Month: April 2021

Multi-platinum selling artist Joel Fletcher has joined forces once again with New Zealand-born, US-based, R&B heavyweight Kennyon Brown to deliver ‘Changes’, a vibey dance floor anthem intertwined with nostalgic, high vibration beats. ‘Changes’ follows on from the pair’s previous collab ‘Vibe’ which hit 2 million streams, plus blasted into the top 20 on Shazam in Sydney.

” Kenny and I started this one right after ‘Vibe’,” explains Joel. “We spoke about doing a re-make of something and funnily enough he suggested a re-make of one of my favourite songs of all time ‘Midas Touch’ which also is one of his favourites. We worked on it for a couple of months until we got it right; Kenny added an original second verse and absolutely smashed it. Normally after I finish a song I don’t listen to it all that much as I’ve heard it 100 times during the creating process, but with this one I have had it on repeat every day after finishing it, so I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.”

Kennyon adds, “Me and Joel had finished Vibe but even prior to it being fully mixed and mastered, we were already talking about the next song (Changes). I told him lets flip an old song and make it a more pop record and i sent him ‘Midas Touch’ not realising he loved that song just as much as i did. So there we went, and did our thing with this. I did maybe 2-3 different ideas until we finally got there and we knew THIS was the one! Excited for the world to hear this!”

Off the back of their last collaboration ‘Vibe’, which has already gained over 2 million streams, it’s safe to say that this duo doesn’t play games when it comes to creating some seriously catchy bangers.

Joel Fletcher was synonymous with the global phenomenon of bounce from its inception, leading the charge with his #2 ARIA Singles Chart, 4 x platinum hit ‘Swing’ featuring Savage , and his platinum hit ‘Bring It Back’ with Will Sparks. His recent collaborations and releases have seen success in DJ circles with support from Robin Schulz, Will Sparks, Martin Jensen, David Guetta and Tigerlily amongst many others.

Kennyon Brown’s breakthrough single ‘All On Me’ garnered significant attention with radio additions to Australia’s The Edge and New Zealand’s Mai FM, plus over 1 million views of the music video in the first month. This continual rise has seen Kennyon Brown receive continual success in both streaming and touring, selling out shows in Australia, New Zealand and the US and performing at festivals around the world.

Together Joel Fletcher and Kennyon Brown are a guaranteed slam dunk when it comes to creating club favourites and ‘Changes’ is yet another buzzer beater from the teams at Hussle and FutureNow.

A luminous electropop song that flirts with sounds closer to EDM for its more energetic passages. This track with a male and female vocal interpretation is full of positive vibrations. This ultra-accessible and softly catchy piece has all the necessary elements to make it an interplanetary hit.

The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment Australia, are honoured to announce the July 30th release of the enigmatic 2010 Prince album WELCOME 2 AMERICA – a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation and a renewed fight for racial justice.

Throughout the powerful song, Prince delivers a searing, spoken-word soliloquy set to music about golden parachutes, the superficial nature of social media, reality TV-fuelled celebrity culture and corporate monopolies in the music industry, ultimately concluding that America is the “Land of the free / home of the slave.”

Shortly after completing the WELCOME 2 AMERICA album, Prince embarked on a unique tour of the same name that included multiple performances in several U.S. cities, capped off by the historic “21 Nite Stand” at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The Deluxe Edition of WELCOME 2 AMERICA includes the complete studio vault album on both CD and black vinyl (accompanied with a hi-res digital download) plus a never-before-released full concert video of Prince’s April 28, 2011 show at The Forum, presented in 1080p HD with stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos audio.

All vinyl editions will have music on three sides with a collectible etching on the fourth side. WELCOME 2 AMERICA features some of Prince’s only studio collaborations with bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman and GRAMMY-nominated engineer Jason Agel, with additional contributions from New Power Generation singers Shelby J., Liv Warfield and Elisa Fiorillo and keyboardist Morris Hayes, who Prince also recruited to co-produce several tracks on the album.

The live concert video features Prince performing with his 2011-era lineup of the New Power Generation, including Shelby J., Liv Warfield, Elisa Fiorillo and Morris Hayes, additional keyboardists Renato Neto and Cassandra O’Neal, bassist Ida Nielsen, drummer John Blackwell and dancers Maya and Nandy McClean (The Twinz). Captured midway through his marathon “21 Nite Stand” at The Forum in Inglewood, California, this performance documents the spontaneity and incendiary energy of that historic portion of the Welcome 2 America Tour – an audio-visual testament to the proclamation he made at the launch of the tour in October, 2010, stating “Bring friends, bring Ur children, and bring foot spray, because… it’s gonna B funky.” The performance features a cameo by recent GRAMMY-winner Ledisi and covers of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ and Roxy Music’s ‘More Than This’ alongside Prince favourites including ’17 Days’, ‘Controversy’, ‘1999’ and ‘Purple Rain’.

The release of WELCOME 2 AMERICA builds upon the partnership between The Prince Estate and Sony Music Entertainment that started in August of 2018. At that time, Sony began globally distributing the works of Prince released from 1995-2010, broadening its scope in January 2021 when the deal was expanded to include U.S. distribution on twelve non-soundtrack catalogue albums featuring iconic music recorded by The Artist between 1978-1996.

Canadian country artist David James unveils his first release of the year with ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’, available today via MDM Recordings Inc./ABC MUSIC. The perfect pairing to an ice-cold cocktail; James is a whiz behind the bar; ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ offers up an uptempo soundtrack, with punchy vocals, a dose of traditional twang and feel good, tongue-in-cheek lyricism that is sure to shake off the winter blues.

“We had an absolute blast recording this one, and it totally shines through,” shares James. “We’ve all got a side that’s a little wild, a little reckless and maybe even a little ridiculous at times, and this song is about being all of those things, and still being loved just as you are. It captures a refreshing feeling; an exciting and joyous energy, and is the MOST fun. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

ABOUT DAVID JAMES: Following his 2014 signing with MDM Recordings Inc., David James has consistently delivered. The 2016 release of his debut EP Songs About A Girl” garnered the Manitoba native two CCMA Award nominations including a nod in the ‘Rising Star’ category, his debut performance at the highly celebrated Boots and Hearts Music Festival, and a Canadian Radio Music Award nomination for ‘Best New Group or Solo Artist: Country’. His 2017 sophomore album Downtown Kids, spawned James’ first and second Top 15 hits and most successful singles to date with ‘Sun Set On It’ and the title-track earworm, and he was nominated for four Manitoba Country Music Association Awards including ‘Male Artist of the Year’. In 2018, James dropped ‘Cars, Girls, & The Radio’ and hit the road in 2019 as the featured guest on Aaron Pritchett’s “Out On The Town” tour, stopping in over 50 cities across Canada before wrapping in the fall of that same year. ‘All The Time’, released in the summer of 2019 became James’ fastest climbing song at radio to date, boasting over 2.2 million collective streams. The companion video debuted on CMT in the U.S. as part of their ‘Next Up Now Program’, and later that year James was awarded ‘Male Artist of the Year” at the MCMA Awards. His EP If I Were You was delivered in spring 2020 and in September, he partnered with Genevieve Fisher to reimagine the track ‘Then There’s You’, transforming his solo recording into a smooth duet that highlights both artists’ sparkling vocals. James has spent the last few months working on new music, set to kick-off the next chapter of his career with the April release of ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’.

Country superstar Alan Jackson will release his first album of all new music in six years this spring – Where Have You Gone arrives Friday, May 14.

Packed with 21 performances, Where Have You Gone is Jackson’s 16th studio album – his 25th in a storied career that includes two Christmas albums, two gospel albums, three Greatest Hits collections, a bluegrass album, and one boxed set.

Jackson – a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame – penned 15 of the album’s songs, including the title track. Keith Stegall, his longtime producer, once again plays that role on Where Have You Gone.

“It’s a little harder country than even I’ve done in the past,” Jackson admits. “And it’s funny, I was driving and listening to the final mixes Keith sent me, and I started to tear up. I was surprised to get so overly emotional, but I just love this kind of music.”

“This kind of music” on Where Have You Gone runs the gamut of what embodies true country music. “When I write, I visualize back home and growing up,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member says. “Real country songs are life and love and heartache, drinking and Mama and having a good time…but it’s the sounds of the instruments, too. The steel and acoustic guitar, the fiddle – those things have a sound and a tone…and getting that right, the way those things make you feel, that’s country, too.”

“Alan’s taken his experiences over the last six years and implemented his poet’s perspective to weave together a masterful love letter to country music,” says UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe. “This is Alan’s story but it’s also the story of country music. This music love letter was written about the most universal experiences in life, almost exclusively with Alan’s own pen, and it’s once again a reminder of what a one-of-a-kind creator he truly is.”

Led by the self-penned title track, Where Have You Gone is highlighted by such songs as the poignant and thoughtful “Things That Matter” and the heartache-filled “Way Down in My Whiskey.” Never one to shy away from reflecting real life in his music, “You’ll Always Be My Baby” and “I Do” were written for his daughters’ weddings…while “Where Her Heart Has Always Been” was written for his mother’s funeral and includes a recording of her reading from The Bible. There’s also plenty of fun to be had on barnburners like “Livin’ On Empty,” “Back” and “Beer:10.” And, in the spirit of the album’s overall sound, “That’s the Way Loves Goes (A Tribute to Merle Haggard)” is a bonus track. Watch the lyric video for “Where Have You Gone” HERE.

ABOUT ALAN JACKSON:

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Alan Jackson’s membership among music’s all-time greats is part of a long line of career-defining accolades that include three CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, 30 years of membership in the Grand Ole Opry , a Billboard ranking as one of the Top 10 Country Artists of All-Time, induction to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Heritage Award as the most-performed country songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years.

The man from rural Newnan, GA has sold nearly 60-million albums worldwide, ranks as one of the 10 best-selling male vocalists of all-time (rock, pop and country). He has released more than 60 singles – registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboardchart-toppers). He has earned more than 150 major music industry awards – including 19 Academy of Country Music Awards, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of Grammys and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards.

Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music. He’s also the man behind one of Nashville’s most-popular tourist stops, AJ’s Good Time Bar, a four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City.

First single from the upcoming album ‘INSOLO’ (out June 18) is the second solo album by Spandau Ballet songwriter and Saucerful Of Secrets guitarist and co-lead vocalist, Gary Kemp.
As the songwriter & guitarist in one of the most iconic bands of the 80’s, Spandau Ballet, Gary became one of the most commercially successful writers of the decade. During their career Spandau notched up 23 hit singles and spent a combined total of more than 500 weeks in the UK charts, achieving over 25 million album sales worldwide.
Gary is also an accomplished stage and screen actor with critical & commercial success in films such as The Krays, The Bodyguard and the BBC TV comedy The Kemps.
As a member of Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets Gary performs early Pink Floyd material the world over to huge acclaim. His co-front man in the band, Guy Pratt, is also his presenting partner on the Apple #1 podcast The Rockonteurs.
Twenty-five years on from his solo debut ‘Little Bruises’ Gary has written and produced an album that focuses on two dominant themes: the paradox of solitude in an urban landscape, and his growing obsession with life seen through a rear-view mirror and how the past infects our present.

Ashleigh Dallas is known for being the girl who always has a smile on her face, but also letting her fans see reality, and she’s celebrating the positives and negatives with her new single ‘Good & Bad Days’. Co-written with award-winning singer songwriter Matt Scullion, this song celebrates both the sunny side of life and the storms that come with it.

Dual Golden Guitar winner Ashleigh Dallas has not only paved a way respecting her third generation country music status, but also proving that she is building a solid foundation as an artist in her own right. Being the third generation of the Dallas country music family, it is little wonder why the dream of being a country music singer was at the top of the list for Tamworth born entertainer.

Ashleigh jokes that she felt like she started her apprenticeship in music when she was five years of age, then starting to release her own original music from age sixteen. The Dallas family hold a proud achievement of being the first family to win the prestigious Golden Guitar across three generations … Rex Dallas, Brett Dallas and now Ashleigh Dallas.

Cutting her teeth playing fiddle, mandolin, guitar and vocals in her family band shows, Dallas has also toured as a young adult with some of Australia’s highest achieving acts such as Kasey Chambers, Troy Cassar-Daley and Shane Nicholson to just name a few. Ashleigh also jumped on board Cruisin’ Country as a backing musician in 2012 and 2013 in the main theatre band playing for acts such as Graeme Connors, McAlister Kemp and Amber Lawrence.

With four studio albums under her belt, Ashleigh has embarked on her most successful creation – being a Mum to daughter Harriet. Balancing the act of being a parent and a touring musician is shaping Dallas to be more vulnerable with her songwriter and performing, and really wanting to connect to her audience in the most authentic way possible.

With two Golden Guitars to her name, Ashleigh wants to harness the energy and momentum in a positive way and continue expanding her experiences. These experiences include exciting roles as ambassador for the Australian Dolly Parton Imagination Library and ambassador for Rediscover Australia.

Boy band and hip-hop collective Brockhampton drop ‘COUNT ONE ME’ following last week’s ‘BUZZCUT’, the first taste of their highly anticipated sixth studio album “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT. NEW MACHINE.”

This is the first new music since the group released a remix of ‘SUGAR’ featuring pop sensation Dua Lipa and 90s R&B star Jon B, taken from their ARIA #3 charting album “GINGER”. The album was produced by the iconic Grammy Award winning Rick Rubin who has previously worked with the likes of Adele, Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Beastie Boys, Lady Gaga, Run-DMC and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Brockhampton have had incredible success globally and in Australia, where they have headlined FOMO Festival (2019) and appeared at FOMO Festival (2018) alongside headline shows at Enmore Theatre and Forum Theatre. Locally they have well over 100M streams across their catalogue and multiple accreditations, including 2x Platinum ‘SUGAR’, Gold ‘1999 WILDFIRE and Gold ‘NO HALO’. When in the country in 2018, they also shot two music videos for ‘NEW ORLEANS’ in Sydney and ‘SAN MARCOS’ in Melbourne.

Miranda Easten, Christchurch’s country singer-songwriter, is back with a new single “Country Boy”. Following the release of her 2020 single “Only One”, “”Country Boy” is an energetic and romantic love song about the excitement of a relationship in its early stages, including falling in love, and learning new things about each other,” Miranda says.

The new track was recorded with world renowned Greg Haver (Kimbra and Melanie C) at Roundhead Studios in Auckland, mixed by Scott Seabright and Clint Murphy and mastered over in Nashville. The recording process had some interruptions as Miranda explains, “we finished the album despite a pandemic, a broken guitarist’s hand, and emergency life-saving surgery on myself (appendix). I flew to Auckland to film the “Country Boy” music video and recorded the last songs less than two weeks after my surgery.” Despite this, the song came out a quintessential country love song, where you can hear Miranda’s influences of Jewel Kilcher, Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert.

Finishing her studies doing the Contemporary Music & Performance at Ara Institute of Canterbury Music Arts in 2014, Miranda formed a duo called The Manuka Set with Vanessa Kelly. Miranda has also worked alongside New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer Greg Johnson who is based in LA. Miranda was the executive producer for his album, Swing The Lantern, and collaborated with him on both Stay and Stars & Dreams, released in 2019. Recently, Miranda has been mentored by Sacha Vee, founder of SOLE Music Academy, who has been helping her establish herself as an artist and to bring her vision to life. Miranda’s first release “Cowboy Lullaby” made it to #16 on the Australian Official Top 40 Country Music Chart in 2020. Recently awarded a grant from The New Zealand Music Commission, Miranda is preparing for the release of her debut album.

The album and further singles are due for release in the first quarter of 2021, with an international media campaign, along with touring domestically and internationally being planned

NEZ is the multi-talented UK emerging artist focusing on the fusion of dance & hip-hop.
NEZ’s focuses on blending music emerging from different cultures; projecting himself into this futuristic setting that may previously not have been occupied by a black artist.
“Dance music is Black music. My goal is to bring that conversation back to the forefront.” – NEZ
NEZ collaborated with the current queen of features, Flo Milli as well as 8ae on his next single ‘To the Money’; presenting his dynamic & innovative blend of house and hip-hop.
It combines NEZ’s & Flo Milli’s flair of rap music, with 8ae’s captivating chorus chants; all on the canvas of a deep bass beat and a sample of a roaring crowd.
The new track arrives alongside an exceedingly stylish black and white Emil Nava directed video.
This single follows ‘Wild Youngster’ featuring ScHoolboy Q, also a massive dose of deep, groove-heavy House music.
Prior to his individual career, NEZ has been responsible for producing heavy-rotation hits like ScHoolboy Q’s ‘Man of the Year’ and A$AP Rocky’s ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye’.
As a Chicago native, NEZ grew up with House music which is where his true musical taste lies. Transforming into a proven hip-hop producer throughout his career, NEZ now wants his individual artistry to explore into this modern fuse of sounds.