“5ive and I met online around January 2016”, Fabian explains. “Having a mutual appreciation for each other’s talent, we started working instantly. The vibe was very natural, and we spent a few months experimenting. Our aim for Until We Meet Again was to fuse alternative R&B, pop rock and trap elements to create a fresh, progressive body of…
Category: R&B
Launchpad: Uma
Uma is a beguiling songwriter plying her trade out of Los Angeles. Her charismatic vocal appeal reminds me of Banks and TALA, drawing you in with subtle inflections. Her new single ‘Golden’ is a gorgeous piece of alt-R&B; well written melodies glide on a dynamic tide, with a stark beat providing rhythmic interest. “Golden is…
Djiil – Sick N’ Tired
And old school hip-hop beat lays the foundation on Parisian producer Djiil’s new single Sick N’ Tired. The beat is accompanied by a guitar that phases in and out of soulful licks, peppered around Mickey Shiloh’s sumptuous vocal. Follow Djiil: Facebook
Tony Black – Get Back
“On “Get Back” I wanted to blend a summer time pop sound with a rap twist while still having a message and making it radio friendly. I think we’ve all been in a similar situation where what we have or what we are doing isn’t necessarily fulfilling that need we sometimes have a yearning for. So this song,…
Edan – Life After Dilla
“This song was written as a tribute to my wife and newborn son. J Dilla has always been a huge inspiration for me, his music always had a depth to it that I feel you could write your realest feelings to. I heard Dilla’s “Life” has as I was preparing to be a father, and…
DESIIRE – Reckless
A really expressive R&B / Soul record always stands out for me; the way the melodies are structured allows the vocalist to have a little bit of fun, dancing around the beat. DESIIRE extends his performance by playing around with this idea, taking the melody and building around it. The result is a really enjoyable…
Jaclyn Rachelle – Moonstruck
Another big voice coming out of Los Angeles, this time in the form of emerging songstress Jaclyn Rachelle. Pop melody writing sensibilities meet the smooth soulfulness of contemporary R&B. It’s dark but expansive, with Rachelle’s vocal filling the space between moody pads. “Moonstruck is part of a dark and dreamy love story. It was written…
Launchpad: Patricia Stone
Toronto is quickly becoming a creative hub, especially for emerging hip-hop and R&B artists. Patricia Stone is continuing that trend with her debut single ‘Runner’. Smooth vocals ride on a swing of swirling synths and sharp snares, kicking through to a memorable chorus. The vocal is restrained enough that the melodies don’t feel forced, with…
KINDER – Feeling Gets Too Heavy
KINDER is stunning us again with his own brand of soothing neo-soul. The occasional flickering of spacey guitar, pin-point backing vocals and a steady but emotive beat characterise his new single ‘Feeling Gets Too Heavy. “Feeling Gets Too Heavy is a song about how anxiety, stress and depression can become too overwhelming, and how it’s nice…
Rob Valentine – 3 A.M.
Rob Valentine landed in our inbox last week, fresh R&B beats accompany a soulful vocal – with melodies riding and rising atop Rob’s expansive instrumentation. “I grew up heavily influenced by classic rock and r&b, the perks of growing up with a single mom. I could be listening to Jon B. or Jodeci and then…
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