The artist that most listeners will know about this year will be the young and talented, Amanda Plumb. According to her Spotify, she has been releasing music since 2020. So early in the 2023 year, and we have yet to hear her new music but we have insight that she will be releasing her latest project “Seaside” in the next coming weeks. This song is built around love and genuine passion within a new found love and we couldn’t be more excited to hear Amanda’s vibrant voice detailing the storyline in her lyrics. She details the song as a young and blissful love full of excitement and hope.
Amanda wrote this song while driving down the coast line in San Diego with her then new boyfriend. She recounts the feeling as a love high feeling that you get when you first start falling for someone new. That overwhelming lustful affection that crawls up your spine then through your blood steam as you feel the tenderness of one’s soul. This song will position Amanda to stardom and we are here to watch it all unfold.
The 20 year old sensation was born in Sonoma California and has been writing music since her years as a junior in high school. Living in Los Angeles has it challenges and fierce competitors but Amanda Plumb has found a way to separate herself from the pack.
The name says it all. The Strange One is strange. The good kind of strange, of course. Liken him to a mystery, you will NOT see this type of presentation performance from another artist. Taking 3 years to perfect his trademark look, The Strange One captures every part of your imagination. A mystical sight for all the senses; his presence transports you to foreign destinations- straight out of this world. Unique and totally different from any other artist, The Strange One delivers energy and lyricism not found on this planet. A sight like you’ve never seen! He commands the stage and makes his audience submit to his will. The Strange One is on his own frequency – but the audience quickly gets swept in as there is no escaping his affect. A visual masterpiece with stellar Hip Hop on the mi, it’s a whole vibe. The Strange One brings a one-of-kind element to the game – if your fortunate to experience it you will be forever changed.
Tampa artist Shelby Bond has been in love with singing and songwriting since she was a child, but there was a time in the recent past when she wasn’t doing much of either.
A toxic relationship was to blame. The cure? Getting back to that first love.
She released a single called “Blessing” earlier this year – her first release in two years – and it was that song that helped her come out of her shell.
“I pretty much wrote it and then went in and recorded the next day, but it took me a few months to completely finish it because I kept coming back and adding little touches,” she says. “I hadn’t been writing or singing for a really long time and I was coming out of one of those toxic relationships. I wrote that song and it definitely put a cap on the pain from coming out of those situations. It definitely helped me heal.”
She sums up the situation in the song’s opening line: I’m a blessing, you were a curse. Let you into my life, things started getting worse.
It’s got a melancholic vibe, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. And Bond has found it.
Now she’s prepping her debut album for release next year. It’ll feature up to a dozen tracks showcasing her mix of genres and styles, including alternative R&B and pop. She counts Amy Winehouse, Sinead Hartnett, Sabrina Claudio and Jorja Smith among her biggest influences.
She’s continued dropping singles, too. After “Blessing” came “Burnt Out,” and then “Option” and “Unhinged.” All four will appear on the full project.
“There’s no specific genre on this album, it’s just all over the place in a good and exciting way,” she says.
Most of the topics she writes about come from realized experiences, especially relationships. “Option” was inspired by a guy who wasn’t taking her seriously and kept blowing off plans.
“Not appreciating me,” she says. “And I just decided I didn’t want to be in that situation anymore. So I wrote the song, and then let that guy go.”
“Relationships, that’s just an easy one for me,” she says. “Some things like ‘Burnt Out’ I wrote about being tired of doing all this work and life getting overwhelming. But you’ve got to keep going. I’ve written some club music that’s just about going out and having fun. I’ve got a couple love songs, happy stuff.”
The music is already resonating with a growing audience. “Blessing” has been played more than 130,000 times on Spotify alone, and “Unhinged” earned tens of thousands of plays in a matter of days. She’s heard from listeners who even cried to some of her songs.
“I don’t want to make anybody shed tears, but it was flattering that I could touch people like that,” she says.
Back when she was experiencing those toxic relationships, Bond decided to start living her life for herself – and get back to doing what she’s passionate about. For now that means grinding out studio sessions to finish her album, and she’s got some words of wisdom for everybody else.
“Stay true to yourself,” she says. “Know your worth.”
Make sure to stay connected to Shelby Bond on all platforms for new music, videos and social posts.
Luck Chapo has always been passionate about music and recently has taken it to the next level. After taking a short break from his creative pursuits, he began recording and releasing music again during Covid-19. With a brilliant and unique sound that blends traditional Hip Hop and modern Trap into something truly his own, he is building himself up to take over the Hip Hop scene.
Over the course of 2022, Chapo began releasing projects under the title of Classical Trap. In the last year, he released Classical Trap Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Now at Volume 3, he is doing as incredible as ever. “This is a press play album,” Chapo said. “There isn’t a single song you’re going to want to skip.” Classical Trap Vol. 3 takes you through Chapo’s own thoughts over top of iconic beats and a beautiful blend of classic Hip Hop sound with strong Trap energy.
Some of the top tracks on Classical Trap Vol. 3 include “No Take Backs”, “Doing Alright” and “Everything Movin”. “These are some of my favorites,” Chapo explained. Each track is filled with brilliant lyricism and bold wit. While these songs are bold and well put, they are far from the only tracks to check out.
“I’m really excited about this release,” Chapo said about the album. “I think it’s consistent and honestly some of the best work I’ve done so far.” With twenty tracks on Classical Trap Vol. 3, there isn’t a single song that you will want to miss out on. There is truly something for everyone on this project.
Following the release of Classical Trap Vol. 3, Chapo is already looking forward to his next steps and the coming year of his artistic career. Keep an eye out for upcoming releases and tracks as well as an upcoming tour in the Southeastern United States. Chapo is also set to release a new line of merchandise in the coming months.
Luck Chapo has a fresh new sound and is on the way to becoming something truly great. This is certainly an artist you will want to keep up with. “I’m going to be staying focused this coming year,” Chapo said. “I’m performing at a higher caliber than ever before and I’m excited for people to see that.”
Be sure to stay tuned in to Luck Chapo on various platforms for new music, visuals and social posts.
Versatile hip-hop artist, Remo Da Goat—aka Ggmg Remo—stuns listeners with his single, “Woah,” straight off his upcoming album, Goat Shit Part 3: Da Old Me. The cross-genre artist is following up his first and second albums with a whole new sound, a throwback to his earlier days as a freestyle rapper.
With 1.5 million streams and counting, Remo Da Goat’s “Woah,” is quickly gaining steam. Not only have listeners demonstrated their support through streams, the single also earned the number four spot on iTunes for downloads and remained in the top 10 for several days after its release.
On January 7, the third installment of the Goat Shit series is coming out—fans, prepare yourselves! “Creating this album was different,” shares Remo Da Goat of his upcoming release. “They gave me a challenge to take a beat for 24 hours and then record whatever came out. We made 50 tracks and kept 20 of them for the album.”
“It’s a good album. It stresses who I am—the old me,” tells the artist. While his first album (Goat Shit Part 1: Up Next)took a mainstream approach, and his second album (Goat Shit Part 2: Toxic Love) focused on producing an R&B vibe, it’s his latest album that takes a step back into what inspired the artist to start making music: free styling.
Remo Da Goat’s love for music began around age eight, when he would freestyle with his cousins in the car. His newest album comes back full circle to his freestyle roots. Albums one and two, on the other hand, required Remo Da Goat to hone his writing skills before recording. “For the mainstream first album and R&B second, we focused on writing catchy hooks and following a formula that would work for those genres.”
With his third album, Remo Da Goat is looking to show audiences that he doesn’t fit in one particular box. In fact, his style is so versatile that he can skip from genre to genre and still engage listeners from one album to the next. “It’s a blessing to be able to put out CDs that did quite well. I’m blessed to keep it going and see different things across cities we tour.”
While Remo Da Goat is focused on having fun while creating his music, there is a bigger purpose he holds close to heart. “I’m having fun with the music. I want to keep a positive vibe going. The goal is to go back to the area I grew up in and give back to the kids in the neighborhood, get them into music.”
Remo Da Goat wants to keep surprising fans along the way. “I want to make sure that when fans hear my music they’ll never know what’s next. Singing. Rapping hard core. That’s what people can take away from my trilogy—there’s always something new coming.”
Make sure to stay connected to Remo Da Goat on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Music has always been part of life for Chicago rapper GBO (that’s two syllables, G-Boh). Ever Since he was a kid, he loved to write music and create songs. He wrote and created his first song at the age of 15. He hasn’t created any music in a while.
Until this year, when he released three songs. The latest is “Gone Too Soon,” a tribute to friends and loved ones no longer with him.
“Through the years, a lot of people close to me have passed away,” he said. “Some of my best friends are gone. Some of my family members. I just wanted to make a song to remember them and say it’s not the end, to stay positive, and to put out a good message.”
The message comes with a guitar meditation behind Philadelphia singer Rachel Philipp’s chorus and a soft drumbeat punctuating GBO’s rap:
Every minute with a loved one’s like a blessing to me
Your friendship’s like a circle that never ends
You’re the brother I never had, my best friend
I know your spirit lives on through my pen
Now as I pray, I say a-men.
“I just know I like to make music,” he said, “and recently I got back into it because I really enjoy it.”
Music “is my passion now,” but back in the early years it was more of an escape. He doesn’t talk much about that time, believing excessive detail would be a distraction from his music, but he did say he had a difficult childhood in a bad neighborhood on the south side of Chicago.
“Music would get me through everything,” he said.
Now, if things work out well, he wants to make his living from music. When he wrote those earlier songs, the music business was different, much more difficult to navigate. Today, with online music platforms and social media to help build a fanbase, music and a music career are much more “accessible.”
More accessibility makes collaboration easier. “Gone Too Soon” features Rachel on the chorus (“She did a phenomenal job.”), and his first two, “Rebound” and “Pushing Me” feature St. Laurent Don on hard-edged trap tracks.
“I’m just gonna start making my music, making my songs, see how it comes out and go from there.”
In his youth he listened to a lot of rock, from Elvis to Metallica, pop, “pretty much throw it in, I listened to it.” He also listened to hip hop — Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre, “just everything you can think of” — and his music now is rap, whereas his teen music was more singing.
“Hip hop and trap music,” he said. “I try to keep it more modern because the music’s always evolving. I try to see what’s hot right now and listen to some songs and work from there.
He writes lyrics to beats he likes.
“I look for something I can vibe with. If I’m listening to it and I feel like good about it, I start writing and take it from there. Like in ‘Gone Too Soon,’ I was listening to it, and I just started thinking like, the beat gave me a sad feeling, so I’m gonna write a sad song.”
In the process, he adjusted both the beat the and lyrics and ended up making a soulful, meditative “Gone Too Soon” that lifts the spirit rather than saddens it, and while the melodic chorus pleases the ear, GBO’s rap engages the pulse.
“I write music from many different perspectives,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just want people to enjoy it, to feel something from it, whether it’s in having fun or whether it’s like ‘Gone Too Soon,’ being sad. That’s the most you can ask for, that somebody connects with your music? They get it. They understand.”
Making a good career out of music would be nice, he said, but he is learning the business. He plans to do live performances, but that is a different process than writing, rapping and releasing tracks, and he is still feeling his way into that. He is exploring hiring a manager and expanding his presence on music and video platforms.
Meantime, he is writing, people are listening, and he is building a fanbase.
“I try not to have any expectations, because if I don’t have any expectations, and I see people listening to it, and people like it, and people connect to me, I get excited, right? Because my expectation was nothing. My expectation right now is, let’s see where it goes, see what I can do with it.”
To see where GBO goes and what he does, connect with him on these platforms for new music:
Ghxst Vic is a musician who Having grown up between Europe and Africa, his music draws from influences that span across genres like Afrotech, UK Drill, Discotech and more. With such a unique style and sound, he is able to create honest and personal tracks that truly stand out. His latest single is a track called “Baby Bump”.
“Baby Bump” has an intriguing sound and a deeply meaningful story to go alongside it. The song was created as part of the story of Vic’s last year and details his journey of finding love and becoming a father. “When I moved to Miami, I thought I would be living the bachelor life and following my dreams,” he explained. “Next thing I knew I was in love and having my first child.”
The song “Baby Bump” is a bit of a play on the common experience of men in the Hip Hop industry getting women pregnant and leaving them to fend for themselves. “It’s not something I would ever consider,” Vic explained. One of his main goals as an artist is to change the message that artists such as himself are sending out.
“My music is real,” he said. “Not everyone in this industry is in a gang or committing crimes, but that’s all people hear.” Vic hopes to guide his listeners into a more honest and compassionate path, so they may become the people they were always meant to be.
Like the rest of Vic’s discography, “Baby Bump” is a presentation of his views on the world around him as well as a hope for the future of himself and his listeners. It is a gorgeous track and a brilliant representation of the message he is looking to spread.
“I want to take over the industry. No more talking about pain and violence, just love and peace,” Vic said. With his creative voice and place in his community, Vic hopes to change the way Rappers and other musicians glorify the violence that they present in their music.
Following closely behind the release of “Baby Bump”, Ghxst Vic is excited to share his new project New York to Miami with the world. The album will feature the story of Vic’s own growth as he made a major move and found himself in a whole new world. The project will showcase his current single, as well as a collection of other incredible tracks.
Make sure to stay tuned in to Ghxst Vic on various platforms for new music, visuals and social posts.
As the year comes to a close, Reed Waddle has been spending a long time reflecting. He has been looking back and the songs he has written over the years, remembering the people he has met and places he has been along the way.
Written in Summer of 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, Reed Waddle’s single “Save Me”, a tells of many thoughts, emotions, and demons felt in the wake of the pandemic. Reed says, “As this year was coming to a close, I found that this song ‘Save Me’ resonated with me deeply. It helps me get through what I was feeling during the pandemic.”
Reed Developed as a musician through the guidance of his dad, developing an over 20 year career recording music and playing gigs at bars. Since 2014, he has been writing songs for other artists and projects in Nashville. He has been refining his writing day by day, supporting artists such as
Hall and Oats, John Fogerty, Graham Nash, Jason Isbell, Shawn Colvin, and countless others.
Reed says, “I’ve always been surrounded by music. My dad is a lifelong colleague; I’ve been happy to have his support along the way.”
While writing songs, Reed finds inspiration anywhere. “I kind of think of music as folklore and legend. The musical road brings me from place to place. You put something out, and immediately the question is what’s next? There’s a beauty in everyday things. Your job as a writer is to keep your eyes open and your ears open”
Over the years, Reed has won many songwriting competitions and is the Telluride Troubadour Grand Prize winner. He still uses the guitar won from that competition from Colorado every day.
Reed wrote “Save Me” thinking though the pandemic over Zoom calls with collaborators. On a writing session on a whim, Reed wrote the single with Jordan Frye, looking to build an idea that was soulful and necessary during the pandemic. That’s the magic of cowriting, you take it where it’s supposed to take you,” Reed says.
The single has gotten plenty of attention, receiving the acclaim of synch supervisors and the attention of the team supporting Dolly Parton.
“I want to use this to take my next big step,” Reed says looking forward. “A year went by, and I sat on it, and I thought it was good to bring this one out for the public. The big goal is to continue to create. Grow my fanbase, keep playing shows, and continue to create.”
He hopes that the single will inspire others. Reed says, “The title seems kind of sad, but it aims to give some hope to people going through hard times. Life is a big, beautiful thing, sometimes it can be overwhelming, but there is hope somewhere. If someone is feeling kind of down, I hope ‘Save Me’ can help them feel okay.”
“Save Me” is available on all streaming platforms. For more about Reed Waddle and his music, visit his website: reedwaddlemusic.com.
You can also follow him on the following social media and music platforms:
Janora Brown is a known artist from the hit tv show, The Voice. It will give you a Christmas to remember. The song was produced by Elijah J. Harmon also known as (Book of Elii.)
Janora expresses through the song Cocoa Butter how to love and accept self. Cocoa Butter also reflects on body positivity from within the skin you are in, while loving and respect others all at the same time. The Cocoa Butter single also encourages the natural beauty of chocolate Black girls/women and how to embrace your melanin.
Elijah J. Harmon expresses during interviews that when he saw Janora sing for the first time on The Voice , he knew he wanted to work with her. He decided to reach out and then a year later Cocoa Butter was born. Elijah says “only God could make this happen.
During the interview , Elijah mentioned his gratitude to all that assisted in this project. Thank you to both engineers and legendary bass player MrPayback and Mr.Flip from sound vision recording for assisting with this single also The team Tye Brown, Rashawn L, Tony Harmon, and additional support from Trinity and Yara with hair and makeup. We also appreciate Debra Coco for being featured in Cocoa Butter music video , who plays the role of Janora’s acting mother. Most importantly, big thanks to Janora for allowing me to produce the single Cocoa Butter.
Follow Elijah J. Harmon’s company @Harlemvetz and Janora @janora_vocals
MLife Music Group was born from the belief that music is a tool of healing. The seeds of this label were in CEO Mike Jean’s non-profit foundation Hope for Them. The foundation launched the project Music For Them which invited volunteer artists to perform in hospitals, churches, and schools. Sharing music in this way helps to uplift and inspire some of the community’s most vulnerable. To this aim, it succeeded, and its message was widely spread.
This work earned Mike Jean a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden, but only just scratched the surface of how he would use music to create community.
Creating community is at the heart of the label. Not only do the artists each have a talent for stirring an overwhelming sense of emotion (Humberto Gatica famously likened Annabel Oreste to Celine Dion and Andrea Boccelli) but each goes above and beyond music: they aim to connect.
In 2020, when the world felt a desperate need to unite, Norman Alexander released “No Goodbyes.” As the world faced dark days and the fear of the pandemic, Alexander reminded his listeners that music would always be there to help move each other forward.
The deeply emotional single earned him recognition as one of the top 20 artists of 2020. The song highlights the message of MLife, in that whenever there is suffering, it can be shared. Wherever there is pain, music can bring love.
Unsurprisingly, Annabel Oreste shares a similar ability to captivate the hearts of an audience. After signing with MLife, she gave a stirring performance of Anita Baker’s “Body and Soul.” Even online, she reached a wider community and the performance attracted 500,000 new fans in a week.
“It’s been a while since I have met a new artist with the talents to bring me back to the old days,” said Humberto Gatica, putting Oreste in a camp with artists who have voices that move mountains.
It’s not just about booming voices, but also about creating art with awareness and empathy. This is the sort of lyricism that SPRBLK brings to his music. He draws inspiration from humanity as a whole, but women in particular, who he sees as the universal life force.
MLife’s devotion to bringing people together is complete with its choreographer, Erell Allier. After winning the European National Dance Competition, she signed to MLife and entered the spotlight as the dancer in the “No Goodbyes” video. The champion’s dancing has been called “pain and poetry”, letting music burst into life through her expressive performance.
Youthful, energized, and ambitious are the words that come to mind when thinking of Katherine Vollenweider. She finished top ten of Miss Suisse Francophone 2021 and joined MLife Music Group as a model and singer songwriter the same year. As Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton puts it: “What a beautiful spirit! You have a bright future in front of you especially here in America.”
Looking at the artists reveals the true essence of MLife Music Group. They are a label devoted to pushing the boundaries of what a music group could be; not just a place to produce music, but a place to share pain and emotions through art.
Each MLife artist is encouraged to take up part of the mantle of Music for Them and volunteer their time to perform for some of the most disadvantaged. Still, no matter who is in the audience, these artists bring the message of peace and unity.
Mayor Eric Adams’ rally, a place filled with people who are hoping for change, hoping for progress, and holding onto hope itself, was a fitting audience for the MLife artists. Their vulnerable performances inspired the togetherness and vulnerability that people need, and exactly what MLife Music Group provides.
