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Independent Artist

Paqx Interview: Meet the New Orleans Artist and SonicCritic Founder Building Fairer Sonic Ground from the Back Room

Posted on 13 August 2026

Paqx comes to A&R Factory as an artist shaped by New Orleans in all its legacy, pressure, resilience and brutal economics. Across this interview, the independent artist, producer and SonicCritic founder opened up about spending six years performing and recording in one of America’s most musically loaded cities, the early loss of credits that changed how he thought about trust, and why going solo gave him space to rebuild on his own terms. He also reflects on his biomedical engineering background, the thin veil between science and songwriting, and the deeper purpose behind SonicCritic, a direct-to-fan platform created to help artists keep more of what they earn.

Before the founder, though, there is Paqx, the music lover: someone happiest in the background, still trying to give something honest back to the scene that built him.

Welcome to A&R Factory, Paqx. It’s brilliant to have you with us to talk about New Orleans, your music, the hard lessons behind SonicCritic and what it means to build something fairer from inside the scene.

You have spent six years performing and recording in New Orleans, which is one of the richest music cities in the world, but also a very hard place to survive as a working artist. What did the city teach you that no classroom or online tutorial ever could?

New Orleans has not only taught me but also built who I am. Everything I bring to the musical world was learned through teachers, resilience, joy, pain and love. Creativity is shown every day in this beautiful city.

Before music became your full-time focus, you trained as a biomedical engineer at Louisiana Tech. Do you think that scientific background affects the way you build songs, produce records or solve creative problems?

Yeah, you’re right. Science and art are blended in this field. It took me a while to see it, but solving creative and technical problems in any field requires both sides of the brain. But when writing or recording songs, my mind is a world away from science!

You have described losing credits early in your career after contributing creatively to songs without split sheets in place. How did that experience change the way you think about ownership, trust and protecting your work?

The trust is how the music business really is. It instilled in me a desire to change it. I’m not too much fond of owning a piece of music, but more creating something I can give the world. It’s not mine once it’s released, and I believe we as artists should be compensated fairly for our contributions, which is why I built SonicCritic to protect our work.

When your work disappeared from the record, did it make you more guarded as a collaborator, or did it sharpen your sense of what a healthier creative relationship should look like?

I think so. I never got the chance to collaborate on another big-name project since that night, so I decided to release solo. I knew I’d have more creative control, and it would buy me time to figure the whole thing out.

New Orleans is built on community, performance and musical inheritance, but artists everywhere are still battling brutal economics. What have you seen firsthand about how musicians actually get paid, or pushed out, in a city with such deep cultural value?

New Orleans is known as a very hospitable city. We don’t push people out. It is very competitive, and you have to hustle. The brutal economics that artists face is real. I’ve lived it. I built SonicCritic for the next artist that shouldn’t have to go through what I went through.

Before people meet you as the founder of SonicCritic, what do you want them to understand about Paqx as an artist, producer and person inside the music?

I just want them to enjoy the music. The greatest gift I can bring the music world is my appreciation. I work best in the background. I’m just a person who really enjoys music.

You built SonicCritic solo after teaching yourself software, and the platform pays artists 88% of net subscription revenue. What was the moment where you realised you were not only frustrated with streaming economics, but ready to build an alternative yourself?

Three months ago I said to myself, “Isn’t it time for a new music streaming service that actually pays artists?” I had built the base feature of the platform; a music critic that analyzes any song in 8 dimensions, live at soniccritic.ai. When it gained some attention, I realized I could take it further.

Now that you are both a working artist releasing music and someone creating a direct-to-fan platform, has SonicCritic changed how you think about your own catalogue, your listeners and the kind of music you want to make next?

Absolutely, it’s changed how I approach my entire identity as Paqx. I’ll have a more direct connection to my fans and better music will flow.

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Connect with Paqx via Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Connor Fischetti Interview: The Heart, Humour and Human Spark Behind the Band

Posted on 8 August 2026

Connor Fischetti makes music with the kind of warmth that reminds you why bands still matter. In this A&R Factory interview, he opens up about the value of real musicianship in an era increasingly shaped by shortcuts, how technology can support artists without replacing the human feeling behind a song, and how his self-titled album grew once it reached the hands of a full band. There is plenty of soul in the conversation too, from the awkward sweetness of early romance in Don’t Let Me to the influence of Jeff Buckley, Prince, Blur and Bruno Mars on his sound. Fischetti also talks about winning over East Lansing crowds, trusting yourself more than the internet, and making shows that give people a reason to step outside their own heads for a while.

Your band has positioned itself as a staunch rejection of AI music and soulless electro pop. What finally made you think, “Right, we need to put real musicianship back at the center of this”?

I think over the years, modern musicians have gotten better, faster, more precise, and it’s resulted in an era where musicians are inspired by programmed music and electronic pop. I think there’s something amazing about how we’re at the start of a new era, which is a large return to bands with musicians with distinct styles, playing simple parts, or very complicated ones, but as tightly as possible.

Where do you draw the line between technology serving musicians in the studio and technology replacing the human being behind the song?

I think that technology has always served a purpose in terms of creating new styles and modes of musical expression, but the main goal of any piece of technology used in musical production should be as a tool, not as a substitute for human expression. Otherwise it stops being art, at least in my opinion.

Your self-titled album became the foundation for the full band. How did those songs change once you placed them in the hands of musicians with their own personalities and ideas?

I have versions and recordings of the band playing live, and the fluidity of the structures, the improvisation on certain vamps, and the engagement and energy with the musicians can all be felt. I’d love to release those someday.

Don’t Let Me captures the cringe of early romance with incredible honesty. Did one painfully awkward memory inspire it, and did any lyric feel especially exposing to write?

It felt like it was written from a combination of experiences, where early flirting and intrigue put you in such a place of vulnerability. In my way, it felt like I was reflecting back on my first few years in college.

Your live set places Jeff Buckley, Prince, Blur and Bruno Mars beside your original material. What do those cover choices reveal about your musical DNA?

I mean, there’s clearly a soulful connection and link between all of them. These are artists that have always been known for being great frontmen, innovators, and prolific writers, players, and instrumentalists. I take cues from all of them in different ways, a lot having to do with sound selection, mixing and production choices, and vocal and songwriting inspirations.

You built a strong reputation around East Lansing through musicianship and soul-driven sound. What have those local audiences taught you about winning over a room?

This has taught me that people love an elaborate and entertaining show designed to capture their attention and distract them from their lives for an hour or more!

Your album tackles situationships, sex, depression, and emotional turmoil with a cheeky Timberlake-esque wink. If you could make one impression on people dealing with the mess of contemporary reality, what would it be?

That people need to trust themselves more than the internet when making decisions in their lives, because even when they make the wrong choices, at least they’re actually learning the lessons. You also do a much better job at learning what it is you’re seeking from friendships, relationships, casual partners, etc.

Thanks for giving me these fun questions!

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Stream latest singles on Spotify & connect with the artist on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Kris Bradley’s Fireproof Carries Americana Folk Back from the Fumes of Creative Burnout

Posted on 31 July 2026

When the story behind a song is as moving as the sound, you know you have just encountered an artist who makes the phrase “diamond in the rough” feel infinitely less cliché. Kris Bradley’s retrospective biographical Americana folk fable, Fireproof, scratches at the lived-in scars of being so burnt out by purpose that you lose sight of yourself in the fumes.

After years building Produce Like A Boss, an online education company that helped thousands of musicians pursue their dreams, Bradley put her own music aside until the cost became impossible to ignore. She eventually sold the company to find her way back to herself, and Fireproof became the first song written when the light finally came back on.

The metaphorical power of the lyricism is one thing; the compassionate sincerity through which Bradley acts as a vulnerable harbinger to every other person out there grinding themselves to dust out of self-inflicted duty is another. By cradling the power ballad in country pop rock down-to-earth sincerity, there is little in the production for Bradley to hide behind as she holds up a vignette of how pressure and passion can become kryptonite for the ambitious and empathetic.

Fireproof strips back the glamour of grind culture, inviting you to explore a tender and more soul-sating direction. We may all have to feel the heat of the flames and our executive function to diminish to realise that we’ve reached the edge of our limits, but Fireproof still stands as a single that acknowledges that burnout is more than a buzzword; it’s a psychological epidemic- a byproduct of late-stage capitalism that makes us martyrs at our own hand-carved crosses.

Fireproof is now available to stream on all major platforms. Find your preferred way to listen and connect with the artist via her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ashley Savage Puts Softness on Notice with I Am Savage, a Luxe RnB-Pop Flex Built Like a Warning Shot

Posted on 30 July 2026

I Am Savage is a strong proclamation to make titularly, but when Ashley Savage’s single fires into hyper-fast, head-spinning flows after the luxe RnB-pop nostalgia that will throw you right back to when TLC’s No Scrubs had the RnB scene in a chokehold, the track title becomes impossible to argue with. This is the defining release of an independent artist entering her cinematic luxury-funk era with blades drawn.

Savage threads cinematic sensuality through a ferociously self-reclamative earworm, letting the track glide first on glossed-up RnB seduction before detonating into chopper-rap velocity. Eminem’s Rap God and Tech N9ne’s Worldwide Choppers sit in the reference field for that tongue-twisting athleticism, yet I Am Savage keeps feminine power centre-stage, sharpened by production that feels expensive, dangerous and built for a bruising impact.

Across eight original singles, Ashley Savage has earned chart momentum with Pressure, recognition for Commandments, Amazing Radio playlist support, editorial attention and a fast-growing TikTok audience. I Am Savage feels primed to convert that traction into something bigger; she’s one of the few artists out there able to put spine behind the spectacle.

For too long, women have been expected to be soft and supplicant, but Savage proves that we are at our best when we are unreckonable. She became an icon in her own unapologetic right through I Am Savage, and it’s easy to see how she will lyrically lift other women to those heights too.

I Am Savage is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leavell’s ‘Spotlight’ Turned Funk-Licked Indie Pop into a Mirror for Digital Exposure

Posted on 26 July 2026

Leavell held a groove-locked indie-pop mirror to the modern malaise of living in a digital panopticon; a world which views our every move as we increasingly see the value of keeping slivers of reality for ourselves. The Kentucky-based singer, songwriter and rapper traded his usual hip-hop weight to animate a summer-ready indie-pop earworm on Spotlight, one of three singles released in a single-day showcase of his range.

The single stands as definitive proof that he’s up there as one of the greatest thematic contemporary lyricists. “She don’t want the spotlight, her flaws will show” is a flooringly ingenious lyrical hook in the context of the feel-good, radio-ready release. Held against warm, mellifluous, guitar-led melodies and conveyed through a honeyed-with-charisma vocal range, it is all too efficacious in exhibiting how we are held hostage to the expectation of being seen. It’s the kind of funk-licked indie-pop hit you can imagine coming out of Daft Punk’s arsenal, but there is no replicating the temperate glow of Leavell’s soul.

Leavell’s own description of popularity as a job of hiding flaws gives the single its cultural bite. He understands that curated glamour often becomes its own cage, where the fear of judgement is dressed up as aspiration. But, sonically, Spotlight is a far cry from a dystopian flare gun; the production carries enough funk-slick lift to make the track feel playlist-ready, while the lyric keeps it grounded in the exhaustion of being perceived. Regardless of how much we want the heart reacts, I’m pretty sure we can all agree.

After building an independent catalogue across relationships, perseverance, accountability and everyday life, Leavell is more than ready to step far beyond “Kentucky’s Best Kept Secret”.

Spotlight is now available to stream on all major platforms. Find your preferred way of listening via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A.L.I.A.S Chartered New Sensual Club-Pop Territory with the Spicy RnB Earworm, Met Her in the Club

Posted on 19 July 2026

When A.L.I.A.S commits to setting a sonic scene, he practically walks it down the altar, making his latest single, Met Her in the Club, a hypnotically immersive, hot-and-heavy, multi-sensory experience. The Virginia Beach artist folds RnB, Afrobeat and pop into a sound with serious mainstream appeal, without losing the intimacy that makes his writing feel close enough to breathe on your neck.

The arcane glow of light in the reverb-drenched prelude creates a dramatic entrance for his locked-and-loaded-with-sensuality vocals. From there, the production lets you feel the rush of walking into a club, seeing the lights pop and feeling the intoxicating heat mix with bass throbbing through you as your eyes catch targets of desire.

A.L.I.A.S started producing beats at 14 before moving deeper into RnB after discovering his voice in 2020, and that producer’s ear shows in the way every melodic curve is placed for maximum friction. He’s not an artist who needs to play it safe by painting by numbers; he plays fast and loose with contemporary RnB aesthetics, bending them to the will of his playful, irrestrainable authenticity as he makes no bones about sonically visualising his libido.

With growing listeners across Glendale, Santo Domingo Oeste, New York City, Atlanta and Brooklyn, A.L.I.A.S has the makings of an artist whose danceable intimacy could travel far. Without a doubt, this hit will get people writhing on the dancefloor and in the sheets.

Met Her in the Club is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Maya D Interview: Meet Brazil’s Pop Icon Fuelling Empowerment Through Poolside Glamour

Posted on 2 July 2026

In this A&R Factory interview, the independent artist, Maya D, opens up about the confidence, feminine power and self-ownership behind her June 26 single, ‘Pool Party in BOLD’, explaining how the title became a declaration of taking up space without apology. She also talks self-producing as a way of protecting emotional intention in her music, how the Maya Verse has become a world of glamour, vulnerability and transformation, and the strategy required to grow an international audience while handling the business side alone.

From sync ambitions in fashion, film, television and brand campaigns to music that feels built for main-character moments, Maya D’s ambition is as big as her talent.

1- The title Pool Party in BOLD drips with attitude. What did that phrase unlock for you creatively?

For me, “bold” isn’t just a visual choice—it’s a state of mind. The title unlocked this idea of taking up space without asking for permission. A pool party is usually associated with fun and freedom, but adding “in BOLD” transformed it into a declaration. It became less about a place and more about an attitude. Everything that followed—the lyrics, the production, the visuals—had to carry that same fearless energy.

2- The single explores confidence, feminine power and self-ownership. Was there a specific moment where you knew the track had to feel unapologetic rather than polished into something safer?

Very early on. I realized that if I softened the message, the song would lose its purpose. Confidence isn’t always quiet or perfectly composed—it can be playful, bold, even a little provocative. I wanted the track to celebrate women who know who they are and aren’t interested in shrinking themselves to make others comfortable.

3- You wrote and produced Pool Party in BOLD independently, which gives the release a real sense of ownership. How does self-producing change the way you protect the emotion and identity of a song?

Producing my own music allows me to protect the emotional core of every song. There’s no need to translate my vision or compromise on details that might seem small but completely change the feeling. Every sound, every pause, every texture serves the story I’m trying to tell. That level of creative freedom is incredibly important to me.

4- The Maya Verse feels like a huge part of your artistic vision. What does that world look like in your head before it becomes music, visuals and storytelling?

It usually begins with a feeling rather than a melody. I imagine colors, textures, lighting, movement, even the emotional atmosphere before I hear the music. The Maya Verse is where glamour meets vulnerability, where confidence and introspection exist at the same time. Every song becomes another room inside that universe.

5- You’ve spoken about transformation, glamour and emotional authenticity as key parts of what you’re creating. How do you keep the glamorous side from losing the very human feeling underneath it?

Because the glamour is never the destination—it’s the language. The emotion always comes first. I love beautiful visuals and cinematic worlds, but they only matter if they’re carrying something honest underneath. I think people connect with authenticity long before they connect with aesthetics.

6- Pool Party in BOLD feels built for people stepping fully into their own energy. What do you hope listeners feel in their bodies when the track hits properly?

I hope they feel permission. Permission to take up space, to move differently, to walk into a room with confidence instead of apology. I want it to feel like that moment where you stop overthinking and simply own who you are.

7- As an independent artist building an international audience, what have you learned about keeping your project ambitious while still handling the practical pressure behind the scenes?

I’ve learned that ambition needs structure. As an independent artist, you’re constantly balancing creativity with business decisions, marketing, planning, and long-term strategy. It can be overwhelming, but I’ve realized that consistency is often more powerful than speed. Every release becomes another brick in the world I’m building.

8- You’ve mentioned future sync opportunities in fashion, film, television and brand campaigns. Where could you most vividly imagine Pool Party in BOLD living outside the streaming world?

I immediately imagine fashion campaigns, luxury beauty brands, runway shows, and scenes where confidence is the story. I could also see it in films or series during those defining moments when a character finally chooses themselves. I love creating music that doesn’t just accompany visuals—it elevates them.

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Stream Pool Party in BOLD on all available platforms via this link.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Jus NBL Interview: Meet the Philly Hip-Hop Firestarter Bouncing Between Sonic Cinema and Basement-Built Defiance

Posted on 2 July 2026

Jus NBL talks about hip-hop like someone building his own pantheon, not disposable singles. In this A&R Factory interview, the Philadelphia artist opens up about the basement studio environment that taught him authenticity early, the evolution from Jus a Preview to Fine Wine, and why he thinks of his albums as “sonic movies”. He reflects on Miles Davis, 2Pac and Prince as forces that pushed him towards risk, structure and emotional range, while also unpacking the difference between chasing circus-like fame and becoming a prestige artist with lasting work. From writing, rapping and engineering alone in the studio to rejecting cliché and protecting peace, Jus NBL lays out a serious vision for the kind of hip-hop he wants to leave behind.

Welcome to A&R Factory, Jus NBL, we’re excited to have you here as you keep pushing Philly hip-hop beyond its history with cinematic storytelling and self-directed artistic vision.

We’d love to talk about the albums and songs you’ve released, plus the vision behind them. When you look across your catalogue now, which release feels like the clearest statement of who Jus NBL really is?

I think all of them, to be honest, because it’s a constant evolution of a human being. Also, I’m multifaceted, so all of it is me, just different sides.

Jus a preview is just, you know, a preview of what I’m capable of

Fine Wine is when I really started to understand how to structure an album from top to bottom. I did well with Jus a Preview, but I really honed it in with that album from there; it’s been the evolution but as I learn more I will keep going.

Growing up in Philadelphia, with a basement studio in your home where different artists came through to record, must have shaped how you understood music early on. What did that environment teach you about hip-hop before you were even making your own mark?

To always stay authentic no matter what! Don’t copy others; do your own thing.

Your music often feels built like a scene, with images, mood and meaning sitting inside the bars. When you’re writing, do you think more like a rapper, a storyteller or an engineer arranging the whole picture?

Engineer arranging the whole picture 4sure because I’m coming up with the skit if that’s needed in the song the hook how the verses tie into the hook also I make sure I have the right production goes with the lyrics it’s a lot to it if I gotta bring other voices into the track whether I gotta do it but change my voice thru effects whatever I have a big picture mindset to the music I already out grew that mindset of just spitting bars I told myself I wanna be one of the greatest overall hiphop artists that has ever walked in the genre that means the songwriting/Song Making, album making mindset that is truly memorable.

You’ve cited Miles Davis, 2Pac and Prince as major influences, which says a lot about ambition, risk and emotional range. What did each of those artists teach you about refusing to sound boxed in?

They taught me to go my own way and keep evolving because one thing you never wanna do is make cliche stuff Miles Davis has the perfect quote he said “Don’t play what’s there play what’s not there” a lot of creatives mess themselves up trying to recreate what’s already there, at first it can be hard because we are wired to reject something different but if you keep fighting it pays off a lot then you allow other ppl to be more authentic in different ways outside of the music you make ppl feel like they are not alone in this world also Miles showed me how to really put an album together from listen to Miles Ahead , Agharta , In a silent way etc a lot of his albums have a beginning to end like a film because he was heavily into the late romantic and modernist composers like Ernest Bloch ravel Stravinsky Bartok. I myself started studying them and other musicians from different genres even more after studying miles.

Tracks like City Of Hate, Fine Wine and Imagine show different sides of your writing. How do you decide which emotional temperature a song needs before you start shaping the final version?

The production just speaks to you it tells you what to say how to say it. Whenever I usually hear a beat tbh the music is being channeled thru me.

As someone who raps, writes and engineers, you have more control over the full sound than a lot of artists. Does that freedom make it easier to protect the original idea, or does it make you even more ruthless with yourself?

Yes it makes it much easier because I’m always in the studio by myself when you’re alone that’s when the best ideas come because like I said it’s being channeled thru you . Usually when I hear a beat I start writing almost immediately not out of rushing but because I hear it immediately what I need to say I’m not just tryna flex all of this technical brilliance but actually having alot of artistic imagination for my music that’s more important because with technical brilliance you make robot music just saying or doing stuff that’s already been done to death.

You also mentioned how you’re moving forward at this stage in your career. What feels different about your mindset now compared with the artist you were when you first started releasing music?

At first I had like warped idea of what me eventually becoming famous is for my music, I didn’t realize it’s two sides to the art/entertainment world one I call the circus where you stay in drama controversy etc then the most your known for is a hot single or 2 I call that reality tv type famous then it’s another type of fame for the prestige artist who may only cause controversy for the music itself but outside of that lives a much more peaceful life make more money because they make hit albums music that’s more innovative eclectic. I came to the conclusion it’s much better to be the prestige artist you know? I would rather my music be more exclusive than try to appeal to everybody a lot of ppl lose themselves trying to get ppl to like them or appeal to so many ppl , I can make the same if not more money than my reality tv type famous artist doing concert halls for 2 months out the year and doing a few festivals because the audience is more invested than the other side while keeping my peace and focusing on what really matters.

When people finish listening to a Jus NBL project, what do you want them to understand about your story, your city and the kind of hip-hop you’re trying to leave behind?

That I am a pure artist who wants to keep pushing myself forward with my music never settling for the status quo, always in a constant disagreement with almost everything because the way everything is now came from ppl being in disagreement with how things were before that you know? Also, I just wanna keep making what I call “Sonic Movies” for my music I been structuring my albums like that for a while; as time goes on, I will only get better.

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Stream Jus NBL on Apple Music.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Ashley Paul Interview: Dance-Pop in a Satin Bow, Soul in the Speakers and 54 Below on the Horizon

Posted on 1 July 2026

Ashley Paul’s dance-pop empire is built from movement, emotion, discipline and a refusal to let the genre be flattened into easy escapism. In this A&R Factory interview, the New York-born artist opens up about working between the UK and the US, the different flavours of club culture across both sides of the Atlantic, and the “special sauce” that lets her load sensuality, soul and glamour into music made for the dancefloor. She also reflects on the international reach of her catalogue, the continuing life of her Billboard hit When Boys Cry, the thrill of preparing for 54 Below, and why collaboration can feel like creating a new life before having to let it go. With new music, media appearances and live shows ahead, Ashley Paul sounds fully charged for 2026.

You’re originally from New York and now work heavily between the UK and the United States. How has moving between those two music cultures shaped the way you approach dance-pop?

Music is the true Universal language; there are a myriad of subgenres in almost every subculture!! I will say the flavors are different everywhere you go. New York dance pop is very rooted in Freestyle, whereas in the UK dance music is almost always like 90s nostalgia. If you fly to the West Coast of the USA my style of faster BPMs is somewhat soulful. These varying immersive experiences keep the sound fresh. For me, I constantly need to be different in order to maintain growth.

Your sound loads glamour and emotion into proper club-ready energy. When you’re writing a song, how do you balance the desire to make people move with the need to make them actually feel something?

That’s an amazing question. It’s sort of my special sauce. The dichotomies and connectivity between soul and sensuality is where I’m at. I only write a song to start from a deep perspective, something at my core. That’s my story. The message I want to share…Melodies and color come from infectious beats I hear and energy that is surrounding me. Whether it’s a sunset I recall or a Disney character who moved me spiritually. It all goes into a delicious potpourri of sounds. That’s the magic. Let’s not forget that after that we add the vocals… where I try to sync it all together with a beautiful satin bow.

You’ve built a growing international audience through releases, media appearances and live shows. What has surprised you most about connecting with listeners across different countries?

I find it awe-inspiring when a group of people or a radio station community in another country is listening to my music. It’s never a song I expect; it’s a choice from my catalogue that I may not even be promoting momentarily. For an independent artist, that is such an incredible compliment. I also am always so moved by many areas that play my older Billboard Hit when boys cry, as well. To have so many different types of cultures all around the world listen to your music is the highest form of Artistic fulfillment. I have much gratitude.

Your New York City debut at 54 Below feels like a huge milestone, especially with its cabaret legacy. What does that stage represent for you at this point in your career?

It’s an incredible honor and opportunity for me to grow as an artist. That stage has seen some of the great singers, songwriters and actors of our time. Writing my own show and performing original music with classics is a creative journey I’ve always wanted to be on. I’m very very excited for this !!

You’ve worked with producers and creatives across the industry. What do you typically look for in collaborators?

There has to be a vibe in the highest sense of community within the creative space. It’s like any introduction, you feel it, or you don’t. I always know right away when I meet a new co-writer if it’s going to fly . Collaborations are intense, passionate and creatively inspiring. You end up finishing each other’s sentences by the end of the project. When it’s over, it can be very sad bc you’ve created a new life… that song is breathing love and light out into the world, and then you must walk away. There’s a bond between all of you though. No substitute for that , it’s beautiful.I have been so fortunate to have written with some of the greatest and most talented co-writers and producers of our time. I am always thanking the heavens for this privilege.

Dance-pop can sometimes be dismissed as purely escapist, but your music carries emotional weight too. Why do you think people underestimate the genre’s evocative capacity?

Well, that answer carries a double entendre in my opinion.

Part of it is because of how the industry leaders had set this up. I know this response is not going to make me popular. Dance music was seen as competition for Pop music, and the higher-ups did not like that. They couldn’t control it as it took on a life force of its own. Meanwhile, moving your body is always an emotional response; then you add brilliant melodies, vocals n profound storytelling, and there is serious magic. It’s multilayered, not one-dimensional.

One might compare a dance track and its remixes to an orchestra or an operetta. It’s powerful, and that always frightens some people. Rather than elevating its magnificent contribution to society, some people choose to belittle it.

You’re moving through 2026 with new music, podcast interviews, media appearances and live performances. How do you keep your identity centered when so many different opportunities are happening at once, and how do you prevent burnout?

I actually thrive under pressure with many projects needing attention at once. I approach all my work with authenticity, discipline and the highest level of giving my best work. My identity is just that, an artist who wants to create and share her work with the world, that’s my contribution: to bring love, laughter, and inclusion through my music, my voice .. to me that is life . . I am blessed to have some doors open, and there is no way I am going to stop for a vacation now !! In other words, I don’t clock out on Friday at 5 pm. I just stop for a delicious dessert sometimes 😉 #sweettooth

When people leave an Ashley Paul show, whether it’s a nightlife venue, a media event or 54 Below, what feeling do you want still ringing in their chest afterwards?

Wow I feel so good. I loved how her story, her music, made me feel like I can do anything !!

I want them to feel that the sky’s the limit !! If everyone knew what their passion was and tried to pursue it, the world would operate on more joy.

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Discover Ashley Paul on Spotify.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Marz Leshi’s Single, Hey Stranger, Signals a UK RnB Debut with Destiny’s Child DNA

Posted on 30 June 2026

Destiny’s Child may have a long-lost sibling in Marz Leshi. The independent UK RnB artist’s debut single, Hey Stranger, comes in hot with washed-out, reverb-heavy Latin guitar flourishes across solid, rhythmically commanding beats, creating a fervent platform for the singer-songwriter’s harmonies.

Those harmonies root themselves stylistically in the attitude of 90s and Y2K RnB, placing Leshi on a trajectory that deserves serious attention across the UK RnB scene and far beyond it. There is something instantly magnetic about her energy in Hey Stranger. The timbre is kept subtle and soft, yet the siren leaves you under no illusion that she is anyone’s fool. She carries the track with self-possession, making her debut feel like a warning shot wrapped in velvet.

As she explores how no one is a static entity, how lovers can easily become strangers through distance and time, and how personas shift as fluidly as the melodies in the release, the old adage of a leopard can’t change their spots falls apart.

The simmering tempo of the earworm exhibits how Leshi understands that confidence can smoulder rather than shout, and every vocal inflection lands with emotional poise. It is a debut begging for a sophomore follow-up.

Hey Stranger is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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