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Blog Showcasing Singer Songwriter Talent

Rasha Jay Transforms Pain into Power in her bluesy soul rock call to arms, ‘SAY’

Posted on 28 February 2025
Rasha Jay

With a voice that refuses to be confined and a sound that cuts straight to the bone, Rasha Jay is set to send shockwaves through the alt-rock landscape with ‘SAY’. Due for release on February 28th, the lead single from her upcoming EP, Lavender, seizes attention and demands rhythmic surrender.

Written in the wake of a phone call from a friend facing domestic struggles, SAY is a visceral reckoning with the need for action beyond words. Every lyric, every note, is charged with urgency, demanding movement rather than passive reflection.

Jay’s signature fusion of alternative, rock, and soul forms the backbone of the track, but SAY doesn’t sit neatly within any genre. Instead, it twists through brooding basslines, stormy guitar grooves, and a rhythmic pulse that never lets up. The weight of the message is never diluted; instead, it’s amplified by a rawness that recalls an era when rock still had teeth.

Jay’s vocals are both an anchor and a force of nature, pulling you in while roaring through the mix with an undeniable presence; the impact is undeniable.

Find your preferred way to listen to SAY and connect with Rasha Jay via her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stephan Folkes Demands Authenticity in His Genre-Blurred Instant Hit, ‘Say It Like You Mean It’

Posted on 28 February 2025

Stephan Folkes isn’t interested in fitting the mould—he’s too busy blasting past the constricting contours. With his debut single Say It Like You Mean It, the London-based singer, songwriter, and producer channels the soul of the greats while making sure his name rings out on its own terms. The track is a sharp-edged lesson in self-worth, delivered with the kind of vocal command that makes empty words feel like an offence.

Raised on the sounds of Prince, George Michael, and Stevie Wonder, Folkes has been chasing musical excellence since he first stunned school audiences at 11. By 13, he was writing his own songs, sharpening his craft under the guidance of former UB40 backing singer Claude Alexander. Now, as a seasoned performer and sound engineer, he refuses to be boxed in—melding R&B, soul, pop, funk, and even trance into his own brand of sonic storytelling.

Say It Like You Mean It is a bold opening statement for his upcoming LP. Seraphic 80s tones hum in the background, while his voice carves through the mix with an urgency that demands attention. The track reflects on pale imitations of love with a vocal bite reminiscent of Prince, refusing to let wasted time go unnoticed. As “The Visionist” and self-proclaimed “King of Fantasy,” Folkes embodies self-investments

Stream Say It Like You Mean It on Spotify now.

Stay tuned for Stephan Folkes new releases on Instagram and TikTok.

Discover more ways to listen and connect with Stephan via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Heather Dolly Turns Back Time with her Retro Chamber Folk-Pop Ballad, ‘My Love’

Posted on 27 February 2025

Don’t be fooled by the wavy, lo-fi, tape deck-esque intro—‘My Love’ doesn’t linger in nostalgia for long. From the mind of one of 2025’s most authentic aural architects, the single unfolds into a euphonically intimate trip across the decades. Heather Dolly flits between the 60s and 90s with a sound that carries echoes of icons from both eras, yet her sonic signature remains unmistakable.

Between Beatles-esque chamber pop crescendos and the aching touch of Hurt-era Christina Aguilera, ‘My Love’ sells sanctuary to wearied lovers, embedding them in the tonal catharsis of a track classic in all the right places, innovative in all the rest. It plays out like an affectingly poetic diary entry, wrapped in orchestral swells and folk-pop warmth, with hints of jazz rock swimming in the underpinnings.

At just 19, the Welsh singer-songwriter—now based in Liverpool—has already mastered the delicate balance between timeless and contemporary. With influences ranging from Laufey and Faye Webster to Bob Dylan, she’s not just borrowing from the greats; she’s reinterpreting their legacies with a voice that could heal the deepest of emotional scars.

‘My Love’ was officially released on Valentine’s Day and is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FGA Hits the Open Road at Full Throttle with ‘Hitchhiker’

Posted on 27 February 2025

FGA didn’t reinvent the wheel with his latest single; he gripped it tight and veered classic rock motifs into uncharted territory. ‘Hitchhiker’ is the sound of the open road—untamed, unpredictable, and impossible to resist. From the moment the hypersonically infectious energy kicks in, the kaleidoscope of honeyed riffs and magnetically rallying vocals lock into a momentum that effervesces with soul. Every note carries the free spirit of its protagonist, nothing is tethered, and everything feels effortlessly unshackled.

With the raw nostalgia of tape-recorded rock and the exhilaration of an all-gas-no-brakes production, the track cruises through psychedelia-tinged rhythms that nod to ‘60s surf rock pioneers while charging forward with the force of modern alternative rock. Dan Konopka’s (OK GO) irreplicable percussion adds an infectious dynamic to the track, ensuring indie kids and those who kneel at the altar of unadulterated rock will find plenty of reasons to affix Hitchhiker to their playlists. 

Freddie Gibbs—the Texas-born force behind FGA—has spent years distilling a lifetime of musical education into his craft. Raised on a record collection spanning Led Zeppelin to Pearl Jam, his songwriting carries the weight of experience, shaped by nights spent playing Austin’s underground scene and road-tripping into the unknown. Now working from his home studio, his music lands somewhere between grunge’s bruised introspection and stoner rock’s freewheeling escapism.

‘Hitchhiker’ is a track built for windows-down abandon, a reminder that the road ahead is always calling. It’s now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jenna Louise’s ‘Safe’ Opens Wounds Just to Show How They Can Heal

Posted on 26 February 2025

Jenna Louise strips back the glossy veneer of love songs in ‘Safe’, offering something far more valuable than sentimentality—understanding. The North East singer-songwriter, whose reputation has been cemented through BBC Introducing and international airplay, takes the worn-out phrase you have to love yourself before someone else can and reshapes it into something more compassionate. The standing ovation-worthy piano-led ballad explores the weight of past trauma in new relationships, showing gratitude for the kind of love that doesn’t demand perfection but instead cradles scars with care.

The classic pop stylings in Safe are pulled into the present by the sheer emotional intelligence in the lyrics and the affecting maturity in Jenna Louise’s expansive vocal range. Cinematically seraphic harmonies rise between honeyed verses steeped in introspection, turning a deeply personal reflection into a universally resonant moment. Every note is delivered with the kind of conviction that makes the difference between a song that’s heard and one that’s felt.

With her debut album My Journey already making waves, turning heads at HMV in Darlington, and featuring collaborations with Carl Pemberton (Journey South) and Sam Haynes, there’s never been a better time to affix Jenna Louise to your radar.

Safe was officially released on Valentine’s Day and is out now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Versonic’s ‘Against The Night’ is an Indie Rock Earworm Infectious Enough to Spark a New Pandemic

Posted on 25 February 2025

Versonic is living proof that it’s never too late to chase your passions. Fronted by Stephen Connor, who picked up a guitar at 54 and rapidly transitioned from playing Oasis covers at open mics to writing and recording original music, the band has built a reputation for crafting tracks that bridge Britpop nostalgia with modern indie rock energy. Since the release of Brand New Man in 2018, Versonic has remained committed to delivering music with an unrelenting spirit.

With Against The Night, the band injects feverish punches of pop-punk into the backbone of 90s Britpop, with frenetic vocals bringing the energy of Rancid over guitars that blaze between angular indie rock and pop punk hooks. There’s no doubt that Versonic delivered something authentically inventive with Against The Night.

It’s a euphoric riot that protests against the poisoned perception filters and sees the potential in every day. With this on your playlists, you’ll be as unreckonable as Versonic as they storm through the industry with a sound that delivers juggernautical blows to nihilism.

 Against The Night is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rosemarie Albanese’s ‘Killjoy’ Paints Pensive Alienation in Theatrical Strokes

Posted on 25 February 2025

With each new release, Rosemarie Albanese allows her fanbase to hear the distinction between an artist and an enchantress. The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, born to a Haitian mother and an Italian-American father, first found her voice in the world of opera, training at performing arts schools where music became a sanctuary.

Though she briefly detoured into working with major bands like Hinge, her need for deeper self-expression pulled her back into songwriting, where she reclaimed her voice with lyrical candour and evocative vocal performances.

Her latest single, Killjoy, is a session in soul awakening wrapped in her romantically wistful vocal register, which crafts evocative panoramas as she relays her intimately confessional lyrics. The timeless chanteuse has a voice that could just as easily command the grandeur of a West End stage as it could seamlessly fit into the soundtrack of a Hollywood blockbuster. There’s no artifice here—just raw emotion, delicately balanced between vulnerability and power.

