Category: Pop/Indie Pop

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Indie/Indie Rock Pop/Indie Pop Soul/R&B Why We Love

Why We Love: Maya Delilah

It’s so rare to find a proper up and coming artist to really dig into, but god am I glad I found Maya Delilah. For fans of Sycco, Her’s, Gus Dapperton, Clairo and The 1975; Delilah is someone you absolutely must get familiar with. Her debut EP Oh Boy was released at the start of July, a smooth, lofi, chill pop EP that just makes you wanna bathe in the sun and forget about your troubles, and experience the inner thoughts of Maya’s wonderfully playful world. 6 tracks of pure majesty, with phenomenal production, elements that sound inspired by Tame Impala, crossed with John Mayer adding the soundscape of Her’s baked into the musical pie that is Delilah’s Oh Boy. And the even better news? She’s already been teasing snippets from her second EP, yet to be officially announced, but damn does her new material sound just as slick as the songs on Oh Boy and I am genuinely ecstatic for it.

The fabulous video for her song I’m Just Stupid was shot from home during quarantine, and to help make the video, she asked fans to send in drawings to feature in the video, and as you can see, she got a LOT of drawings, which is a wonderful thing for an artist to do to engage with their audience, and something I sincerely hope she doesn’t grow distant from as time goes on.

Maya’s silky voice serenades you throughout the EP, taking you on a journey that just takes your breath away, which is ironic when you consider the title of the closing track, Breathe Easy. Delilah manages to blend such familiar sounds in such unique ways that make it feel like such a fresh sonic experience in the abundance of soundcloud and bandcamp chill hop artists looking for homes within your music libraries, Maya defies this, spreading a bubbly narrative of her life. Her songwriting ability is absolutely killer too, catchy hooks and riffs that just cut right through the mix, melodies that you just cannot get out of your head, it’s infectious. Not to mention the fact that she’s a ridiculously talented guitarist, with the comparison to John Mayer mentioned by fans on multiple occasions. I mean just listen to the solos in I’m Just Stupid and Breathe Easy and try to deny it. You can’t. It may be bold to say, but it’s true and that’s the tea sis. She even managed to write and release Safe, a quarantine inspired track back in March, so power to you.

She was featured on an artist spotlight for Marshall and it’s there where you really get a vibe for who Maya is, and you really start to see from the music she grew up with and how it’s moulded her style. It’s brilliant to see young musicians buzz with genuine creativity, who really know their stuff, appreciate the cultures and genres they’ve been introduced to, and be able to experience the glee that is their talent, not in uptight way, but to really see them have freedom and crucially, fun and enjoyment in their own music, all the while staying humble. Honestly it’s crazily inspiring.  She also delves into how she started writing, and like we’ve seen with the likes of Georgia, shows how these days you don’t need to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy to get signed and get your music out there. You can carefully craft your art at home, or as simply as singing and soloing over looped chords from a Boss Loop Station, you can build a following through apps like Instagram and TikTok. You can use your art and your passion and make a career out of it, and it’s wonderful to see.

She’s also been doing a fantastic job at inspiring young girls to pick up a guitar and get into music, utterly proving that girls can rock a guitar just as well as the boys thank you very much. Give Maya a guitar and a looper pedal and she could inspire anyone for hours, there’s just something so present about the way she writes, plays and sings her songs that can’t really be described. Whether it’s the relatable lyrics from waking up wondering where your cat is, to ignoring what others think about your relationship because you know it’s right.

Delilah is an absolute delight, and you’re a fool to not listen to her music and keep tabs on when more is due to arrive to melt our ears. You can follow her on Spotify, Instagram and even TikTok (@mayadelilahh) where you may even get a sneak preview of upcoming songs such as Moonflower.

Maya Delilah leaves you wanting more, and gives you this floaty optimistic feeling. Someone who really knows and has perfected their craft already at such a young age, the future for Delilah is going to blow up and we can’t wait. A hidden gen Z gem that you’re sure to revel in.

Top tracks are I’m Just Stupid, Tangerine Dream, Gato, URU, Breathe Easy and Safe. 

If you’re not listening to Maya Delilah, then Oh Boy… are you missing out. I leave you with the music video for her EP’s closer, Breathe Easy and just see for yourself. An upcoming artist that is not to be reckoned with.

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New Wave Pop/Indie Pop Why We Love

Why We Love: Georgia

Georgia is a producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is lighting a fire under the feet of Electro-Pop fans in the UK. Her self-titled debut album, released in 2015, was recorded and produced single-handedly at her home studio in north-west London. After years of silence perfecting her sound and a nomination for a mercury prize under her belt since then, Georgia hits back with her brand new album ‘Seeking Thrills’ and has quickly gained recognition as one of the UK’s most exciting up and coming new talents.

Georgia’s music is exhilarating and energetic. Her sound combines the best of modern technology with classic synthesisers used on some of the most legendary 80’s records from Depeche Mode to Yazoo. Her rich, catchy melodies twist through Electro-Pop and House groves creating something irresistible to stomp along to. Both her albums are a true homage to the 80’s club scene. In many ways, Georgia’s sound feels almost a blend of the very best parts of older bands such as New Order and modern artists like MIA. This unique amalgamation has quickly earnt Georgia great attention from the UK music industry.

Growing up as the daughter of Leftfield co-founder, Neil Barnes, it’s clear that many of the inspirations of her father have influenced her own music. But make no mistake, Georgia has been pioneering her own fresh ideas independent from her fathers legacy.

Georgia studied music at The BRIT School where she developed herself as a drummer. I remember first hearing about Georgia while I myself was a student at BRIT. So I suppose I was given a very unique insight into the excitement she created at the school when she first hit the scene. After her single ‘Started Out’ was released, word spread through the school, and indeed around the rest of the industry, like wildfire. A proud moment for her peers, and by the time I had left, her picture was hung proudly inside the school.

I had the pleasure of meeting Georgia at BBC Introducing Live last year where she spoke in great detail to a room of young musicians about her process of writing and recording. It was an incredibly enlightening talk that she gave, and she showed these young creators that they no longer need to be able to hire a studio or sound engineers if they want to create music. I could see the confidence she installed in the eyes of the audience and she seemed to genuinely care about hearing the stories of young artists.

My favourite part about her talk at BBC Introducing was hearing her nerd out about her collection of classic synths. I especially love artists who know their stuff, and it’s that knowledge which has allowed her to create her special sound.

I think the biggest thing that Georgia and her music represent is the shift in the music industry over the last 20 years – no longer do you even need to leave the house to have a hit record, but don’t let it be said that it’s any easier. The thing that sets Georgia apart from DJ’s or other producers is her knowledge of classic production techniques and her talents for mixing songs as well as playing and singing, not to mention her incredible ability for lyric writing, which she says finds most difficult but takes inspiration from her idol Kate Bush.

I also need to mention her incredible on-stage performance. This is definitely what intrigued me about her – and whoever said a female drummer couldn’t perform live on Jools Holland AND sing AND look totally cool doing it?

At least through what I’ve seen, Georgia has been so incredibly inspirational to a lot of young musical, especially female talent, and shows that a young woman from London can accomplish so much without the need of assistance – Georgia is an artist who deserves our attention.

Her new album ‘Seeking Thrills’ is available to listen to right now.

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Pop/Indie Pop Why We Love

Why We Love: Sigrid

Norweigan pop star Sigrid has been hitting the airwaves since 2017 with her debut single Don’t Kill My Vibe, but has been making noise in and around her hometown of Ålesund since she was 16. Since her EP’s ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ and ‘Raw’ as well as her 2019 debut album ‘Sucker Punch’, she’s been building up to be one of the most iconic and talented young artists we’ve seen in a long time, being crowned BBC Music’s Sound of 2018.

 

In a pop world dominated by men, manufactured stars, overproduced inhumanity and sadboy folk cheeseballs, Sigrid is a breath of fresh air. Firstly she’s incredibly natural, from the way she dresses showing she’s a person just like you and I, the way she’s not oversaturated in makeup and product to make her look as perfect as ‘humanly’ possible, to the way she moves and dances around the stage to her own music like anyone in their bedroom would to their favourite band. Secondly, the amount of talent that resides within this one woman is insane, not only does she know how to write a tune, she actually writes her own tunes, spending time writing songs on her piano, and transforming them into synth pop anthems in the studio. 

She’s given us songs like Strangers which in the charts reached the top 10 the week it was released, and Don’t Feel Like Crying, which turns a sad breakup song into a banger that makes you wanna dance with the biggest grin you can produce. Her vibe is infectious and her talent is undeniable. After hearing a few of her singles, her performance of Strangers on Later… with Jools Holland was what grabbed my attention and made me fully start to appreciate her as a pop musician. Her confidence and the way she absolutely owned the stage despite being fairly unknown at the time, her vocal performance which was completely on point, a voice that has incredible range, tone and even some raspiness when she wants to really shout, and her live music. Oh her live performances, not just some woman singing with a backing track, but with a full live band, which actually expands the sounds on her album, with electric guitars, vibrant synths, acoustic drums and her wonderful backing singer Kristina Skyberg who compliments Sigrid’s voice breathtakingly. Sigrid live is someone who deeply cares for the sound and ingenuity and it shows, her live band bringing her songs to life in a way that no upcoming pop star has done for years. 

Quickly Sigrid became my favourite artist of 2019, and one of my favourite artists of all time. She’s someone who cares, cares for her art, her audience and works hard to make sure every aspect of it is fantastic. Here’s to a bigger and brighter future of Sigrid’s music. You can see her at the Reading and Leeds festival 2021 next year, but if you ever see gig tickets going for a Sigrid show near you, I implore you to just go, you won’t be disappointed.