Dafties

Launched in November 2024, Dafties are an alternative pop/rock duo from Wigan, Greater Manchester.

Dafties are stirring the pot with their upcoming album, Tea, a wickedly witty concoction of moody rants and earworm melodies that’s equal parts therapy session and dance party, set to drop January 10, 2026. The album’s core moral? It’s a gleeful middle finger to life’s frustrations, served with a sugary smile.

Celebrating love’s quirks amid society’s side-eye; the savage skewering of clout-chasing fakes is explored in latest cut ‘Ohmygodyuwgueys’.

Dafties · Ohmygodyuwgueys

Starry Ray

UK-born and bred singer-songwriter Starry Ray (formerly known as Sarah Lucy Dole) is a proud mother of five exceptionally talented children and a passionate artist whose music has been the lifeblood of her journey for over 30 years. Her solo career today reflects the confidence, strength, and authenticity of a woman who knows exactly who she is — and what she wants to say.

With her album Ask No Questions, and a fresh EP slated for early 2026 — featuring collaborations with major names from Nashville and Sweden — she continues to inspire, uplift, and captivate audiences with her soulful voice and heartfelt songs. Her latest single ‘Say Goodbye’ was written about her best friend Ann who passed away a few years ago. 

Mollý

Mollý is an Icelandic-born, Denmark-based pop artist blending Scandi cool with a bold, modern edge. She recently released her new single ‘Easy’.

It’s a flirty, dance-driven pop track about taking control — turning the tables on the old double standard that says girls can’t keep things casual too. Sleek production, catchy hooks, and that playful Nordic confidence tie it all together.

molly · Easy

Dead Distance

Dead Distance are an alternative band formed in Liverpool. Kadie started the band within her first few weeks at uni. The band are now looking to move together to Edinburgh and continue making music there as they’ve all graduated.

They’ve just recorded their debut EP with Al Groves at The Motor Museum, with their first single ‘I Don’t Know’ released back in July. 

“For me, ‘I Don’t Know’ is a story,” explains Kadie. “I wanted it to feel intimate like the way a friend confides in you, and I wanted it to feel angry and desperate in the way it feels when everything is out of your control, but there is nothing you can do. Mainly, ‘I Don’t Know’ is about my own self-awareness, and how I knew there were a few people in my life at the time who I knew felt negatively toward me and about me, but they wanted to be just like me. 

“I feel very attached to the song. I don’t know whether it’s because it is the first song we recorded for the EP or if it’s because of what it means to me, but the song brings me an element of peace, like finally I’m not bothered about the scenarios leading up to the songs conception anymore. 

“My wonderful band hit the nail on the head with the song too. After writing the original draft on acoustic guitar and playing it to them for the first time, I knew something was there. I recall going to the toilet mid rehearsal and coming back to hear the most amazing parts I had ever heard- I love absolutely every element they wrote for the track and still can’t quite work out how they somehow managed to capture exactly how I felt.”

HABI

HABI delves into the world of the Bedroom Pop singer-songwriter with catchy hooks that will get stuck in your head all night. She rocks a wide arrangement of original songs perfected through their years of collaborating behind the scenes in the music industry.

Seen but never heard, Dundalk raised, this small-town artist has been inspired by local artists such as Negro impacto and Rowen Murphy to break through the busy pop scene with a fresh take. With influences from Beabadobee and Paramore with a hint of 90s boyband nostalgia, have created a symphony of never ending harmonious melodies.

Tune in to the soon to be pop sensations hypnotising new song ‘FOR ALL I KNOW’ where they discover what it’s like to fall in love with all the insecurities that come with being a different somebody.

HABI · FOR ALL I KNOW

Ashley Woodruff

Ashley Woodruff is a pop and adult contemporary artist from Sudbury, Ontario. With a background in classical vocal training and years of live performances across Ontario, she’s built a reputation for heartfelt songwriting and powerful vocals. With past releases like her self-titled album and 2020’s Distanced, she’s known for her heartfelt songwriting and powerful vocals. Her new single ‘Again’ is out now.

The song is an adult contemporary/alternative pop song about being stuck in a cycle with someone who keeps coming back but never stays. It captures the highs and lows of late-night meetups filled with both excitement and heartbreak, knowing deep down that nothing will really change.

Ashley Woodruff · Again

Ida Stein

After a series of critically acclaimed song releases and attention from both Norwegian and international media, Ida Stein releases her long-awaited debut album Bring It On. The self-produced record marks a bold and cinematic expansion of Stein’s sound — blending club-inspired electronica, jazz-infused harmonies, and raw, intimate songwriting. Bring It On features long-time collaborators from her live projects and showcases her multifaceted artistry: Stein took full creative control, producing, mixing, and finalizing the album herself.

The title Bring It On reflects dual meanings — both a declaration of strength and freedom, and a critique of the structures that determine who gets to be heard. The songs explore themes of resistance, empowerment, and self-discovery, carried by a voice that is both vulnerable and resolute.

Standout track ‘Storm’ captures the chaos inside your mind when everything feels heavy and you’re lost. And the moment the storm breaks, it’s reminding you that you’re stronger than you thought.

With Sun

With Sun is the alias of singer-songwriter and poet Alice Hale. Tender and therapeutic, her songs take you on a journey through the intimate corridors of her life.

New single ‘Shoebox’ is a tender folk ballad about choosing love over money, rich in heart, not wealth. The song channel’s Paul Simon’s honesty with lush strings, a warm acoustic feel, and a memorable chorus.

“I think we become more imaginative when we have less, as long as our basic needs are met: love, shelter, food. Not everyone has those and I’m very fortunate that I do,” Alice says.

First Robin

First Robin is the musical project of singer-songwriter Alexandra Sullivan based in Toronto, Canada. Alexandra previously wrote and performed under her own name, playing prominent Canadian venues and sharing stages with a multitude of musicians across Ontario and Prince Edward Island. With First Robin, she marks a confident return to her craft after a multiple year hiatus, bringing with her a newfound clarity and maturity.

An undeniable storyteller, First Robin’s songwriting is both whimsical and wise, flaunting an acute and authentic ability to translate hyper-specific moments and feelings into universal truths. First Robin’s musical style blends various indie, folk, and subtle pop elements with captivating melodic hooks, drawing influence from a wide-range of artists.

Her debut single, ‘Spider Veins,’ is a piano-driven, cinematic ballad that examines existential themes of identity and aging. It weaves a modern indie-folk sound with distinct, raw vocals reminiscent of early 2000s female-driven anthems.

Szaskia

Rising pop artist Szaskia releases her powerful new single ‘GLORIA STEINEM’.

A magnetic pop-soul track, ‘GLORIA STEINEM’ is a feminist anthem celebrating female empowerment and solidarity. Inspired by a TV drama about Gloria Steinem that she watched during the pandemic, Szaskia recalls: “I became so obsessed with the show and Gloria Steinem’s story, and it gave me inspiration for this hook, ‘Fight for the girls like I’m Gloria Steinem.’ I wanted to encapsulate the energy of a powerful woman in the song.”

Co-produced with her brother, Pocket, ‘GLORIA STEINEM’ fuses Motown-inspired soul textures with a nostalgic Timbaland-style beat —creating a track that’s both modern and timeless. A newly graduated International Relations student, Szaskia uses the single as a bridge between her academic interests and her musical endeavours.

Szaskia · GLORIA STEINEM

Check out more of our recent submissions via the playlist below!

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.

risy
risy releases her second single, titled ‘Baby If I Were An Android’.risy’s style is a perfect mix of slow R&B, jazz and pop, with an underlying essence of raw honesty and self-acceptance. As a lover of art, risy kicked off her musical journey through playing the harp, before discovering her fervent adoration for writing songs in high school when she started posting on Soundcloud. With her ethereal Jhene Aiko-like vocals, risy bases the track on the premise of a stormy summer day filled with unpredictable twists. ‘Baby If I Were An Android’ is an anthem for anyone who has ever been in a long distance relationship. risy says about the track,“Relationships involve honesty, trust, commitment and communication. It requires effort from both partners to keep a relationship healthy and alive. I think that the ‘added factor’ of distance in long distance relationships can have the potential to halt a relationship, but at the same time it might not. I wrote this song to highlight my own personal struggles and inner turmoil that came with starting my first long distance relationship, and how half-way through us being long distance, I came to the understanding that it was all worth it.” Listen below.

Leo Waves
Leo Waves describes her music as being a niche of its own with her style being “WAVY music”. She draws inspiration from various artists such as the likes of Jhene Aiko with her soft and airy vocals and Kid Cudi’s authentic versatility and nostalgic melodies. There are also elements of soul trap incorporated into Leo’s style. If you are looking for a music artist who has both sweet and hard hitting energy, then Leo Waves will provide the vibes you are looking for. Her latest single is titled ‘Stp Txting Me’. “‘Stp Txting Me’ is the ultimate song for when you establish boundaries, no longer need someone’s bad energy in your life, and you are done!” she says. “This can be applied to friendships not just relationships, that’s the beauty of this song; the listener can create the narrative which they relate themselves to. We have all had to cut bad people off at one point in our life”. Listen below.

Inward Strange
With an eclectic mix of fuzzy guitars, synth, piano and violin over electronic beats, Inward Strange blend multiple genres into a unique and distinctive sound. With catchy hooks and melodies, driving bass lines and big singalong choruses, the band offer a danceable and multi-textured sound. Sometimes fun and uplifting, but sometimes sorrowful and sinister. Inward Strange is all about unity despite diversity, reflected in its sound, visuals and story, by combining contrasting elements and gluing them all together with their own peculiar style. A fairy with with identity issues, an alien spider with a nervous disposition, and an insecure death god – with the help of an A.I robot from the future that broke it’s programming – Inward Strange are on a mission to save humanity from the dark creatures in the shadows and their robot henchmen. Throwing out genre, the band take ‘pop’ elements from many different styles over many different decades, stitching together a tapestry from them of their own making. With a themed like layer to the sound, each and every song has its own individual feel, whilst at the same time also distinctively sounding like themselves. It all comes from a belief in the right of self expression. To reveal ones own inner strangeness without discrimination. To come together and celebrate what makes us unique. Inward Strange have released their third single ‘Silent Minds’. ‘Silent Minds’ is about people who force their own hateful inner demons out into the world and onto other people. This often materialises as mindless hateful rhetoric that only begets more hate. Listen below.

With Sun
With Sun is the artist name of singer-songwriter and poet Alice Hale. Following in the footsteps of her father, songwriter Keith Hale (Toyah/Hawkwind), Alice began writing when she was 13. Guided by her distinctive voice, Alice’s songs are stories of truth, hope and connection. Her lyrics express a vulnerability, allowing you to go on a journey through the intimate corridors of her life. Tender and therapeutic, often sad but beautiful. Her new song ‘Thirteen Weeks’ is a song about loss. “I wrote it after the devastation of my first miscarriage,” explains Alice. “It’s about my journey with grief and finding peace within that grief. There are lots of joyful stories celebrating the creation of life. But there are also other stories. The less triumphant and glamorous. The quiet, angry and sometimes shameful. This song holds a space for those.” Listen below.

Check out more of our recent submissions via the playlist below!

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.