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Indie RnB

Spotlight Feature: NIA paints a portrait of inner turmoil in her downtempo alt-RnB single, Distant Colors

‘Distant Colors’ is the latest compassionately composed single from the New York-born, Philadelphia-based alt-RnB artist, and producer, NIA. Her signature spiritualism weaved its way into the downtempo release that explores inner turmoil for the emotionally attuned. For anyone who has ever cursed the depth of their emotional intellect, Distant Colors will act as an olive branch of empathy. As NIA’s light vocal timbre falls into the echoey and reverb-drenched shimmering guitars, the solid, steady drumbeats give the track enough structure while letting the ambience breathe through. The single was written, recorded and produced at NIA’s home studio; before being mixed and mastered by Tito Orjih at Oscar’s Greenhouse.

Here’s what NIA had to say about the release:

“My single, Distant Colors, expresses the raw emotion of being in tune with our inner struggles. Not only does this downtempo R&B tune tackle the feeling of isolation; it also represents the realness of the relationship that we have with ourselves.”

NIA started songwriting at an early age; on her journey to adulthood, she’s continued to hone in on her inexplicable talent that will instantly pique the interest of fans of Sade. Shortly after graduating from Shippensburg University, she established her record label, Chill Room Records and formed her band, The Chill Room Band. With new material in the pipeline, she’s definitely one to watch.

Distant Colors is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Charlotte Ooi delves into the unknown with her intimately sultry RnB single, Never Know

Charlotte Ooi proved how sultry bedroom pop always could be with her debut single, Never Know, which was released on December 3rd. If any artist warrants coining the genre ‘boudoir pop’ for, it is this London-based intimately evocative RnB pop artist.

Breathy vocals can be hit or miss, but Charlotte Ooi’s light vocal timbre is right on the money in her emotionally vulnerable release that delves into the unknown. In her own eloquent words, this is what Never Know lyrically encompasses:

“My new single shines on topics about vulnerability, hope and the essential need to embrace all types of emotions. I’ve personally struggled with a lot of anxiety moving a lot throughout my life and it has also become quite common in our society, so this song seeks an emotional intimacy with the audience.”

Check out Never Know for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Donnell Isaac inspires passion in our uncertain landscape in Everyone Needs Love featuring Sonny King

https://soundcloud.com/donnellisaac/everyone-needs-love-remix-feat-sonny-king

Soul singer Donnell Isaac’s latest single, Everyone Needs Love, is an RnB wisdom bomb that will even get romantic nihilists into the groove and mood. With the gospel nuances, the US-based artist prays at the altar of passion and invites his listeners to kneel with him.

The remix featuring Sonny King spills sublime indie-funk while it serves the essential reminder that ‘everyone needs love like they need a heartbeat’. The romantically indulgent track does plenty more than point out a life necessity; it proves that love doesn’t come easy, but when it does, it’s matchless.

The remix of Everyone Needs Love is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LOGUIDICE embraces her bold autonomy in her debut RnB pop EP, ONE.

LOGUIDICE

While most pop artists perform behind façade and ego, the up and coming RnB pop artist LOGUIDICE gives you a multifaceted view of her soulful, spiritual and fierce persona in her debut EP, ONE.

Tracks 1, Mood, is a vibe-heavy sultry RnB hit that shows the Bethlehem, PA-residing artist’s salacious side; nestled beside her demure attitude is her mindful, self-aware lyricism and a gorgeous ‘don’t fuck with me’ sense of soul.

Elevator brings the funk to the EP before track three allows you to respect LOGUIDICE as a pop vocalist as well as a rap artist. The delicious cadence mixed with the hypnotic 90s RnB beats provides alchemic catharsis. To truly demonstrate her versatility, track 4, Overthinkin’ is a sombre downtempo ballad, and the concluding single, Magnetic exhibits the best of the songwriter’s skill when it comes to creating a mood with her atmospherically layered tracks.

No amount of hype put behind LOGUIDICE will ever be hyperbole. We can’t wait to hear how she will follow on from her phenomenally promising debut.

LOGUIDICE’s debut EP, ONE, will be available to stream from October 29th; it is available to stream and download via this link.

Connect with LOGUIDICE on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kayshon relives the AM magic in his RnB Hip Hop single, Late Night.

Master of catchy hooks, Kayshon has released his latest captivatingly smooth mash of RnB, hip hop and pop, ‘Late Night’, which captures the intimate magic that only breeds in the small hours.

The 23-year-old Austin, TX born and raised artist always looks to his experience for inspiration. And with that, you get the instant affirmation that each of his singles comes from a place of sincerity. With Late Night, you get a potent shot of 90s nostalgia from the modern, intricate and mellow production. Yet, the biggest draw is undoubtedly the sweet magnetism in his pitch-perfect harmonies.

Fresh off the release of his debut EP, Love Cycles, there has never been a better time to make ample room for this up and coming luminary on your radar.

Late Night is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

RnB artist TODD has made his wavy trap pop debut with ‘Girl You Looking So Fly’

TODD

Up and coming alternative RnB artist TODD has made his debut with the release of his wavy trap pop track, Girl You Looking So Fly, which was originally composed as a poem to his girlfriend during lockdown.

After a trippy prelude of chords fed through tape delay echo, the vivid multi-layered mix kicks into full flow around steady trap beats and vocals which seamlessly switch between deadpan cool and RnB crooning.

The vocal samples slightly over-busy the mix; aside from that, Girl You Looking So Fly is a stellar indie RnB debut in every conceivable way.

Girl You Looking So Fly will be officially released on October 8th 2021.

Connect with TODD and keep up to date with new releases on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mya Luv addresses existential exhaustion in her indie RnB single, Tired of it All.

Mya Luv

Even as life starts resembling something closer to normal, we continue face the endemic of existential exhaustion that falls into the compassionate focus of Mya Luv’s latest single, Tired of it All.

Over gentle guitar melodies, Mya Luv confessionally lists the reasons for our ennui by exploring a myriad of factors that make our society feel like a trap once you can see the expectations you’re under and the constraints you’re held down by.

From fear-evoking fake media to our rejection of authenticity and normalcy through naïve desire to be something bigger than ourselves, Luv creates a gritty vignette of our modern times. The sonic experience ends on a visceral note as a reminder that passively subscribing to mainstream consensus isn’t your only option.

Tired of it All officially released on August 27th; you can check it out for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JIJI brings the cinematic passion of old school soul in her debut indie-pop hit, My Place

RnB pop artist JIJI has released her debut single, My Place, which brings the intimacy of contemporary indie and all of the cinematic passion of old school soul. My Place starts as a minimalist acoustic track, led by the warm, lush tones of the guitar; as JIJI raises the energy with her vocals and girl-next-door-style-lyrics, the full-bodied production starts to resound with accordance that almost feels celestial.

After such a promising debut, naturally, we can’t wait to hear more from the up and coming luminary.

Check out JIJI’s debut for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jesse Powers – Let It Slide: Poetically Profound Indie RnB Pop

RnB pop singer-songwriter Jessie has released her soulful, resonantly dark single, Let it Slide; on a scale of 1 – 10, the wisdom in the lyricism is profoundly off the charts.

By starting with such stark questioning, “Why do I wake up to the sun and see only dark”, then transgressing to the very real life-lessons, “you can’t make people stay, you can only change”, Let It Slide teaches you what no one else dares to. They say we live to learn, but we’re not still testing poisonous fruit; we have the capacity to drink in the straight-from-the-soul sincerity in singles such as Let it Slide instead of savouring the bitterness first-hand.

The official lyric video for Let it Slide is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mya Luv gives us another perspective on heartbreak with her single, ‘Fairytales and Lies’

Mya Luv

Mya Luv explores the relationship between fantasy and deception in her latest single, Fairytales and Lies that runs through as an ensemble of indie, jazz, blues and neo-soul; each progressive unpredictable twist leaves you more immersed in the tale that the soulstress alchemically weaved.

Mya’s rich, deep and direct vocals allow you to fall into the release, hook, line, and sinker while the soundscape shifts from accordant indie guitars to a jazz infusion complete with a soul-filling horn section. Discernibly, the sweetest spot in the soundscape is when the bluesy guitar work starts to bring a New Orleans-style into the experimental but instantly accessible soundscape.

Fairytales and Lies is available to stream via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast