WATCH: Serena Isioma – ‘King’

An intoxicating blend of smooth vocals and jangly guitars, Chicago-based musician Serena Isioma has shared their latest single ‘King’. Full of seductive beats and brooding bass lines, the track is a shimmering reflection on the problematic friendships 20-year old Isioma has found themselves in.

“’King’ is about remembering your worth,” the songwriter explains. “I used to have a lot of rich friends. I would do anything to please them so they would let me live their lifestyles. After cutting those friends off then going through a period of isolation, I saw history repeating itself when I got in a new entanglement.” Isioma unravels these ties through catchy melodies and empowering lyrics.

‘King’ is accompanied by a beautiful set of visuals, directed by Michael Del Rosario. “I’m sick of seeing white cisgender people dominate the alternative world simply because there is nothing alternative about that,” Isioma explains. “I’m so happy that I was able to showcase black femmes as the stars of the ‘King’ music video. Black femmes deserve the world.”

Watch the video for ‘King’ below and keep your eyes peeled for Isioma’s new EP The Leo Sun Sets, set for release later this year.

Follow Serena Isioma on Spotify & Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Get In Her Ears w/ ZAND 15.10.20

Tash & Kate were back in the Hoxton Radio studio this week with loads of new tunes from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists. Highlights included tracks from Circe, Babeheaven, Celaviedmai, ARXX, Serena Isioma, Sans Soucis and Witch Prophet.

They also caught up with “ugly pop” artist ZAND to talk about how they’ve been coping with the on-going Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns. They’ve been busy working on their new music, which includes their latest single ‘Slut Money’ and their upcoming EP UGLY POP. ZAND also spoke about how they first got into making music and being featured in British Vogue’s ‘I Feel Pride’ campaign back in 2019.

Listen back:

Tracklist
The Selecter – On My Radio
Isabelle Brown – In Your Head
Laura Fell – Cold
CIRCE – Ruined Your Sons
Babeheaven – Craziest Things
Nuala Honan – Day To Day
Rosie Shaw – Temporary Love
Opal Onyx – Lover’s Toil
Pao Pestana – Quiero Verte
Morgan – Alien
Celaviedmai – Reckless
Tamar Aphek – Show Me Your Pretty Side
Serena Isioma – King
Witch Prophet – TESFAY
ZAND – Slut Money
**ZAND Interview**
Rachael Lavelle – Perpetual Party
Sans Soucis – Air
Seagoth – Dreamworld
ARXX – Call Me Crazy
Moglii ft. LissA – Skoda
JEEN – Idols
Swallow Cave – Cold Moon
Tolu Makay – Don’t Let Go
Bugeye – When The Lights Go Out
Winifred Atweel – The Black and White Rag

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Get In Her Ears w/ Girlhood 08.10.20

Tash & Kate were back in the Hoxton Radio studio with loads of fresh new tunes from women & non-binary people in music this week. They caught up with the wonderful Tessa from Girlhood to talk about the band’s self-titled debut album (due October 23rd), the band’s latest single ‘It Might Take A Woman’ and their peculiar origin story…

Listen back:

Tracklist
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
Kynsy – Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State
Deep Tan – deepfake
Big Joanie – Fall Asleep
Artemis Orion – Midnight Thoughts
I SEE RIVERS – Grow and Go
Anneka – The Elevator Scene
Gordian Stimm – Miscellaneous Body Parts
Maxine Nightingale – Right Back Where We Started From
Sade – Smooth Operator
Amaroun – Scarlet
Indian Queens – Shoot For Sexy
MOURN – Men
SpaceAcre – Overthrown
Girlhood – It Might Take A Woman
**Interview with Tessa from Girlhood**
Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
Little Monarch – Wrong Right
Sevdaliza – Oh My God
Premaura – Impermanence
Penelope Trappes – Eel Drip
BEBELUNA – Who Are You
Beefywink – Holocene Heroine
Priya Ragu – Good Love 2.0
Kirsten Knick – Life’s A Placebo
Palberta – Before I Got Here
Nayana Iz – Growing Pains
Gwen Stefani – Cool

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LISTEN: Anna B Savage – ‘A Common Tern’

A smouldering rumination on escaping an unhealthy relationship, London-based songwriter Anna B Savage has shared her latest single, ‘A Common Tern’. Lifted from her debut album titled A Common Turn, which is set for release on 29th January 2021 via City Slang, the track is a brooding exploration of Savage’s need to free herself from the shackles of a pernicious relationship with a former partner, and with herself.

The single shares its name with a seabird, the sight of which prompted Savage to re-think her relationship while on a fishing trip with her ex. She explains this further: “When I saw the terns, I was pretty amazed: they really did seem like they were just suspended, dangling on the bottom of a thread. Something about that seeming captivity, being on the end of an invisible line, then breaking free. They were at once familiar and yet so strange and weird. I don’t think I entirely grasped the relevance while I was writing it, but now it seems very, very frickin’ obvious.”

“I spent a year and a half after the tern incident trying to extricate myself from the relationship, bit by bit, section by section. It was fucking hard work, and I did do a lot of apologising. For me, a common turn means the common moment where you decide you just don’t/can’t love someone any more, and there’s nothing any of you can do about it.”

Savage’s ability to carve beguiling soundscapes from her intensely personal, often painful experiences is what makes her music so compelling. Watch the video for ‘A Common Tern’ below and follow Anna B Savage on bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment