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!
Grichu
Grichu is a Montreal-based Producer/Songwriter/Singer/DJ, and truly the definition of an indie artist. She writes and produces her own music, and takes care of all the painstaking aspects of promoting her own music. She has roots within the queer community, and in a poetic way her music is similarly inclusive and non-binary. It’s tough to describe the sound of Grichu. Her music displays an authentic style of insanity that is impossible to fake, one that only comes from years of honing one’s craft, and an inherent open-ness to any and all musical styles. Grichu is authentically crazy, inspirational, and authentically in love with what she does, and merely existing in her musical spaces inspires you to get crazy, dance like no one is watching, and be your authentic unapologetic self. Her new song is called ‘Ma Ma’. “This french Italo-House song is about my mother, a joyful, energetic and passion-driven woman who lost her fight to cancer much too young, at age 59,” explains Grichu. “I wanted this song to reflect her love for life, her family, and her community. All the instruments are computer-based, some made using kontakt players, some with synths like Serum and Vital.” Listen below.
The Red Stains
The Red Stains return with a vengeful and highly anticipated new release ‘TV Static’. ‘TV Static’ is a satirical yet desperate outlook of the analogue world around us; which contains graphic scenes and themes of violent mental breakdowns, ruining your life, regretting everything, having nothing to lose and drinking turpentine to get through the week. Where previous releases have been stated as somewhat bubbly, tongue in cheek and in foetal stages; ‘TV Static’ is without a doubt, the song that has captured the live wire energy and the true elements of The Red Stains spirit best. The track itself is unapologetically born kicking, screaming and all threatening. It states to break your jaw, with haunting apocalyptic sirens, explosive nuclear punchiness and the unfamiliar addition of jarring guitar tones, all processed like a post-punk ready meal for the dystopian digital age. Listen below.
Cortnë
Alt-pop singer-songwriter Cortnë is anticipating an exciting 2023 with the release of ‘Lungs’. Recorded at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom Studios and produced by Jamie Holmes (Joesef, Theo Bleak, Cara Rose) her debut single ‘Lungs’ is born from the suffocating pressure of isolation and encapsulates the melancholic anger felt by many exploring the uncertain world of modern relationships. The track features dreamy harmonies, crisp airy guitars and driving drums and will resonate with fans of Gabrielle Aplin, Holly Humberstone, Lucy Dacus and Taylor Swift. Listen below.
Ellie Knight
Ellie Knight is a 21 year-old Leeds based singer-songwriter/producer, whose sound is an alternative and melody-heavy take on 2000s pop. She has just released her new song ’21’. “One day my best friend Mia told me she wished there was a song about being 21 and I replied,”I guess I’ll have to write you one”, explains Ellie of the track. “’21!’ transports you to the euphoric feeling of being in the middle of the dance floor, in a sweaty club, surrounded by your best friends, dancing to your favourite song and feeling like everything has fallen into place and you have everything you need. It sounds like adrenalin, energy and laughter (mine and Mia’s real laughter actually). It sounds like chasing your dreams and knowing you’re free. It sounds like everyone singing your favourite Taylor Swift song at a party. Whether you are, have been or will be, ’21!’ will take you to the peak of your youth when you feel like you have the whole world at your feet. Listen below.
El Valerie
On her latest effort, El Valerie strives to showcase the diverse range of artistic influences she absorbed growing up in a multi-ethnic family. But while roots certainly give context to what one creates, she never strays too far from her personal experiences and mission as an artist. Over ten songs (including a cover of Brazilian rock legend Caetano Veloso), she brings the listener through her emotionally rich narrative in the form of colorful bedroom-pop jams, from sardonic takes on dating and working to fervent accounts of romance and intimacy, all under the banner of being Latina. Spanning indie rock and experimental pop as well as tropicalia and cumbia, Pan-American Pop has something for everyone. El Valerie says: “Art to me is a form of free expression, and a way to carve out a space for myself in the world. It’s how I document my life, and also how I share my story with others who might relate to the experience of being young, being a woman, being someone with an immigrant parent or parents, all these things that I am that I’m so proud to represent. ‘I Always Hold On A Little Too Long’ leads the album – it’s a catchy, whimsical indie-rock jam that I wrote about a toxic friendship, while sitting in bed grumpy and with a lot of emotions running high. I think struggling with the pitfalls of relationships is a universal experience. I’m very proud of it and think it’s one of my best.” Listen below.
Holly Ivy
Following the release of her last single ‘Optical Illusion’, Holly Ivy is ready to show us her dark side with her new single ‘Rage Room’. With 3 singles under her belt, Holly Ivy has been on a journey to further explore not only her sound, but also her own truth. Holly Ivy is the personification of gen Z eclectic culture. Having been born into a world on the brink of digital music, and with streaming culture on the horizon, Holly Ivy is undoubtedly a product of her time. Her music being a wonderful dichotomy of the analog meshed with the digital, her songs are laced with the perplexity of being trapped between the world that is going and the world coming to be. Moving both frantically and effortlessly between the sweet and the angsty, she shows us her experience of the world through her powerful music and heartbreakingly vulnerable lyrics. Sitting precariously in the genre of pop, Holly Ivy pushes the boundaries of what we can expect from typical pop music. Teaming with big melodic movements and deep heavy grooves, ‘Rage Room’ is an exploration of Holly Ivy’s absolute breaking point. A pure expression of anger and frustration, ‘Rage Room’ gives us insight into the dark unapologetic side of Holly Ivy that we have never seen before. Exquisitely presented in a gritty yet undeniably catchy tune, with influences such as Panic! at the Disco and Billie Eilish, you can expect a huge sound with lyrics and melodies that demand to keep your attention. Listen below.
Renata Sajko
Australian artist, Renata Sajko, has released her first single for 2023 – ‘Let’s Float.’ ‘Let’s Float’ is a chill, electronic contemporary pop song. It features bass driven synths, overlapping melodies with layers of luscious vocals that add to themysterious, moody texture of the music. ‘Let’s Float’ was written, composed and produced by Renata herself. Listen below.
Check out more of our recent submissions via the playlist below!
