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On June 25th 2009, the world lost the greatest entertainer of all time, the king of pop Michael Jackson. His legacy, especially that of which he built in the 80s, still resonates in modern pop to this day. 

Hailing from the quiet Sydney suburb of Lindfield in the land down under, psychedelic indie rock troubadours The Lazy Eyes have been turning heads in their homeland, and winning over fans and critics alike with their spacey live shows and their intricate, layered tracks, despite the fact that all four of them are still in their teenage years.

Philippe Cohen, the million-selling artist, producer and composer who co-founded Gotan Project has teamed up with Mike Lindsay from band Tunng to release the album ‘OUTSIDER’. 

2020 was a tough year for everyone, but particularly those in the entertainment industry--especially musicians.

It takes a lot of guts to blend the old and the new when it comes to producing a song – on one end, you’re limited by used ideas, and on the other you’re seeking innovation. But every now and then, you have artists like Chet Faker that come around with a song such as Get High, that perfectly blends the two ideologies together in one sweet musical smoothie.

Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer’s latest collaboration ‘What Other People Say’ treads through familiar territory in classic pop fashion. Lovato has built a reputation of powering each and every song with her dramatic, euphoric, and oft over-the-top vocals, and she does so again to great effect.

Raveena is the perfect mix of pop, jazz, and hip hop, and always has been. Tweety, her newest single, is a wonderful continuation of that sound, heading in all those directions more so than ever before. The song opens in a beautiful major-sounding progression, filled with other jazz treasures and classic chord progressions, all finished with the lustrous sounds of a Fender Rhodes.

There’s no disputing that Foo Fighters are one of, if not, the biggest bands in the world these days. From their beginnings as a side project of the former Nirvana drummer, Dave Grohl has steered the good ship Foo Fighters into the rich and deep waters of astounding commercial success. And their new offering – Medicine At Midnight – is certainly an economical record, coming in at a very streamlined nine tracks.

Terry Blade has finally put out his debut album “American Descendant of Slavery, The Album” and it’s nothing short of a pure masterpiece.

Norii’s single ‘Exocoetidae’ is a dreamy, starry-eyed adventure through time and space that fully captures the wonder of a curious artist. The San Diego-based singer and songwriter thoughtfully leans into her mythical interests and has crafted an intricate and impassioned melody, complete with electrifying production and stellar vocal work. At first listen, Norii’s soft, stirring vocal stylings would immediately draw comparisons to Ariana Grande, but upon further exploration, you’d realize that Norii has carved out her own spectacular niche with her fairytale-woven themes, a far cry from the hits populating the top 40 in contemporary music. 

Tones and I’s collaboration with Jonas Blue on a remix of ‘Fly Away’ is an infectious, impassioned track headed straight for the dance floor. The Australian singer-songwriter has been flying high for the past two years or so since her international hit ‘Dance For Me.’ She’s been following up on her breakout success by delving inwards and crafting pieces that represent the full range of vocal and songwriting talents. ‘Fly Away’ was one such ballad that touched upon the electronic dance pulse but also incorporated some lovely gospel magic. 

We’ve been big fans of Arlo Parks and her delicate, soft-pop sound for some time now, and we’re not alone: the Londoner has already appeared on the front cover of NME and been named BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year. Oh, and did we mention Michelle Obama is a fan? Not bad support for a singer and songwriter who, until last week, was yet to drop her first album.

Canadian folk outfit The Weather Station have evolved over the years from the solo recordings of frontwoman Tamara Lindeman to the full band outfit they are today, a lineup that now includes two drummers and a saxophonist, as well a string section, synths and clarinet. However, one constant since their debut album The Line was released back in 2009 has been the quality of Lindeman’s songwriting, and on Ignorance, their fifth full-length studio offering, it’s that that remains central to all they do well.

London post-punk four-piece Goat Girl were regulars at Brixton’s The Windmill in their early days, gigging alongside acts like Fat White Family and Shame and carving out a name for themselves as proponents of edgy, enticing and dangerous music that didn’t pull any punches. Two days after the UK’s Brexit referendum, they signed a deal with Rough Trade, unleashed a flurry of singles, and the hype began to grow.

Let me set a scene for you: it’s a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon, and you’re on your fourth coffee of the day, yet you just can’t feel energized.

Rising UK R&B star James Vickery has turned his attention to a deeply relatable subject with his new single Somewhere, Out There. Vickery, who is set to release his debut album later this year, has just dropped his new track, and it’s a sweet and tender take on the pain lockdown has caused, particularly for lovers forced to seperate.

There are very few voices in folk and jazz that sound quite as soulful as MARO’s. Her breathy tone will smooth the roughest stones, and calm the anxious with a simple melody. When her voice introduced itself amidst a low four-count bass drum coupled with small, low-maintenance guitar strums, my lips curled gently in a smile. The band and MARO make beautiful harmonies, even when those are just an octave apart. Every moment of this song feels right.

Born in Hampshire, but now based in London, twenty-two-year-old singer-songwriter Delilah Montagu dazzled with her In Gold EP in 2019, earning a multitude of rave reviews and mountains of online streams. A collaboration with David Guetta and Black Coffee (Drive) only added to her momentum, and she’s been roundly tipped for breakthrough success in 2021 by the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Notion and Clash.

Funk is a genre that’s never truly died, though definitely not as prominent in the mainstream as it used to be. Rather, its manifested itself in various shapes, either through disco, or the rise of dance-pop in the mid 2010’s, but regardless its essence has remained in music since its inception in the early 60’s.

You don’t sell over 35 million records worldwide across an almost thirty-year career without occasionally re-inventing yourself, and Weezer – the pop rockers led by the enigmatic figure of Rivers Cuomo – are no exception.

Trends in music are inevitable; musical fashion makes its rounds all year long, and artists all across the globe are going to try to capitalize on what’s trending. In the last few years, there’s been a sudden uproar in jazz, mostly found in lo-fi hip-hop and neo-soul. The latter has especially found a home in popular R&B, but has slowly died down in the last months. So, when I heard the beautiful extended chords played by a luscious Stratocaster that opens up Bring Me Back My Smile, I couldn’t help but to feel hopeful in neo-soul’s life in pop music.