This segment features artists who have submitted their tracks/videos to She Makes Music. If you would like to be featured here then please send an e-mail to helen@shemakesmusic.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!
BLÁNID
Known for her poetic lyricism and haunting vocals, ‘Funeral Suit’ is BLÁNID’s second collaboration with powerhouse Ciaran Lavery, and kicks off a string of single releases in 2024. With a hypnotising, waltzing beat, the song opens with jarring cynical lyricism: ‘I’ve seen the great toil of man, watched me be erased’. It sets the tone for this unusual track – one that will have you swaying along to the pitfalls of our patriarchal society. “Men have given women the role of the stoic, silent support; the uncredited solid foundation for centuries. This song is one of frustration and recognition of that”, says Ciaran of the track. BLÁNID agrees commenting, “we wanted to capture a glimpse of the fatigue and apathy that can so often be intertwined with womanhood, and the longing to escape it”. Listen below.
Cherry Blur
The North East music scene is about to be set ablaze with the debut of Cherry Blur, an independent singer-songwriter who showcases a unique blend of heartfelt lyrics and captivating melodies. Adopting the moniker Cherry Blur represents a fresh start and a bold new chapter for this artist, who has been active in Newcastle’s vibrant music scene for several years, since moving from Belgium in 2020. Previously known as Isabel Rommen, Cherry Blur’s name is not just an aesthetic rebranding, but a reflection of her diverse, international background. She holds German, American, and Belgian citizenship and grew up moving around the world, from Peru, to the Philippines, to Ukraine, and Belgium. Her upbringing was marked by constant change and a blur of experiences, something she channels into her music. ‘Cool About It’ is an alt-pop summer anthem that covers themes of unwavering love and a desire for someone that is exaggerated to a satirical level. Cherry Blur describes trying to hide strong feelings in an effort to seem ‘cool’ and unbothered. The song’s powerful chorus captures the reckless abandon of youth, with soaring vocals and catchy guitar licks. The song is both deeply personal and universally relatable. ‘Cool About It’ was brought to life with the help of Generator, a local artist support group, and their Arts Council-funded programme, First Notes. This initiative has been essential in helping Cherry hone her craft and produce her first single, showcasing the collaborative spirit of Newcastle’s music scene. Listen to ‘Cool About It’ below.
ISHA
ISHA is a 23-year-old producer, artist and multi-instrumentalist based between Amsterdam and London. Her fresh funk beats with a rare-groove appeal characterized by strong bass lines see influences from the 70’s and 80’s funk, hip- hop, and jazz scene, but also modern-day acts like SG Lewis, Jungle and FKJ. ISHA’s debut EP Bending Colours was released on UK imprint JuiceboxFM in 2023. Hitting the studios with acts like Blue Lab Beats, Franc Moody, BINA., Emilia Anastazja and Close Counters amongst others this past year, ISHA has just released her second EP What You’re Seeing. “What You’re Seeing showcases a journey of growing into your skin across all aspects of your life which allows for genuine connection and open collaborations driven by pure joy,” she says. “Making music for me is making connections and as a producer I feel I am exactly where I am meant to be in different studios across the world, meeting new people and influences and growing as a human and a musician at the same time through these musical connections.” Listen to the final song on the EP, ‘Undone’, below.
Rae Charlea
British-Australian musician Rae Charlea (pronounced kar-lee-ah) continues the narrative she began sharing with previous single ‘He’s Just A Boy’ with the grungey and angsty part two in new single ‘Charm Outta Boredom’. She says, “I wrote ‘Charm Outta Boredom’ a few months after I wrote ‘He’s Just A Boy’ when the story with this guy I liked finally came to a close. ‘He’s Just A Boy’ was all about rationalising the crush and poking fun at yourself for falling fast for someone you barely know whereas ‘Charm Outta Boredom’ was written out of the anger of realising that I had been led on and the subsequent processing of these emotions. I wanted to write a ‘how could you!’ song aimed at this guy and it’s quickly turned into one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever written. I did ask the guy, who this song is about, why he led me on and what his intentions were if they were never aimed towards a relationship with me and he told me that he was just ‘flirting for the sake of flirting’. That hurt but it gave me an idea for the song title ‘Charm Outta Boredom’ cause those two phrases feel the same to me”. ‘Charm Outta Boredom’ is also Charlea’s first released single with a co-write too with songwriter, session musician, San Rocco bassist and friend Seán Julian; whom Charlea met at a gig in Dublin, Ireland in the 2023 Summer. Charlea and Julian quickly bonded over a love of the same rock bands and 90s music and when Charlea had returned back to Australia in September, Julian sent over a voice memo of the bass line he had written for the song which Charlea took too immediately, finishing the song in less than an hour one night. “I got such strong Nevermind era Nirvana vibes and loved the track so much. Immediately I knew that it was the perfect instrumental to tell this story”. Speaking on writing the instrumental for the single ‘Charm Outta Boredom’, Julian recounts: “like a lot of my ideas this one came very quickly to me. I turned to my bass after an argument with a close friend. I was messing around with chords on the bass with my beloved chorus effect and that main riff really stood out to me. The rest of the song was written on bass in the space of 10-15 minutes and just on the bass alone I knew I was onto something. I sent it onto Rae and once she sent back the first draft of her vocals, I thought it fit the vibe I was going for perfectly”. Listen below.
Pinkfiz
Pinkfiz are an independent rock band formed by Izzy Martin, Maisie McFadden and Bryn Bidwell-Richards. They’re known for their electric presence on stage and powerful songwriting .With heavy influence from 90s riot grrrl culture, queer pop and indie rock they blend genres seamlessly and emit a fresh sonic. Their new single ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is inspired by the 2009 cult classic movie with the same title. This song aims to show perspective into the real fear that a lot of women face. A light-hearted twist on societal roles, the song has two juxtaposing themes of seduction and horror. Frontwoman, Izzy, states “I wanted this song to be something people can rage and feel sexy to at the same time. I want to inspire people to see themselves as beautiful when they possess traits that we’ve been taught are not “lady-like”, be messy, be bossy, be loud, it’s gorgeous.” The band also take pride in the involvement of queer people and women on the song not only on the musician front but the production as well. Listen below.
The New Tropics
Hailing from the vibrant musical landscape of Nashville, Tennessee, The New Tropics are an electrifying indie rock band with infectious musical energy. The Nashville Trio – Caitlyn Fisler (vocals), Scot Wilson (lead guitar), and Tim Pombo (drums) – combine soulful breathy vocals with dreamy guitar parts and explosively dynamic drums. The New Tropics lyrics offer a playful yet heartfelt narrative, inviting listeners on a vibrant journey through the band’s adventures and life reflection. With influences such as The Cardigans, Paramore, and The Beaches, The New Tropics deliver synthetic sounds that induce a new kind of unfamiliar nostalgia. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Paramore and The Beaches, The New Tropics latest single ‘Street Parking’ brings about a high-energy, female-driven rock song that’s sure to have listeners singing into hair brushes and strumming air guitars. Listen below.
Elsa Siugo
Elsa Siugo is a folk singer songwriter from Paris. She is also a subway musician there. She currently works as a music and biology teacher with deaf students. The deaf world is one of her themes of inspiration and she made a song about it that she performs in French sign language while singing. She performed in different venues in France, Germany and England. Her main influences are found in American and Canadian Folk-Rock but also in the so-called “text” songs of French artists. She indeed attaches a lot of importance to the lyrics whether she sings in English or French. Her first album Silence et Bruit was released in 2002. She has recorded a lot of other songs through the years and recently released another EP called Response Latency. Listen to stand out track ‘So Many Years’ below. It’s a song about the infinite joy and relief to finally become a mum.
DESHPLEASE
She might be a fresh face in Pop but Desh is no stranger to the music scene. From playing heartfelt lyric-heavy folk tunes at local coffee shops to fronting rock bands with charismatic energy, performing live for thousands of people, Desh has found her niche in a genre she calls “Cry Pop”. Like most artists, Desh has many creative passions. Ironically, it was focusing on another creative endeavor after a few years hiatus that got her back into music. Desh live streams on Twitch for hundreds of people where she roleplays in GTA on the biggest RP server, NoPixel – (a mix of voice acting and improv through a modded version of Grand Theft Auto.) Although she mainly entertains through comedy, her character (who happens to be a music artist known as Dr Deshrespect) won Best New Artist at the No Pixel Music Awards reigniting the fire for her true calling. Her new release ‘Happy Ending’ is a call-it-like-it-is upbeat banger for anyone who’s ever realized their “happy ending” was anything but. Listen below.
Naomi Elisa
Naomi Elisa is a singer-songwriter based in Surrey, England and the songs she composes are unfiltered reflections of real life, honesty, vulnerability and the challenges that many people face. ‘Spark’ is a song about someone being like a light in the dark. Even when there are shadows, they’re like a spark. Listen below.
Emily Gray
Emily Gray is a British alternative singer-songwriter based in Catalonia, Spain. Having been heavily influenced by ‘00s and ’10s pop punk and emo music growing up, Emily’s sound fuses elements of folk, pop and alternative music, resulting in an emotional mish-mash of belting vocals, layered harmonies and introspective lyrics. Emily has always been interested in language, writing and composing. She studied English literature at University (when she wasn’t out and about making bad decisions that would later be turned into songs), and now works as an English language teacher (when she’s not busting her butt trying to make her dreams come true). Emily’s love for language and prose is plastered all over her songwriting. Her EP Apocalypse, released in February 2023 is a 9 minute concept piece that tells a stark, sorrowful short story through music and spoken word poetry. Emily’s been writing and performing music for well over 10 years, and she’s constantly growing, learning, and looking for new exciting ways to express her authenticity in her work. From open mics to festivals, functions, parties and even winning a couple of singing competitions- Emily gets around a bit. Emily makes music because she simply has to. It offers an outlet for her complicated, numerous and intense emotions, and she hopes that by exposing her own demons through song, she can help others who feel the same way to feel less alone. New single ‘Paper Wings’ is her answer to ‘Creep.’ (that very famous song by Radiohead) “It’s about turning those feelings of alienation into a celebration of our shared human experience,” she says. “We all have moments of self-doubt, but knowing we’re not alone makes it easier to find joy in who we are. I hope this song brings a smile to your face and helps you embrace your inner weirdo!” Listen below.
Check out more of our recent submissions via the playlist below!