Newah and Amber Prothero come together for a genre-bending collaboration on their rebellious new single “Let It Burn.”
As a producer and multi-instrumentalist, Newah fuses live and electronic instrumentation into his productions, while Amber Prothero is a dynamic musical force whose dreamy vocals and raw confessional lyricism allow her to effortlessly transition between any genre of music.
These artists from London and Liverpool, met by chance in Paris last November. Through their heartfelt conversations, they discovered they shared a burning passion for music.
Although their plans were interrupted by COVID-19, they didn’t let that halt their creativity. Zoom enabled them to work together in their very first session and they wrote “Let It Burn,” in a matter of hours.
Taking inspiration from the beloved Jazz and Disco genre, “Let it Burn,” is the perfect blend to showcase both up and coming artists in a hit that trickles with Pop ambiance. “Let It Burn,” begins with the lively playing of keys and clapping; instantly setting an intoxicating tone for the production.
Newah shines with the elements of the composition while sonic goodness fills the speakers through bending genres to deliver a sparkling Pop essence through the instrumentation. You are transported to a dreamy utopia that you don’t want to leave as the song progresses through its magnetic charm.
When Amber's vocals are introduced, you're hit with enough soul to take over a village. There’s an enticing hook that pulls you towards her divine, effortless delivery. She showcases a wide-range of potent artistic styles through the lyrics and harmonies that exude pure melodic bliss. Even the ad-libs have a fierce, charismatic edge to them and you can’t help but tap your foot to the collaborative dynamic. Together the force of Newah and Amber Prothero has created a euphoric synth anthem that is known to be, “Let It Burn."
“Let It Burn,” drips with captivation. We're so happy we could stumble upon these talented up and comers in the music industry that are sure to make their mark.
Could you please take us into what the creative process looked like for, “Let It Burn?"
Amber: So the two of us met by complete chance last December as we were both visiting Paris at the same time! When we got to chatting at Gare du Nord station we realized that we both shared a love for music (FATE!? I think so). We were supposed to get in the studio together in March, just as things were starting to go crazy! In the end, we decided to do the writing session over Zoom. That was the first time we’d spoken since meeting for that brief period in Paris! So for the first hour or so, we talked about what we’d been up to music-wise and what kind of track we wanted to build. We created a Spotify playlist and after a little while we decided we wanted a feel-good bop that beautifully showcased our strengths; Newah’s electro-pop influences with my old-school, soulful vocals! We literally wrote "Let It Burn" within a matter of hours and it was such an organic process. The energy in the session was so great and we bounced off one another so well… I’d come up with a melody or a lyric and then Newah would have the next puzzle piece at the ready. The synchronicity of it was quite scary bearing in mind that it was our first ever session!
What does this song mean to each of you as individuals and together as a collective?
Newah: Going into the session I knew I wanted to make something that would hopefully lift people’s spirits and something that would really get a crowd moving when we play it live one day! For me, the song is quite a milestone as it’s the first time I’ve collaborated with another artist as Newah and the first time I’ve been involved in the lyric writing process, so that was a fun learning process and challenge.
Amber: I think for me this song represents hope in a very weird time that was (and still is) quite scary. When we wrote the song, we couldn’t go out and see friends or family or do what we loved to do… perform. So having a writing session like this one gave me a sense of hope and it was the first time in a long while where I felt really excited about a project and sharing it with the world. Being our first song together it’s monumental for us and feels like we’ve started this collaboration with a bang. Going into the session there was obviously some anticipation for both of us, as it was such a long time coming, and it felt amazing to come out of it with a whole song in such a short amount of time!
How important is chemistry to you when collaborating with people in the music industry?
Amber: It’s paramount, to be honest. Like I explained earlier, having the chemistry between a producer and a writer or whatever the dynamic may be, completely transforms a writing session. I am such a firm believer in fate and I’m so happy that we took advantage of that coincidence meeting and turned it into something positive, a song that people can listen to, dance to, and feel happy when doing so!
Newah: Chemistry and trust are the most important things when it comes to collaborating. When you’re creating music and coming up with ideas you have to feel comfortable and confident with each other otherwise you’ll struggle to make anything. As I mentioned this was the first time I had written lyrics but Amber was open to all my ideas and didn’t even make me feel uneasy in suggesting lines or words.
What would you like your listeners to take away from, “Let It Burn?"
I think that the message of this song is all about letting yourself get lost in the music. The first few lyrics of the verse say ‘The melody makes me feel complete when there’s a fire I am drawn to the heat’. We wanted to create a song that depicts that sensation of completely losing yourself in a feeling, not even necessarily in music, by leaving all of your troubles and worries in the past, letting it all 'burn' away.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
Newah: For me, the key to staying inspired amidst all this craziness has been creating a structure for myself. When lockdown started I set out daily timetables for myself around music and I think it’s really helped me stay focused and on track with everything music-related. I’m the sort of person who knows if I turn up every day in the studio then inspiration and great things will follow! I’ve also loved seeing all the creative ways other artists have been making music during the lockdown and followed Charli XCX quite closely whilst she was making her album 'How I’m Feeling Now.'
Amber: To be honest, what is going on in the world this year has provided more than enough inspiration. I released a single back in August called "Won’t Let This Love Go", which was inspired by the difficulties faced by binational couples in long-distance relationships around the world, as a result of a worldwide lockdown. This project was an incredible outlet for me and with this song, I ended up filming my very first music video which has now amounted to over 42K views on YouTube. It’s time like these when I put my heart and soul into a project basing each creative detail on what’s happening to me personally, that I feel most fulfilled and eternally grateful to get to do what I do.