Showing posts with label female vocals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label female vocals. Show all posts

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Renée

Renée is Belgian singer-songwriter Renée Sys who was born in Sijsele, Belgium. Her debut album "Extending Playground"  is filled with dreamy indie pop gems and was released last february on Zeal Records. The first single of the album "Dum, Dum, Dum" had some succes on the Belgian charts. The single is a perfect example of Renée's sultry and colourful vocals what makes the album perfect for lazy summer evenings. But my favorite song on the album is the sensitive piano track "Elegant Elephant"which in a way reminds of "Such A Lonely Soul" by Anna Ternheim, one of my favorite tracks of all time. But the album has much more to offer, be sure to give it a listen!

@ Brugge, Belgium
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Nina Nesbitt

Nina Nesbitt is an 18 year old singer-songwriter. Nina was born in Edinburgh and was raised by pop-loving parents – her Swedish mother loves Abba and Christina Aguilera and introduced her only child to Eva Cassidy; her dad is obsessed with Roxy Music – Nesbitt initially wanted to be an author. She got a guitar when she was 15 and started writing and recording songs in her bedroom and uploading the videos to her YouTube channel and participated in singing contests. After meeting Ed Sheeran, she was invited to support him on his European tour, and was also invited by Example to open his three concerts in December 2011 after hearing her perform his song "Stay Awake". She also appeared in the video for Ed Sheeran's song "Drunk". For nine months, Nesbitt turned down offers from labels to sign her. Determined first to build her own fan base and develop her sound, she ignored advice not to post original songs on YouTube and saw interest in her sweet, feisty folk-pop soar. By the end of 2011, BBC Introducing had picked up on Nesbitt’s independently released, debut EP, Live Take, and broadcast a session with the singer/songwriter on Radio 1. At the start of this year, she toured Europe with Ed Sheeran. In April, she released her second EP, The Apple Tree, comprised of five self-penned songs about growing up. Nina has briefly announced her second UK Headlining Tour; "BOY UK TOUR". Which is to celebrate the release of her debut single; "Boy", a poppier track she wrote 18 months ago and released under her new record label.

@ Edinburgh, UK
♫ Acoustic, Indie, Pop

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Rae Morris

For today's feature I again have to credit the amazing UK tv series Skins for introducing me to the promising singer songwriter Rae Morris. Rae is an 19 year old singer-songwriter from Blackpool. Learning piano at an early age and forever underestimating her ability, Rae recently found a voice she didn’t know she had. Make your own comparisons, but be sure to notice a girl of maturity beyond her years. Cleverly matching her inimitable voice to songs of new experiences, those defining challenges like love and not always being able to have the answers, Rae is the epitome of raw and claims nothing else. "Morris' huge voice is accompanied by delicate piano and a subtle guitar line on this slow-burning torch ballad. Rae is definitely one to keep your eye on. She'll be big in no time, mark my words. So don't miss out and download her FREE demo EP!

@ Blackpool, UK
♫ Folk/Pop

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Brooke Annibale

Today's feature is one my favorite discoveries of the last few weeks. Brooke Annibale is an acoustic singer/songwriter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She took up the guitar at the age of 15 and began taking lessons, improving her skill and establishing her own style of playing. She eventually began writing her own songs. As a junior in high school, she released her first EP, “Go Unnoticed” to be sold at her shows and at the venues she’d played. At 17, she recorded her second album, the full-length “Memories in Melody”. Vocally, she has a smoky quality similar to John Mayer, and employs a pleasing thickness and pitch that are reminiscent of Natalie Merchant. Her lyrics bleed with an uncommon wisdom for a twenty-three-year-old, as the tales she tells about love, loss, faith and finding yourself are simultaneously deeply personal and wholly universal in their application. Brooke’s third album, Silence Worth Breaking, is her most well-rounded effort yet, featuring dreamy folk-pop, radio-ready pop-rock, edgy groove rock and even some stripped down numbers where it’s largely her and her acoustic guitar. “Silence Worth Breaking” was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The new album was funded by Brooke’s fans through a campaign on the crowd-funding website, Kickstarter.com. Brooke’s third album follows “Memories in Melody” and “The In Between,” released in 2005 and 2008, respectively. Over the course of that time period, Brooke attended Belmont University in Nashville where she earned a degree in Music Business. Upon graduation, she returned home to Pittsburgh to pursue her career in music both locally and nationally and has been invited to open for musicians Katie Herzig, Matthew Perryman Jones, Tony Lucca, Julian Velard, Charlie Mars, Kim Taylor, Julie Lee and Steven Delopoulos. So be sure to  give this very talented singer-songwriter a listen, you won't regret.

