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Blog Showcasing Singer Songwriter Talent

Leah Nawy’s ‘ordinary’ Turns Vulnerability into a Cinematic Spectacle

Posted on 5 March 2025

With all the intimacy of an impromptu demo recorded in a moment of creative ignition, ‘ordinary’ by Leah Nawy is anything but. The indie folk-pop progression is cinematically ornate, building crescendos that ooze the golden age of Hollywood while the duality running through the track keeps its emotional weight balanced on a knife edge.

With a vocal range that floats between seraphic and soul-stirring, she lets the narrative unfold syllable by syllable, pulling listeners deeper into an introspective world full of bitter-sweet, close-to-the-bone confessions. Within the abstract poetry of ‘ordinary’, tendrils of insecurity, uncertainty, desire, and regret intertwine, painting a panoramic view of what it means to be human in an era where meaning is something we have to define for ourselves.

A songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist with deep roots in rock and classical music, Nawy’s ability to craft arrangements that feel instinctively right is second nature. From her time playing Jersey Shore venues to earning her Master’s at Berklee NYC, her refined ear and raw experience shine through in every note.

‘ordinary’ is the kind of song you hear once, feel your existence affirmed by, and refuse to let go of.

The single is now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Denim Dan’s Cover of Things Have Changed – A Time-Warped Waltz Through Unchanged Chaos

Posted on 4 March 2025

Denim Dan’s take on Bob Dylan’s Things Have Changed doesn’t chase imitation—it struts with the eccentric zeal of a Tom Waits fever dream, drenched in 70s pop panache. The playful shake-up of Dylan’s quasi-waltz groove lets the walking basslines and jangly piano keys call the shots, keeping things rooted in their era while the intricate guitar work wraps the production in a fully immersive haze.

There’s no forced nostalgia here. Instead, it’s an exploration of the human psyche that feels just as relevant now as it did when Dylan penned it. The paradox is baked into the song itself—everything changes, yet the absurdity of existence remains consistent. Denim Dan leans into that contradiction, using his well-worn storytelling instincts to breathe new life into the track without stripping away its weariness.

Denim Dan’s legacy stretches back to the mid-’90s, but this cover makes it clear they haven’t lost the spark that first set them apart. With a lineup featuring veterans like Dave Gellis and Garden Kent, their latest work taps into decades of experience without feeling weighed down by it.

Things Have Changed is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Eve Berry Sinks into the Shadows of Situationships with her debut single, ‘back to you’

Posted on 4 March 2025

Eve Berry has hit the pop sphere running with her ethereally dreamy 2010s textures and equally seraphic vocal lines, commanding their way through layers of reverb to entrench the illuminated melodies with emotion that aches with the kind of pain only a cyclical romance can conjure.

back to you is as confessional as a diary entry, an exposition of the darker, often repetitive nature of situationships, where worth is measured in how much time you can kill by their side—until someone shinier walks by. Eve spoke the unspoken, unearthing how the push and pull of an imbalanced romance is the ultimate ego death when the other person is always holding all the cards.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter and producer from the Southside of Glasgow first found her footing in the city’s live music scene, hitting open-mic nights from the age of 11 before drawing influence from songwriters like Stevie Nicks, Lana Del Rey, and Taylor Swift. Her love for era-defining synth-pop from the 2010s seeps through every note of back to you, a track that carries the weight of nostalgia while feeling like a fresh stab to the heart. Teaching herself guitar before expanding to piano and home production, she built this song from the ground up, knowing it had to be her first release.

For fellow situationship survivors who can’t help but find themselves back where they swore they’d never return, back to you is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DAP The Contract & Suté Iwar Turn Up the Heat with the Sun-Soaked Rhythms of ‘Fàájì’

Posted on 3 March 2025

With the single, Fàájì, DAP The Contract and Suté Iwar locked into an up-tempo groove that pulses with rhythm-led euphoria, lifting you so high you’ll be waiting for the comedown.

Lauded by just about everyone that matters, DAP The Contract exudes the same stylistically luxe enlivening energy as Pharrell Williams as he finds vibe-heavy intersections between hip-hop and sun-bleached Afrobeat grooves, resulting in a sound that could light up dancehalls and dominate the streets.

DAP’s journey has never followed a straight line. From Lagos to London, from Berklee to Columbia Law School, he’s discovered a space where classical training meets raw creative instinct. Nine solo projects deep and fresh off performances alongside Burna Boy, Skepta, and Rema, he leans into his Nigerian roots on Fàájì, weaving highlife and Afrobeat elements into his ever-evolving sound.

There’s no understating the feel-good appeal that cascades straight through your speakers into your rhythmic pulses. Despite the electronic production, there’s something fundamentally human with the silky vocals sliding over the mix and taking reigns of the earworm you’ll pray won’t ever leave. DAP carries the same effortlessly stylish energy as Pharrell Williams, making every moment of the track feel alive, electrified, and impossible to resist.

With over 4.5 million streams and 1.5 million video views, DAP The Contract isn’t just gaining traction—he’s taking over, one infectious production at a time.

Fàájì is now available on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shahev Sen Dips a Brush in Nostalgia and Paints a Soul-Soaked Indie Dream with ‘You Know Why’

Posted on 3 March 2025

Shahev Sen sings like he’s unburdening his soul, letting every note spill out with the weight of lived experience. His sophomore single, You Know Why, pulls from the golden days of new wave indie and the dreamy haze of ‘60s psych pop, creating a sound that feels like slipping into a world where the colours are richer, and reality softens at the edges.

Hailing from the streets of old Calcutta, Shahev’s journey has been anything but straightforward. His early days as a bassist and vocalist in the city’s club scene shaped his raw, blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities, but after his band dissolved in 2015, the pull of music never fully loosened its grip. In 2023, he returned as a solo artist, bringing with him the weight of time, reflection, and a refusal to bow to trends.

You Know Why is steeped in personal reckoning, wrestling with the struggle of prioritising values over financial stability in a world that doesn’t always make room for sentiment. His vocals cascade through the track with an unfiltered honesty, carrying the ache of repressed anger and betrayal. Instead of leaning on a predictable guitar solo, he swaps it for a sweeping orchestral middle eight, giving the song a grand, cinematic depth, resulting in a soul-stirring indie gem that doesn’t play by the rulebook.

You Know Why is out now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

From Ballads to Bold Anthems: Megan Wheeler on Her Artistic Evolution – An Interview

Posted on 3 March 2025

Megan Wheeler has always been a storyteller, but with Now That I’m Gone, she steps into a new chapter—one shaped by collaboration, growth, and a sharpened sense of artistic direction. The track sees her breaking away from her piano ballad roots, embracing an up-tempo sound that captures the strength in walking away and knowing your worth. In this interview, she discusses the influence of working with producer Channing Nuon, the challenge of sifting through hundreds of unfinished ideas, and the impact of her time in Nashville. From early inspirations to the producers she dreams of working with next, Megan offers insight into her evolving craft and the themes shaping her upcoming projects.

Megan Wheeler, welcome to A&R Factory! Your passion for songwriting has been evident from an early age, and it’s exciting to see how your music continues to evolve. Now That I’m Gone feels like a turning point in your songwriting, showing growth from your early work. What emotions and experiences shaped this track, and how does it reflect where you are now as an artist?

This track came from the inspiration of an artist and song I love. I came to the point in my songwriting where I wanted to try collaborating and also write something up-tempo compared to piano ballads. I wanted to write something that gave a sense of empowerment in knowing your worth and knowing not to go back to old habits. I would say this reflects a part of where I am now as an artist. I have a lot more range in my songwriting to continue to show.

This is your first time collaborating on a song. How did working with Channing Nuon influence the final sound of Now That I’m Gone, and did the experience change the way you approach songwriting?

Working with Channing Nuon was a great experience. He produced this track, and we co-wrote it, which is something I’ve never tried before, so he definitely had a big influence over this track. This experience gave me a new approach to try. It helped me become more comfortable in collaborating, sending ideas back and forth, and writing over a track already produced for the first time. I’m used to producing the tracks myself, so it’s incredibly helpful to have another person work on this project.

You’ve mentioned that storytelling has become a bigger focus in your music. What kind of stories do you find yourself drawn to, and do you feel like your songwriting process has changed as a result?

The kind of stories I find myself drawn to are ones I can relate to and also stories that make me think of things in a different way. I love songs with lyrics that make me think “I’ve never thought of putting it that way before”. Songs that are relatable to my life make me feel heard and my feelings validated so I automatically become drawn to them. I definitely think this has changed my songwriting process as now, I focus on writing lyrics that can make people really feel and relate to what I’m trying to say.

With over 200 unfinished pieces stored on your phone, how do you decide which ideas are worth developing into full songs?

There are certain ideas I feel drawn to more than others. I know I want to work on developing an idea if I find myself listening to it over and over again, feeling that sense of rush in writing something I love and think others will. There are some ideas I hear and think, it’s okay but I could do better. The more I write, the more I find ideas that excite me to develop them.

Your time at Belmont University and in Nashville must have given you a fresh perspective on the industry. Did your experiences there shape your vision for the kind of artist you want to become?

Being in Nashville and in a school surrounded by songwriters, I see the dedication and work ethic people put in and it inspires me. I have met professors that have done things in their careers that make me think my dream is possible to achieve. It instills confidence and inspiration in me to be surrounded by such talent. My vision for the kind of artist I want to become now is someone who takes the inspiration of others and turns it into motivation to reach my fullest potential.

You’ve expressed an interest in working with producers who have helped shape the careers of well-known artists. If you could collaborate with anyone right now, who would it be and why?

My dream producer collaboration would be with either Max Martin, Jack Antonoff, or Dan Nigro. These producers have created songs I’ve grown up listening to and inspired me to be like. They’ve created possibly some of my favorite songs with some of my favorite artists and I’ve always wondered what kind of songs I could create with producers like them.

As someone who started writing at a young age, how has your relationship with music evolved, especially since taking time to focus on your mental health?

When I was young, I used to write for fun as a hobby of mine before even knowing how to develop a full song. Over time, my relationship with music has evolved into something more fulfilling. There were times, especially when struggling with my mental health, when I questioned if this was something I really wanted to pursue. Taking time to focus on myself has taught me that this is something I really am passionate about, and if I didn’t at least try, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Now, I feel confident in the path I’ve chosen for myself.

Your music is deeply personal but also relatable to your peers. What kind of impact do you hope your songs have on listeners going through similar experiences?

I hope listeners feel validated in their feelings and in their thoughts. Hearing songs that are relatable yet personal can create a connection I hope to have with my listeners on a deeper level.

Looking beyond Now That I’m Gone, are there any themes or sounds you’re experimenting with in your upcoming projects? 

In my upcoming projects, I’ve been experimenting with more production ideas and instruments I haven’t used before. Something that can still feel authentically myself while expanding and creating my own sound.-

Discover more about Megan Wheeler via her official website; and listen to her sophomore single, Now That I’m Gone, on Spotify from February 28th.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Young Jay Channels the Tides of Romance in His Tropic RnB Trap Pop Fusion, ‘Her Ocean’

Posted on 2 March 2025

Young Jay’s latest single, Her Ocean, is as sonically oceanic as the title—it moves with the same tranquil yet powerful force. Fusing pop, RnB, and trap, the independent artist found his space in the contemporary landscape with a track that radiates warmth and intimacy. There’s a sultry undercurrent, but the real strength lies in the sincerity of his lyricism. While others lean on excess, Young Jay proves that restraint and poetic depth leave a far stronger impression.

After stepping away from music for a year following the passing of his great-grandmother, Lillie Mae Jones Manning, Young Jay resurfaces with a song that feels like both a reflection and a return. Her Ocean is far from surface-level sentimentality—it’s a testament to the kind of romance that refuses to drown in modern trends. With a vocal delivery that rolls in like a tide, carrying both tenderness and intensity, he captures the equilibrium between admiration and longing, bringing a tactile emotional depth to the track.

The production lingers in the same atmospheric space, conjuring images of golden-hour heat and slow-motion devotion. The melody doesn’t overpower; it guides, letting the lyrical honesty take centre stage.

Her Ocean is available now on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The NeS Transforms Turmoil into Transcendence with The Chase

Posted on 1 March 2025

 Berlin-based producer, writer, and performer The NeS proves there are no fixed boundaries in electronica with The Chase—a track that doesn’t just play with genre conventions but smashes through monocultural moulds with rhythmically awakening intensity.

Released on 21st November 2024 as part of an EP of the same name, The Chase pulls techno, trip-hop, soul, pop, and house into its gravitational force, creating an atmosphere that demands rhythmic surrender. The seductively mesmeric official music video is a fitting visual counterpart to the tribal energy surging through the track’s textured progressions. While the beats inject dramatic motifs, the instrumentals thread exotic mystery into the composition, offering a cathartic reprieve from life’s weight.

Lyrically, The Chase compassionately eviscerates the hauntings of a psyche desperate to move beyond the shadow and into the light. Resulting in an experience that speaks volumes of The NeS’ cerebral approach to soul-driven electronica—one that refuses to be confined by conventional genre constraints.

Channelling the chaos of modern existence into soundscapes that uplift rather than oppress, The NeS has crafted a track that reaches the epitome of resonance. If The Chase is a sign of what’s to come, his commitment to sonic wakefulness is going to leave eyes, souls and rhythmic pulses wide open.

The Chase is available to stream on all major platforms. For the full experience, stream the cinematic official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Liverpool’s Luke O’Hanlon Dissects the Wreckage with ‘Alcohol and Sodium’

Posted on 28 February 2025
https://soundcloud.com/lukeohanlon/alcohol-and-sodium

There’s no glamour in self-destruction on Luke O’Hanlon’s single, Alcohol and Sodium. The first cut from his forthcoming album, The River Only Flows One Way, carries the weight of every regret that lingers long after the bottle’s empty and the neon lights have lost their warmth. O’Hanlon’s lyricism, steeped in stark poetry and weary wisdom, doesn’t romanticise the rough edges—it lays them bare, exposing the loneliness in bad decisions and the inevitability of time slipping through cracked fingers.

Sonically, O’Hanlon leans into the mesmerising guitar work of Kurt Vile while pulling from Modest Mouse’s raw alt-country grit. When the composition fractures into garage rock territory, Strokes-esque vocals carve their way through the stripped-back instrumentation, ensuring every line lands like an unfiltered confession rather than a performance.

There’s a whisper of Tom Waits’ barstool storytelling and Richard Thompson’s cutting clarity in the delivery, but O’Hanlon’s voice is entirely authentic—ragged yet resolute, with a cynicism that never topples into defeat.

Rather than framing hedonism as rebellion or a necessary rite of passage, Alcohol and Sodium offers a different perspective—one that doesn’t ask for sympathy or redemption, just recognition. If this is just the first glimpse into The River Only Flows One Way, the full release in April 2025 is set to be an unflinching, razor-sharp reflection on survival itself.

Alcohol and Sodium is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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