Year 7, Day 199

Morning! Today's song is Irrelevant by Lauren Aquilina.

Photo by: Tito

So I already featured Lauren Aquilina once this year, but since she's a more unknown artist than some others I've done, I'm just going to put her bio back in this time too. Lauren Aquilina is a English singer whose been active since 2011. She played music and sang from a young age, and after a recital where she sang a Lady Gaga song, she uploaded the recording to Facebook. The man that would become her manager saw it, and started working with her towards her first EP which came out in 2012. The album did well on iTunes, and with performances around Norway she gained more attention. She toured the UK in 2013 as her popularity increased in Malta, which is where her parents are from. By 2014 she had released two more EP's and was signed to a label. She released her debut album in 2016, but a few months later announced it would be her last album and left the music scene. I'm not sure why she left, but she returned to music in 2018 with a single, and with plans for more. So I guess we'll all see what happens. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 198

Morning! Today's song is Anxiety by Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez.

Photo from: Live @ The Fonda

Julia Michaels is the stage name for Julia Carin Cavazos who has been active in the industry since 2010 as a songwriter. It's only recently that she has branched out to performing, releasing this single in 2017. Like with many other songwriters, it was a song that was so ingrained into her that she couldn't fathom giving it away, so she did it herself. Many artists tried to get the song, but ultimately her idea to keep it worked out, as she became a breakout star of the year. Her first EP came out later that same year, then she rounded off her successful year with supporting Shawn Mendes on tour. In 2018 she was nominated for a couple of Grammy's for this song, which she followed up by releasing another single then supporting Maroon 5 on tour. She has collaborated with a number of artists now, and has released an EP, which is part one to a larger project. I've featured Selena Gomez a lot. She's been in the industry since 2002, starting with acting on Barney & Friends and some small appearances elsewhere before getting her big break with the Disney channel, first with a recurring role on Hannah Montana then landing Wizards of Waverly Place. She did do some songs for her show and within the Disney channel umbrella, but her beginning in music really started when she formed the band Selena Gomez and the Scene, releasing their debut album in 2009. The name was a play on the fact that people called her a fake Scene kid. She released three albums through that band before disbanding in 2012. After that she went solo, and has released three solo albums between her acting projects, the first in 2012 and another in 2020. She's also released two EP's and a compilation album. The thing about Selena is she is an actress first so her musical career has always been less than stellar. And yet, she ends up working on some great songs, case in point this one. And it lends a bit of her stardom to kickstart Julia's career higher which is a definite plus for us.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 197

Morning! Today's song is Choirs by Ashe.

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

Hi guys. Once again I ran out of posts because of my body being upset at me. This time I hurt my shoulder and my arm. Because I have to sleep on my left side (on my weaker arm) because of the surgery I somehow managed to make my entire arm immovable and very very painful. I went to get it check out today and luckily there is no tear or anything, it's just really tight and upset. So nothing to do but wait it out and try and keep the inflammation down. Unfortunately it's difficult to do anything when one slight movement brings tons of pain. And don't even get me started on laying down, that pain is excruciating. So if I get a little behind, it's because typing is hard right now. Bear with me.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 196

Morning! Today's song is Samurai by Vanic featuring Katy Tiz.

Vanic is Jesse Hughes, a Canadian DJ whose been active since since as early as 2014. I've featured him before so this is going to be a quick one. He had been in business school, but dropped out to pursue music, and got featured on a song by Machineheart which went viral. He signed to a label in 2016 and released his debut single. He's now got seven singles so far, along with a smattering of remixes and I look forward to his first album. Katy Tiz is a British singer active since 2012. She's got a couple singles of her own, but also has some writing credits for pretty big names including Cheryl Cole and Girls Generation. She also did a Simlish version of one of her most popular songs for a Sims 4 pack which I find endlessly entertaining. How the Sims team gets artist to do gibberish for them will forever be a mystery. She has intentions of releasing an album in 2015, but we still haven't seen it yet. This song specifically is from 2016, and I really like it. So I hope you do. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 195

Morning! Today's song is Bulletproof by The Score featuring XYLO.

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

I've already talked about The Score multiple times so today I'm just going to focus on XYLØ. Originally it was a sibling duo made up of Chase Duddy and Paige Duddy, but now it's just Paige. They started in 2015 with some singles and got signed to Sony Music Entertainment. They released their debut EP in 2016 and did some shows. In 2017 they released some more singles and were featured on some songs, then in 2018 Chase left to focus on other stuff. So Paige continued on with this moniker, releasing some singles and signing with a different label. She released two EP's in 2019, and another in 2020 before releasing a compilation album in 2020. There is lots to choose from so after this song, go check out some of that stuff. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 194

Morning! Today's song is Bitch by Lennon Stella.

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

Lennon Stella is a Canadian musician and actress whose been active since 2012 when she got a role on the show Nashville with her sister. The two also performed together under the name Lennon & Maisy. The two of them are actually legacy singers too, with both their parents performing together in a duo known as The Stellas. They started posting on YouTube in order to gain recognition to get work visas to be on Nashville, and went viral, leading to Lennon & Maisy performing at a lot of different events through the years. They've released a couple singes and did a Live Sessions album in 2012. Of course they've also released music through the TV show Nashville from 2012 into 2018. Then in 2018 Lennon got signed to a record deal on her own, being featured on a song with Jonas Blue and Liam Payne, and releasing her debut EP the same year. In 2019 she opened for Anne-Marie, worked with the Chainsmokers and Illenium on a song, then opened for The Chainsmokers on their tour. She has a studio album that was released in 2020 so after this song if you're interested go check that out. I have to say, I used to watch Nashville (before it got a little too soap opera ish for me) and loved the siblings on it, but I made zero connection between Lennon on the show and Lennon singing this song until writing this blurb. I'm a little shocked it's the same person, but I'm glad she's getting to expand into the industry past the show. I can't wait for more. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 193

Morning! Today's song is Who's Laughing Now by Ava Max.

Photo by: El Hormiguero

So I ran down the posts I had saved up until they ran out because I really haven't been ready to write things. I'm still not ready, but unless I want to leave you high and dry I no longer have the option to ignore this. The reason my mood is so down is because I had surgery about two weeks ago to get my gallbladder removed. And I have to say I super regret doing it because it wasn't that bad before and I think I'm actually worse now. I also now am unable to eat or drink anything that I like, and have only consumed a couple pieces of toast and a handful of crackers in the last two weeks. So yeah, not fun. I'm hoping it'll get better, but I am beginning to lose that thread of positivity. Moral of the story: don't let your doctors and family pressure you into a situation that you're not 100% sold on, because if I had listened to my instincts, I wouldn't have done it, and wouldn't feel awful now. Life threatening thing excluded obviously, this rule applies for elective surgeries that you actually get to have an opinion about. Anyway, enjoy the song and send some good juju my way.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 192

Morning! Today's song is Sorry Now by Crimson Apple.

Crimson Apple is a family band active since 2012 and made up of sisters Colby Benson, Shelby Benson, Carthi Benson, and Faith Benson. They are started playing instruments individually before realizing they could join up. They moved to LA in 2015 to pursue music, landing a performance gig at Disneyland before getting signed. They released their debut EP in 2019, and have opened for some pretty big groups so their popularity is growing. Check them out. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 191

Morning! Today's song is Dark Side by Bishop Briggs.

Photo by: Andy Witchger

Bishop Briggs is a stage name for Sarah McLaughlin. Not to be confused with Sarah McLachlan who is a Canadian singer. I'm guessing the similarities might have contributed to her choice to use a stage name. Sarah was born in London, England. Her parents though are from Bishopbriggs, Scotland. So you can see where she got her name from. She decided she wanted to be a singer after performing in a karaoke bar when she was a kid. After high school she moved to LA to attend the Musician's Institute and start her career. In 2015 she was going by Bishop and performing in bars. She released this song in 2016, and changed her name to Bishop Briggs so she didn't get confused with a heavy metal band of the same name. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 190

Morning! Today's song is Higher by Lemaitre featuring Maty Noyes. 

