How Cheerful Music Is Rewriting the Rules of International Pop

How Cheerful Music Is Rewriting the Rules of International Pop

When Cheerful Music launched in Shenzhen in 2019, few could have predicted how quickly it would reshape the contours of global pop. In a half-decade, the label has evolved into one of China’s most forward-looking exports, blending local storytelling traditions with Western production sensibilities to craft something wholly new. Operating between Shenzhen and London, Cheerful’s […]

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 Mary Hatley’s Debut Album ‘The Poison I Choose’ Is a Bold Blend of Blues, Country, Rock, and Soul

Mary Hatley’s Debut Album ‘The Poison I Choose’ Is a Bold Blend of Blues, Country, Rock, and Soul

Debut albums rarely arrive with this much weight and clarity. Mary Hatley’s The Poison I Choose is an uncompromising exploration of love, loss, trauma, and resilience, filtered through the earthy blend of blues, country, and rock that feels deeply tied to her Memphis roots. Recorded at Easley McCain with Matt Qualls at the helm, the […]

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 Kaleidoscope Orchestra Takes Listeners on a Cinematic Journey in ‘Through the Clouds’

Kaleidoscope Orchestra Takes Listeners on a Cinematic Journey in ‘Through the Clouds’

Kaleidoscope Orchestra’s Through the Clouds is an ambitious, genre-blurring single that demonstrates the UK collective’s flair for marrying classical orchestration with contemporary electronic textures. From the first swelling strings to the subtly hypnotic synths, the track feels like a cinematic journey captured in sound. It’s music that aims high and lands with emotional resonance. Alex […]

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 In Conversation with Marsha Swanson – ‘Generational Transmission’ and the Complexities of Ancestral Legacy Through Music and Innovative Claymation Video

In Conversation with Marsha Swanson – ‘Generational Transmission’ and the Complexities of Ancestral Legacy Through Music and Innovative Claymation Video

Marsha Swanson is a progressive pop artist known for her evocative storytelling and innovative sound. Drawing inspiration from diverse influences such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, Fiona Apple, and Carole King, her music explores themes of memory, identity, and connection. We speak with the songstress to discuss all things music below. Generational Transmission deals with inheritance, […]

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 In Conversation with Elare André – ‘What’s Baby’s Name?’, A Tongue-in-Cheek Flex of Swagger and Sonic Craftsmanship

In Conversation with Elare André – ‘What’s Baby’s Name?’, A Tongue-in-Cheek Flex of Swagger and Sonic Craftsmanship

Genre-bending producer, songwriter, and vocalist Elare André steps into the spotlight on his terms with playfully braggadocious, sonically daring, and unmistakably original. After the release of his new single ‘What’s Baby’s Name?’, we speak with him about all things music below. Looking back, how has your journey from Filmloom to Elare André shaped who you […]

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 In Conversation with Annika Zee – ‘Emerald Spy’, a Dreamlike Resistance Against a Digital Dystopia

In Conversation with Annika Zee – ‘Emerald Spy’, a Dreamlike Resistance Against a Digital Dystopia

Annika Zee, the Toronto-born multimedia artist and genre-defying musician, returns with her most conceptually daring project to date: Emerald Spy, a vivid and emotionally resonant album. We speak with the songstress about the new release and more below. What inspired the title Emerald Spy? When I think of reparations I think of overlooked and exploited […]

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