Prepare to be theatrically spellbound by Killjoy and swarmed with resonance if you find that you err on the side of melancholy and can’t quite relate to those who walk through life with more answers than questions. Forget Lorde and Lana Del Rey—2025 is the year for Rosemarie Albanese to shine in the spotlight.

Killjoy is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Daizie Darker’s ‘SHADOWS’ Bleeds Through the Cracks of Dark Pop-Rock Alchemy

Posted on 25 February 2025

The most spectral force in contemporary pop-rock, Daizie Darker, is no stranger to crafting songs that cut deep and leave a lingering mark. Raised in San Antonio, Texas, before making her way through Berklee College of Music and eventually relocating to Utah, she’s spent years refining a sound that merges raw emotion with sonic precision. With a voice sharpened by musical theatre techniques, courtesy of her vocal coach Darrin Newhardt, and an affinity for the powerhouse vocalists of the 90s and 2000s, Daizie possesses with her vocal range.

Her latest single, SHADOWS, is a testament to that intensity. Melodic 90s rock guitars angularly blossom through the moody atmosphere in the intro, building into a blistering chorus where Daizie’s voice mesmerises, whether tempered in quiet reflection or unleashed in impassioned melancholic catharsis. The track is a raw confrontation with scars, one that allows listeners to reframe their pain through Daizie’s poetically meta lyricism.

With one of the most affecting voices in the alternative scene in 2025, Daizie Darker is a siren in the form of a powerhouse, a poet in the guise of an unreckonable force. The momentum behind her is bound to catch up with the fervour she pours into her viscerally raw yet sonically cultivated sound.

SHADOWS is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Elysrei’s ‘Is There Really Nothing You Miss?’ Cuts Deep with Cinematic Southern Gothic Resonance

Posted on 25 February 2025

Loss doesn’t simply take—it leaves behind a hollow, a mess of illusions, and a silence louder than the words that were never spoken. In ‘Is There Really Nothing You Miss?’, Elysrei crafts a dark Americana vignette steeped in the pain of devotion turned to dust.

With hauntingly husky vocals, she takes command of the roots-infused instrumentals that stretch between the Southern Gothic and the cinematic grit of a Tarantino western. The atmosphere is so thick it could blunt the sharpest knife, with growling basslines, rattling percussion, and twang-laced motifs that curl through the mix like spectral echoes of something long gone.

Hailing from Singapore, Elysrei has never been one for easy categorisation. Her music draws from pop, R&B, soul, and jazz, yet every note is tethered to a space where authenticity reigns, where emotional resonance trumps convention. ‘Is There Really Nothing You Miss?’ doesn’t play to expectation—it revels in raw sentiment, pulling listeners into a soundscape that aches with longing and bitter revelation.

The track’s Western noir aesthetic gives the heartbreak a cinematic weight, as if the dust has barely settled from the departure of someone who took everything and left nothing but questions in their wake. It’s a song for anyone who’s been left to wrestle with naivety, for those who know the sting of devotion repaid with indifference.

‘Is There Really Nothing You Miss?’ is out now on all major streaming platforms; find your preferred way to listen via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Collier Randall’s RnB Pop Aphrodisiac ‘Be Mine’ Drips with Lust and Luxury

Posted on 25 February 2025

Collier Randall thrives on reinvention. The Maryland-born artist built his foundation in theatre before stepping into the world of rap, songwriting, and production. After earning a BFA in Contemporary Theatre from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, he sharpened his ability to merge storytelling with music. His latest single, Be Mine, released on February 7th alongside a cinematically shot music video, is a testament to his hot and heavy genre-fluid alchemy.

The track lands squarely in the heat of pop, rap, and RnB, finding room for afrobeat influences and sculpting a sound that feels decadent from the first beat. The production is thick with atmosphere, while the instrumental progressions shift like a lover’s mood—always in-flux but never losing their ability to put you under their spell. Randall’s vocals are just as mercurial. His RnB harmonies pull close, his rap cadences cut through with precision, and his pop crescendos lift the track into hypnotic territory. Every listen is a lustfully sticky-sweet revelation.

Timed for Valentine’s Day, Be Mine holds its weight as both a love song and an aphrodisiac. Randall’s background in theatre seeps through every detail, from the arrangement to the lyrical delivery, creating a track that commands attention without ever feeling forced.

Be Mine is available on all major streaming platforms. For the full experience, stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast