ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC

By Damilola Grey

Florida native and talented RnB artist, Swtxo (fka SweetXO) has finally dropped his first solo release since the drop of his “Love Lost” EP last year.

The self-titled single is Swtxo’s reminder to himself that he is him above everything else. He addresses how he hasn’t changed upon all the pushback and negativity he’s faced in life. He uses the 2-minute track to share who he is to listeners. Swtxo attacks the instrumental, which was produced by ayeyoungjordan, with a braggadocious flow and aggressive delivery. In his words “they thought I was playing, so I gave em something to play”. The track embodies who Swtxo is in different ways: the word choice, the flow, and even the tone. Swtxo uses this single as a reminder to himself to keep going on and to never give up.

This self-titled single from Swtxo is the perfect return since the release of his 2022 EP “Love Lost”. Swtxo shows that he’s still as hungry as ever with this single.

Stream “SweetXO” everywhere HERE.

By Damilola Grey

Rising producer Sky’s the Limit is back with his new single “Time Stands Still”. He employs the help of Lord Cinic and Songbird for this track.

On the 3-minute track which also marks Sky’s second ever release, he displays his versatility with the single. Unlike his previous single “Changes” which featured Tony Givan that had a neo-soul RnB vibe, Sky brings vintage hip-hop back to life on this one. New York native, Lord Cinic aggressively attacks the soulful instrumental with heavy-hitting introspective bars while Songbird graces the single with angelic vocals- both artists didn’t fail to deliver. Sky fuses elements from both hip-hop and RnB for the production of the instrumental.

Sky’s the Limit is already solidifying himself as a producer that shouldn’t be slept on. He keeps surprising listeners with each release and at this point, there’s no telling what genre he will tap into next. We can’t wait to see what Sky has got in store for the year.

Stream Time Stands Still HERE.

By Damilola Grey

New Jersey native, Nike’ The Artist (fka Babyg the Artist) has finally blessed her fans with the release of her heavily anticipated “Living Life” EP. The 5 track EP solely features fellow New Jersey native, Global Jay.

On Living Life, Nike’ addresses various emotions like on “iTried” which she speaks about heartbreak and how she can’t get the person out of her head no matter how much she tried. On personal favorite “FANS”, Nike’ graces the track with a more aggressive and turnt flow and delivery. Global Jay also comes with a verse which won’t fail to give listeners a stank face. Nike’ also adds a bonus track to the EP “Wanna Rock” because according to her, that’s all she wants to do. The EP also boasts of top-tier production.

“Living Life” is a collection of Nike’s various sounds which not only showcases her versatility, but at the same time highlights her growth as an artist and we can’t wait to see what Nike’ has in store for us all 2023.

Stream Living Life: The EP below:

On Apple Music HERE.

By Damilola Grey

Houston native, Live 4eva, has dropped his highly anticipated single “U!”. This also serves as the lead single to his album “Purgatory”.

Live 4eva uses a personal genre he calls rage and bass to express his creativity on this single. On “U!”, Live talks about a twisted and egotistic man who comes to terms with the fact that he is not as superior or almighty as he originally believes. The song starts of cockily- a glimpse into the man’s mindset- and ends on a more sober note. As the song progresses, we see how the man’s emotions change- from one of pride to one of humility.

The single was accompanied with a music video which was directed by abesogreat. In the music video, Live 4eva fights Bagman- a character he made to symbolize corporate greed, as well as capitalism. He uses the fight as a sort of metaphor depicting people’s struggle with money and what they do to get it. The music video was inspired from video games, as everyone who heard the single said it sounded like a video game.

With 2022 being an amazing year for music, Live 4eva has ended the year and, at the same time, ushered us perfectly into the new year with not only this amazing single, but also with the release of his new album “Purgatory”- a very fun but dark album. Make sure to check both of them out below.

Stream “U!” HERE.

Stream “PURGATORY” HERE.

By Todd Anderson

Indianapolis artist Lons has shared a new single called “Miss Me”.  Lons is a newly emerging artist hailing from the far east side of Indianapolis. His debut single “Admitted” was released in March of 2022 and has already garnered attention from fans and critics alike. Lons’s music is not only catchy and enjoyable but also tackles important issues such as mental health and the struggles faced by people around the world. His latest single, “Miss Me”, continues his streak of potent, catchy cuts with its emotive soundscape and infectious vocals.

Atop drifting keys, atmospheric backing vocals and a sturdy yet sleek rhythm section, Lons delivers line after line of memorable material, with versatile melodies that capture his focused songwriting style. Culminating in a potent hook that lingers in the listener’s mind long after the song’s run time is complete, “Miss Me” makes for a hit-ready new track from the Indianapolis artist.

Listen to “Miss Me” below and familiarize yourself with Indianapolis artist Lons:

By Damilola Grey

Dami: What inspired you to start making music?

Love James: Not sure exactly. I’ve been writing melodies in my head since I was a little kid and throughout the years, so many artists have inspired me to where I am now with my sound.

Dami: Can you tell us some of the artists who’ve inspired you and your sound?

Love James: FKJ, Mk.gee, King Krule, Dominic Fike, Lowertown, and the Front Bottoms.

Dami: How would you describe your sound?

Love James: Sonically warm and exciting, lyrically melancholic and introspective.

Dami: You just dropped a single titled “feel how you feel”. Can you tell us more about it?

Love James: “feel how you feel” is a song that I’ve had for a while and figured I’d release it because the new stuff I’ve been working on is a different vibe. I didn’t want “feel how you feel” to be one of those songs that will sit in the vault forever and never see the light of day. At its core, the song is about how important it is to express and move with feeling.  

Dami: What does the track mean to you?

Love James: The track to me means so much. I make songs everyday and the ones I release aren’t random. This one in particular I fell in love with right from the start. From the jazzy guitar licks and chords to mu auto tuned vocals and the swanky drunk drum beat that lies underneath. It tickles my brain and gives me chills every listen. I could listen to the beat alone for hours. To me that is a song worth releasing; a piece of art I created that I love. That is all that matters.

Dami: What do you want listeners to take away after listening to it?

Love James: Nothing in particular. If they like it and take something away after from it, that’s awesome and I love to hear what people have to say about my music but it’s not something that is on my mind all the time. I don’t ever have an idea of what I want people to take away after listening. If it makes them feel something, then that’s all that matters to me.

Dami: What’s your creative process like?

Love James: It changes a lot and has definitely evolved since I started. Most of the time, it starts with me and a melody or chord progression and I’ll go from there. Other times, I’ll write lyrics before even making the beat. I try to always keep it interesting by doing something new and keep an open mind when creating. There are no rules and that’s why I love it so much.

Dami: What are 3 words you’ll use to describe your music?

Love James: Vibrant, versatile, voluptuous.

Dami: What’s next for you after “feel how you feel”

Love James: Probably a couple more singles and eventually an album/EP. I really like themes and albums that capture an overall vibe, so I’m excited to dive into that soon.

Dami: Any idea for the themes for them?

Love James: I’ve really been infatuated with death/afterlife/rebirth as of late so I’ll probably base it around that.

Dami: What are some dream collabs you have?

Love James: Ging, FKJ, Dominic Fike, Bakar.

Dami: What would you say was your most memorable moment of the year?

Love James: Filming the music video for my song “feel how you feel”.

Dami: What you got for your fans this coming year?

Love James: Just more music. Only released a couple songs this past year and I’m excited for them to hear more.

Listen to Love James HERE.