All the Latest Music News on Nagamag

Looking for a new rabbit-hole to dive down? Try hanging out with the visionary, metamorphic spirit of Ethan Gold for a song or a season. The San Francisco-bred, Los Angeles-based global-citizen indie singer/songwriter/director/dharma-dream-scaper has probably experienced some level of heartbreak, joy, contemplation, or angst that you can relate to. And where many of us kick, scream, love, and stuff things down, Mr. Gold turns them into transformative artful expressions. Through personal loss, physical trauma, and both literally and metaphorically toxic living situations (see his Pitchfork and London Times touted, self-produced debut album Songs from a Toxic Apartment) he’s opened his heart through music, and transformed pain into perception.

Right now, Mr. Gold is launching his return to live performances, with solo shows through northern Europe centered around a trilogy of LPs that explore the experience of being a 21st century earthling. The singles featured below come from the first installment, Earth City 1: The Longing.

Gold’s next release, “Storm Coming,” is a moody, dreamlike song that anticipates a future that may be either one of romance or of regret. Dedicated to Gold’s friend and manager the late Irish musician Joe Cassidy, the cascading guitar and Gaelic snares steer us through stages of grief—not only for Gold’s friend but for the fate of our ailing planet. Eventually, the somber denial and sadness give way to distorted guitars shouting anger and reverent martial melodies straining for acceptance. Gold’s understated lyrics balance the natural imagery with self-reflective spiritual inquiry.

Video director Paul Khera, who was photographer and artist for Suede and other Brit Pop bands, chose to heighten the environmental message in the lyric video. His sequence of stately monochrome encounters between the natural and manmade worlds captures the futility of discussions about the global climate, by presenting impactful data points that disappear within seconds, making them unintelligible, like ignored warnings in the midst of the storm of imagery and song. Ultimately we’re left to contemplate Gold’s mournful, final question: “Why did you wait so long?”

Follow Ethan Gold:
http://ethangold.com
http://facebook.com/ethangold
http://twitter.com/ethangold
http://instagram.com/ethangold
http://tiktok.com/ethangoldmusic

Navona Records presents JOYS ABIDING, an album of vocal duets by female composers including previously unpublished duets by British-American composer Rebecca Clarke, the text of which inspired the album title. The extensive track list of duets from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods is performed by Dana Zenobi, soprano, Oliver Worthington, baritone, Chuck Dillard, piano/harpsichord, and David Murray, double bass. JOYS ABIDING aims to elevate the important work of female composers who have historically been excluded from the male-dominated classical duet canon.

https://www.danazenobisoprano.com/

Dana Zenobi has earned national recognition as an interpreter of Art Song by women. She has also garnered operatic success in roles ranging from Mozart and Verdi to Mark Adamo and Philip Glass, appearing with Austin Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, The Living Opera, Opera in the Heights, line upon line percussion ensemble, and the Austin Civic Orchestra. Both her performing and her studio teaching have received accolades from The American Prize.

At Butler University, she teaches studio voice, pedagogy, diction, and vocal literature courses, and directs the Butler University Vocal Competition. A grateful recipient of the 2020 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Vocal Pedagogy Award, Zenobi has presented at conferences and festivals including NATS, the International Music By Women Festival, the Voice Foundation, the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), Bel Canto Boot Camp, and the Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference. A native of Northport NY, she earned both a D.M.A. (Voice Performance & Pedagogy) and M.M. (Opera Performance) from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Music and Women’s Studies from Duke University.

On LORD, HOW COME ME HERE?, composer Shawn Okpebholo turns the mirror of history on today’s society with his own work and a reimagined collection of spirituals by enslaved Africans and American folk hymns that draws upon music from the past to critique contemporary racial injustices in the United States and around the globe. An ensemble of mezzo-soprano (J’Nai Bridges), baritone (Will Liverman), piano (Paul Sánchez), cello, and flute poignantly bring Okpebholo’s music to life, from hopeful anthems celebrating community to laments between a mother and her Creator and hymns celebrating faith and hope over hate and fear.

https://www.shawnokpebholo.com/

Shawn E. Okpebholo is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning composer whose music has been described as “devastatingly beautiful” and “fresh and new and fearless” (The Washington Post), “affecting” (The New York Times), “searing” (The Chicago Tribune), “staggering” (The New Yorker), “lyrical, complex, singular” (The Guardian), and “powerful” (BBC Music Magazine).

Some honors include The Academy of Arts and Letters Walter Hinrichsen Award, First Place Winner of the 2020 American Prize in Composition (wind band division), Second Place Winner of the 2017 American Prize in Composition (orchestral division), First Prize Winner of the Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, and the Inaugural Awardee of the Leslie Adams-Robert Owens Composition Award. Granting agencies, including the National Endowment of the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council, have supported Okpebholo’s work. He has received commissions from many renowned arts organizations, opera companies, soloists, chamber groups, and large ensembles — artists who have performed his works at some of the nation’s most prestigious performance spaces, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Currently, Okpebholo is in residence at the Chicago Opera Theater as their Vanguard Opera Composer and the Fifth House Ensemble as their Composer-in-Residence, and has held residencies at many universities across the United States and two in Nigeria. PBS’s NewsHour and radio stations all across the country — including NPR’s Morning Edition, SiriusXM’s “Living American” series on Symphony Hall, and Chicago’s WFMT — have featured his music. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in composition from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he also studied music theory.

Okpebholo is Professor of Composition at Wheaton College-Conservatory of Music and lives in Wheaton, IL with his wife, violist Dorthy, and daughters Eva and Corinne. For his complete bio and to experience and learn more about his music, visit shawnokpebholo.com

https://www.instagram.com/shawnokpebholo/

KAYAN Project's long-awaited album is finally being released !

https://kayanproject.bandcamp.com/

This debut album captures the complex beauty of the levant, bringing together composed poetry in Hebrew and Arabic, from melancholic to upbeat tunes. KAYAN, meaning existence, transcends the borders of the middle east in music, language and poetry.

https://www.instagram.com/kayanproject/

Out of Berlin’s bustling music scene comes the unique and authentic sound of KAYAN, a group dedicated to folk music from the Levant, combining jazz elements and singing in languages that rarely come together in a positive context: Arabic and Hebrew. Drawing from sources from all over the Middle East, the quartet around lead singer Eden Cami transcends borders and language barriers. Adding improvisation and own compositions, Kayan creates a fascinating and emotional vibe on stage, reuniting two sister languages and musical traditions of both Arab and Jewish roots. In times of tension and conflict it is a daringly positive approach that recalls what unites rather than divides us.

Jeangu Macrooy (pronounced as zjangú makrooi) was born and raised in the tropical warmth of Paramaribo. At the age of thirteen his parents bought him his first guitar and two years later Jeangu and his twin brother Xillan started writing and performing their own music. In 2014 Jeangu decided to continue his musical career at the other side of the ocean, in the Netherlands. He met producer Perquisite and was signed to his label Unexpected Records.

In April 2016 Jeangu’s debut EP ‘Brave Enough’ was released. The day of the release Jeangu was named ‘Serious Talent’ by 3FM radio, and the week after he played his first single ‘Gold’ at Dutch national talk show ‘De Wereld Draait Door’, where he has become a frequent guest ever since. ‘Gold’ was later used in a commercial for television network HBO. During the summer of 2016 Jeangu and his band played a multitude of summer festivals, after which he toured the Netherlands with Popronde in autumn. He also provided the support for Blaudzun, Remy van Kesteren, Bernhoft and Selah Sue, resulting in a total of 120 shows in just 12 months. In short, 2016 was a golden year for Jeangu, that was concluded with a performance at Eurosonic/Noorderslag and a nomination for an Edison Award in the category ‘Best New Artist.’

Jeangu’s debut album ‘High On You’ – for which he collaborated with Perquisite again – is more energetic and danceable than its predecessor. Melancholy still prevails in songs like ‘Circles’ and ‘Sleep You Off’, but generally the focus has shifted to a rawer sound that drives songs like ‘Crazy Kids’ – a duet with twin brother Xillan – and ‘Head Over Heels’. ‘Antidote’ and ‘High On You’ show Jeangu’s affinity with soul music. It is on tracks like these that his powerful voice is intensified by the addition of brass arrangements that can be heard on the majority of the album. The common thread throughout the record, however, is still Jeangu’s unique vocal capacity, that hypnotises in the low range and moves the listener in the high range.

‘High On You’ was released on Unexpected Records on April 14th, 2017. The record entered the album charts, became ‘Radio 1 CD of the week’, and received critical acclaim from the press. ‘Algemeen Dagblad’ gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote ‘He’s only 23, but has a soul veteran-like depth in his voice. ‘High On You’ might be the best Dutch debut album of 2017.’ De Telegraaf added: ‘Your mouth will drop with surprise and admiration. What a way to start your career!’ Giel Beelen, 3FM DJ, said: ‘I bet this is going to be the release of the year’ and Oor Magazine called Jeangu ‘a newcomer that will really excite you’.

The release of the album will be celebrated with a club tour throughout the Netherlands. Besides the club shows, Jeangu will be playing an abundance of festivals, including North Sea Jazz, Lowlands, and Festival Mundial.

https://www.instagram.com/jeangu_macrooy/

British soul R&B singer/songwriter Shaya Ritchie shares her powerful new single ‘Hurt No More’, out on all streaming platforms on 28 January.

http://www.shayaritchie.com/

Naming Alicia Keys, Ella Mai, Jorja Smith and Sabrina Claudio as her biggest inspirations, Shaya thrives on the ability to experiment with the feelings and emotions she’s able to convey through her music. Drawing on her combined influences, she fuses classic soulful-R&B with beautiful melodies along with a powerful and deep tone, mirroring the nostalgic sound of the early 90s.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pQPOpjgoQUfPj5U39VJ6R?si=xFJ6JeHWRlK7ykBqZTDKlg

Speaking of the track, Shaya says, “With this track, I want my listeners to know that there is a limit to the pain and suffering caused by hurtful relationships and deceit, and that experiences and stories like this do exist for others to relate to. I hope that when people listen to my music, they will feel connected to it in some way and know that they are not alone.”

https://www.instagram.com/shayaritchiemusic/

Growing up in West London with a Caribbean heritage, Shaya was always surrounded by different musical genres and cultures which has really influenced her musical sound today. She fell in love with the sound of music as soon as she was able to understand the different harmonies and melodies, and began to express herself by writing her own songs and singing covers at a very young age.

Shaya’s style has been influenced by some of the most iconic R&B and Soul artists over the years which have positively shaped her approach in the way she sings. She also holds a strong passion for Jazz, Classical and other instrumental music scenes, and has found her niche in combining her favourite sounds into one style of music, backed by the true sound of Soul.

Shaya Ritchie is set to make waves in the UK’s thriving R&B scene which is currently seeing a major revival, joining the ranks of other rising British artists such as Jorja Smith and Mahalia. ‘Hurt No More’ is the first of a string of releases for Shaya in 2022.

Artist said about this song:

"This is a diss song made because of some issues with some old friends. This song in particular is talking about one guy who started a bunch of drama and literally tried to ruin my life. Long story short, one of my best friends turned into my biggest enemy virtually overnight. This is about that situation."

https://www.instagram.com/logvnhiphop/

Brittany Bliss and Reid Givens make up the twosome, and their journey is a touching story of reinvention, reclamation, and second chances on love. In addition to warming hearts, the couple are opening minds to female artists and helping shift the narrative of women in creative fields through support and exposure. Today, Brittany and the Blisstones announce their recording debut EP, La La Love.

Listen in here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/51ofX5Sk8bWKSJ3MeVW6Xt

The five-song EP bursts open with “Mermaid,” the first song Brittany ever wrote. It is a song about reconnecting with nature, but it also seems to be about reconnecting with Brittany’s own human nature. The lyrics brim with breathtaking imagery and awe-inspiring reflective moments. She sings: By the sea/A mermaid rewrote the pages of all my dreams, so I found fear and faith in the waves. The music is as majestic as its impressionistic lyrical passages. The song lilts on a vaguely Jamaican pulse and brims with jeweled trumpet melodies, vocals that are sultry and sensitive, lush layers of harmony vocals, and moody chord changes that have a sweet sadness.

https://www.instagram.com/brittanyandtheblisstones/

Fly is the intoxicating new single from London rapper Tazzy, ready for release in the upcoming weeks. Set over a moody beat, paired with meaningful verses, Fly is destined to be enjoyed by Tazzy’s growing fanbase. Following on from the release of Tazzy’s third single Life Goals, this track further shows the range of moods Tazzy’s catalogue offers. Fly cleverly navigates topics such as religion and money, giving the listener an insight into Tazzy and her life experiences. With the track comes an exciting music video (Dropping 9 Feb at 9PM GMT), set in the heart of Tazzy’s hometown of London.

https://www.tazzy.online/

https://www.instagram.com/tazzyonline/

https://twitter.com/tazzyonline

Band-Aid On A Battle Scar is a John Mayer-inspired track. Its a cry-bop-- a sad song you can't help but dance to.

https://www.instagram.com/skyolsonmusic/