Year 8, Day 243

Hey guys. Today's song is Unaware by Bella Taylor Smith.

Bella Taylor Smith is an Australian singer active since 2021 when she auditioned for The Voice Australia. Unlike most of the people I end up featuring that had been apart of talent competitions, she actually won that season of the show, which also earned her a recording contract. Following her win, she released two EPs that same year, with another two EPs released in 2022. And as of right now she is actually up for an ARIA award, so we'll have to wait for the results on that. Though there isn't too much from her yet she definitely has potential so keep an eye out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 242

Hey guys. Today's song is Phantom by Of Monsters And Men. 

Photo by: Levi Manchak

Of Monster and Men is an Iclandic band active since 2010 and currently made up of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Ragnar Þórhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Kristján Páll Kristjánsson, and Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson with one past member being Árni Guðjónsson. The band was originally a solo project of Hilmarsdóttir's called Songbird, but she added members and formed this group in 2009, although the name of the group was picked by Þórhallsson. In 2010 as a quartet of Hilmarsdóttir, Leifsson, Þórhallsson, and Hilmarsson they entered a music competition in Reykjavik, then afterwards added in Guðjónsson and Kristjánsson. They toured around Iceland playing gigs, then performed at the Iceland Airwaves festival in 2010 where a Seattle radio station recorded one of their songs. The band was signed in 2011 and released their debut album in Iceland. Meanwhile their other song was getting played on the radio in the States and gaining them nationwide success. This earned them another record deal, leading to the release of an EP at the end of 2011 and then a re-release on their album in the States in 2012. It was also in 2012 that Guðjónsson left the group. They spent most of 2012 and 2013 touring and playing at various festivals, before recording their next album through 2014 and releasing it in 2015, followed by a tour. They did more performing in 2016, then started on their next album in 2017, with it being released in 2019. They've been releasing some singles since then and even an entry at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022, so they're still around if you want to check them out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 241

Hey guys. Today's song is Swan Upon Leda by Hozier.

Photo by: Neon Tommy

Hozier is Andrew Hozier-Byrne, and Irish singer whose been around since 2008. He was part of a choral ensemble called Anúna starting in 2009, and he toured with them internationally. He released his debut EP in 2013 and it became huge. He released his second EP in 2014, followed quickly by his debut album. He did some performances in 2015, but then kind of disappeared from the music scene until his next EP in 2018. His second album was released in 2019, followed by a worldwide tour and some festival performances. In 2020 he did a lot of fundraising, livestreaming for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and and performing at the RTÉ Does Comic Relief Special for pandemic relief. He announced his next album in 2021, and an upcoming EP to be released next month. This song was released in 2022, and is inspired by Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian feminist, and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court ruling about the right (or lack there of) to abortion. Add in the protests in Iran and there seems to be a war against women going on. When you go to the video, Hozier does have a little blurb in the description explaining the reasoning behind the song and its inspiration, so give that a read when you check out the song. One thing about Hozier that I've always appreciated is how much emphasis his songs put on important things. I'm sure someone could base a whole history class of of the influences Hozier has for all his music, so if you're curious, go see what other things he's talked about through his craft.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 240

Hey guys. Today's song is The Good Parts by JP Saxe.

Photo by: VagueOnTheHow

Jp Saxe is Jonathan Percy Saxe, a Canadian musician active since 2012. He's got songwriting credits on a couple tracks before he started releasing singles himself in 2017. His debut EP came out in 2018, which was followed by some more singles in 2019 and another EP in 2020. His debut album came out in 2021, and he's been releasing singles since then, including this song which was released in 2022. So he's still going strong and I would expect to see another album from him in the near future. So keep an eye out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 239

Hey guys. Today's song is Bridges by Calum Scott.

Calum Scott is an English musician active since 2013. His career started with a win on a talent competition for a regional newspaper. Afterwards he joined a Maroon 5 tribute band and toured around the UK. By 2014 he formed a new duo along with John McIntyre called The Experiment, releasing their debut single the same year before the group broke up. In 2015 both he and his sister auditioned for Britain's Got Talent. His sister went first and was fully rejected by the judges, but Calum received not only a standing ovation, but a golden buzzer from Simon Cowell. He came in sixth overall. After the show he released his cover of his audition song independently in 2016 and it slowly rose to fame. He then signed with a label and did a number of TV spots, then teamed up with Brazilian artist Ivete Sangalo for a single that became the official song for the Summer Paralympics in 2016. He released another single in 2017, followed by his debut album in 2018. In 2020 he did a musical documentary following the making of his next album. Then in 2021 he released three EPs and a couple singles leading up to the release of his second album in 2022. This song I'm featuring is the title song on that album. And I really cannot say enough about this song. It might seem a little dark to someone who has never felt the emotions that it's conveying, but as someone who has, this song is... so perfectly created. I have listened to it so much since finding it, so I hope you appreciate it like I did.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 238

Hey guys. Today's song is The Fixer by Brent Morgan.

So this is another one where you need to bear with me because I don't have an official bio to go off of. So Brent Morgan is an American musician, active since at least 2011 since that's when his YouTube channel went up. If you watch the Voice you might recognize him as he did do a stint on it, but had to leave for medical reasons. Much like with Sarah Cothran earlier this week there is a video of him explaining his beginning and career, so rather than me reiterating all that, I'm going to link it so he can tell you himself. And it is pretty interesting and to see the progression of his musical career and the commentary of how getting into the industry has changed from 20 years ago until now. So please check it out and give the song a listen because I think it's incredible.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 237

Hey guys. Today's song is Doomsday by Lizzy McAlpine.

Lizzy McAlpine is an American musician active since 2016. She sang in an a cappella group in high school, then went to the Berklee College of Music for a bit and started to write music, before dropping out to pursue her music full time. She has an EP listened from 2016, as well as another in 2018. She spent 2019 in Spain where she wrote her debut album, released in 2020. Also in 2020 during the pandemic she spent time doing a streamed concert series. She released another EP in 2021, followed by another studio album in 2022, and a tour the same year. This is the first song that I've heard from her, but it has definitely peaked my interest so I'm looking forward to more.

Peace.