Infectiously uplifting and vibrant. You know that scene in Spiderman 3 with Tobey Maguire, clad in a black suit, dancing, and throwing finger guns every which way? Yeah, that one that exudes unbridled confidence that borders insanity. That's what "When I Count Stars" will make you feel like... main character energy for sure. You could very well be sitting in a damp basement having not bathed in days but with eyes closed and headphones in this song will make you believe you're turning heads walking through Beverly Hills. Listen to "When I Count Stars" here! Trance synths and a balanced, pitched-up vocal performance center the song in its pop roots before the unmistakable bass guitar introduces the funk element that underpins the track. The percussion subtly shores up the song's structure, complete with cabasa shakes, hi-hat taps, and hand claps. The layers of the production, with fades and background vocals, provide a rich fullness to the song that allows the synth keyboard to shine on center stage before the single winds down. Live Now! is the solo project of Ilya Ruskikh, an up-and-coming pop artist and producer based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Live Now! places heavy emphasis on melody, insightful lyricism, and danceability, and Ilya's production predominately finds its inspiration in funk and indie pop, though he is an avid fan of a wide variety of genres and enjoys producing anything from hip-hop and reggaeton to trap and retrowave. Though his discography may be sparse, he assures us that he has many projects in the works to be released very soon. Written By George McSherry FOLLOW LIVE NOW!:

Invincible is one of the many ways I'd describe how "Are You Down" by Elia Esparza makes her listeners feel. Imagine being on the dance floor of a club, the bass of this song loud in your ears, and nothing but living life on your mind-- it's a summertime dream coming to life. This powerful singer/songwriter describes an electrifying feeling with her new dance-pop release filled with intense groovy bass, sultry vocals, and captivating lyrics telling listeners to get "down for the ride" and make some magic. Esparza pulls this track together in a way no one else could and lets people know that it's time to dance our hearts out. There are some songs that make you feel powerful, and "Are You Down" by Elia Esparza is definitely one of them. The inclusion of the bass makes listeners get pumped up to the refreshing melody and entices people to feel empowered on the dance floor. Aimed towards the moments of meeting strangers in clubs or falling in love only for the night, this single speaks on living in the moment and not letting anything hold us back from being passionate. Esparza electrifies us with her seductive vocals, lingering in our ears with lyrics like, "only promise I'll make to you tonight/is that you'll think of me for the rest of your life"--which, after listening to this new release, I doubt listeners can deny. Elia Esparza is a Latina pop-soul singer/songwriter originally from El Paso, Texas but currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. She's trained vocally since she was 15 years old, shown through her powerful vocals and dynamic energy, and was featured on The Voice in 2016, gaining many fans. Pairing her adventurous side with her romantic lyrics, Esparza establishes herself as a talented musician with her stunning performances and singles. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW ELIA ESPARZA:

Ozz Gold brings tropical house back this summer with his new track "Care For." It feels club ready, and it deserves to be danced to. The track evokes images of smoke and laser beams at an all out rave. It's all about the feeling of being loved, and to show that love to someone else. Love is something that everyone deserves and looks for in this life. It's an infectious feeling, and one that we need more of in this world today. The track is very EDM focused. It feels atmospheric, bringing in the sounds of tropical house. Gold's production mixes atmospheric synths, heavy bass, bright sounding drum pads, and uplifting piano chords. The vocal on the track has an autotune on it that is almost glitched out. The lyrics delve into the fundamental human emotion of feeling loved, and wanting to show that love to someone else, "I wanna love you baby // I need someone to care for // I wanna love you." This person is completely infatuated with this person, that their body is reacting to them out of love and adrenaline, "My heart is racing, tonight // And I start feeling." The track is ready to fill a huge space. It wants to feel the energy bouncing off members of the crowd. It was made for dancing. Ozz Gold is a producer and DJ based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gold previously graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point as a pilot. Gold's career plans shifted once he moved to Vegas, and has been uplifting audiences since. "Care For" is Gold's third release of 2022. It follows "Unknown" from April, and "Rest of Me" from May. With "Care For," Gold has solidified his place in the tropical and progressive house scene as one to keep an eye on. Written By Kyle Stiver FOLLOW OZZ GOLD:

Congratulations on the release of “Not A Crime”! It is for sure some of your best work so far!! What inspired you to write this new track? Juli: Thank you very much, I really appreciate it. I try to inspire and make other people's lives better with my music, if only for a moment. In this world of indecision and overwhelming thoughts constantly running through our heads, we should hold our heads high, stay true to our values and never compromise our honour. And that's not a crime at all. What was your first introduction to music? And when did you know it was something you wanted to pursue further? Juli: I started taking vocal lessons at a young age and gained experience performing on various stages by competing in vocalist competitions, television music shows, and festivals. And now that I'm motivating myself by coming up with new sounds, lyrics, and melodies, I'm also crafting them. I think I've always been aware of it. My passion for music is limitless and unending. Do you have artists you would consider inspiration when it comes to your song and style of songwriting? Juli: My artistic sensibility and musical talent are two things that I adore passing on to others so that I can help them compose the soundtracks to their lives in the Juli Chan style. I am blown away by your music video for “Not a Crime”!! Can you take us through how you came up with the storyline for the video? Juli: I enjoy the game of chess and am still learning. If you've got a good move, find an even better one! I believe we've all been caught up in our emotions at times, unsure of our next "move." The video is inspired by the "Immortal Game," a chess match between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky on 21 June 1851 in London during a break in the first international tournament. Anderssen's daring sacrifices made it one of the most famous chess games of all time. If you could pick three songs to be the soundtrack of your life, which would you pick? Juli: I've always been a POP girl, so the song "Finish Line" by Rita Ora would be the soundtrack to my life, which is a female empowerment anthem. Before presenting my own material, I performed Ari's "Bad Idea," which I interpreted from the bottom of my heart. The third is the song "Not A Crime" -by me! This is my first English release and I co-wrote the song with a Swedish writer and composer duo. I was curious to see how people would react to it. What’s next for you? Any projects you can discuss just yet? I have become such a fan after hearing this single so I’m so excited to see what else you do!! Juli: A debut album with some great unreleased singles is on the way. One of them is made in collaboration with the UK's leading producer. I'm so proud and can't wait to show this to you. The Chan World Tour is the pinnacle of fandom fantasy, but I have faith it will one day come true. Interviewed By Sarah Curry FOLLOW JULI:

There's a lot to learn with relationships from their favorite color, their little habits, and everything that makes them, them. We fall in love with those tiny facts, and somehow, they ingrain themselves into our heads until they take up more space than we allow them to. But with this comes a potential breakup, and everything you know about this person becomes useless. Then there's a startling realization that the information may never leave your head. With Brenden David's newest single, "On My Mind" we're brought along on this journey of moving on, and we can see how this breakup denial turns into sarcastic acceptance. If there's one thing I love about music, it's the way it can tell a story, and one of my favorite ways this is shown is through slow-building realization. "On My Mind" by Brenden David does just this--he starts by stating, "I can fill a library/with what I know of you", followed by examples that float off the top of his head, telling of how hard it is to forget everything after a breakup. Then we get to the chorus, and we hear David singing about how he's not still thinking of them, but it goes painfully detailed about them. We can listen to how what first sounded like denial turned to sarcasm in this way, our realization that he's aware that this isn't moving on. He does all of this in a catchy classic pop track, including a dance-y whistle hook and upbeat 80s sound--dragging us into this adventure and driving us deeper into the idea that he's not over them. Brenden David is a singer/songwriter with a classic pop vibe. Taking inspiration from many places, David aims to bring our minds there, painting pictures by creating music to touch on our emotions. Florida-born but Tennessee-raised, Brenden David sets meaningful lyrics to alternative contemporary instrumentations and garners groups of fans ready to sing along to each of his tracks. With "On My Mind", David releases his 7th track on Spotify and shows us exactly why we should be eager for more. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW BRENDEN DAVID:

