MUST LISTEN 119
Every week, we’ll be bringing you Must Listen: a series that's a compilation of rising artists along with songs that must be added to your everyday playlist. This week’s playlist consists of emerging acts like SixSaidIt, young friend, and Reece.
Artist to watch SixSaidIt has returned with her confident Afropop-infused new single, “Choosey.” This is just a taste of what's to come from the genre-bending artist with her debut full-length album, Outside II, due later this fall. Heavily inspired by Petey Pablo’s “Freek-a-Leek”, while infusing the different pop culture references from the UK, America, and Nigeria, the track speaks to everyone’s universal needs.
Bedroom-pop artist young friend proudly announces his forthcoming album, HOW DID WE GET HERE?, and shares the hard-hitting new single, “ENDLESS.” With grungy guitars and Drew Tarves’ signature melancholic lyricism, the song takes an anthemic, alternative edge. The track reflects on a past relationship and feeling nostalgic for something you once had.
26-year-old singer-songwriter Reece releases his bittersweet track, “Be Happy.” This incredibly grim song reaches deep into a raw and soul place for the bubbling artist. Overall, the single is a stunningly gorgeous, cathartic release of sadness.
Doechii drops her label debut EP she / her / black bitch via Top Dawg Entertainment. The project cements the Tampa native as a distinct voice whose versatile talents range from quick-fire bars to seductive singing. On she/her/black bitch, Doechii outlines different layers of her life experience: from villainous to confident to soft and sad, and to overall proving that she matters.
Arkansas-bred, Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, bLAck pARty, releases his third studio album, HUMMINGBIRD. Standout track “I Love You More Than Myself” featuring Childish Gambino is a rhythmically effortless track that marks both of the artists’ new chapters as fathers and their newfound motivation for creating music.
North West London’s Yaz has returned with her sophomore single, “Anymore”. A powerful statement of intent, Yaz’s expertly paired back vocals perfectly compliment the brightly crafted production by Wonderbeats and The Six. The accompanying visual sees Yaz traverse the familiar urban landscape of her home city, beginning in a nondescript meadow and finishing with her gazing thoughtfully out of a bus window. The eclectic and fast-paced video immerses the viewer into Yaz’s colorful world of hypnotic liquid DnB.
22-year-old Australian singer/songwriter/producer nuum releases his latest single, “Peter Pan.” The song is laced with a specific care-free energy that allows you to release all insecurity, not overthink, and just experience life even if it hurts.
South-East London alt-R&B singer Chanel Loren returns with her latest single “Some Other Time”, teaming up with East End rapper Arz. Always driven by heavenly melodies, “Some Other Time” encapsulates Chanel’s ability to balance soulful tones on top of genre-blending production. Delivering each lyric with effortless control, Chanel channels her heartbreak from a past relationship by embracing newfound confidence and desire to embrace the present moment, while Arz enters with a smooth reply verse, perfectly hitting each bar with delicate precision.