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!
Songbird
Songbird is a 22 year old independent artist from New Jersey. She has been writing music since she was 15 and performing for as long as she can remember. She has been working with a team in Nashville and the result is ‘Stubborn’. “The song is about how our love is so strong, nothing can tear us apart. Very uplifting and hopeful!” says Songbird. Listen below.
Occam’s Rose
Occam’s Rose is the amalgam of the unique music performance experiences, composition styles, and instrumentation of Anastasia Rose and Peter H. Each are professional musicians, educators, and composers whose versatility allows them to write for and perform in virtually all settings from a small coffee shop to large concert halls to private events such as weddings and parties. Their style is alternative with a classical spin. Occam’s Rose has taken the leap to release the Anti-Valentine’s Day track many of us have been waiting for. Encompassing a wide range of instrumentation and specific harmonic structure, she aims to demonstrate the vex, exasperation, and catharsis of creating a song to express how Anastasia’s ex-lover did her wrong. Anastasia defies stereotypes to embrace the power of her feminine anger and say the words in the form of a rock/blues anthem on the platform that serves her best: the stage. ‘G.F.Y’ can be the song we each seek out when we need empowerment and to purge who or what harms us. Anastasia explains: “When I initially wrote this song, I was grieving. I didn’t yet have the courage to say the words that I wrote in the song because I was confused, lost, hurt, and in disbelief. As many people who have survived harmful relationships, I was still sorting out what had even happened through the psychological manipulation. This song served as my own journey to empowerment and self-acceptance while also reaching catharsis and helping me move on. ‘G.F.Y’ is part of my healing and I hope it can do the same for others.” Listen below.
Eliza May
Eliza May is starting 2023 off with a bang, bringing us the release of her highly anticipated EP Candy Heart. Candy Heart tells the story of a classic relationship cycle; starting off full of romance, originally tasting sugar sweet but over time, things turn sour as the relationship ends. Based on true stories from her own life, expect layers of gorgeous harmonies, sassy but classy lyrics and playful instrumentation that will have you singing and dancing all the way through. Taking inspiration from a wide range of artists including Paramore, Olivia Dean, Fickle Friends and The Wombats, this EP is full of catchy indie pop bops that perfectly encompass all the highs and lows you feel when truly falling in and out of love. ‘Empty Dreams’ is the fifth and final track on the EP and it’s all about the aftermath caused when a sugar sweet relationship goes sour. She says, “It’s filled with sassy lyrics against a ray of angelically layered harmonies and hypnotic guitar riffs. If you’ve ever had an ex run back to you when they realise what they’ve lost, then this track is for you! ‘Empty Dreams’ is the perfect power song for those who won the break up.” Listen below.
Lenn
Growing up in a small town in Hertfordshire with only Christian music in the home, singer, songwriter and artist Lenn didn’t discover another genre until she was in her teens, so can be forgiven for not having a catalogue of historical influences. She prefers to take inspiration from the music of her contemporaries, finding solace with artists like Bon Iver, James Blake, Banks, Ben Howard and FKA Twigs. Her distinctive vocal delivery and approach to songwriting has already captured the imagination of respected artists in the electronic space, and having collaborated with them on their Unfold album, Lenn joined Icarus on their sold out UK tour in 2022, which culminated in a euphoric final show at London’s iconic Village Underground. Now, Lenn releases ‘dreams are a nightmare’, the first single from her forthcoming debut EP, set for release in 2023. Written and recorded in her home-studio in Bristol, Lenn’s moody and aching vocals convey internal struggles provoked by her dreams, relationships and the introspection forced on so many through lockdowns and isolation. Lenn says: “I wrote ‘dreams are a nightmare’ about the struggle of chasing after what you trulywant. So often in life the things that offer the most joy also leave us at ourmost vulnerable and expose us to anxiety, heartache and deferred hope.” Listen below.
Spencer Spark
Spencer Spark is back with new single ‘Springboard’, launching her into a new world of synths and 80s aesthetic mixed with her trademark artful metaphors, captivating melodies and excessive colour. Sparked by a late-night conversation about love, with her housemate Dale, the lyric “it’s a springboard that takes you to the infinite” sprung into existence. ‘Springboard’ is a groovy, fun and heartfelt track about how love can send you soaring. After coming out as pansexual, the fantastical yet unpredictable journey of love still resonates strongly with Spencer Spark, showing that ‘Springboard’ is really an anthem of the transcendental power of love. Listen below.
Jessie-May K
Jessie-May K is a singer, songwriter, director and artist from The Central Coast, NSW Wales Australia. She has just released her ‘Shootin Daises’ music video, an Indie Anti-Gun Violence video, which is a part of her first EP Zone Out. She says of the track and video: “The music video for ‘Shootin Daisies’ was driven by my enthusiasm for the meaning encapsulated within the song. My need to accurately convey the message of peace, wisdom and unity, meant I woke up every day on a mission. For months I woke up and set to work building chairs, stools and tables to breathe life into this project. I designed a retro theme, intending the juxtaposition would communicate how out-dated the ideas of War & Gun Violence truly are. It’s more than frustrating, that in our modern age, we are still so primitive when it comes to making decisions that effect the safety of human lives and quality of living. I had been planning, creating and organising for so long, it was surreal when the actual shoot day arrived and to know it was really going to happen. Shooting Indoors made it a lot more civil and a lot less stressful than my previous music videos. My Actors, despite never meeting before, had incredible chemistry on set and I believe that energy transferred into their performance, boosting the material further than I even dreamt! I couldn’t be more grateful for everyone who helped me tackle this goal; my wonderful actors Jacob Philips-Reinhard, Kurt J Lawther, Miguel Cullen, my brilliant makeup artist Trang Nguyen who never fails to impress me with her talents, Robert C Morton who is an absolute expert in his field, Rodrigo Llauro who is a dedicated, innovative editor and Oscar Bright who was by my side supporting me and ensuring the day went according to plan. Your art is your legacy and should act as an extension of your what your spirit brings to the table. If there’s one thing people take way from my art while I was here on this Earth, I want it to be that violence is never the answer, we are stronger together, our actions matter and we pave the path of humanities future.” Listen and watch below.
Check out more of our recent submissions via the playlist below!