I’m back with another instalment of What’s Going On. As always, here are five new songs that I’ve been jamming to that deserve a spot on your playlists. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow, stream and support these artists. Also, feel free to let me know your thoughts on the songs.
Andreas Moss – Sexy, bold, genre-defying. Swedish singer Andreas Moss is inviting you to his ‘Minivan’ party. Formerly known as Christian artist Jonathan Thulin, Moss reinvented himself by embracing his queer identity. Musically, Moss blurs genres, going from rapping to singing with ease. On his hopes for ‘Minivan’, Moss stated: “I didn’t see many guys rapping and singing about other guys growing up. It’s my hope that a song like ‘Minivan’ is catchy enough so people who are straight or gay can listen to it and realize it’s a dope song. I’m gay, and I’ve listened to people sing about straight relationships my entire life. I love those songs. I connect to them. I think someone who’s straight can still connect to a song like ‘Minivan.’” This fun slice of pop-rap confection has all of the qualities of a surefire earworm. If ‘Minivan’ is anything to go by, Moss’ debut album The Perhaps Existence of Andreas Moss is going to be quite the party.
Listen to Andreas Moss’ new single ‘Minivan’ below.
Brit Taylor – American singer-songwriter Brit Taylor is following up her debut single ‘Waking Up Ain’t Easy’ with her new single ‘Back In The Fire’, written with heavy hitters Pat McLaughlin and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. ‘Back In The Fire’ is a tale of returning to a love that’s gone bad, made even more relatable by the conviction in Brit Taylor’s voice. On the meaning of ‘Back In The Fire’, Taylor said: “I think we’ve all been there, where we keep going back to someone or something over and over again even though we know it is just down-right bad for us.” The same day that ‘Back In The Fire’ was completed, Auerbach, McLaughlin and Taylor also finished the song ‘Real Me’ which will serve as the title track of Taylor’s upcoming debut album. A rising traditional voice in country music with genuine relatability in her lyrics, we’re eagerly Brit Taylor’s debut album release date of November 20th.
Listen to Brit Taylor’s new single ‘Back In The Fire’ below.
VanJess – Nigerian R&B duo VanJess wants to know if they can kick it with you tonight on ‘Come Over’, their sizzling new single. VanJess consists of sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike. The pair got their start uploading covers on YouTube with their cover of Drake’s ‘Headlines’ going viral and attracting a lot of attention. ‘Come Over’ and it’s accompanying music video were both heavily inspired by 90s R&B. The sisters cite TLC, Xscape and SWV among their biggest musical influences and that influence can definitely be heard in their new single. Their smooth harmonies are so sweet and quickly endure you to the sister duo. Explaining what went into the song and video, VanJess said: “Early in quarantine we were really inspired looking at old photos of our parents in Nigeria and thought about what being at home living the lyrics of this record would look like in their world. We hope this song makes everyone feel good and dance, we believe energy and soul and tempo still has a place in R&B!”
Listen to the new VanJess single ‘Come Over’ below.
WINGTIPS – ‘Tears of Pearls’ was originally released back in 1999 as the seventh and final single from Savage Garden’s self-titled debut album. Chicago electro act WINGTIPS have released their new cover of ‘Tears of Pearls’, putting their own spin on the ’90s pop jam. The synths and pounding beats transform the underrated Savage Garden song into a dark dance floor banger. WINGTIPS consists of Vincent Segretario and Hannah Avalon. In a statement on their Bandcamp page, the duo explained why they decided to do this cover: “We wanted to pay tribute to an iconic 90s pop duo who are greatly influential on us. With ‘Tears of Pearls’ being potentially one of their lesser-known songs, we wanted to revamp it with our own style that was grown out of Savage Garden.”
Listen to WINGTIPS cover of ‘Tears of Pearls’ below.
Leikeli47 – There’s no one doing it quite like Leikeli47. The Brooklyn-born rapper is back with her new single ‘Zoom’ and an out of the box music video to go with it. The NES side scroller-inspired music video further cements her place as one of the most creative artists on the scene. Produced by Jabbar Stevens, ‘Zoom’ seems Leikeli47 talking her shit with bars that detail where she’s from and putting her haters and detractors in check. For anyone that hasn’t listened to the masked rapper before, this serves as a great introduction to the wit and lyrical prowess that has made Leikeli47 one to watch. ‘Zoom’ is the first taste of what’s to come from Leikeli47’s upcoming third album Shape Up. Shape Up follows her 2017 album Wash & Set and her 2018 album Acrylic, both highly regarded by fans and critics alike.
Listen to Leikeli47’s new single ‘Zoom’ below.
