Browsing Tag

Mental Health Advocate

Amy Corey instilled compassion into country pop with ‘If I Could’

Posted on 16 August 2023

When Amy Corey isn’t writing and recording radio-ready hit singles, she’s giving TEDx talks, being an Ambassador to the HCMC Peace and Development Foundation in Vietnam and being proactive in her role as a mental health motivational speaker.

The Vietnam-born artist, who was adopted to America at six months old, has melodically extended her mental health advocacy in her latest single If I Could, which soulfully shares some of the sonic proclivities with Taylor Swift’s country pop records as Corey strides into her own with her compassionately compelling vocal and lyrical lines, which allude to the immense crushing gravity of loss.

There’s just enough ambiguity in the lyrics to allow the listener to wrap their own meaning around the lyricism, which amasses an emboldening energy through the momentum of the classic pop crescendos. It’s a stunning release from an artist evidently intent in her mission to spread empathy and understanding in a world that can all too often feel devoid of it.

If I Could was officially released on August 8th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Laura Loh delivered deeply entrenched empathy in her seminal self-produced single, Closer

Posted on 20 May 2022

After releasing her 2020 debut EP, which instantly attracted attention from BBC Introducing, Laura Loh has continued to move into her profoundly empathetic pop own. The Hampshire, UK-based classically-trained vocalist and instrumentalist is fresh from the release of her self-recorded and produced latest single, Closer.

Closer contends with the very real issue of our innate human tendency to put ourselves through the wringer every time we have realised that we aren’t infallible. In a therapeutically intimate way, the alt-pop single lulls you into a state of self-compassion, guided by Loh’s glassy vocals, the ethereal organ layers and massive percussion that aurally shows you the beauty in resilience.

If only all sonic mental health advocacy had the same visceral pull of Closer, we’d be an infinitely more self-actualised society. The deeply entrenched empathy in the single is an evocative bruiser. We can’t wait to hear what follows from Loh’s freshly discovered production boldness.

In her own words, here is what Loh had to say about her latest single:

“Closer is a song about recovery and personal growth, inspired by my experience with mental health; it is a reminder that it is okay to fall and take your time picking yourself back up. We all tend to be too hard on ourselves; I hope this song can encourage people to celebrate the progress they make every day, no matter how small.”

Closer will officially drop on May 20th; hear it on SoundCloud & Spotify.

Follow Laura Loh on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jennifer Jess has changed the perfect pop formula in her latest convictively electrifying earworm, Imagine You

Posted on 28 April 2022

It’s getting impossible not to get caught up in the hype amassing around the Atlanta-raised pop singer-songwriter Jennifer Jess and her demurely modernist nu-disco sound. Equally as affable is her tendency to bring mental health advocacy into her electrifying 80s-inspired sound.

Her latest release, Imagine You, comes after garnering 700k streams on Spotify for viral hits such as her 2019 earworm, Blue. The Shiny Toy Guns fan in me couldn’t be more enamoured with the ensnaring percussion, jangly indie pop guitars and Jess’ emotionally vulnerable yet convectively powerful vocals.

Imagine You is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lex Gibbon – All I Do (Is Cry): The Only Viral Pop Newcomer You Need on Your 2022 Playlists

Posted on 28 March 2022

All I Do (Is Cry) is the latest bruisingly candid pop track to infuse emotional realism on the airwaves from the UK pop singer-songwriter Lex Gibbon.

Seventeen years old may be young to start a pop career, but age is irrelevant in the presence of her emotional intelligence and unflinchingly fearless honesty. She’s a viral sensation on platforms, such as TikTok, has featured on BBC Introducing and ITV and even made strides in the fashion industry as the first curve teen model to walk at London, Paris, New York and LA fashion weeks. Perhaps more impressively, she’s fresh from a UK school tour that promoted her single, Dear Hater and advocated for mental health, positive body image and against bullying.

After being bullied from a young age, Lex carries the same outlier introspection as Camus and Bukowski. The main difference is her ability to craft rhythmically arrestive hooks around her pensive admissions. I don’t say this lightly, but Lex Gibbon evidently has what it takes to be a bigger aurally talented supermodel of the world than Ru Paul. Get her on your radar.

All I Do is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

How Long Do I Wait: Mia Stegner is sweetly conflicted on ‘Re-Quieted’

Posted on 9 November 2021

Showing us her intrigingly thoughtful mind that is full of so many important decisions that has her thinking so deeply about what to do in this new situation, Mia Stegner tries to work out her next step after someone she cared about left forever on ‘Re-Quieted‘.

Mia Stegner is a lovably quirky New York City-based indie folk/pop singer-songwriter, deep thinker, cat lover and mental health advocate.

”A storyteller at heart, Mia Stegner views music as an avenue to ask questions, seek answers, and ponder both personal and collective pieces of the human experience. In her mind, no topic is too big or too small to explore, from the risks of treasuring a newfound friendship to the ethereal appeal of bath time.” ~ Mia Stegner

You feel Mia Stegner’s warm embrace on the toasty mic as you get lost in her sweetly-lipped vocals – with cleverly-penned lyrics that has you wishing you could give her a big hug – to let her know that everything is going to be okay. The story is so relevant and true, with a crisply mellow soundscape that is loving and full of cute mind-racing ideas to work out which door to open next.

‘Re-Quieted‘ from the heartfelt New York City-based indie folk/pop singer-songwriter Mia Stegner, is a lovely single from an artist who is working things out in her curious mind, as she sings with such an honest tone. Her beautiful vocals takes you away from this often-harsh world – and into a place that has you glancing around quickly – to wonder if your garden gate will ever be properly fixed too.

Hear this fine new single on Spotify and see more adventures via the IG music channel.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen