New Music Sunday: June 21 2020

emilytreadgold #1, New 9 Tracks

Leah Kate is a pop genius and her new song is incredible.

She says, "'fuck up the friendship' was inspired by my experience falling for a friend who I never thought I would fall for. I really valued our friendship, but the feelings were just too strong to ignore. And yet again, I created another home made video during quarantine. It's supposed to take you through the mental state of falling for someone - I used abstract objects that are representative of love and friendship while also providing a nostalgic, vintage vibe. At the end of the day, I wanted to bring good, fun vibes to people during this time. Music unites people and I hope someone can get a good dance out of it :)"

Aluna is iconic and her mission is exactly what the music industry needs.

"I set myself the challenge to reclaim a space in dance music for black women, a space currently saturated by white cis males.” She shares. “Music is one of the ways I fight and my weapon is joy, making sure those who have felt like they are not invited to the party know that they ARE the party. We have to keep fighting, but also……keep dancing along the road to equality.”

Maggie Miles works in layers, her songs have so much depth to them. Her new song "Hilary Duff" not only pays tribute its namesake but goes deep into psychology.

She says, “I believe that as humans we see the option of distracting ourselves from our current reality as a better route than to truly work on bettering who we are. Why feel and work through what's wrong when you can be numb instead. With the combination of expectations and eyeballs tracking your every move, that's what 'Hilary Duff' is about."

Naika has this gorgeous voice that I can't get out of my head. Her song "African Sun" is about her Haitian background and an important history lesson.

“In May, we celebrated Haiti,” Naïka says in an exclusive Audiofemme feature published last week. “The history of the country was a pivotal influence in the Western Hemisphere – Haiti was the first successful slave revolt in the world; ​the only slave uprising in history to end with the foundation of a new country.​They overthrew the colonizers and became the first black independent nation in 1804. Because of this, they were ostracized by the rest of the world for fear that they could influence slave revolts in the rest of the Caribbean and the New World. Since then, the country has experienced trials and tribulations, but the people still maintain their strength, spirit, and liveliness through it all.”

Amber Mark's powerful new cover of "My People" is just so important. Her voice really carries this.

"Our obsession with power and greed has possessed & corrupted the human race. It has created war after war and hurt so many in the process for absolutely nothing. At a time like this It’s amazing to see the world learning, growing & most importantly helping one another. We cannot let go of this feeling. We should use this positive mentality as the everlasting force driving humankind to greatness not just for the future of yourself but for the future of everyone around you. This cover is dedicated to all the people speaking out on behalf of purely loving one another no matter the minuscule .1% differences in our DNA. Hold on to that love and know YOU, no matter where your ancestors migrated to, are MY people."

FLAVIA is always so vulnerable and open about her life and experiences. Her new song "Blue" is perfect for pride month and we can't stop playing it.

"This song is so special to me. 'Blue' is the first song I ever wrote about a girl. It marks the beginning of my Queer journey of self discovery, acceptance, and love."

LOVA has an incredible knack for making her most vulnerable moments into pop perfection. Her new song "Black Converse" is so powerful and really resonates with anyone getting out of a tough relationship.

“‘Black Converse’ is about a breakup that I went through a couple of years ago. At the time, I was heartbroken and at my worst. I decided that I didn’t want to write about the breakup mostly because I didn’t want my grieving process to be all about him. Instead I focused on me and my feelings only. After a few years of writing, being single and focusing on my mental health, I thought it was the right time to write a song about what I was feeling during the breakup.” LOVA continues, “This specific song is about the stage in a breakup where your ex is moving on and finding someone new in front of your eyes but you are still very much emotionally invested and can’t find a way to let go of that relationship. All you want to do is to call this person and act like everything is how it used to be. But you are no longer that person who makes him feel at his best or who he wants to spend all his time with, which was something that was really hard for me to come to terms with.”

Some Visuals...