@ Pittsburgh, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Destry

For today's feature I have to give credit to the amazing iPad app BandADay, readers with an iPad should really give it a try! Last week I stumbled upon the folkpop duo Destry. Destry consists of Michelle DaRosa and Tyler Odom, who have known each other for the better part of ten years but it’s only been in the last two years that they have gone from friends to band mates. Both of them experienced success in previous musical acts, Straylight Run and Northstar/Cassino respectively, but their time together in Destry has brought them in a different direction. Old fans and new were introduced to the project with their debut release “It Goes On” in late 2009. The duo believes it is their new record that will showcase their musical direction and capabilities with Destry. The songs are dreamy, upbeat, 60’s pop beauties that are equal parts charming and engaging. If “It Goes On” was an introduction, the upcoming release "Waiting On An Island" will be a band-defining album of work that will allow Destry to stand on it’s own.

@ Boston, USA
♫ Indie, Folk, Pop

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Free Music: Jenny & Tyler

Jenny and her husband Tyler met at the University of Delaware. They met in a bus on their way to church. They started leading worship together and from there began writing songs and eating omelets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They spent the first year singing together in the stairwells of the student center. The acoustics were incredible. Sometime that fall they started dating and well, as they say, the rest is history. They are really different, but those differences are part of what make us a great team. Tyler pushes me Jenny to try new things and Jenny keeps him somewhat grounded. Their different musical backgrounds inspire us to create new music. If it weren’t for Tyler, Jenny probably would be writing cheesy country songs and Tyler’d be a virtual Jack Johnson impersonator. In 2007, they released a record called A Prelude. an album with songs that were really just the beginning of what they were to become as a duo. In 2008, they moved to Nashville. In 2009, they quit their day jobs and released This Isn’t a Dream. That spring, they toured for the first time. They traveled consistently for the next year, playing in houses, coffee shops, churches, colleges, and bars. Met all sorts of interesting people, some of whom now feel like extended family, and learned a lot about ourselves. This past summer, they decided it was time to make another record. Gathered a group of songs and went into the studio (aka our friends’ closets, living rooms, and basements). They're really happy with the result. Faint Not chronicles our journey. "As writers, songs allow us to communicate experiences and truths when we can’t find the words to speak them. Our hope is that the songs will resonate with you. We don’t know what the future holds, but we’re thankful for where we are today. Definitely be sure to try out their FREE album!


@ Nashville, USA
♫ Folk, Rock, Pop

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Rebekka Karijord

The last few weeks I discovered that my internship is, with its long days, quite time consuming. That's why you haven't seen updates on here for quite a while. But I still am discovering lots of new interesting music, so I'll try to share those as much as possible with you from now on. Today's feature is Rebekka Karijord. Rebekka was born in 1976, in Northern Norway (Lofoten). She lived with her mother her whole growth. Both her parents are artists. Rebekka went to several musical/performance educations such as the Norwegian Musical Theatre, Academy of ballet and she also went to the Royal Academy of Acting in Stockholm. She has a Swedish family and after four years living in Stockholm she feels she has two homes, one in Sweden and one in Norway. Rebekka composed her first song when she was 3 years old, recorded her first demo with her own songs when she was 8 years old. She also learned how to play piano and the violin during her whole growth. She started composing English songs when she was 12 years old and contributed with her talent to Children’s records and NRK (Norwegian TV) as vocalist, songwriter and actress during her whole growth. When she was 17 years old she was contracted to a major record company, but left out as they tried to control her artistic visions. Afterwards she immediately procured her own computer to start composing digitally, on her own. Rebekka’s music is probably inspired by Northern Norway, more specially Lofoten, where her family lives these days. Her dream would be living in Lofoten with her computers, microphones and just keep creating these beautiful tunes.Rebekka never intended to only sing beautifully, she wanted to project a story with her voice. She wants people to listen to the recording and understand what she went through earlier the same day. To this date, she has released three studio albums, all under slightly different artist names. In 2003 she released Neophyte (as Rebekka) followed by Good or Goodbye in 2005 with Peder Kjellsby (as Rebekka & The Mysterybox) and her latest album The Noble Art of Letting Go as Rebekka Karijord.

@ Stockholm, Sweden
♫ Alternative, Acoustic, Folk

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Rachèl Louise

Today's post has been in the queue for at least a few weeks, it never got posted when I was finishing my bachelor thesis. Rachèl Louise was born 20 years ago in the heart of Utrecht. Growing up in a family of professional musicians, Rachel’s dream of making her own musical contribution to the world was natural. Her musical talent became evident when at the age of 5 she sung as a featured soloist in a Dutch children’s choir. During her childhood she sang for numerous Dutch and English CD-, DVD- and television productions. Rachel Louise left at the age of 17 for California to continue her education at the famous Musicians Institute in Hollywood LA. Here she was able to develop her own style, and with the help of industry professionals and an inspirational networking environment, work on her musical talents in writing, performing and recording. Now she is back in the Netherlands and working on her debut album. Rachel Louise is a singer/songwriter with pop influences, comparable to Maria Mena, Adele en Sara Bareilles. Together with international producers from Los Angeles, Hamburg and the Netherlands, Rachel Louise is spending this year on the release of an EP with a selection of her repertoire. She will be promoting her music with a series of ‘living room concerts’, small-scale but intimate gatherings with all the ingredients of a personal party: drinks, snacks and live music in an intimate atmosphere in ‘living rooms’ throughout the Netherlands. Recently Rachel appeared on several radioshows, and has already been referred to as one of the new talents from Holland.

@ Utrecht, NL
♫ Singer-songwriter, Pop

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Amatorski

In the first few years after I discovered last.fm I visited it everyday. But when it became part of CBS and got all the region restrictions and a lot less free playable music I stopped coming to the website so regurarly. A few days ago I discovered they are finally introducing a friend finder, so let's hope it's the beginning for more innovations. What did not change about last.fm is the perfect recommendations for similar sounding artists. As a few hours ago, I discovered today's featured belgium formation Amatorski with last.fm recommendations! Amatorski is a young Belgian band formed in 2008, with a melancholic and narrative style, and some reminiscences of Portishead, Sigur Rós, or Radiohead. Amatorski consists of Inne Eysermans (songs, producing, voice, piano, guitar, accordeon), Sebastiaan van den Branden (guitar, programming, voice), Hilke Ros (double bass, synth bass, voice), and Christophe Claeys (drums, vibraphone, trumpet).Though their name means ‘amateurs’, they reached the finals of the Belgian rock contest Rockrally in 2010. The intimate song "Come Home" hit #1 in ‘De Afrekening’, the alternative hit chart on radio station Studio Brussel. In 2010 they released the Same Stars We Shared (Amatorski debut) EP. Their debut longplayer TBC was released in May 2011. You can listen them in full on their Bandcamp.

@ Gent, Belgium
♫ Alternative, Folk

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Jesse Thomas

Today, while procrastinating from writing my bachelor thesis, I found a new favorite singer-songwriter, while browsing on coffee and Starbucks. Jesse Thomas was featured as "Pick of the Week" at Starbucks back in February. I immediately fell in love with her distinctive smokey voice, whimsical catchy songs and easy to relate to lyrics. Jesse Thomas is an L.A. based singer-songwriter originally from Covington, Kentucky. Late 2008, after graduating she packed up her bags and moved to Los Angeles by herself not knowing a soul when she arrived. After a few open mics around the valley and home-recorded demos, she met producer Jim Roach. Last year's spring Jesse finished up her debut “Hazel EP” which hit iTunes and stores nationally in September 2010. The album debuted in the top ten of the singer/songwriter charts and was featured on iTunes "New and Noteworthy," as well as the "Indie Spotlight." Both her Hazel EP and the "Hearbreaker Sessions EP" are amazing and made it really hard to choose two songs to feature, because I honesty love them all. Jesse already has opened for John Mayer, Owl City, Lights, and Angel Taylor. And since Jesse is back in the studio recording her debut full length album I am sure we will be much more from her. I cannot wait!

@ Covington, USA
♫ Singer-songwriter

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Gabrielle Aplin

The earlier post was accidentally deleted by Blogger in the last few days, sorry for the inconvenience.

No, I did not discover singer-songwriter and internetsensation Gabrielle Aplin through YouTube.. Unfortunately I was not so lucky to discover her so soon. But it was last year when I stumbled upon her "Acoustic EP" somewhere that I fell in love with her voice. Now with the release of her second "Never Fade EP" it's the perfect opportunity to share this gem with you! I just learned that Gabrielle achieved to gather an enormous fanbase just from her bedroom, she's again a perfect example what you can reach with (besides a great voice/and lots of talent of course) with social media nowadays. She for example had iTunes chart success more than five million plays on Youtube and millions of plays on MySpace.At eighteen, Gabrielle Aplin is the self-taught; self promoted singing, piano and guitar playing internet sensation. With beautiful vocals and a raw talent for song writing, Gabrielle's EP's are a great listen. Don't miss out!

@ Bath, UK
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Kris Berry

Today was a beautiful sunny day here in Holland, which definitely inspired today's post. While studying in the sun, I listened to today's featured "Kris Berry"; an upcoming soul and jazz formation from my own  country. While listening I imagined being on an Caribbean beach, drinking coconut cocktails under palm trees. Kris Berry is perfect for warm summer days or even to dream away a little on rainy days. On their five track debut EP, which was released last february Kris Berry are treating you with a melting pot of Jazz, Country, Latin and Rhythm & Blues with songs, that according to the band itself hides the story of it's origin. Kris Berry is Kris Berry (vocals), Jet Stevens (bass), Claus Tofft (percussion) and Coos Zwagerman (trumpet) and their "Flower Empty Tree EP" is available on iTunes and Spotify! Don't hesitate and bring some summer in your life!

@ Amsterdam, NL
♫ Jazz, Pop

Monday, April 11, 2011

Birdy

Normally I'm not that big on artists getting fame by releasing cover songs, but when I heard this incredibly beautiful cover version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" I had to adjust those views immediately. Loyal readers know I'm a sucker for piano driven music, and this stripped down version with piano instead of guitar managed to grab me from the very first few seconds. It's still a cover, but still sounds very original. Can't wait to hear what her own songs sounds like! Birdy is one Jasmine Van Den Bogaerde, a fourteen-year-old (!!!) singer/songwriter from Lymington, England whose self-released version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" has broken through on the U.K. charts. It already reached the 25th place and got her a deal with Atlantic UK records and an beautiful new Sophie Muller-directed musicvideo. Let's just hope that Jasmine stays true to herself. If so, she'll have a bright future in front of her.

@ Lymington, UK
♫ Acoustic, Piano, Pop

Monday, April 4, 2011

Misty Miller

I still remember that when I discovered Laura Marling a few years ago I was so surprised when that she was only 18 when her debut album came out. With her new album scheduled for a late fall release, Misty Miller, a very young talented singer-songwriter from the UK seems to fill that gap perfectly with her just released self titled debut album. Misty Miller sounds like a younger catchier version of Laura Marling  she writes pretty songs with her pure soulful voice accompanied on the ukulele. Misty grew up as the only girl in a large musical family, writing songs as a child with her brother. After being encouraged by friends to take to the stage at an open mic festival it was clear that Misty was ready to go into the studio. At the age of 15 she recorded her first tracks for the ‘Remember’ EP and her debut album ‘Misty Miller’. As a fan of the classic artists such as Elvis and Billie Holliday Misty Miller takes influence from their varied styles which can be heard clearly throughout her debut self-titled album. As a young singer songwriter, she composes all her songs on an ukelele, and performs live with the confidence of a seasoned artist. If you can, go see her live, since performing live is what she loves most!

@ London, UK
♫ Indie, Folk, Pop

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Free Music: Susan Enan

It's been over two years since I featured Susan Enan on this blog. Today I recevied an email from NoiseTrade that her album "Plainsong" is downloadable for FREE from their website for a limited time.With this post I wanted to make sure you were not missing out on this great offer! Be sure to check it out! Susan Enan released her debut album 'Plainsong' in 2009. In 2006, while demoing songs for the record, Enan began receiving worldwide attention after her track "Bring On The Wonder" featuring Sarah McLachlan, appeared on the second season of the Fox show Bones. The song was also featured on the shows soundtrack two years later. It took another 6 months to wrap up the record proper which features Enan's remix of "Bring on the Wonder" along with 9 other tracks. In June 2010 Sarah McLachlan recorded her own version of "Bring On The Wonder" for her seventh studio album Laws of Illusion. Susan is currently embarking on a worldwide house concert tour called "Bring On The Song". The self-produced record was recorded in 5 different countries, much of it in Enan's small home studio in Brooklyn. It was finally released in July 2009 and features co-production from Alan Bezozi, musical appearances from Ashwin Sood (drums), Steve Schiltz (guitars), Graham Maby (bass), and vocal appearances from Declan O'Rouke and Sarah McLachlan.  Be sure to check it out!

@ Brooklyn, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Anna Von Hausswolff

I am having a really hard time remembering the first time I heard Anna von Hausswolff. But what I will never forget is how her music touched me from the very first seconds she started singing on “Track of Time”. With one the of most honest and expressive vocals I’ve ever heard, Anna makes you feel it in your bones. “Her voice is that of total expression” as her bio says it. On her ten-track debut album, Singing from the Grave, which was released in May after her Track of Time EP, 23-year-old Swedish pianist and singer-songwriter Anna von Hausswolff sings about gloomy Sundays, lovers lost at sea, life, death, pills, and all things gloomy in between. Although Anna already has been attracting plenty of attention in Scandinavia she sadly remains somewhat obscure outside of her homeland. All genuine music lovers should give this enormously underrated album a listen and spread the love!

@ Goteburg, Sweden 
♫ Alternative, Folk

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Armistice

When reading the name of the today's post you probably would not have immediately noticed, but there is new music from Beatrice Martin (aka Coeur de Pirate)!!. Armistice is the collaboration between Beatrice Martin and Bedouin Soundclash frontman, Jay Malinowski. With music and lyrics written, the pair headed to Los Angeles late last summer to record the album at Big Game Lodge with El Bronx. Martin and Malinowski first worked together artistically when Beatrice lent her voice to the track, “Brutal Hearts” on Bedouin Soundclash’s fall release, Light The Horizon. The song was proclaimed a highlight of the album by critics and the public alike. Out of this came the idea to join forces to create Armistice. Beatrice Martin, most commonly recognized as the enchanting Coeur de Pirate, took home 3 Victoires in France and and 2 Felix, including Breakthrough Artist of the Year, in Quebec, for her self-titled debut album in 2009. Selling over 600,000 albums worldwide. It would be too easy to say that all new music by Beatrice is welcome, but at the sound of the EP with five all beautiful songs, it's safe to say that I would 've loved this EP even if I wasn't aware she was part of it! If you take for instance the featured track "Mission Bells" the undeniable magic between Martin and Malinowski's voices. So even if you've never heard of Coeur de Pirate, listen to the featured song or listen to the full EP beneath.


@ Montreal, Canada
♫ Folk Pop

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Free Music: Pearl and the Beard

"Pearl and the Beard loves you the way you’ve always been". With an opening sentence like this you can't go wrong in my book! So a few months back when I visited The Family Records website, to find some info on Wakey!Wakey!, I discovered this wonderful trio. Pearl and the Beard is three voices, one cello, one guitar, one glockenspiel, one melodica, several drums, one accordion, ninety-six teeth, and one soul. Former strangers Jocelyn Mackenzie, Emily Hope Price, and Jeremy Styles were united in the great city of New York. Each had migrated there from a far corner of the nation with naught but food in their pockets and money in their bellies. Each had the same true love. Since then, the three have nested, and their unique brand of brightly melodic songcraft continues to blossom of its own accord. When I recently found out they're now offering a free EP it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share this gem with you. So don't hesitate, and download!

@ New York, USA
♫ Alternative, Folk, Pop
♥ Black Vessel

Monday, February 21, 2011

Little & Ashley

Tonight's feature is another artist I discovered through a commercial, LA based songwriting duo Little & Ashley was formed when they recorded “Fly Me Away” to accompany an Amazon commercial contest entry, which also starred Annie. Ultimately, the contest entry won both the Audience and the Amazon Jury prize and Little & Ashley, with the help of trombonist Alanna Vicente, finished recording a full-length version of the song which is included on the Stole My Heart EP. They also have completed a deal to compose additional material for Amazon’s Kindle commercial series. Their song, "C'mon Let's Go", "Fly Me Away" and “Stole My Heart”, featured in Amazon’s Kindle commercials for TV are available on Amazon’s music site.  Annie Little has starred in over 40 national commercials and hit TV shows including Mad Men, Scrubs, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Longtime musician Marcus Ashley writes and records with Los Angeles band American Weapon, and is currently completing a third release. In addition to music, Marcus has guest starred as an actor on numerous TV shows including Bones, CSI: NY, Scrubs and Ghost Whisperer. Additionally, he has starred in over 50 U.S. national and European commercials including Volkswagen, Heineken, Ford, Levi’s, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Budweiser, and Kodak. But with their first steps in the music business,  Little and Ashley hope to live up to earlier expectations: in high school, Marcus was voted Most Talented and Annie was voted Most Likely To Sing In The Metropolitan Opera.

@ Los Angeles, USA
♫ Indie, Pop

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Clara C

The world's most visited video website, YouTube already has brought us many musical talents. Today's featured artist, Clara C (short for Clara Chung) also seems to belong to that category of selfmade artists.. Unfortunately I only discovered Clara last week, which perhaps is due to lack of the very deserved media attention around this talented singer-songwriter. In my opinion Clara deserved at least as much attention as earlier discovered youtube stars like Esmee Denters, who are easily outshone by Clara's raw talent, originality and charming personality. Clara has been a closet musician most of her life, and has only recently revealed her talent to the world. In a short period of time, she has won prestigious competitions such as Kollaboration 10, ISA 09: Los Angeles and the KAC Media Creative Juice Night. Clara has just begun to capture the hearts and minds of the music community worldwide. Her quirky charm, creative ideas, unlimited instrumental and vocal talent has allowed people to see Clara as the next big singer/songwriter. Clara's music can best be described as a synergy of folk/pop/rock sound that when blended together creates a unique experience. She has performed at renowned venues such as The White House Dept. of Education, Hollywood Bowl, Shrine Auditorium and more where she performed for crowds of up to 18,000 people. Clara's debut album was released on September 24th to a sold out crowd at the Hotel Cafe venue. Look for Clara as she tours throughout the year promoting her debut album, The Art in My Heart.

@ Los Angeles, USA
♫ Folk, Pop