MaeLeigh has just come out with this amazing hit song, and it’s taking the electro pop scene by storm. With incredible beats, production, and lyricism, MaeLeigh has managed to excel in all parts of the song making process to create a song that connects with listeners in many different ways. The song plays into this electronic part of pop that is excitement inducing and that makes listeners want to jump up and at the same time get into your feelings. The duality of the song is really incredible and adds to the overall effect. This song all started when MaeLeigh created a bouncy synth beat, and when he decided to write an entire song around it. This song especially is about nostalgia and hope in regards to relationships, leaving listeners with this sense of pain and bittersweet-ness as they connect with the song. The beats only add to the overall feeling of the song, the electro pop sound, and it’s something you can pour your heart out singing to while dancing along. It’s a song that, while it connects into the listeners feelings, it’s still a song you can casually play and jam out to. It’s something new and fresh and the artistry is evident in every piece of MaeLeigh’s performance. MaeLeigh is an upcoming composer, producer, and recording engineer. He composes music in all genres, but leans towards indie pop, indie electronic, and electro pop. He started in 2020 composing lo-fi and instrumental beats but it slowly progressed into more, along with collaborations with other artists. He’s an incredible singer and an even more impressive producer, and it’s exciting to see what he has coming next. Written By Alyssa Gallardo FOLLOW MAELEIGH:

There’s a beauty that lives in the idea of falling in love, but with the adventure of falling, we’re holding ourselves vulnerable to everything that could possibly come with it. We can dream of happy endings as much as we want to, but there’s no escaping the potential that it could end up locked away in memory. Nadia Kamrath is a story-driven individual who aims to share memories and experiences with everyone willing to listen. So, this new release titled “James” does just that—it’s an ode to a love that moved away. It’s gentle and soft, guiding the vulnerability and longing that comes with watching as someone you love has to leave. It's a warm song that keeps you close and feels like it tells you stories in hushed whispers. “James” is a feeling of comfort in a melody created by the talented Nadia Kamrath. In the song, Kamrath talks about a love that has to leave. She sings, “your hearts set miles away/I’ll think about you, in my little room/promise me that you’ll stay”. She brings this meaning with a sparkling feeling that attempts to wrap you up in delicate words and a creative realm of imagery. It’s a track filled with longing for someone else, wishing that circumstances were different so she could still enjoy being with him. Nadia Kamrath is an indie-pop singer/songwriter with a penchant for enamoring people’s minds with her vulnerable and soft music. Her sound is honed into this genre, melding with her uniquely dreamy hook and melodies that tell stories of her experiences and interpretations of love. This song, “James” is the last song to be released with her debut EP titled “Confessions”, an album that is just like the title—softly spoken confessions from her life to sharing with her listeners. All of Kamrath’s music is honest, a reflection of her personality and life, with her musical appearance inspired by artists such as Florence and The Machine, Indigo De Souza, and Radiohead. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW NADIA KAMRATH:

Ace Rosewall has just released his newest single Tattoo (Of Your Name) and it’s an exciting heartfelt song. This song is one of many songs that Ace Rosewall has about love, and it continues to follow the theme of great songs that Ace Rosewall has released. The lyricism and the general sound of the song impress beyond belief and have fans jumping and falling in love all over again. In this pop song, Ace Rosewall goes on to confess his love to a person and go on about how much he loves them. He’s just met this person and instantly enamoured with them, going as far as to want to get a tattoo of their name- just so he can remember the feeling of how in love he is with them. This song is a classic pop song, the production uplifting Ace Rosewall’s amazing vocals, and the beats keeping the song moving forward. Ace Rosewall’s lyrics are nothing to shrug off either, they flow seamlessly with the song's melody and tune. All in all, this is an amazing song about love and the feeling of being in love. Ace Rosewall is an up and coming Danish pop singer-songwriter who sings about his love for others. He’s taken the underground music scene in London and Copenhagen by storm, releasing hit after hit. He also prides himself on being a ‘part-time viking’. With this new single, we have no idea what will be coming after, but it’s exciting to anticipate what’s coming next. Written By Alyssa Gallardo FOLLOW ACE ROSEWALL:

Bringing a darker edge to an 80s-inspired electro-pop sound, TONICA brings us a song to reflect on the frustrations of being put in situations that weren’t ideal. We’ve all dealt with our plans being uprooted either by this recent pandemic or other events, but we can relate to the pain of not being able to go for what we want because of circumstances out of our hands. But we have to grin and bear it, hoping that we’ll be able to go for it soon. “Perfect Lie”, this newest release by TONICA, aims to talk about the lie we dream about—the daydreams that take over when we’re left to our own devices with nothing to do but imagine what is yet to come. A fantastic retro-styled music video pairs with this meaningful track, bringing us along on the journey of how the band came to be with visuals akin to an old-school cinema and B-movie horror vibe. In the meaning of dreaming of what they could become, “Perfect Lie” holds that in its lyrics. The song sings, “Do you believe in a perfect lie?/Keeping the faith as your dreams pass by/Because I do, I do” The duo brings this alternative pop track with a euphoric feeling to enrapture listeners. It’s guided by the track’s vocals, leading into a beautiful chorus filled with a guitar and a pleasant synth wave. It’s a track that stands in the face of struggles and tells it that we’re not backing down. TONICA is a Manchester-based electro alt-pop duo that stuns fans with a contemporary, hook-heavy, electronic sound that takes from a darker side. They’re inspired by the classic 80s synth and alt bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure, also taking from more current acts like Lauv, The Neighbourhood, and The Weeknd. The duo is made up of Amory and Sam, Amory taking on the singing, writing, and guitar while the latter works heavily with the writing, producing, and instrumentalist side of things. “Perfect Lie” is TONICA’s third single; with it, they aim to attract new listeners with their creatively stunning sound. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW TONICA:

We’re in this new age of technology, letting new devices and social media platforms rule our time and attract our attention. We’re pressed to our phones, not even daring to go a day without them, and we’re losing valuable human connection because of it. Now we can say that we’re gaining friends, people, and connections when pressing our eyes to our phone screens but are we? This new track by PHNTMS titled “Rather Be Lonely” addresses the idea that people nowadays would instead make connections through our social media platforms than embrace everything we love in the real world. There’s something utterly satisfying about connecting with others face-to-face, enjoying their presence, and ignoring this constant urge to be tuned in to everything happening in the world. However, in “Rather Be Lonely” PHNTMS mentions the way people choose to ignore that satisfaction by singing, “Are you searching for that thing you never find?”. They show how people would rather sacrifice their human connection for a day on the internet, not understanding that what they’re looking for isn’t on their phones. This song is wrapped up in a pop-rock sound, energetically pushing this opinion into the world and shedding light on this realization that society likes to ignore. PHNTMS is a Philadelphia and Los Angeles-based LGBT+ alternative rock group that desires to enamor people’s minds with funky and captivating tracks. They collaborate to create the perfect ratio of emotion, grit, and unforgettable lyrics to bring in an audience that won’t leave. They like to hone their sound somewhere between arena rock and the classic feeling of 60’s soul singers. While doing that, they’ve managed to create mind-capturing music such as this newest release, “Rather Be Lonely” and the one that preceded it, “Paper Flowers”. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW PHNTMS:

Your single “red letter” is so unbelievably beautiful, I can’t get enough! What was your inspiration for writing this track? Rivka: Thank you so much! My inspiration was nothing more and nothing less than my own insecurities when it comes to relationships of all kinds. I constantly overthink things and doubt the people around me when they say or act like they care about me. And it isn't anything they're doing wrong, I just let my anxiety get the best of me. When did your love for music and theatre begin? Did you know from then it was something you wanted to pursue? Rivka: I was raised with music, film, and theatre all my life. It was something I constantly experienced in my home with my family. It was everywhere ever since I was born, and I've always known that that was what I wanted to do with my life. I got over the "magic" of movies pretty early on and was very aware that everyone up on the screen was playing pretend, and I was always fascinated by how they did that and knew that was what I wanted to do. Songwriting is actually a very recent addition to my artistic journey, being the hobby I picked up during quarantine like most everyone else. And it soon became another passion of mine. Who would you say are your biggest inspirations when it comes to your writing and music style? Rivka: Anything from old classics to modern music. I was raised on bands such as Led Zeppelin and Queen, and those will always be my personal favorites. But I'm also a proud Gen Z and grew up experiencing all those iconic songs on the radio that everyone my age knows and can sing along to. And even very recent artists such as Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have been inspirations as well. To see people my age, especially women, be so successful in their artistry is such an incredible thing to witness, and they've become voices of an entire generation. How are you liking studying at the Tisch School at NYU?! Rivka: It is a whirlwind. It's intense, but so rewarding. To be in an environment where I can cultivate my love for performing and keep growing as an artist is an immense privilege, and it's so gratifying to be among peers who not only share the same passions as you, but are also so incredibly supportive. Professors have a hard time controlling us when it comes to clapping and cheering after one of us performs in front of the class, and it's such an incredible feeling to feel that support as well as give it away. Since you’re a musical theatre student, what’s your favorite production you’ve ever been in or role you’ve played? Rivka: I was a part of many incredible productions when I was in high school. That was where I tested my grounds, pushed my limits, and grew as a performer in preparation for college auditions. Some of my favorite shows I did were "The Addams Family" because it was my very first time doing a musical, "The Medium" because it was my very first experience performing opera and was such a great process, and "The Secret Garden" which we unfortunately weren't able to perform due to the pandemic, but it was a student-led production which gave us so much creative freedom. It is also a beautiful show, and it was written by women which is a rare but incredible feat. What can we expect next from you?! Any upcoming projects you can discuss? I’m so excited to hear more from you!! Rivka: Right now I'm in my second year at NYU, so that keeps me pretty busy, as well as doing student films to add to my screen acting experience. But I'm also of course working on new music, so definitely keep an eye out for new songs in the future. Meanwhile, my new EP "Lost&Found" is out now on all platforms. Thank you so much! Interviewed By Sarah Curry FOLLOW RIVKA:

“All My Friends Are Getting Married” by Trey Ewald explores the deep-rooted fear, uncertainty and anxiety of feeling behind in life and being surprised by it. Everyone’s timeline is different, but feelings of moving at the “right” or “wrong” pace are often dictated by the collective timelines of those in your inner circle. Ewald dives into his anxiety regarding being the last one of his friends to have found his person despite taking the same steps as them, openly struggling with the dichotomy of feeling like he wasted his time on the wrong person but also with the reality that moving at your own pace isn’t a waste at all. The melody is catchy and apt, elevating the themes of the song through its production. This is most evident during the chorus when the backing track, which contains higher notes, drops to a consistent base during the chorus where Ewald fully discloses his unease. In lines such as “I'm just getting over girls that aren't right for me/I don't know why I can't keep up with reality” and “Now I'm chasing after something that's ahead of me,” he candidly addresses two closely related roots of his disquiet–initially the lack of having found the right person, and more deeply the realization that he’s at a different stage in life than his friends and wants to be where they are but isn’t ready yet. He then dives deeper, showing that this juxtaposition between where he is and where he thinks he should be–especially considering that he tried, just with the wrong person–is affecting him greatly in the line “Making me think I'm broken/And I'm starting to think it might be true/Now I'm losing my focus/'Cause I gave everything I had to you.” Though the subject matter is somewhat heavy, Ewald lightens the mood with a clean, dancy production, encouraging listeners to find humor and fun in their situations. “All My Friends Are Getting Married” is intelligently written and relevantly produced as it wholly discloses genuine fears that many people today struggle with. Trey Ewald is a Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Although he’s participated in numerous bands and projects over the years, Ewald relaunched his solo project after discovering like-minded collaborators to hone a new sound that draws from more wide-ranging influences than any of his previous endeavors. The combination of his polished-pop mastery and lyrics taken straight from his self-aware, humorous notes app is reflected in his newest single “All My Friends Are Getting Married.” This single exemplifies the sound he considers to be the most “him” as it incorporates an extremely wide variety of musical influences while demonstrating the potential of his future trajectory. Written By Adelae Norwood FOLLOW TREY EWALD:

In a track that harnesses the fragility of being honest, we’re given “Alarms” by ROE. It’s a track that instantly drags your attention and warms you up with a vulnerable light with its meaning and sound. A sonic production headed with an acoustic guitar and some piano, giving a quality melody for her striking vocals. It’s a track that speaks for itself, the lyrics imbuing themselves in your mind as they bring up the moments of desperation that live within our past. ROE keeps this track in “That’s When The Panic Sets In” and uses it to round out the thoughts and emotions she wanted to outline with her album. With this newest single, “Alarms” we are greeted with a dreamy melody built with an impactful feeling and her strong vocals. She sings with an open heart, bearing her soul for her listeners within this track. ROE sings, “That’s when the panic starts to settle in/And I’ll do my best/But I’m so full of empty promises”. It’s describing the anxiety that settles in our chests, wanting to achieve everything we put ourselves to doing but not having the best track record of doing so. It’s a heart-wrenching song that people can relate to—one that fits so well as the finishing track of her album. “Alarms” is the last single of ROE’s debut album, “That’s When The Panic Sets In” released on the 23rd of September. This album is a documentary of ROE’s inner thoughts, feelings, and insecurities, recently showing a vulnerable side of her that helped her realize how capable and talented she is. For this album, ROE will perform a couple of times in late September and will go on a full UK tour in the Spring of 2023. With her devastatingly sincere and relatable meanings and sound, ROE stands to be a singer/songwriter to aims to pour her heart into her words to gain an audience who relates. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW ROE:

Time always seems to move so fast—we can’t get enough of it, and every single thing we do is so that we can hopefully get some more. But in our quest to enjoy our life, we’re filling it with all the stuff we sadly have to encounter, like stress, terrible news stories, work, toxic social media, and everything else. In a song to speak about taking back our time and using it the way we want, Aleks Grey and Iselin bring us “Five Minutes”. A mellow pop-sounding track to take back the time we already have to spend just how we want to—to give ourselves a break and spend just five minutes to liberate ourselves from the world’s struggles. With fantastic harmonies in this mellow pop feel, Aleks Grey and Iselin showcase a relatable message within a beautiful, emotion-filled song. It has strings to take you on a lush journey, with warm elements to relax you and create a swirling atmosphere to ground you in the beauty of the present. The song starts gently, guiding us with their beautiful vocals to calm us down in turbulent times. They sing, “Can we just listen to Holocene/and shut out all the noise that’s been keeping us down lately?/Cause lately it’s been too much”. It’s a lyric that holds the entire song’s meaning, telling us how they want to stop with the chaos—not focus on the big picture and realize that they have the time now to enjoy what they have. They harmonize wonderfully, singing, “I just want to hold you,” and showing a lovely picture of how they care for one another and want to spend the time they have to enjoy the company of one another and block out the world. These two Oslo-based talented artists, Aleks Grey and Iselin bring us a fantastic track with “Five Minutes” collaborating to remind their listeners how to take the time to listen to their wants in the present, shutting out the world around them. They’ve both gained momentum online, with Aleks Grey being streamed over a million times on Spotify and Iselin being featured on Alan Walker’s “Faded” and “Sing Me To Sleep”. With this track and hopefully more in the future, the two artists are establishing their names and gaining traction with their talents. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW ALEKS GREY: FOLLOW ISELIN:

The solo debut of Grace Gadot, “Fuckbouy Tragety” depicts a twisted fairytale of the modern love of today and the fuckboys that follow. Utilizing a witty approach while referencing Shakespeare in both English and Spanish lyrics. Drawing influence from a cross cultural upbringing, her newest song allows grace to bring together pieces of her own broken fairytale. A melodic hypnosis of a song, Grace creates a melodic song that when paired with the lyrics creates the song of a scorned seductress. The song mirrors latin inspired beats creating a strong sense of rhythm for the song to be based off of. The lyricism pairs perfectly with this creating a strong rhythm to carry the song. Throughout the various parts of the song the rhythm changes allowing for various parts of the lyrics or tune to emphasized such as within the last chorus of the song. Combined the various aspects of the song create a harmonious sound that perfectly complements Grace’s voice. While she was born in England, Grace grew up in Spain before returning to London at 17. Behind a singer/songwriter she began her musical career at a young age. From dancing to pop stars such as Lady Gaga, to Abba she progressed to choreographing her own shows, improvising lyrics and melodies with a dream to follow. Now newly signed with the dare-to-be-different FIVE Music label, she is all set to light up 2022. With her newest release quickly gaining traction, Grace’s Career is sure to take off. Written By Gillian Mena FOLLOW GRACE GACHOT:

“Fmk” by GAYLE x blackbear is a gritty pop hit. This song gives you an electric feeling that will make you want to yell the chorus from the top of your lungs. “Fmk” pulls you in with its unapologetic tone that describes the feelings of love to a point of madness, a song that takes you along into a moment of intense feelings of a stirring relationship. GAYLE's unfiltered vurnablility throughout this song, give a sense of comoft and releif. Almost as though this song is a PSA about uncharted feelings within a relationship. In all the best ways, “fmk” will be stuck in your head for weeks to come. Intimate acoustic guitar chords start off the track and continue into a sentiment of emotions. Soon after, an abrupt change of pace welcomes the chorus with head nodding production and witty lyricism. The clever play on words that allude to the childhood game, “kiss, marry, kill” is what I think makes GAYLE and blackbear the pinnacle of rising pop. As the song comes to an end, the bridge greets you with beautifully airy and cosmic vocals. It goes without saying that the bridge is one of my personal highlights of this track. "Fmk" is only one of the six tracks on GAYLE's second album "a study of the humuan experience, volume two." GAYLE is an American singer that has gained great notoriety on Tik Tok. Her song “ABCDEFU” charted worldwide reaching a larger audience. She started writing music as young as twelve years old, collaborating with her friends and family to make songs. Featured in this track, we have blackbear. Also known as Mathew Musto, blackbear approaches his style of music with inspirations from alternative hip hop and pop scenes. He has released six studio albums gaining over 20 million listeners on many platforms. Written By Brielle Pattillo FOLLOW GAYLE: FOLLOW BLACKBEAR:

Q: ‘Cigarettes & Heartbreak’ is so beautiful! What is the story behind the song? Jazzie: Thank you so much! It really turned out to be one of my favorite songs post production, there’s a real ‘indie vibed out’ element to it that not a lot of my previous songs have had. The song is really about the end of a relationship and that period of time where you’ve been separated for a bit and you know that its for the best, but you can’t quite seem to get that person fully out of your system. It's really about the lingering dull ache that comes with ending something that wasn’t ultimately fulfilling. The idea behind the lyrics ‘cigarettes & heartbreak on repeat’ specifically really was linked to a particular guy that I was seeing who reminded me of cigarette smoke and rollercoaster emotions, that was our relationship wrapped up into a few words for me. Q: What was it like to film the music video for this song? Jazzie: This music video actually came together rather seamlessly. Filming was so fun and easy that I almost forgot it was work. We had filmed in the same location the day before for my music video “27 club”, and its one of those sets that feels like a real life 1970s apartment. So by the second day of filming, it started to feel like home. The crew that was on this shoot, along with all of the other videos from this EP, was super small so it allowed for a lot of play time and experimentation when it came to filming. My director/DP, Shelby Parks, and I decided last minute to draw faces on this one red balloon and kind of make him the place holder for the person I was singing the song about, and it just took the video in such a fun direction. Aesthetically speaking, I also really enjoyed how the video came out. Q: How did growing up in California influence your music career? Jazzie: So, I actually was born in Northern California but we moved when I was only one years old due to our house burning down. It wasn’t until I graduated college that I moved back to California! But even though I didn’t grow up here, I feel like California has so many songs written about it, and so many movies that it was still influential to me and my artistry. It’s an ideal that can be really inspiring even if you aren’t physically here. Q: What is your personal favorite out of the songs you have released? You can only pick one! Jazzie: That’s so hard! It really depends on what mood I’m in, however I guess at the moment I’d have to say 27 club. Q: Who would you say has been your biggest influence? Jazzie: You know I’ve thought about this a lot but I don’t think I can really point towards one specific person. Like most people I’ve listened to music and been surrounded by it through my family since I was very young. So there are so many artists and bands that I’ve been exposed to and loved over the years, and I think that love and connection to a single song or artist is so inspiring even if you don’t end up writing in a similar genre. I think that’s why my music doesn’t fully fit into a specific genre category, because it’s this culmination of experiences and different artists and genres. Q: What is some of the best advice you have received? Jazzie: Write music that feels authentic to you. As long as you’re doing things you genuinely love, people will be able to tell. And I think that’s something I’ve learned with the production element, I always try to let the song guide me in the direction it wants to go instead of forcing it to be something it isn’t. People can really tell when you’re trying to put off something that isn’t authentic, it just doesn’t work. I’m working a lot on following my intuition and my own desires as opposed to following what other people think is ‘good’ or ‘right’. Interviewed By Kendall Koval FOLLOW JAZZIE: