Month: July 2021

Gemma Louise is a young country singer from the outskirts of Clare, South Australia. Her second single, the LeAnn Rimes classic ‘Blue’ showcases Gemma’s stunning vocals, Stuart French on guitars and bass, and Mick Albeck on fiddle … Real country music at its’ best. The music video was filmed in Queensland, directed by Golden Guitar winner Michael McCartin.

In 2017, Gemma was the recipient of the much sought-after ‘Len and Lorraine Wakefield Memorial Award’. This is a monetary scholarship from the Adelaide Country Music Club, which has enabled Gemma to pursue her music career.

Cleaning up at the country music awards in South Australia, Gemma won multiple categories at the Barmera Country Music Festival, Burra Country Music Festival, Laura Country Music Festival & The Aristocrats Talent Quest at The Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Gemma Louise could sing from the time she could talk. It became apparent to her family from early on she was destined to pursue her passion for music. Gemma has a voice reminiscent of Patsy Clyne, the same rich warm texture, but with a contemporary edge.

“Gemma is a remarkable young singer, and I’m sure she will achieve great success in her music, or whatever she chooses to pursue in life. It’s a pleasure to work with such a dedicated and talented young artist” – Lyn Bowtell, multiple Golden Guitar winner and Gemma’s mentor.

At the tender age of 14, Gemma Louise gigs regularly, performs at talent quests, and juggles a busy school and farm life. Growing up on her family’s property in rural South Australia has taught her the value of a hard days’ work and helped Gemma appreciate and value the land. She loves country music, riding horses, playing rugby union and football.

Her debut single ‘Unanswered Prayers’, released in February 2020, spent ten consecutive weeks on the International Country Thunder Chart, including a stint at #1 and the music video has already received thousands of hits on YouTube.

Like all great country songs, ‘Delilah’ tells a story of the imperfect lives of imperfect people. It is the tale of one of us, the people living on your street, a story filled with people that you recognize … Delilah might even be you. That is the art of writing such narratives, an art that Ben McNeil is superb at.

A central stomping beat anchors everything and around this flows sensitive, finger-picked acoustic and, washes of slide and pedal steel guitars. Banjos gently waltz past, harmony vocals underline and reinforce the storyline vocals as they mix and match in the deliberate spaces left for them to mature.

Born in Nowra NSW, Ben McNeil began playing guitar at twelve years old, inspired by The Beatles and Eric Clapton’s unplugged album. Ben quickly began writing songs and by the age of fourteen started gigging with his high school punk band.

After joining the Navy at twenty, Ben’s music career was on hiatus, all the while absorbing as much information he could on songwriting during his time off. During his time in the Navy he served in the Middle East twice, and was involved in the QLD flood emergency as a Helicopter Air-crewman in 2011.

In 2005 Ben and his band travelled to Brisbane to work on an EP with producer Stuart Stuart. The EP had some minor success, yet the Defence Force had to take precedence. Ben left the Navy in 2016 after moving to Adelaide South Australia, and enrolled with SAE Adelaide to enhance his studio production skills to allow him to work on home recording demos, and to work remotely with producers and other musicians.

In 2018 he released ‘Set In The Back’, a collection of songs he’d written over a period of five years. All of them recorded, mixed and mastered at home, his latest release is another self-produced effort, this time taking an Alt. Country turn and collaborating with producer Syd Green.

Ben took one on one songwriting lessons with Grammy nominee Mary Gauthier late last year into early January. From those sessions, Ben has an invigorated sense of creativity and is currently working on his next project with Syd Green once again.

‘Delilah’ features Bill Chambers on electric guitar, banjo and lap steel, Nicole Brophy on backing vocals, and Syd Green on percussion and bass.

The name Andy Penkow is still a relatively new one on the Australian Country Music scene … but the success of his most recent single has resulted in Andy being one of the most talked about new acts of the year.

“Before I Go” is the next single from Andy and is sure to continue opening doors for this talented writer from the South Coast of NSW.

“Before I Go is my bucket list song”, explains Andy.

“Those who know me and who have followed my career over the past few years know how passionate I am – not just with my music – by in life. I wanted to write a song that incorporated this”.

While becoming known for his beautiful and emotive ballads, “Before I Go”, explores the more fun and versatile side to his song writing and performing.

“I wanted a song that a young kid could sing and dream about becoming whatever they wanted to in life but still resonate with people no matter what age they are. You’re never too old to give up on your dreams!”

Produced by Rod Motbey, “Before I Go”, is a new glimpse of what to expect from this exciting new artist moving towards his next album.

“Before I Go” is available from all digital platforms from Tuesday 27th July 2021

Sudden deaths of friend and loved ones are behind the new single from Ashleigh Dallas, ‘Couldn’t Keep Up’. In what is part of the process of grief and healing for Ashleigh, she wrote the country ballad late one night and the lyrics are sure to touch many.

“You lose people and you don’t get to say goodbye in the way you feel you wanted to, and this song is capturing those thoughts,” she said. “It’s about knowing that they’re still out there, that they’re still with you even if you don’t feel you’ve had the chance to say goodbye.”

In the lead-up to the release of ‘Couldn’t Keep Up’, Ashleigh lost another friend, and said it was a reminder to savour every moment with our loved ones. “I want to encourage people to not hold back, say the things you need to say at a heart level, and we need more of that out there,” she said.

“I think everyone will be able to relate in their own way because, even with technology, there are still illnesses and many goodbyes that we don’t get to say. This song is saying that unfortunately, sometimes the world just doesn’t keep up, we are still falling behind and letting statistics rise.”

Ashleigh said writing this song was part of her healing process, and she hoped listeners connected with it and it helped them as well. “I’d love to change a day for someone in a positive way,” she said. “It is about a sad topic, but has a lot of beauty and uplifting feeling in the production.”

‘Couldn’t Keep Up’ is the next single from Ashleigh’s upcoming album, slated for release next year.

MIDLAND’s Mark Wystrach, Cam Duddy, and Jess Carson like their music straight-up. Hardcore country, the kind you find in forgotten bars in Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Texas, Bakersfield, Reno, wherever the neon’s buzzing, but not quite dead. The Grammy®-nominated trio plots a resurgence of their thick harmonies, sad melodies, tart lyrics and steel guitar with THE LAST RESORT, today releasing lead track “Sunrise Tells The Story.” The full five-song collection is slated for 7/16 via Big Machine Records with a pre-order available now.

Midland’s vocal chemistry and overlapping musical influences have forged an alliance that’s created an oasis of Wurlitzer country for icehouses, taverns, beer joints, out of the way honky-tonks and other hole in the walls. Praised by The Austin American Statesman for “reaching high above honky tonk bounds” – The New York Times has also cited the trio for “their retro country elegance.”

Midland isn’t kidding about the past. They love Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Gary Stewart, Willie Nelson, the Hanks – Williams, Thompson and Snow, Buck Owens, George Jones, Emmylou, Dolly, Loretta, Tammy, Porter Wagoner, Conway Twitty, Mickey Gilley, Glen Campbell, Johnny Lee. But it’s not just vintage vinyl and 8-tracks, the threesome puts their music where their hearts are. They’ve taken their songs into the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas… brought their sweat- slinging live shows to Billy Bob’s, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo… reanimated North Hollywood’s legendary Palomino Club… put down roots in Dripping Springs and spent time around the Country Music Hall of Fame. Unfiltered, full-tilt, they want their country 120 proof. Whether it’s a cheating song, a heartbreak ballad or a shoot-out-the-lights romper, they savor the notion and the emotions with a gusto unseen for decades and THE LAST RESORT is all about it.

From the Agency’s most successful album to date, SUCCESSOR, comes this hip R&B track YUP YUP… inspired by Janet Jackson’s Miss U Much. The act hands over remix duties on this first volume of remixes just as we expect to an eclectic set of talented producers including White Lips, Dan Thomas, the Beat Farda and SHWEXX, plus the Original mix too… We at Kings are feeling the excellent White Lips remix, great production.. Out on Spotify & Apple Music now..

REMI WOLF UNVEILS VIBRANT NEW SINGLE “LIQUOR STORE” DEBUT ALBUM COMING THIS SPRING

“…so fun and soulful, with an irresistible dash of funk grooves to make you move.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES

“All hail Remi Wolf’s exuberant, neon-colored disco soul.” – The Los Angeles Times

“L.A.-based rising artist Remi Wolf has a playfulness that won’t quit, while her disco sensibility makes you want to play the music on an endless loop.” – TIME

“The deftness with which Wolf wields her voice, and guides what could be a too-chaotic sound into precise pop magic, is remarkable. ” – PITCHFORK

“Whether she’s inside a tanning booth or dancing in a disco motorcycle helmet… or rolling in a human-sized hamster ball, we’d like to be wherever Wolf is.” – PAPER

“Wolf elevates listeners to a carefree place, reminiscent of the Californian artist’s own aura” – BILLBOARD

Quickly emerging as one of pop music’s leading faces, Remi Wolf continues her ascension with “Liquor Store,” the lead single off of her debut album due for release this fall via Island Records. On “Liquor Store”, Wolf’s eccentric charm, poignant songwriting, and penchant for crafting intoxicating hooks combine to create a vibrant, textured, feel good summer anthem. Upon release, “Liquor Store” premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record.

On the new single, Wolf shares: “‘Liquor Store’ feels like I am shedding a skin. It’s about my journey with sobriety, which has been a major life shift for me over the last year. At the end of 2020, after six months away from the studio, I had a crazy explosive week where all these feelings came pouring out of me – ‘Liquor Store’ captures a lot of them. It’s my first baby of the bunch and I hope you love it.”

With distinct offerings like “Liquor Store” and her prior release “Liz,” Wolf’s unmistakable sound and personality has caught the eye of some of the industry’s biggest trend-setters from peers like Beck and Dominic Fike to publications including NPR, Pitchfork, W Magazine, V Magazine, TIME, PAPER, Nylon, The Los Angeles Times, and more. In addition to releasing her sophomore EP I’m Allergic to Dogs!–to critical acclaim, in 2020 Wolf collaborated with Dominic Fike on a rework of her massive hit “Photo ID” and received a bevy of reimaginings from the likes of Beck, Hot Chip, Little Dragon, Sylvan Esso, and more for her We Love Dogs! remix EP.

The California native has also accrued a widespread, passionate fanbase. Her memorable performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon expertly blended I’m Allergic to Dogs! standouts “Hello Hello Hello” and “Photo ID”, the latter of which has gone viral on TikTok with over 10 billion views. All of this comes in conjunction with several releases earning spots on notable playlists across DSP’s. “Photo ID” was featured in Instagram’s global “More To Heart” commercial, and “Hello Hello Hello” received a remix from Polo & Pan that was used in Apple’s global ad campaign for the iPhone 12 and Snapchat’s international commercial for its new Sound feature. “Monte Carlo,” a standalone and standout single following the EP, was featured in the worldwide commerical for Samsung’s Galaxy Buds earphone.

With “Liquor Store” leading the charge, her debut album coming later this year, and appearances at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits scheduled, 2021 is poised to be a breakout year for the budding superstar.

Jason Owen’s new original single ‘Distracted’ is a classic country love ballad filled with a lot of heart-felt emotion. Having recently married the love of his life Becy after COVID postponements, Jason wanted to release the song as a tribute to their commitment amongst all the upheavals of the past twelve months. The pair finally tied the knot in June in Jason’s tiny home town of Albert – Population 12 – Located in NSW’s Central West, 130kms west of Dubbo.

Bursting onto the Australian music scene in 2012 as runner-up of X-Factor, Jason Owen is one of Australia’s most popular young country music stars. Jason’s debut album ‘Life Is A Highway’ reached number one on the ARIA Country Chart and number five on the Australian Top 20 All Genre ARIA Chart. He has since released ‘Friday Night’ featuring his first original hit ‘Damn Right’; ‘Proud’, his first all-originals album celebrating his First Nations background; ‘Jason Owen Sings John Denver: The 20th Anniversary’; and ‘Jason Owen Sings John Denver: The Acoustic Sessions’ which debuted at Number 1 on the ARIA Country Music Charts in May 2021. He has been nominated for five major music awards including Golden Guitars and CMC Awards.

Having grown up in the tiny town of Albert, NSW, as the only child in a town of just twelve people, in 2019 Jason founded his own charity, Doin’ It For Rural Aussie Kids, supporting regional and isolated children. Each year Jason embarks on an annual road trip as the main charity initiative. In 2020 he completed an 8,000km road trip in ten days in December across four states, delivering toys, funds and groceries to more than 800 kids, as well as delivering impactful motivational talks. For his efforts he won the prestigious 2021 NSW/ACT Young Achiever Award for Community Service and the People’s Choice Award, and was also the most nominated entrant in the 2021 competition.

Jason has also participated in numerous appeals including Telethon Drought, Telethon Children’s Hospital, Cancer Golf Day, Kids Cancer Golf Day, donated two show profits to Burrumbuttock Hay Runners, donated song profits to Sir Ivan Bushfire Appeal and supported charities and businesses in towns toured.

“Pop Smoke’s presence looms large in popular music, and this album helps to explain why.”

Billboard

“The speed with which hip-hop superstars like Travis Scott and Nicki Minaj were gravitating toward him for collaborations portended great things, suggesting that the king of New York might someday become the king of everywhere else, too”

The New York Times

“Pop Smoke retains the intensity that made him great”

Pitchfork

“The rapper’s posthumous debut album shows us why he remains the voice of New York City”

Rolling Stone

Today, Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records releases the highly anticipated new Pop Smoke album FAITH. The follow-up to his posthumous debut album Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, FAITH delivers a star-studded tracklist featuring Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Pusha T, Future, Rick Ross, The-Dream, 42 Dugg, 21 Savage, Rah Swish, BEAM, Bizzy Banks, Takeoff, Lil Tjay, Swae Lee, Chris Brown, Quavo, Kodak Black, and TRAVI. The album also includes “Demeanor,” the collaboration with pop powerhouse Dua Lipa who teased the song on her socials last week.

Earlier this year, Pop Smoke’s aforementioned album became the best-selling album of the year so far. Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon earned the title of the longest running #1 Hip Hop/R&B Album since 1990, and landed the #1 spot for two non-consecutive weeks. The album, which has over 7 million units consumed worldwide , also reached the #1 spot on the Top Rap Albums chart and charted in the top five on the Billboard 200 for 34 weeks, becoming only the fourth album this century to spend that many weeks in the top five.

Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon has launched three RIAA certified platinum songs (“Hello,” “Got It On Me,” and “Something Special”), two 2x platinum songs (“The Woo” and “What You Know About Love”), two 3x platinum (“Mood Swings” and “Dior”), and the 4x platinum “For The Night.” “Dior” was also nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Rap Performance and, to date, Pop Smoke has amassed 20B streams worldwide and counting.

In celebration of FAITH, iHeartRadio will also launch The iHeart Radio Feature 5 with Pop Smoke. The 25 minute show will feature a number of songs from the album along with audio from some of the featured artists walking fans through the making of the album. The show will play across iHeartRadio’s entire network of Hip Hop stations as soon as the album is released on Friday, airing specifically at 12AM ET/9PM PT, 9AM local, 12PM local, 5PM local and 7PM local times. Across all iHeart Rhythm stations, 4 songs from Faith will be playing once every hour on Friday.

About Pop Smoke:

Christened “Brooklyn Rap’s Homecoming King” by The New York Times, noted for bringing “a sense of excitement to New York rap that had been absent for years” by Complex, and averaging nearly ten million monthly listeners on Spotify, Pop Smoke carried Brooklyn as the Borough’s next icon in the wings. His breakthrough 2019 mixtape Meet The Woo has 3 billion streams globally and in a stellar review, Pitchfork claimed, “The Brooklyn rapper makes good on the promise of ‘Welcome to the Party’ with a debut full of the hardest, dirtiest tracks he can manage.” He turned up at the top of 2020 with the Gold certified Meet The Woo 2 and debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200. Meanwhile eight certified singles, including five that are platinum or multi-platinum, garnered a combined certification of 10M. Most recently his posthumous debut album Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, spent 34 weeks in the Top 5, had the most weeks at #1 in the history of the Billboard Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart since 1990, landed the #1 spot for two non-consecutive weeks, topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland upon its release and became the UK’s biggest debut album of 2020. The album has garnered over 11B streams, launched three RIAA certified platinum songs (“Hello,” “Got It On Me,” and “Something Special”), two 2x platinum songs (“The Woo” and “What You Know About Love”), two 3x platinum (“Mood Swings” and “Dior”), and the 4x platinum “For The Night.” “Dior” was also nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Rap Performance and, to date, Pop Smoke has amassed 20B streams worldwide and counting.

Fresh off the back of his live Q&A and YouTube global video premiere, Cap Carter releases his second single and video ‘Gold’.

When Cap Carter first wrote, ‘Gold’, it was a song that reflected on the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. Living with his father post-divorce led to a strained relationship with his dad, creating a tension that remained for years. Recently though, ‘Gold’ has taken on a different meaning.

Cap says that his own marriage breakdown led to him re-considering the way he saw his father, and explains, “I wrote this two-and-a-half years ago, not knowing that I would be in the exact same spot as my father, trying to win my life back.” His marriage breakdown, and a stint in rehab, led to the pair reconnecting and during a traumatic period in his life, he found his father again.

There’s a juxtaposition between ‘Gold’s heart-racing production and Cap’s vulnerable, emotional lyricism. Moments of softness are nestled in the production, such as the guitar on the track being inspired by Johnny Cash, something his mother used to listen to at home. Cap grew up in Mt Druitt, an area of Western Sydney that’s become renowned for producing world-class hip-hop talent. He’s embraced the music he’s heard coming out of the area, while also proving it’s a hotbed for all types of music, not just hard-hitting hip-hop.

The openness and vulnerability of Cap’s music has always allowed him to connect with his fans on a deeper level than just an artist-fan relationship. With 10s of thousands of followers on both Instagram and TikTok, a quick glance at the comments of his posts show how much his music resonates with his fans. He’s not afraid to showcase his true self, allowing his audience to relate to his experiences. Cap is an open book, showing the reality of his journey to winning his life back.

‘Gold’ showcases the strength of Cap’s voice, something he’s always prided himself on. As he says, “I’ve experienced a lot of unresolved anger and trauma, and I made sure to let that out when we were doing the vocal takes”. This is a track that you can scream along to if need be. His voice has always been able to fill any room, big or small, and ‘Gold’ is an anthem for those looking to push forward.

Cap is 10 months sober now, having gone to rehab. ‘Gold’ is the sound of a man rising from the ashes and embracing a life that looks different than he might have previously expected. For those that need the help to keep going, let ‘Gold’ be your soundtrack.

ABOUT CAP CARTER

Born in Manila, the western Sydney raised Cap Carter released his major label debut single, ‘Relapse’, at the start of 2021. Building a global and dedicated fan base with his original music and honest storytelling, Cap stands out for his and distinctive and authentic vocals. Writing through his own personal and lived experiences, Cap works a fusion of r&b soul with an edge and grit that is unique and refreshing.