Alexa Kate

New York City pop artist Alexa Kate creates music rooted in emotional honesty, vulnerability and human connection. Her songwriting centres on the experiences that can leave people feeling isolated, with the hope of reminding listeners that somebody else understands what they’re going through. That same desire for connection extends beyond her music into the community she builds around it.

Her latest single, ‘good for long’, explores the unsettling feeling of waiting for something to go wrong, even when everything appears to be going right. It’s an exploration of the difficulty of fully enjoying happiness when part of you remains convinced it won’t last.

Liv Dawn

Loch Lomond singer-songwriter Liv Dawn explores vulnerability, healing and the courage required to let somebody see every part of you on her latest single, ‘If We Make It’. Using the image of reaching a mountain summit together, the song reflects on everything two people might endure along the way and the hope of emerging stronger through their shared experiences.

Beginning as an intimate acoustic ballad with soft piano, delicate electric guitar and emotive vocals, the track takes an unexpected turn during its bridge. Drawing inspiration from ’70s rock, Liv introduces full-band instrumentation, driving drums and a guitar solo, transforming the song into an uplifting rock moment that also signals a developing musical direction.

Zora Kirin

Berlin-based musician Zora Kirin returned to music with a particularly personal milestone: releasing her debut EP, The Bones Are Beautiful, on her 40th birthday. Having studied classical violin from childhood, she subsequently pursued writing, entrepreneurship and anthropology before finding her way back to music.

Describing her folk-inspired approach as “hopecore”, Zora explores the possibility of finding beauty without ignoring life’s difficulties. Focus track ‘Mulberry Tree’ approaches that philosophy from an unusual perspective: it’s a love song from beyond the grave. Rather than dwelling entirely on loss, the song encourages those left behind to continue seeking happiness. It reflects the central idea behind the EP: acknowledging life’s inevitable hardships while recognising that joy can still exist alongside them.

Matilda Noe

Zurich songwriter Matilda Noe began writing music at nine, gradually accumulating hundreds of songs before deciding to release her first single, ‘Circle Line’. Recorded partly at home, with vocals captured inside a cupboard in her father’s music room, the track brings together atmospheric dream pop and intimate indie songwriting.

Built around just three chords, ‘Circle Line’ explores the frustrating experience of repeatedly missing what you actually wanted to say or do. Whether it’s hurting somebody when you meant to explain yourself or running away when you wanted to stay, the song captures the melancholy of feeling perpetually out of step with your own intentions and wondering why everybody else seems to get things right.

Psycho Jenny

North Kent’s Psycho Jenny are a women-powered alternative grunge band with a DIY approach to their music and visual identity. Having spent their early months developing their sound through live performances, the four-piece have chosen one of their earliest compositions to introduce themselves officially.

Debut single ‘Burn’ combines dirty basslines, grungy guitar riffs and raw, angst-filled vocals to explore rebellion against expectations and imposed standards. Written more than a year before its release, the track was selected because the band felt it captured the energy, sound and anger at the heart of Psycho Jenny. It’s an introduction built around the qualities they’ve been developing together onstage.