Lemaitre is a Norwegian duo active since 2010 made up of Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund. The group is named after a Belgian priest named Georges Lemaitre. He was the first person to propose the Big Bang Theory, and derived Hubble's Law in physics. I guess the word also translates to the master in French, which seems to fit in with the namesake, but they weren't aware of the translation at the time. They have one album that was released in 2017, and eight EP's with the most recent from 2019. Plus they have a couple of singles and remixes so there is a lot for you to check out. Maty Noyes has been active since 2015 when she got featured on a single by The Weekend. Since then she's released two EP's and a handful of singles. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 189

Morning! Today's song is Lover Boy by Phum Viphurit.

Photo from: Sry85

Phum Viphurit is Viphurit Siritip and is a Thai singer. I'm pretty sure he's the first person I've featured from there so give it up for Thailand today! He's been active since 2014 and started off on YouTube. He actually played drums first, but switched to guitar because drums were too loud for where he was living at the time. After posting stuff on YouTube he got signed, then released his debut album in 2017. This song was a single he released in 2018 which went viral and earned him some international fame which he built more when he toured around the world later that year. He had two EP's in 2019 and had at least one single from 2020 so he's still going strong. Check him out. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 188

Morning! Today's song is There's A Honey by Pale Waves.

Photo by: Raph_PH

Pale Waves is an English band active since 2014 and currently made up of Heather Baron-Gracie, Ciara Doran, Hugo Silvani, and Charlie Wood. Originally they named the band Creek before changing the name, then released some demos in 2015, leading to them getting signed in 2017. This song was their first hit single. The second hit single I think I've already featured so you should be familiar with the group. They spent 2017 releasing singles, then released an EP in 2018 followed by their debut album later in the year. They released another EP in 2019 and have another album in the works. I probably said it last time too but I love that you don't expect the type of music you get by looking at the lead singer. It's like reading a book that's had the wrong cover sleeve put on it, but the book you get is much more your mood in the moment than the one you expected. I like it. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 187

Morning! Today's song is Pills by St. Vincent. 

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

St. Vincent is Anne Erin Clark whose been active since 2003. She released an EP that year, with some of her fellow music college students before dropping out. She went back to Texas where she joined the Polyphonic Spree, a choral rock band, joining them on a European tour. In 2004 she joined Glenn Branca's 100 Guitar Orchestra and a rock band called Skull Fuckers before leaving all that to join Sufjan Stevens' touring band in 2006. She had another EP, then released her debut album in 2007. She was nominated for and won the PLUG Female Artist of the Year in 2008 before releasing her second album in 2009, with a lot of those songs ended up featured in various pop culture works. Her third album came out in 2011, with another in 2013, before signing to a different label for her next album. In 2016 she directed one part of a horror anthology film titled XX, before releasing another album in 2017. That album also has an acoustic rendition she released in 2018. Since then she's helped produce an album for Sleater-Kinney and co-wrote a song for Taylor Swift's album, so she's still kicking around in the industry and will surely have more. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 186

Morning! Today's song is The Walker by Fitz and the Tantrums. 

Photo by: GabboT

So the band was formed in 2008, and is made up of Michael Fitzpatrick, Noelle Scaggs, Joe Karnes, James King, Jeremy Ruzumna, and John Wicks. So Michael is technically the one that started the group, buying an electric organ and writing a song the same day. He then got in touch with James who plays Sax, then James brought in Noelle and John who sing and play drums respectively. Then John brought in Joe and Jeremy who play bass and keyboard respectively and the group was formed. The group clicked immediately, which is something all musicians strive for, and played their first show within a week of the first rehearsal. They released their first EP in 2009 and then toured with Flogging Molly (who I've featured before) and Hepcat. Immediately after they opened for Maroon 5 on their college tour, a last minute change when K'naan backed out. Fun Fact: Adam Levine found out about the band from his tattoo artist. In 2010 they did some more touring and festival shows, before getting signed and releasing an album. 2011 and 2012 saw them making the rounds on talk shows performing and gaining some fame, then they released another album in 2013. This song came out in 2016, and is the first time I heard of them. I'm glad it finally found its way to me. They're definitely a band to watch. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 185

Morning! Today's song is With You by Otto Knows.

Otto Knows is Otto Jettman, a Swedish DJ active since 2010. He got discovered when a remix he did of an Imogen Heap song caught the attention of Avicii. His first big hit was one with Avicii, and after that he had continually successful hit singles. He's continued to do remixes as well, and even has some writing and producing credits on songs with other large artists like Britney Spears. I know him originally from the collab he did with Lindsey Stirling and Alex Aris, and I liked it so I wanted to feature more of his stuff. He was still releasing music as of last year so keep an eye out for him. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 184

Morning! Today's song is Behind Closed Doors by The Strypes.

Photo by: Aurelien Guichard

These guys are an Irish band active from 2010 to 2018 and members include Ross Farrelly, Josh McClorey, Pete O'Hanlon, Evan Walsh, and Jack Hayden. Their debut EP came out in 2012 while they were still in school. It gained a lot of interest leading to a bidding war with recording companies. They got signed by Elton John's management company, then signed with Mercury Records. They released their debut single in 2013, followed by another single and then their debut album. They did a bunch of tours and performances before releasing their second album in 2015. In 2017 they tested some new material in shows in Ireland, before releasing it on their next album out that year. They broke up in 2018, but they did appear in the movie Rocketman as Elton John's backing band. I can't find anything that talks about why they broke up so I assume it was just a mutual decision to retire, but you never know what will happen later. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 183

Morning! Today's song is Bear Claws by The Academic.

The Academic is an Irish band active since 2013 and made up of Craig Fitzgerald, Matthew Murtagh, Stephen Murtagh, and Dean Gavin. They formed while they were in school together. They released an EP in 2015 and played a sold out show, the popularity leading to them being selected to represent Ireland at the Eurosonic Festival. And that led to them playing a lot of shows around Europe. This song came out in 2017 and went viral because of the video, so if it'll play in your country check it out. They're still relatively new in the industry so I don't have a lot of information about them. I know that they are signed and their debut album came out in 2018. Since then they've gotten a lot of positive reactions and have been doing some more touring in Europe so keep an eye out for them if you're in that hemisphere. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 182

Morning! Today's song is New Light by John Mayer.

Photo from: slgckgc

So John Mayer has been active in the industry since 1998 when he left college to be in a two man band called LoFi Masters. The guys ended up disagreeing on what kind of music they should make, so instead he went solo, making his first EP in 1999. A label took interest in him and released his debut internet-only album in 2001 before being re-released with a bigger parent label. He won a Grammy in 2003, then released a live CD, and his second album the same year. He won another Grammy in 2005, although he didn't think he should've gotten that one, so he cut his name off and gave the award to Alicia Keys. He formed the John Mayer trio and released a live album with them, before going back to solo work with his third album in 2006. He won more Grammys after that then did some collaboration work with other artists in 2009. He took a hiatus for a couple years after that because he had to have multiple surgeries to remove a granuloma in his throat. He released an album in 2012, and continued to deal with his medical stuff through that year. In 2013 he released another album then went on tour since he finally could again. Since then he's released another album in 2017 and some singles in 2018 so he's still going strong. Enjoy!

Peace.

Year 7, Day 181

Morning! Today's song is 1000 Nights by Frenship.

Frenship is a pop duo active since 2013 and made up of James Sutherland and Brett Hite. They met at a Lululemon, which I find pretty funny considering these guys are dudes and Lululemon is normally seen only for preppy girls for their yoga pants. They first started posting music on SoundCloud that got really popular before releasing a single in 2016 in collaboration with Emily Warren. That song is their most well known, but this song is actually the one released after that one. They got signed, then released an EP in 2016. Their debut album came out in 2019, so you should go check out their new stuff. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 180

Morning! Today's song is Brother by Kodaline.

