatable ode to the wanderlust we all feel from time to time. Fans can stream “Going To California” here: sophiaalexa.fanlink.to/GoingToCalifornia

 Speaking on the release, Sophia Alexa shares, “I wrote ‘Going To California’ when I was feeling a bit trapped in London, so I started to romanticize escaping to a different place. I was originally born in California and I’ve always wondered what my life would look like if I grew up there. I’ve kept it as a place in my mind I could escape to, which is what I wanted to say in this song.“

An artist who rules inspiration from icons of yesteryear. Sophia Alexa looks set for a busy few months. Look out for more very soon. 

Sophia Alexa is a singer-songwriter with an intriguing background; born to German and American parents in California, she was raised in Amsterdam and has been based in London for over 10 years. Moving schools and cities a number of times, she often found herself feeling like an outsider and music was the one constant she could cling to. Growing up, Sophia developed an enduring love for classic singers like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young who have all influenced her style, mixing folk-inspired pop music with an electronic edge and her soulful voice as the focus.

An artist who rules inspiration from icons of yesteryear, Sophia Alexa has steadily built her fanbase in Asia with Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan currently in her Top 20 streaming markets.

Instantly recognisable to anyone who has seen Bicep’s lauded live show in recent times, “Water” is another keenly anticipated fan-favourite that finally sees an official release. Featuring vocals from Clara La San, who also appeared on several tracks from the duo’s #2 UK charting album ‘Isles’, “Water” represents their first brand new music since that album. It’s another stand-out moment of euphoria, propelled by Bicep’s timeless production and Clara’s mesmerizing vocals towards a swirling crescendo of neon synths and driving 4×4 kicks.

The release also contains the b-side “Waterfall”, an earlier, instrumental version of “Water” which gives fans a chance to gain an insight into how the ideas for the finished track have developed over time. This is an ethos that has carried through all of Bicep’s recent work, their last album ‘Isles’ was always intended to be fluid, with the tracks in their recorded form evolving and mutating for the live shows and beyond, as seen with the recent release of “Meli (II)”, originally a beatless track on their ‘Isles Deluxe’ release.

Describing the process of how both tracks came into being, the duo explain that “Water” was solely intended to be a standalone thing, essentially developed for the live show to cater for a specific moment in the set. “There was no outright idea when we started, but the original “Waterfall” was born out of experimentation with an instrument called the MEGAfm. It’s a new synth but has chips inside which formed the sounds of the SEGA Megadrive/Genesis games consoles. Weirdly it got more computer game sounding when we developed it into “Water”, speeding up and slowing down the lead line and LFOs to give that classic low-bit sound effect.”

“We always like to be fluid with ideas and never stick to one direction, when we play live we develop tracks and constantly tweak and change elements and like to employ that process in the studio too. We work with Clara a lot and even from the early “Waterfall” demos we had vocal sounding pads in there which we had in mind for her to sing along with. Both “Water” and “Waterfall” have the same spine, but have two totally different directions in terms of how they finished up. It’s a common thing in the studio to start on one demo and go in different directions but end up liking both and not knowing which to choose.”

“We like both directions and think some people will like one over the other. When we ran the blog from time to time we would find original demos of famous songs released in the past and ended up preferring those. Sometimes the rawness in the original idea is nice to hear and can end up being appreciated in a totally different way.”

Recently hailed by the BBC as “one of the biggest names in UK dance”, Bicep continue to cement themselves as one of the defining global electronic acts of our times. 

Renowned for their epic, immersive production and visuals from Black Box Echo’s Zak Norman, almost 1 million people will have had the chance to see Bicep play live 2022, including headline performances at Glastonbury — where they closed the festival’s second biggest stage in front of 35k people with a now legendary set that was televised on the BBC via their online iPlayer platform — Primavera (Barcelona and Los Angeles), Parklife, Wide Awake, AVA and Field Day. 

Released in January 2021 to widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike, ’Isles’ was described as “a tour de force of neon euphoria” (Resident Advisor), “brimming with restless energy” (Evening Standard), “one of the defining dance music albums of 2021” (Mixmag), “intricate, moody, nostalgic, introspective and emotional” (Billboard) and named The Guardian’s ‘Album of the Week’. It debuted at #2 on the UK Official Albums Chart and #1 on the UK Official Vinyl Albums Chart, earning the duo two BRITs nominations — for Best British Group & Breakthrough Act — in the process.

Multi-platinum artist and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter BLEU and rap royalty Nicki Minaj have released a stunning new visual to accompany their collaborative track “Love In The Way”.

Showcasing BLEU’s eclectic production skills, “Love In The Way” channels Amapiano-inflected drums which are layered with profound synths that evoke the sadness and heartache that both BLEU and Nicki Minaj express throughout the song. Topped with an infectious vocal sample of Sam Tompkins’ track “Whole”, all elements of the record create a powerful escapism that will transport the listener to a world of its own.

As the first single ahead of his album, “Love In The Way” gives an insight into BLEU’s journey as an artist thus far; from his early beginnings as Yung Bleu, to his fresh elevated sound as BLEU. The track kickstarts this new chapter for the versatile talent, who is also a GRAMMY-nominated songwriter, boasting production and writing credits for the likes of Lil Wayne and Megan Thee Stallion.

Having just dropped the Queen Mix for her latest single “Super Freaky Girl” featuring Maliibu Mitch, BIA, JT, Katie Got Bandz and Akbar V, this new collaboration on “Love In The Way” will undoubtedly have Nicki Minaj fans worldwide erupting with excitement after teasing the record earlier this week on social media.
Originally from Alabama, BLEU first broke through with his high impact slow jam “Miss It” in 2017. Since then, he has established himself as the fast-evolving indie powerhouse in two musical worlds; garnering an expansive global fanbase with his intricate flows both as a rapper and sensual R&B crooner.

In a short space of time, he has collaborated with the likes of Kehlani (“Beautiful Lies”), H.E.R (“Tired Of You”), and A Boogie Wit A Hoodie (“Ghetto Love Birds”). It was his record with Drake “You’re Mines Still” that scored him his first Billboard Hot 100, with the track featuring on his critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘Moon Boy’. The project debuted at #1 as album of the week and landed #1 on the Billboard Independent charts, and BLEU went on to win Best New Artist at the 2021 BET HHA, as well as this year’s Best New Hip-Hop Artist at the iHeart Music Awards.

With the release of “Love In The Way”, BLEU concludes summer as he enters the anticipated next chapter in his career.