On February 10, Kelela will release her sophomore album RAVEN. Her first full-length project since her 2017 debut album Take Me Apart, the eclectic songstress shares her latest focus track “Enough For Love.”
A downtempo, ethereal groove, “Enough For Love” follows her previous releases “Contact,” “Washed Away,” “On The Run,” and “Happy Ending.” RAVEN will likely shut down her fans who have been clamoring for an album from the songstress for about… oh, let’s say, a year max. Then we’re back at it again!
Kelela Drops “Enough For Love” Single was last modified: February 7th, 2023 by Meka
“When I sit and play on this piano beside the window, I feel inspired and begin to compose my own music because it makes me feel more creative.”
It is not every day that an eleven-year-old boy says he has learned how to be patient; Justin Toutinji may just be an exception to that.
Toutinji’s family recently moved to Doha. In a country where he knew nobody, Justin found solace in music – and especially in playing the piano.
“I feel that music calms you down. Even if you mess up, you can redo it. The sounds encourage me to keep going, to never stop believing in myself and giving up. Playing the piano teaches me patience, and it allows me to express myself as I am,” Toutinji told Doha News.
After starting piano lessons at Yamaha Music School (YMS), the young student realized that his new home might not be so lonely after all. The school follows the Yamaha Music Education System, which consists of a 10-year structured curriculum aimed at preschool and school-aged children. It helps them express their creativity through performance and composition, all while allowing them to interact in a fun and collaborative environment.
A home made of musical strings
Parents often have an idea of what they’d like for their child to do when they grow up – and being a musician does not usually cut, compared to other occupations. Toutinji’s mother, Lama Zaarour, believes that watching her son play the piano, and the passion he’s developed for it, is also teaching her to adapt to her son’s needs.
“Sometimes, we have this perfect plan and vision set for our kids and their future, however, at the end of the day, what matters is observing what they are into and what they like, which might be completely different than what you have had in mind for them.”
Zaarour enrolled her son in piano classes at YMS after she saw his interest and eagerness. He’d started learning and playing off YouTube and TikTok tutorials whenever he’d come across a piano in public.
“When I saw the interest that Justin had in playing the piano, we started asking around about schools that offer classes. YMS was recommended as one of the best places in the country for teaching the piano and other musical instruments. We proceeded with the enrollment and liked it,” Zaarour told Doha News.
While playing music comes as a source of comfort for some, others grow and develop a love for it after being introduced to it by a role model figure.
To Viviana Honein, that figure was her father. Now eleven years old, Honein enrolled in piano classes at YMS four years ago, when she was just seven years old.
After going to school for four years, Honein feels that she has found a home there. “I always brag about how I go to YMS and how nice it is. I would surely recommend it to others.”
Artistic freedom
The students at YMS enjoy ample freedom when it comes to their musical expressions and preferable ways of practicing. The school understands that in some cases children might not have a piano at home for them to practice on, so they allow them to practice in their own time using the school’s instruments.
[A student playing in the Yamaha studio]
“Until we are sure of Justin’s will to pursue a more advanced journey in playing piano, YMS lets us come in and practice whenever the classes are available,” said Zaarour.
The curriculum at Yamaha Music School inspires students to develop their general musical skills through five major stages: listening, singing, playing, reading, and creating. This gives students the space to grow and express their true selves.
The school’s approach to artistic freedom and expression is no whimsical decision based on the teacher, but a deliberate policy focused on nurturing the student’s passion for music. Gabriel Alejandro, a Cuban instructor at YMS, started his music journey at the ripe age of 10 years old and explained to Doha News the reason behind his teaching techniques.
“I love to give my students the freedom of expressing music however they want and not how I prefer, which was the opposite of what I had learned as a student myself,” said Alejandro, who delved into the field of musical education to teach his passion the way he would’ve wanted to be taught when he was younger.
“I’ve always wanted to play “Für Elise” perfectly on the piano because my father loved this specific piece of music,” Honein told Doha News.
The 25th Bagatelle in one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most well-known works is “Für Elise” in a minor for solo piano. It was not released during his lifetime as it was only discovered 40 years after he passed away.
Never too late to learn
While many people start learning young, the famous adage of it which is never being too late rings true for those who were not afforded the opportunity at a young age.
Alejandro recalled a 70-year-old student he had taught two years ago. “I remember when he asked me if it was too late for him to learn, as he had just retired from being a full-time doctor. However, he expressed that he wanted to be a musician all his life, and only now he had the time for it.”
He attended the school for two months, and he enjoyed learning and chasing the dream of his younger self. Alejandro watched him grow and develop with pleasure.
“I find that you can learn music at any age. It’s the same as learning any new skill. You don’t have to become a professional, but you can simply play your favorite tunes at home or even create your own songs,” Alejandro said.
With centers in over 40 countries, the Yamaha Music School was launched at the Music Square at Fifty One East, Lagoona Mall in October 2013. The full-fledged learning experience engages not only the children in class but also encourages interaction with their parents beyond it.
“Know Better” is the latest release from Milwaukee-raised singer-songwriter Abby Jeanne. It dropped on 25th January via Eraserhood Sound, the Philadelphia-based label with which she is currently working.
A lively pop-soul jam, this single brings to the fore Abby’s powerful vocals and impressive writing. Lyrically, “Know Better” examines the selfishness and uninspiring nature of today’s society.
Jeanne has been sitting on this song for a while but now we get to listen to it in such a captivating form.
Swiss RnB visionary, Gonçalo Santana, has spent the last two years spilling soul onto the airwaves with his distinctively potent approach to the genre. At the start of 2023, he released his debut EP, Brainless, which concludes with the reflective philosophy in Note to Self.
Note to Self keeps 90s RnB at its core while elevating the multi-sensory experience with elements of gospel, which will easily leave you pious to the singer-songwriter’s poetic graceful beguile. The neo-classic-ESQUE piano melodies also go a long way in implanting gravitas within the soul-stirring intimate memorandum.
Like the best things in life, there’s a bitter-sweet emotionally complex sentimentality to the quiescent RnB ballad, delivering the definitive proof that Gonçalo Santana is the real sincere deal.
Note to Self was officially released on January 27th; hear it on SoundCloud.
With Creed III hitting theaters on March 3rd, the good folks at Dreamville have been tapped to take the reins on the film’s official soundtrack. What a genius idea, right?
Set to host a variety of original music from the house that J. Cole built, JID and Lute are kicking things with their latest collaboration, “Ma Boy.”
Produced by Christo, the song follows the duo’s previous tracks like “Birdsong” and “Still Dream-in” with 6LACK.
Check it out below.
JID & Lute Connect On “Ma Boy” was last modified: February 3rd, 2023 by Shake
One of my favorite indie pop bands, Wild Rivers, recently shared another great single, “Don’t”. While the track is upbeat, it is hauntingly emotive.
“Don’t” talks about the breaking point of a relationship.
The trio explains, “I’ve heard the adage my whole life: when you know, you know. People describe love at first sight as an irrevocable moment when you know you want to be with someone forever. I’m not sure it always shakes out like that. In my experience, as you get to know someone, you slowly come closer to knowing. It boils down to making an active decision to choose someone or not. If not, you try to make a really painful, adult decision to move on, and you try to trust that it’s the right decision even when it’s hard. This song is about making that call.”
The new record is the Canadian trio’s first single since the arrival of their 2022 album, Sidelines.
Sitting down us with and sipping on a cuppa coffee, Austin Seltzer tells us more about his LA state of mind and all those achievable expectations. Mixing it up and showing love for those who have helped him along the journey, we find a self-aware soul who believes in the power of AI.
Q. We appreciate your time. Please let us know where you’re based today and what is your favorite meal in the whole world.
A. Thanks for having me! I am based out of Los Angeles, CA, and I honestly have to say that my favorite meal in the world is the one I haven’t had yet. I feel like I really live my life in a way that always seeks something better or more enjoyable, especially in food and coffee. I want to be on a lifelong adventure to find new things that interest me. That said, I am a massive sucker for buffalo wings (Ye Rustic Inn) and an unmatched bowl of ramen (any of the Tsujita spots).
Q. You seem to have such a genuine connection with so many incredible artists. Please tell us more about who you enjoy working with and the vision for the music you mix.
A. One of my favorite things in life is connecting with people on a much deeper level. I like to have artists and creatives over to the studio to have a coffee and chat about life, their inspirations, aspirations, and everything in between. I feel like the people I can connect with at this level are the ones I end up doing the best work for, and we tend to continue to work with each other. Art is all about vulnerability. If we can be vulnerable in a conversation, I know that we will also be able to be vulnerable while working on art together. I believe this is why I genuinely connect with the artists I work with.
I have a very clear vision for the music I mix. I go into the process with the idea that I will let the music tell me exactly what it wants to be on the first listen-through, and then I spend the rest of my time on the mix trying to reach that goal. I don’t generally listen to the reference track more than once. I understand exactly what the track wants to be from that listen-through, and I trust my instincts and the song’s production, story, and rough mix to get me there. My ultimate goal is to have my mix elevate the track to a level where the artist and their team feel like the track is everything they wanted it to be and that the listener continues to come back to listen again and again.
Q. You have an upcoming music business podcast on the way. How did this start, and what are your hopes for the future?
A. I do! The idea for my podcast has been in my mind for years now. As much as I wanted to start it years back, I needed to elevate my mixing platform to a point where it could sustain life and reach the guests I would like to have on. The premise of the podcast is to have prolific guests who have reached a level of success in the music business where they can reflect with me on their past so listeners can get a glimpse into their psyche, mindset, some of the pitfalls and wins they have had along the way, and other informative insights into what it takes to be successful in the music business.
My hope for this podcast’s future is to release weekly episodes while continuing to elevate the production quality, questions, and listener base to allow me to bring on more prominent guests while maintaining my primary career and passion – mixing incredible music.
Q. When did you first know if you wanted to be a mixing and mastering engineer?
A. I first knew I wanted to be a mixing engineer while writing and producing music with my buddy Jason Smith back in Dallas, TX. Even though I was in the band in middle and high school, I never learned to properly play an instrument that could play chords. I played the Bassoon, a wildly cool sounding instrument, but one that could only play a single note. While producing music with Jason, I realized quickly that my strengths weren’t in the actual writing of music but more in understanding the sonics and how sound could fit together to make a complete picture, or in this case, a well-produced and great-sounding song. I would study mixing techniques daily from as many internet places as possible. It wasn’t easy to find great information when I was learning. YouTube was entirely just misinformation or about learning to mix using analog hardware, which I didn’t have access to at the time. It was much more about trial and error.
Q. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard a song you’ve mixed?
A. Cinematic and energetic. I have a knack for making the music I mix sound larger than life. When I say cinematic, that’s what I mean. I can make the music feel like it wraps around you and is more 3D than the demo. While some may say that is the point of mixing, what I am describing is more than just elevating a track – It’s part of my secret sauce. It might come from my immense love of video games and their ability to immerse you in a world. I also think it has to do with years of creating music for this world called Azurelah with Jason Smith – a world in which we were telling a story through music and concept art. I always aim to captivate the listener in an immersive way – no Atmos required.
Q. Finally, what hopes do you have for the future of humanity?
A. I think, at this point, it goes without being said that Artificial Intelligence will take most jobs in the next ten years. This week, most tech headlines are about 10,000+ people being laid off from Google, Microsoft, etc. All those job salaries and more money are being put into Artificial Intelligence research and development. I hope we can somehow figure out some form of Universal Basic Income that works to compensate for the displaced jobs that AI will create. Massive corporations will be able to lower their overhead tremendously; simultaneously, they will be able to churn products out faster and more efficiently, doubling down on how many workers are displaced. Since there is no way to stop this from happening, I believe the US government and other countries’ governments must figure out a way of compensating all humans, or else we will have a catastrophic economic meltdown.
After taking essentially their whole careers to do so, the entire catalog of De La Soul‘s is finally back in their possession. And, finally, the legendary trio’s first six albums — 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001) — will be released digitally for the first time ever on March 3, 2023 (or, “3-3-23”).
Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo celebrate the end of their long and arduous journey with the DSP debut of “Eye Know.” The song, actually a focus track from their 1989 debut, the trio also dropped a high definition version of the original video.
De La Soul Debut “Eye Know” Single On Streaming Platforms was last modified: February 3rd, 2023 by Meka
You need to listen to “Wanted Man”, the newest single from Boston-based artist George Woods. Appealing to our hopeful sensibilities, the folksy indie-pop song is about overcoming one’s inner loneliness.
Musically, it’s an upbeat blend of acoustic guitars and melodic synths. George’s lyrics are steeped in honest storytelling and his vocals so captivating.
“Wanted Man” is such a beautiful song. As a release, it’s the first taste of the musician’s upcoming EP called Reflecting the Light.
The Austrian electro-pop artist, Madishu, is off the sonic Richter scale in her latest single, Naïve. The piercing RnB-tinged electro-pop aesthetic will ensnare you from the first melodic hook, while the lyrical vulnerability pushes you deeper into the soulfully disarming hypersonic world, which will be a hit with any fans of 8 Bit-adjacent music.
If any artist can relinquish you from the shame of being naïve, it is Madishu with this addictively vindicating earworm which effortlessly demonstrates the beauty in sincerity when there’s such a scarcity.
“The song is about a toxic friendship I broke free from, and the journey I took in learning to value myself enough to no longer tolerate people who constantly take from me without giving back.”
After achieving viral renown via her collaboration with MOONBOY on the track Need U and off the back of her own original work, the Austrian singer-songwriter is a vision of visceral colour in a drab and dark world.
Naïve will officially stream across all major platforms on February 3rd. Hear it here.
Follow Madishu on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
![De La Soul - Eye Know (Official Music Video) [HD] ft. Otis Redding](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q9jCsOCfUUg/hqdefault.jpg)