Photo from: Michihuser

So Kodaline is an Irish band made up of Steve Garrigan, Vinny May, Jr., Jason Boland, and Mark Prendergast. As this group they've been active since 2011, but they were active earlier since 2005 under a different name. The first performance was in 2006 under the name 21 Demands in a talent competition, where they came in second. The next year they were able to release a single through the company who ran the talent show's website. That song topped the singles chart in Ireland, becoming the first independent track to do so. The band released their first EP in 2012 after they changed the name. It got a lot of radio play, and was nominated for BBC's Sound of the Year. They released their debut album the next year. Songs from it were used for a lot of different TV shows and movies for the next couple years, and iTunes had the option of some extra songs on a deluxe version. The announced their next album at the end of 2014, and it was released in 2015. In 2017 they released another single (which will be shown later), followed by another single in 2018 in preparation for the album which was released later in the year. There hasn't been anything since as far as I know, but I'm sure there will be soon, so keep an eye out. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 179

Morning! Today's song is Obstacles by Syd Matters.

Photo by: caiguanhau

Syd Matters is a French band active since 2001 and made up of Jonathan Morali, Olivier Marguerit, Remi Alexandre, Jean-Yves Lozac'h, and Clement Carle. It originally started as a pseudonym for Morali on his own, which he used to gain a recording contract, release an EP in 2002, and an album in 2003. After that, he recruited the others, so officially the band has been a band since 2005 with the release of a new album. A compilation album of the first two combined was released in America in 2006, and then a third album was released in 2008. In 2011 they had another album, and there doesn't seem to be much since then, but they are still technically active so we'll see if there's more.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 178

Morning! Today's song is Sinners by Lauren Aquilina.

Photo by: Tito

Lauren Aquilina is a English singer whose been active since 2011. She played music and sang from a young age, and after a recital where she sang a Lady Gaga song, she uploaded the recording to Facebook. The man that would become her manager saw it, and started working with her towards her first EP which came out in 2012. The album did well on iTunes, and with performances around Norway she gained more attention. She toured the UK in 2013 as her popularity increased in Malta, which is where her parents are from. By 2014 she had released two more EP's and was signed to a label. She released her debut album in 2016, but a few months later announced it would be her last album and left the music scene. I'm not sure why she left, but she returned to music in 2018 with a single, and with plans for an EP. So I guess we'll all see what happens.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 177

Morning! Today's song is The Night We Met by Lord Huron. 

Photo by: WFUV Public Radio

Lord Huron is an Indie folk band active since 2010 and currently made up of Ben Schneider, Mark Barry, Miguel Briseño, and Tom Renaud. It originally started as a solo project by Schneider, and members were added as he started playing shows. The name is paying homage to Lake Huron that he used to visit with his family, and this might be the first time I've been right about where the inspiration for a band name has come from. There are three EP's, although the first couple were just Shneider, and have three albums. The first from 2012, then another in 2015, and one in 2018. There hasn't been much since then, but these guys tend to have a couple years between when they write new material so I'm sure we'll see more soon. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 176

Morning! Today's song is You're Somebody Else by Flora Cash.

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

So Flora Cash is a pop duo active since 2012 and made up of Shpresa Lleshaj and Cole Randall. As a child, Lleshaj's family fled to Sweden from Kosovo to escape the war, and so she was living in Sweden when she met Randall through SoundCloud. They started working together, releasing an EP in 2012 and another in 2013 before they got married, which I think is adorable. There was another EP in 2014, then got signed to a Swedish label in 2015 before releasing a seven song album in 2016 which earned them two GAFFA Award nominations. Their official debut alum came out in 2017, followed by them signing with Sony in 2018, and another album released in 2020. They've released a couple of singles this year so they're still around if you like what you hear. And I know you might be wondering about what the band name means, but there is no answer. I guess these two have never shared with anyone what it means, it's just for them. So the mystery lives on.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 175

Morning! Today's song is Kingdom Fall by Claire Wyndham.

 

So again I have no complete bio on her, so we're going to do our best. So Claire Wyndham is an Australian singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist whose been active since at least 2014 because that's when her official website was copyrighted. She's based in America, in Nashville, and has had her songs featured in a ton of popular shows. I found her by accident thank to YouTube and immediately knew I wanted to showcase her so you guys would know her too. So I hope you like the song.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 174

Morning! Today's song is Flux by Ellie Goulding. 

Photo by: Frank Schwichtenberg

I'm pretty sure I've written about Ellie Goulding in the past so this one is going to be quick. So she's an English singer active since 2009. As of right now she has four albums that she's released in 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2020. But listing her albums only doesn't do her career justice. She has been a huge star, done lots of touring, and won 19 awards since her career began. She's also been very philanthropic, working with a number of different organizations through the years and even being awarded a Global Leadership Award in 2017 for her efforts. She's still around, obviously since her most recent album came out last year, but she and her husband also just had a baby so she might focus on family life for a bit. It's what I would do. But there is still lots to check out, so look her up.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 173

Morning! Today's song is Running With The Wolves by AURORA.

Photo by: John

Aurora is Aurora Aksnes, a Norwegian singer active since 2012. She has released many singles over the years, and have two EPs, from 2015 and 2018, and two albums from 2016 and 2019. Her songs tend to give the vibe of leaving technology behind in search of nature, which is not surprising as much of her early life was spent in small town or communities where technology and infrastructure didn't outweigh the forests and natural world. It's a refreshing take. She has also been working in 2020, debuting what she refers to as a new era in her career with a collaboration ballad with Isobel Waller-Bridge. So far this year she released two compilation EP's so she still going strong and I hope you check her out.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 172

Morning! Today's song is Carry You by Ruelle featuring Fleurie. 

Photo from: the Behind The Scenes video

Ruelle is the stage name for Margaret Eckford. She grew up in Mississippi, moved to do music school in Australia, and now works out of Nashville. Ruelle is a french word that has multiple meanings including wolf and chamber, and she picked it for that and the sense of mystery the word invoked. Her first album was released in 2010, followed by another in 2012 that were both indie-pop and credited to her real name. It was after that that she adopted the stage name and a new sound, before releasing multiple EPs. Fleurie is the stage name for Lauren Strahm, whose been active since 2013 with the release of her first EP. She released another EP in 2015 then had a song featured in a lot of different media. The same year she collaborated with NF in one of his songs, then she opened for him on his tour in 2016. Her debut album came out in 2016 and once again the songs got featured all over the place. Her next album came out in 2018, and she's released some singles in the last couple years along with an EP in 2019. These are both great artists so after this song be sure to check out both of their discographies. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 171

Good Morning! Today's song is Bedroom Ceiling by Sody.

Sody is Sophie Dyson, an English singer whose been active since at least 2016 when she released an EP. She's still relatively new in the industry which explains why I don't have official bio to work off of. She had another EP released in 2019, and is still releasing songs now. She's a talented artist so she's one whose career you should keep an eye on. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 170

Good Morning! Today's song is All The Kids Are Depressed by Jeremy Zucker.

Jeremy Zucker is an American musician active since 2015. He started doing music while in high school, writing some and also joining a band called the Foreshadows. He released two EPs in 2015, and two in 2017, then graduated from college in 2018 with a molecular biology degree. He also released three EPs the same year. In 2019 he started releasing singles from his upcoming album before releasing the fool album in 2020. His latest EPs from 2019 and 2021 have been joint EPs released with another artist named Chelsea Cutler, so you should go check her out too.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 169

Good Morning! Today's song is Hole In My Heart by Luke Friend.

So Luke Friend is an English singer active since 2013 when he won TeenStar, and then coming in third place on the X Factor. In 2014 he won a Rising Star award before signing with RCA Records, releasing his debut single in 2015.  In 2016 he signed with a different label called BMG. Although he still has not released an album, he has an EP from 2013 along with singles out throughout his career. He also was doing a musical as of 2019 so we'll have to see when he has time for his first album. Until then enjoy his singles.

Peace.