Friday, March 15, 2024

SINGER / SONGWRITER 'SYDNEY B' TALKS ABOUT HER NEW SINGLE "BEAUTIFUL" AND MUCH MUCH MORE!


Sydney B promotes hope and positivity in powerful new track “Beautiful"

 


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By Bobby Martin


Sydney B may be young at 17-years-old, but her music touches on aspects of life that both teens and adults can relate to. Her new track “Beautiful” delves into the world of promoting high self esteem and positivity through her resounding vocals and songwriting skills.


“I want to radiate positivity no matter where I go or what I do,” she said. “All of my music is geared toward positive feelings and creating a world of hope. That’s my goal.”


When she was just getting started, Sydney B’s producer asked her what she wanted to write about. Through discussing it they found that she shared insecurities and life obstacles that are common for not just teenagers, but people of any age.


“I wanted to send a message that says everyone is beautiful in their own way and that no one’s alone,” she said. 


“Beautiful” was also used in a new music video that portrays Sydney B at an audition with other musicians practicing and waiting for their turn. The director walked her through the process, as it was being created to show an example of what the music stands for. With her background in music and theater she could relate to what the video was portraying, as it came naturally.


“We have a lot of other people go through the audition process in the video to show that we’re all the same and nobody is greater or less than another,” she said. “We all have our differences and that is what makes us so beautiful in our own way.”


In the new track, Sydney B sings:


“I took a moment just to look in the mirror

Ok I’m ready to take on the world

For every moment I cry

I know these tears have gone dry

Cuz I’m beautiful

I’m beautiful

I tell the world I’m beautiful.”


The mirror analogy is about looking inward, she said, as it can be difficult to do when being focused on what’s on the outside. This can be about your personal feelings or what you perceive people see you as.


“The point of that is to look inside and find what is beautiful within you,” she said. “Everyone has beautiful traits and beautiful qualities within themselves, and when you tap into that it can create your passion or life’s calling.”


Sydney B began singing in a choir when she was nine, and then became involved in musical theater in middle school. While she grew up in a family that was more sports focused, she said it was music what really sparked her interest.


“I got into music and it was something that I never wanted to stop,” Sydney B said. “I always wanted to be singing. No matter how long any rehearsal was, I’d want to be there the whole time. I never got bored. It was where I found my passion and something I really loved.”


She is inspired by her vast influences from all sorts of musical genres, as she loves music as a whole and not just a specific part of it. One thing is for sure about her style: she is promoting hope through her lyrics and uplifting beats.


The Atlanta based musician found herself through music. She wants to use this to spread this message, as it has helped her greatly in life.


“I’m not all the way there and I don’t know if I ever will be,” she said. “I think that’s part of what makes my music, my music. It’s not perfect and I’m not perfect, and I think that’s an important message for everyone to hear.”


Sydney B has about a dozen songs that she says are on the horizon to be released in the near future. Keep up with 

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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

SOUL / R&B ARTIST JIMMY MCGEE STOPS IN AND TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW SINGLE "BOTTOM LINE" PLUST MUCH MORE!

 Soulful Crooner Jimmy McGee Enchants with Latest Single, ‘Bottom Line’

By: Nadia Sobehart


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Artist and musician, Jimmy McGee, delivers a soulful new single, “Bottom Line.”


Born and raised in Ohio, Jimmy grew up on rhythm and blues and a household of music. His passion for song began as a young churchgoer listening to the vibrant gospel that echoed off church walls. At age 11, Jimmy picked up the guitar and mastered a new skill. Never finding joy in his schooling, Jimmy McGee turned to music for guidance. At 14, he joined fellow R&B enthusiasts and performed at local venues.


“I am a soul music survivor,” tells Jimmy. From Bobby Womack to Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Jimmy immersed himself in all-things soul from an early age. Decades later, Jimmy McGee brings his never-ending passion for music to the stage with a refined sound. His sound is a smooth blend of R&B, Southern Soul, and Neo-soul, with a spin uniquely his own. 


“Bottom Line,” Jimmy McGee’s latest single, opens with bluesy tones, drawing in listeners with a smooth guitar riff as the song takes on depth. Velvety vocals emerge, telling Jimmy’s story.


“What inspired the song was an experience with obstacles. When a person is gifted with song, there is often envy and stuff that goes along with it—it’s only a matter of time. But I refused to give up,” shares Jimmy McGee. “That’s what inspired it—the rigamarole of being a musician. Standing my ground and being myself.”


Jimmy wants listeners to feel encouraged by his song. “I want them to realize that there’s obstacles, but they aren’t the end all be all. People look for a higher power outside, but it’s in ourselves. Self-determination is the key.”


Jimmy sings in the key of determination. “Bottom Line” is life’s ballad. “It’s a reminder to never give up—have perseverance.” In fact, all of Jimmy’s songs are about life and life’s lessons. “Life’s a journey, and these songs are about self-determination,” he adds. “You can get help, but it’s you who has to do it.”


Writing music usually begins with the music. “Usually, I write to the track. The process involves thinking about life, and the words come along with the music.” For the single and many others, Jimmy let life guide his art.


This year, Jimmy McGee is excited to release more music. Listeners can look forward to quarterly releases throughout the year. “I’m ready to get out, sing and perform,” he adds.


Make sure to stay connected to Jimmy McGee on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4l8rX8MTFyWwWegJGcaoMd?si=25lni2EURF254FtFM9ljzQ&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A37i9dQZF1EIXvDjPUh4EQk

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qkQY5tyKYq8&si=NZ7e3Iq5uXnfw9qn

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010166292389&mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_mcgee_music?igsh=MTM4a3p0N2tmbDEzdA==


Friday, March 08, 2024

SINGER / SONGWRITER LISA STIRLING TALKS ABOUT HER NEW SONG "EASY" AND MUCH MORE! TUNE IN!

Lisa Stirling brings out “Easy,” a magical reflection on what love could be


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By Kurt Beyers


Lisa Stirling’s new song “Easy” is a heartbreakingly beautiful piece of music that she has been working on since 2020. It did not come easy.


Various things — she was having a hard time getting songs produced, for one thing, and she was kind of trying to make her mind up about what she wanted to do with her career, even though she is a singer/songwriter who has a band and has performed a lot and was putting out songs.


“Easy” drops on February 29.


“I don’t know why I put that one on the backburner, because I really do love that song,” she said.


If “Easy” is not, from a listening perspective, a perfect song, a song anyone can love, it will do until one comes along.


The first slow, resounding piano notes grab the emotions and hold them in place for Lisa’s voice, soft and sultry. Up and down the scale, it’s a voice that carries an electric charge.


We don't always have to be

Tied up in a bow,

I want it strange and messy,

Like mud between my toes


“My producer and I, we finally just did it,” she said. “And I am so happy about it, and I’m really, really happy and proud of how it came out.”


The music, lyrics and Lisa’s vocals create a poetic meditation on love that is at the same time uplifting and heartbreaking. You would never guess its inspiration.


“When I wrote it,” she said, “I was actually in a relationship that felt like I was slamming my head against a wall. Nothing against him at all, but we were always in fights over everything. We had to work on our relationship all the time, and I was just wanting it to be easy.”


This was during a vacation in a cabin, booked before quarantine but happening as everything shut down.


“We ended up going but just staying in the whole time instead of going out and doing anything. There was a piano in the cabin, and I ended up writing the song while he was there. We got back, and we broke up a couple of weeks later.”


“Easy” could have been just another love-gone-wrong song but isn’t. It is, instead, a reflection on the nature of love and, like any song, is open to the interpretation of the person listening to it. If it were to get a hundred million streams — and it should, at least — that would be a hundred million interpretations.


And I wanna be 80 years old,

Looking at my life saying damn,

That was easy


Magic lies between muddy toes and 80, and any attempt to describe or explain it would constitute desecration. “Easy” must be heard.


“The way I write songs, I like to be straightforward about my feelings and what’s going on in my brain. I write very much in the moment of what I’m feeling,” she said.


She began recording and putting out songs in 2021, when she dropped four. She put out one in 2022 and then zip in 2023.


“I was going through nothing crazy or profound, but I was just having kind of a difficult year, mentally, I guess.” A job, the vicissitudes of life, a loss of focus — all joined to create, she says, “a lack of motivation.”


“So, I wasn’t doing anything to forward my music career at all, which I regret but, you know, I had to take that year to figure out myself and what I wanted out of life. It made me realize, this year, that I don’t want to do that again. I don’t want to take another year without focusing on what makes me happy.”


She has been active in music for several years. She has a band that has played a lot but has no name except that the members joke about being Lisa and the Stirlings.


“And it’s kind of stuck,” she said.


The songs she has already put out are fine examples of pop music: “Crush,” “For the Weekend,” “See You in Hell,” “Cool Girl” and “In the Dark.”


 But she feels like she has matured in the intervening years. 


“I think part of it is aging and maturing as a person. I also feel like my voice became a lot more self realized, starting with ‘Cool Girl,’ then ‘In the Dark’ and now ‘Easy.’ I love all the other music I’ve released, but I feel like those three songs really represent me as an artist.”


She has worked for a long time with producer Javier Cruces. She says that their work together has matured as well.


“The more we work together, the more I feel like we understand each other and can create music as a pair versus just him doing a job for me. We have really started to understand each other in the creative process.”


That, she said, is also a factor in how “Easy,” a song she wrote three years ago, came out of production this year. She gives a lot of credit to Javier and the pianist, Gonzalo Martin.


“I play piano, but just as a tool to write chords. I knew for this one I really needed somebody to bring it to life. He’s an amazing pianist, and he took the vision and ran with it.”


Next up is a song called “Trance,” which is being recorded by Lisa and the Stirlings. They also played on “In the Dark” and “Cool Girl.” More singles will come after “Trance,” she says.


Maybe, “if there’s demand for an EP, then I’ll definitely work on an EP.”


“With every single song,” she said, “I feel like I’m growing more into an artist.”


That would be growth worth listening. Connect to Lisa Stirling on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

MUSICAL RECORDING ARTIST: SOPHIA MENGROSSO JOINS THE SHOW AND TALKS ABOUT HER NEW SINGLE "UNFORGIVEN" AND MUCH MORE!

Sophia Mengrosso supplies powerful vocals on the heavy rock track “Unforgiven,” available on all platforms


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By Bobby Martin


Sophia Mengrosso is a classically trained opera singer with a wide vocal range that is ever apparent on her newest single “Unforgiven,” scheduled to be released on February 24.


Mengrosso has a hauntingly beautiful, and unique, voice that fits right in with the power of her lyrics and the heavy sound that it complements. This track is about putting the time and work into letting go of someone she loved. It focuses on her efforts to move on and move forward with her life, despite the scars and the pain that it has brought.


“I just wanted to let go of a person, and let go of the memories,” said Mengrosso. “I’ve accepted the fact that I can’t blame someone for what happened in the past. Instead of me carrying that weight on me, I just want to forgive the person and move on.”


Mengrosso wrote this song years ago, but came back to it about a year back when she rediscovered it in a different way. She said that whenever she has a significant personal experience, she will incorporate it into her material because it is helpful to handle what life throws at her. Writing this track was a cathartic experience for Mengrosso.


“When I go through something, I try to put it into my music because this is what gives me a drive to go through stuff,” she said. “It’s so personal. It is about finding strength and finding something that will drive you to achieve what you want. You can find strength in your weaknesses, like pulling out the light from darkness.”


“Unforgiven” is part of a 12 song album that Mengrosso eyes a release for the end of April, and it will also include a recently released single titled “Under.” She is still going through the naming process for the record, and related it to naming a baby because of how much the work means to her. Life experiences are what inspires her work, and she is taking the time to choose the proper name.


Mengrosso has a background in musical education, and is a composer who has been writing music for many years, as well. She started as a classical singer and developed an interest in rock and metal as she grew up. Now she is writing and producing her own music, and she said she couldn’t be happier about her path.


She started her musical journey by playing piano and harp, and then began taking voice classes as a child. Mengrosso writes all her music on the piano, and she said this has helped her in developing her style. She is influenced by opera singers like Maria Callas, Cecilia Bartoli and Nellie Melba, but also listens to plenty of music outside of the classical world. Her wide range of musical taste has helped shape here as a musician.


As a teenager she discovered rock and metal, as she is inspired by bands like Metallica, Evanescence and Nightwish. When she was 16, Mengrosso played covers of Evanescence tunes at a local music festival, which led to her dive into the hard rock genre. 


Mengrosso’s music is heavy hitting and powerful, which is something that she loves about the rock genre. She said it gives her room to express herself, especially as a female singer. Having classical training was a great bridge and gave her the confidence in her vocals that has stuck with her.


“Blending the two styles is actually very organic,” she said of classical music and the rock genre. “It’s like a good marriage. They complete each other. I enjoy blending these two components together. It is the process of creation for me, and I need those two tools to create something.”


Mengrosso wants her fans to find strength to pursue their desires, saying her message through her music is to “take whatever you need from what inspires you.” 


“I try and tell you to just go and pursue your dreams,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how hard it seems. You have to go through the challenges. You need all this experience to create your own reality. My message is to just go out there and chase your dreams, and go get it. You just have to do it. Be strong and go get what you want.”


Mengrosso has shows lined up for April in Texas, New York and Los Angeles, California. She also has plans to perform oversees over the summer, but plans are still in the works.


Be sure to check out the new single “Unforgiven” by Sophia Mengrosso, available on all platforms.

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Apple

TikTok

Instagram

YouTube



Monday, March 04, 2024

HIP HOP RECORDING ARTIST 'SOTLY SHAWN' STOPS BY THE SHOW AND TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW AP "DAY BY DAY" AND MORE!

SOTLY Shawn releases EP titled Day by Day that focuses on pushing forward and looking at the big picture


By Bobby Martin


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Hip-hop artist SOTLY Shawn wants his fans to know two things about him: never expect his sound to stay the same, and listening to his music is like getting a “home cooked meal.”


“You might have some fast food, and that’s always good,” he said. “But there’s nothing like being in your mother’s or grandma’s house and getting that home cooked meal. That’s what I feel like I am. You know that’s what you’re getting when you listen to SOTLY Shawn.”


The Brooklyn based rapper has has just released a new single called “Standin’” off his EP titled Day by Day.


“The message in the song is that no matter what, he’s still standing,” he said. “No matter what, he’s going to the top, he’s going to still stand. Whatever happens- we try to ignore the negativity, push the positivity, and that’s what we’re going with.”


“Standin’” is the outro track on the five song EP, which he said was created at a fairly chaotic time. There was stress about work and about finishing the project he was working on, and much of this is reflected in the songs. 


The first track titled “Still” coincides with “Standin’” in a way that they are bookends to the project. The second song, “No Doubt” reflects on the experiences his mom had when working a 9-5 job. This is followed by “The Soul” and “Tonight.”


“All throughout that EP, the idea behind it is pushing through and not becoming so one-track minded,” he said. “With all the problems in your 9-5, or all the problems in your life, you have to look at everything in a big picture kind of way.”


SOTLY stands for “someone out there loves you,” and this is a mantra that he lives by and promotes.


“That’s like my whole message at the end of the day,” he said. “No matter what you’re going through…if you’re working a job that sucks or if you’re going through doubt, depression, uncertainty, anything, just know it's all a part of the process. Somebody out there cares about you. Make the decision to never give up on yourself and finding those answers, because someone out there loves you. They want to see you win. Even if it's just me, I want to see you win.”


He added, “Les Brown said once that your struggle will be the blueprint to someone’s survival.”


SOTLY Shawn pulls his inspiration from his own life, as well as aspects that his friends and those close to him have gone through. He’ll often put himself in other peoples’ shoes to get different perspectives about what is wrong and what is right.


“I try to dig from those personal experiences, but also try to incorporate as many sides of it that I possibly can,” he said. “It’s never going to be just black and white, so this gives me a plethora of things to pull from when looking at it from different perspectives.”


When he makes a song he starts with the melody, but then once that is situated, he might add something like a rain effect to evoke emotions. He focuses on conveying feelings on the beat, whether it is a simple drum pattern or something more complex. 


Making beats has been a love of SOTLY Shawn’s for years, dating back to when he started listening to J. Cole at the age of nine. SOTLY Shawn saw similarities between themselves early and got drawn into his music. He knew then that he needed to make music of his own.


“That’s what made me want to start making my beats,” he said. “When I make beats, that’s when I really pull from shows I watch, sounds that I hear, and visual aspects. To me, beats can be visual if you make them in a certain way.”


SOTLY Shawn has a goal of connecting to as many people as he can through music.


“I want to be a part of every aspect of your life musically,” he said. “If you’re sad, I’ve got a song for that. If you’re working out, I’ve got a song for that. The goal really is to connect to people in different ways.”


You can check out SOTLY Shawn’s new single “Standin’” and his EP Day by Day on all platforms.

CLICK HERE for social media 


Friday, March 01, 2024

GENE TAYLOR FROM SEASON 25 OF "THE VOICE" STOPS IN AND TALKS ABOUT HIS AMAZING 4 CHAIR TURN BLIND AUDITION AND MORE!

 


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NBC's "The Voice" season 25 has officially kicked off and it didn't take long for one of the first 4 chair turn performance to take place. Gene Taylor, from Brooklyn, NY WOW'd the nation, and all 4 judges with an amazing blind audition performance. He sang "Lights" a Journey classic, and within seconds the chairs started spinning. 

Taylor would end up selecting a true legend, John Legend to be his coach and mentor. Have a listen to this fun and informative podcast where Taylor talks about his start in music as a child, and the journey he took to get where he is today.

Check out Gene's website  HERE

Check out Gene on FB  HERE

Check out Gene on Instagram  HERE

TUNE INTO THE VOICE ON NBC MONDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHTS 8P ET


Friday, February 23, 2024

COMPOSER RICHARD PESHKIN TALKS ABOUT HIS TITLE TRACK "THE WORLD NEEDS MUSIC" AND MUCH MORE!

The world needs “The World Needs Music” and more music by Richard Peshkin


LISTEN TO THE PODCAST BELOW!

By Kurt Beyers


“The World Needs Music,” the title track for composer Richard Peshkin’s recently released album, is a fun, beautiful pop song that shares a royal lineage in both its musical heritage and message.


“It’s fairly obvious that the world is in a total state of disunity, chaos and disharmony,” said Richard, “and there’s so little that unites people and so much that creates divisions.”


And music, he said, is one of the two things he’s seen that unites people. The second is sports.


“You can go to a football game, and you don’t even know the person next to you, never met him, but if you root for the same team, by the end of the game you’re high-fiving and hugging, and you might have hated the guy under other circumstances.”


Then there’s music.


“When you go to a concert, and you have 40 thousand or 50 thousand people, and some are white and some are brown, some are yellow, some are gay, some are straight and some are everything,” he said, “and they’re all there in unity to celebrate the power and the beauty of music.”


And now there’s “The World Needs Music”:


The world is an angry place to be

We’ve got to sing, not shout

We need to figure it out

A way to sing away the hurt we feel today

Let’s put it in a song it’s better


The song, beautifully sung by Kelsey Demsky, who also stars in the video, was produced by Mick James, known for his work on Criss Angel’s Mindfreak show. Mick was the producer for the entire album, which features Kelsey as the female vocalist and Dan Brenner as the male vocalist.


Richard, a retired physician, has been writing songs since he was 10, when he copyrighted his first song, “Nadine.” He has been composing ever since. In 2019 he wrote the music and lyrics for a musical comedy, Boca Bound,” which was on the ballot for Grammy nomination.


The 10 tracks of “The World Needs Music,” the first recording he has released, have attracted a wide audience so far. A second album, again featuring Kelsey, Dan and Mick, is ready for release around March, and a third is in process.


He writes his own music and lyrics.

 

“That’s something I pride myself in,” he said. “Some of my musical heroes did, some didn’t, and it’s kind of neat to do both, so you don’t have to answer to any critics.”


Now we come to musical ancestry. His heroes of musical composition include Hal David, Carole King, Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, the stars of Motown, James Taylor and, the chief idol in his pantheon, Burt Bacharach.


“Burt Bacharach has had an enormous effect on me in my life through his music. I’ve seen him in concert in various venues throughout my life, and his music has meant more to me than I could ever put into words. The lyrics written by Hal David, of course, were unbelievable.”


Bacharach wrote the music and David the lyrics for 1965’s hit “What the World Needs Now.” Sixty years later, the song still enjoys great popularity. For a couple of decades, it was an anthem of a movement to unite people in their common humanity.


“The World Needs Music” is “kind of an homage to that song but brought up into another time period where people can celebrate the unifying value of music.”


“We can all sing together and maybe put aside our differences,” he said.


He hopes that his song will become an anthem for things that bring people together. 


“When I wrote it, Mick, my producer-arranger, and I discussed the instrumentation and everything because we wanted it to sound like something you could sing at a high school or middle school, a grammar school or college. I could always picture young children singing it together in harmony — there’s a lot of harmonies in that song — before they learn how to hate.”


The album is a demonstration of what he wants music to do for people.


“What I want is for people to do what I do — sing the music, feel better because of the music, get out of a funk maybe, enhance things. Like, if I’m in love, make me feel love more. If you’re sad, music can make you happy. If you’re happy, music can make you happier.”


He wrote the songs with multiple genres in mind. The second song, coming right after “The World Needs Music,” is “Shut Up,” which almost became the one selected to promote the album. It is a pop version — and a hilarious video — based on a true story about a couple’s dinner confrontation over cooking.


“Right after ‘Shut Up’ is a beautiful ballad called ‘I Love You.’ I’m constantly aware of balancing those things,” he said.


Enrich your life by connecting to Richard Peshkin on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBNOGJInxSY

https://open.spotify.com/track/4fohtm5CmZGYXI2jHRdk1P?si=61dd20d77185484f

https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B0BTKL6L8T/richard-peshkin

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/richard-peshkin/1669340892

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ckuIpAbleH8DaGCsHzwOf

https://www.youtube.com/@RichardPeshkin


SINGER / SONGWRITER 'SYDNEY B' TALKS ABOUT HER NEW SINGLE "BEAUTIFUL" AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

Sydney B promotes hope and positivity in powerful new track “Beautiful"   LISTEN TO THE PODCAST BELOW! By Bobby Martin Sydney B may be...