If you need a new love-song to start this summer off, "Fire," by Hannah Dorman should definitely be apart of that playlist. With it's wonderful and empowering lyrics combined with an upbeat and catchy melody and accompaniment, it would be absurd not to jam out to this song in your car, in your room or partying with friends. Truly owning up to it's name, "Fire" by Hannah Dorman consists of emotions that will cause the listeners to reminisce on their prior relationships but assuring the listeners that no matter how 'controlling' or 'addictive' their ex-partner was to them, that feeling will go away and what will emerge is a very powerful, confident person, "Burning just like fire." The instruments and tempo changes from the verses to the chorus, from slow pace to upbeat, forms an emotional metaphor symbolizing one walking away from a bad relationship. The music throughout this song combined with the catchy and melodic phrases and lyrics captures the vibes of a 'Hot-Girl Summer." Hannah Dorman is a Pop/Rock singer and songwriter from Surrey, England. Performing and releasing music for over 10 years, Dorman has a grown a loyal fanbase, of 275K followers on TikTok, over 600,000 plays on Spotify and over 3 million total views on YouTube. Hannah keeps herself busy in the music industry writing, recording, performing and posting videos on YouTube & TikTok--> ( @hannah_dorman ) so be sure to follow her socials down below! Written By Troy Sica FOLLOW HANNAH DORMAN:

If you're in need of a sweet piece of sunshine pop-rock as you cruise to the beach, Exit 17 is definitely the track for you! KellyMarie offers soothing simplicity with this cheery track as she croons about wanting to take chances with someone even when everything seems uncertain. Listeners can definitely move and groove to this enchanting ear-worm tune as they bask in the sweetness of summer! Click here to listen to "Exit 17"! "Exit 17" features smooth, relaxed guitar chords matched with simply saccharine lyrics about wanting to meet up with someone and taking a chance. As the track progresses, there is a heightening ambition in KellyMarie's rich, resonant vocals and the laidback guitar instrumentation. Easily a timeless tune, "Exit 17" seems as if it were made to be sung along to, especially with repetitively catchy lines such as "Rain started falling," and "Oh it's really coming down now." From McKinney, Texas, KellyMarie arrived as a shy emerging indie-pop starlet who officially pursued her love for creating music after college. Moving to El Paso, she began performing at small venues and eventually released her debut EP, "On A Whim" in 2018. Much of her music falls under the category of feel-good, sunshine pop. Songs like "Exit 17" are an ode to the hit American sitcom, "The Office" and her debut album inspired by the show "IT IS MY ALBUM." is set to release on August 12th, 2022. Written By Fatimah Bouri FOLLOW KELLYMARIE:

“Txt Me Back” is a soft pop-rock song about growing away from a partner. At one point, you and your boyfriend/girlfriend might have been each other best friends. Heartracer sings about knowing this person so well, loving them and doing everything together, and now, they won’t even reply to messages. It’s common for relationships to grow distant and not work out, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re left with pain, hurt, and a lot of memories. Heartracer really captures the feelings of “what could have been” as the group reflects on how things changed in the relationship. Heartracer’s retro sound is apparent as ever in this new hit single. “Txt Me Back” is undeniably written in an 80’s throwback style. The track begins with a typical long, musical intro before the vocals begin, one of the staple elements of 70’s and 80’s pop. In addition to this, the track also is instrument heavy and has a guitar solo/interlude near the end. The song has a fade-into-nothing outro and is a considerable length of time for a song being almost 5 minutes long. All these stylistic choices make this tune sound like a throwback. It fits in perfectly with these old decades, which gives “Txt Me Back” a great retro and nostalgic feel. Releasing music since 2013, Heartracer has mainly focused on putting out singles following their debut album– until now. “Txt Me Back” will be the centerpiece of the band’s forthcoming album, “The Feel”. Heartracer focuses on combining modern pop with classic pop writing styles, giving them a timeless sound. The band draws inspiration heavily from other pop icons such as Tears for Fears and Aha. Focusing on grabbing these old rock-pop elements, makes Heartracer a blast from the past and brings heavy nostalgia in their music. After the release of this new single, we can’t wait to hear the rest of the album! Written By Emily Hancock FOLLOW HEARTRACER:

"Don't Say" is the new stunning alternative-pop release by Alissa Feudo. The song starts intimately and holds a slow-building intensity that turns this alternative pop track from intimately acoustic to a drum-driven, powerful, and emotional song. It contains a certain mystique, attributed to the soft electronic notes behind her airy vocals, catching our attention and driving us in. "Don't Say" touches on the painful aspect of a relationship, where one is giving but not getting love back. With this new single, Feudo bravely delves into the pain and beauty of finding out what love isn't. The song lyrics detail someone within a relationship realizing that the other doesn't actually love them. There's a poignancy that emanates from the lyrics, "I'm still waiting" that first holds a bit of hope when paired with the line, "never wanna be the one to give up on trying" but as the song progresses, the hope fades, and they sing, "I was never meant for you". This development brings the drums heavier into the track, driving the song with this intensity that leaves traces of pain but lets the listener realize that there has to be more to love than this. The intimacy within this track fluidly melds with Feudo's airy and emotion-rending voice and brings us a track with powerful lyrics and sound. Alissa Feudo, currently living near Austin, Texas, is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She handles an introspective style with her airy vocals, captivating listeners with her songwriting and singing abilities. Also known under her alias, ICON, Feudo started gaining popularity because of her trance-style collaborations with Myon and other works with an array of artists. Working on releasing her debut album, we can see her signature style gravitating listeners to her music and exciting current fans for what's to come. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW ALISSA FEUDO:

Alexandra wonders what it would be like to find her ride or die in her new track, "Bonnie & Clyde." The track is ready to be blasted out of the speakers of your car on a warm summer night, with the windows down too of course. The track follows Alexandra as she imagines going for the ride of her life with a person who might not be the best for her. As they blow down the highway at 95 mph, she feels free, and even a little self destructive, just like the two the track is named after. The track is pop centered, but with elements of country music twisted into it. The instrumental features instruments like electric guitar, an atmospheric-like synth, drums, and at the front Alexandra's addictive voice. Alexandra also experiments with practical sounds, one of which is the sound of a truck starting. The lyricism depicts imagining yourself with a person who isn't your typical type, but at the same time wanting something that feels wild and free, "My friends always ask why I fall for the same kind of guys // Who say their favorite band is The 1975 // Drive a little too fast take advantage that I'm down for the ride // Can't say I'd hate it // Always wondered what it'd be..." To imagining actually going with this person, feeling like they are your ride or die, and becoming a little self destructive with them, "Like to be shotgun ridin' going 95 // Stop at a Speedway, grab a pack of Marlboro lights // You and I would be smoking guns // So damn fun // But dressed in pretty white lies // I think I know why // We romanticize, Bonnie and Clyde." Alexandra goes into the idea of feeling you're playing life a little too safe, "Life's such a gift, and I was the golden child // Playing it way too safe." She even makes a slick reference to the movie "Grease" in the second verse, "Give me a pink jacket, I'll be your Sandy tonight." Letting us know this night will be iconic. Alexandra is an indie-pop singer based in Dallas, Texas. She is currently working on her debut EP which will feature the track "Bonnie & Clyde." It follows earlier singles, "Bad Stuff" in 2020, and "Winter" in 2021. Alexandra describes her goal in life is to "merge her life-long love affair of live performance with layered vocals and compelling lyricism to finally release these stories into the world." With "Bonnie & Clyde," Alexandra's EP is shaping up to be a promising start to a massive career. Written By Kyle Stiver FOLLOW ALEXANDRA:

"Paradise" by Emilia, pairs the beachy mood and the romantic vibe with this energetic feel-good song-- making this track one for a soundtrack for the summer. Perfect for being in the moment, this song talks about the beginning of falling in love, the awe and starry-eyed moments that surround every activity you do with them. Taking listeners to a musical paradise, "Paradise" transports people to a warm summer day filled with nothing but joy and love. Click here to listen to "Paradise"! With a jingling chime entering us into the song we're instantly brought into a dreamy vibe but Emilia pushes that delight into reality with a grounding bass and drum line. In a song that makes you want to stick your head out of the sunroof and sing along, "Paradise" gives us the freeing feeling that comes with falling in love, letting nothing hold us back from being so deeply ourselves. With the lyrics, "sun shines when I'm with you, I'm alive" we can imagine being so enamored with something that we feel this way. Love makes us feel alive, and with "Paradise" by Emilia, we can see that as we fall deeper in love with every listen. Emilia is a singer/songwriter hailing from Ontario, Canada. A graduate from Berklee College of Music, Emilia tested the waters of many genres, leading us to the upbeat pop with R&B vibes that "Paradise" is. Stemming from her beginning of musical interest at age 7, this singer-songwriter now releases covers and shares her originals on her social media platforms. Working on more songs and possibly an EP for later this year, we can see as she garners more and more fans with her content, establishing a base excitedly awaiting her new music. Written by Jane Katryn FOLLOW EMILIA:

"New Earth" is a beautiful, melodic song that evokes strong emotions. What's the inspiration behind it? Lily: I wrote this song on Christmas Eve, after the first year of the pandemic, so I was thinking a lot about the world and the amount of sheer disaster that happened in such a short space of time. It was also originally a Christmas present for my mum, so I wanted it to be special for her and have our relationship be the focal point of the story. Some lines in the song were inspired by things we've both said, so I like to think that the song is written from both of our perspectives. As a singer-songwriter, what's your process like when you begin a new project? Lily: I usually have a melodic idea in mind before I sit down to do any actual writing. It's either that or a chord progression I've come up with that I like the sound of. But I rarely start writing the lyrics first. For this project, I started with chords and deliberately played around with ones I hadn't used before because I wanted this song to sound different from everything else I had written. What's it like being part of the UK music scene? Lily: It's honestly really exciting! I think being surrounded by people who love to listen to the same music as you makes it so much easier to discover new artists because you're always talking about music. I'm surrounded by a lot of talented people too. It just makes me want to get better at what I do, whether that's writing, performing, or just how I interact with people in the industry. Brighton is also considered the mecca for music in the U.K., so I feel very lucky to be here! How did you develop your sound? How has it evolved since you first started writing songs at age 11? Lily: When I first started writing songs, I was doing a lot of character writing and shifting the perspective away from my own life. I think I was either too shy to talk about how I felt at such a young age or hadn't gone through enough life experience to say anything meaningful. My music taste was also very radio-based, so I built all of my songs around four-chord structures and pop melodies. I found it quite difficult to find my sound as a teenager because I will quite literally listen to anything, and am not influenced by any particular genre. I experimented a lot with my vocals until I found where I was most comfortable and kept writing until eventually, I stopped sounding like other songwriters and my narrative voice came through. Who is someone you'd love to collaborate with some time and why? Lily: An artist I've been obsessed with recently is Maisie Peters. I just think her songwriting style is so unique and it inspires me to just write about what I want and to stop imposing rules on myself. She's also a really good example of an artist who genuinely just has fun doing what she does, which I think is really important. I would love to collaborate with her, that would be an absolute dream. What has been one of your favorite live performances? Lily: I recently played at the Folklore Rooms in Brighton, which was a big achievement, because it's one of my favorite venues to go to. The turnout was honestly way bigger than I expected and the room's energy was so lovely and supportive, which is the best type of gig! Interviewed By Hannah Conkin FOLLOW LILY WOLFE: