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The Upper Michigan-based Alt-Pop quartet Earl Grey releases their exhilarating sweet-escape single, "Le Bain." Creating a sound reminiscent of 80s pop music, Earl Grey brings forward sweet vibes through their highly transcendent execution. After being founded in 2018, the 4-piece has invited audiences from intimate venues and college festivals to get lost in their nostalgic and ear-pleasing sound. Their latest single "Le Bain" gives listeners a glimpse of what Earl Grey is all about. They venture into this track with an uplifting ambiance that drizzles over like rain during a prolonged drought. Singing playful lyrics and capturing the moment of being lost in someone's mesmerizing eyes, Earl Grey brings vast passion within this invigorating alt-pop single. "Le Bain" begins with tightly-wound drum patterns that drift into an open soundscape accompanied by descriptive lyrics. The lead vocalist goes into detail when describing the attraction and intriguing sensation he feels, while listeners can easily relate with the anxious yet exciting feeling he describes. The supporting instrumentals continue to soar with a vibrancy that perfectly reflects the exhilarating and reminiscent lyricism. Through layered electric guitar, playful keys, and nostalgic drum patterns, Earl Grey truly brings a sense of relief and passion within this hit. "Le Bain," tells a story of wanting one last shot at love, and Earl Grey brings incredible instrumental and lyrical support to back up this heartwarming message. Genuinely feeding us all the passion and love that music can. We're completely mesmerized by the flooding passion and desire you've infused within your single "Le Bain." Could you tell us what inspired the single's theme? Thank you so much. Late last year, David and I took a trip to New York, and I ended up on a really amazing date, just wandering around the city. Being lost away from home was a nice change of pace, and I hadn’t been so comfortable with anyone like that in a long time. How did the four of you divide the creative process within your single "Le Bain?" Do you have a specific method or technique that helps you reach your end goal? Usually, I’ll bring a rough demo or idea to the band, and we’ll settle on a structure, then work through different parts and actually make an arrangement out of it. Le Bain was started in a proper recording studio at our university last winter, and a fair amount of the work had already been done by the time COVID hit. After all of our in-person classes were canceled for the year, we had to try and figure out how we could finish the rest of the track remotely. It posed some technical difficulties, but I think the hardest part to work around was a lack of instant feedback from each other that being together in a studio provides. What inspired your band to take this nostalgic and reminiscent route towards '80s inspired pop music? Between the four of us, we really do listen to just about everything, but I think we’re drawn to 80’s pop and synthesizers in general, for the emotions that the sounds bring out. New Order’s been on repeat this entire year, and I think stuff like that really inspired the dance-ier feel of “Le Bain”. We wear our inspirations on our sleeve, while still looking ahead, and we’re cool with that. What can you tell us about your band that might help readers get to know you better? Do you usually write recurring themes and topics within your music? Anytime we write a song, it’s always a snapshot of what’s going on in our lives or experiences that we’ve had. We try to be as genuine as possible and write what we’re feeling, whatever the topic may be. What is one goal that you'd like to achieve with your music by the end of the year? Thank you for talking with us. We look forward to hearing what's next from you! We have another single to follow Le Bain, but in general, we just want to connect with as many people as possible and keep releasing music we really enjoy. instagram.com/thisisearlgrey facebook.com/Thisisearlgrey #BUZZMUSIC

The angst-ridden band performing under the stage name, Southbound, is here to lay claim over the Dominions of Pop-Punk's woe-jockeyed sounds. Not to be confused with the Ottowan country-band sharing the same name; this quartet of young-budding juvies manifest addictive energy through their devotion to traversing the simmering sonics between Pop's carbonated top-lines and Punk's industrial riffs. The first teaser cut from their anticipated Debut EP, 'SANDALWOOD,' is an eponymously titled super-hot-blooded sensory escapade that buckles our knees from the first moment of the opening drum-fills and to the final up-ending guitar squalls. In between it all, the lead vocals on this track sell the aesthetic and effectiveness of the entire playback's affecting nature, with a hint of rasp and screech on each upswelling vocalized crescendo that garnishes our ears. The Pop-punk reflective mix stands as inventive and inspiring for all young-up and coming bands from the Western world's suburbias. By the time we reach the mid-way mark, we find ourselves sucked into the nucleus of a half-time breakdown, with a measure that has us throwing off our shoes and moshing in the center of our living room floors. It's a steady and adhesive song from a youthful band full of self-discovery and development ahead of them. Even at the antecedent of their blow-up, their productions stand-true to their Genre's aesthetic. The drums are fiery, the guitars feel close-knit and sticky, and the bass forms a low-end boom that lands in our centers with a healthy weight. What was the story behind "Sandalwood," and how does it fit into the playback narrative of your upcoming Album? The story behind Sandalwood actually dates back to 2012-2017, Sandalwood being the name of the street. I, (Austin Berry, singer) moved into around that time. Living with a bunch of new roommates and acquaintances, I quickly made the wrong choices of putting everybody’s happiness before my own in hopes to keep a positive living environment. Little did I know this would result in the following 5 years to be full of backstabs and me being pretty taken advantage of, unfortunately. After taking the last 3 years to rebuild my life after the endless mistakes I made on Sandalwood, writing, and sharing these songs has been one of the best and most therapeutic methods. Is this a song conjured-up from your collective personal experiences, or is it merely the compartmentalization of fictitious pleasantries from your imaginations? Sandalwood as a single along with all the tracks on the upcoming EP all come from Austin’s personal life experiences. The lyrical songwriting process for Southbound usually consists of gritty and personal details surrounding the life of the band. Sometimes we may exaggerate something to make it sound bigger at the end of the day or something but usually, everything we lay down is 100% raw emotion and is pulled from real-life thoughts and experience. How do you go about fueling your Punk performances throughout your record's hot-blooded playback, while still rendering up a carbonated persona? Positivity is key in life in our opinion. Obviously, days are going to hit you like a ton of bricks sometimes, but we’ve learned to take those emotions and pour them into our music turning that negativity into something positive that we’re proud to share with the world. Taking something that angers confuses or upsets you, and then turning it into something we hope can ring true to others as well. In conveying that message too we do our best to send our emotion and energy straight through our recordings and into the ears of the listener. Can you tell us about some of the Milestone you have as an up-and-coming band? How have you been working towards that goal this year? We definitely have a lot of goals set as a band, some attainable, some probably not haha! Seriously though, we were planning on our biggest tour yet for summer/fall 2020 to help with the promotion of this EP but obviously due to current worldwide situations that kind of got kicked to the curb. We have had successful runs of shows within Ontario in the past and were ready to take the next step this time around to bring ourselves outside of Ontario as well as hitting the US for the first time. Next summer! As a couple of pretty emotional dudes who just love nothing more than playing music for people, our biggest and truest milestone goal is just to hear that we’ve made somebody feel something with our music. That’s the biggest goal. What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020? So obviously 2020 has come with an abundance of confusion, fear, and uncertainty due to the state of the world around us, but Southbound has taken it upon ourselves to push through and stay positive. And that can be attributed to everyone who listens to Southbound. Anyone who’s ever been at a show grabbed a shirt, streamed a song, asked us a question, or just said hello, you’re the reason we made this single and EP as best as we can. We made these songs to help people who may be in a bad spot, or maybe doubtful of something. We’re here to tell you it’s okay, we’re in this together and want to help however we can. So not pushing through and finishing this EP amidst COVID would have gone against everything we stand for as Southbound. We’re very excited for everyone to hear what we have to say on our latest upcoming single "Sandalwood." instagram.com/southboundofficial facebook.com/SouthboundCA #BUZZMUSIC

The Rapper and Producer performing under the cognomen, Kontent, delivers an oozing vocal performance that simmers over bipartite insightful viewpoints on his New-age Hip-hop single "2015." In his half-warbling, half inebriated melancholy induced Emcee-like versifications, the South Tyrol-native invites us on a journey coruscating out of the biggest ups and downs of a dilettante relationship. It musters up the infatuating feelings of remembering your own awkward first kisses, or the first time someone said the hearth-shattering words "I Love You," directly at you. Alongside a placidly oscillating synth and a heavy-boned industrial percussion rhythm, Kontact buzzes over similarly fleshy moments in his verses, where he delivers with heartfelt and honest narration, making the divulgences feel all-too-relatable, while still managing to render up the most vivid take on modern-day Hip-hop to date at the same time. When the chorus develops, we realize the feature's pairing viewpoints reflect off the blue and black insides of this Italian-bred Rapper's mind, and the thought process behind his mental dissections. Here, Kontent's vocals waver over the hook and introduce a new poignant magnetizing energy within the moody atmospheres festering from above, allowing for his relatable mechanistic transparency to shine through. "There's something about feeling proud, not having regret," he croons in the mantra-like hook, "It will get loud, but somehow, you're smiling right at me, calling it happiness." His Gospel-hued cherubic upswells bring about an uplifting spirit and festoons the overall heart-stricken journey with prismatic textures, allowing for the final outro viewpoint to diffuse from out of Kontent's mind and into our own, for a moment of sober reflection; infusing his audience with a new particular gratitude for the campaigns of incipient-love. What were some of the emotions you found yourself channeling into for the purpose of capturing the heart-drenching performance featured on "2015"? I tried to put myself back in that emotional mindstate of being in love. Of being completely vulnerable and not being scared of saying “I love you” first without knowing what the reply will be. It was of course not easy because I knew the outcome of that relationship and that it ended but I knew it was important to go back in time and capture these moments. The emotions I was channeling were love, vulnerability, and gratitude. Where did you draw your musical inspirations from for "2015"? And why did you feel like now was the best time to release a story about your first experiences with love? The verses were heavily influenced by my alternative hip hop inspirations, such as Tyler, the Creator, where soft chords meet heavy drums. The chorus, on the other hand, was able to craft through my experiences in the pop genre, where everything opens up and the listener can sing along. I feel like during these crazy times it’s important for people to reminisce and feel grateful about the life they lived so far in order to get through the tough times we're facing. That’s why I wanted to take listeners back to their first love experiences. Do you feel like South Tyrol has had a profound impact on your aesthetic and sound as a Hip-hop artist? And if so, why? At first, I thought it did not, since there is probably not many alternative hip hop artist in that whole region. But now I’ve come more and more to realize that subconsciously it did have an effect, in the sense that people from the mountains do create music that has depth to it. Meaningless or plain turn-up music is not really appreciated and subconsciously that definitely had an effect on me as an artist. Most of my music friends from back home were mostly singers, who would write beautiful folk/singer-songwriter songs (inspired by the likes of Kings of Leon or Mumford & Sons), therefore music from home always had to have a certain amount of depth to it and people would generally applaud beautiful sounding music. The same can now be seen in my songs. Even though I’m not a folk artist or singer-songwriter, my songs should still have some kind of substance (content) to them. That is why my artist name is Kontent. If you could give your audience a few words that would act as the Epilogue to 2015's playback, what would you say and why? Be grateful for every moment of love you’ll experience, even if it’s meant to end. All these moments are valuable and in retrospect will make for great memories. “All moments are appreciated in retrospect" As we all know, this year has been tough for everyone. What has been your biggest source of inspiration when looking to create new music? My biggest source of inspiration has been to leave my room and reconnect with nature (in a safe manner of course, without meeting other people). Whether it was looking at the ocean or sitting in the park, it was crucial to get out of my room and just breathe the outside air. instagram.com/onlykontent facebook.com/onlykontent #BUZZMUSIC

From New York City, siblings Marcus Machado and Vicky Casis were born with a deep passion for music. Growing up, they would play guitar and drums alongside some of their artistic influences: Jimi Hendrix, Parliament-Funkadelic, and Prince just to name a few. Here to make the most of their cohesive music tastes, they formed a Music Production Team called Mach-7 Muzik. The duo showcases their talents with their New-Wave production style, and often collaborate with rappers who give their tracks Hip-Hop flavors. The siblings are also known for their show-stopping guitar riffs, which is often featured in their songs. With the combination of anthemic instrumentals and magnetic production, Mach-7 Muzik has no trouble winning over their fans. Ultimately, Mach-7 Muzik’s goal as a Music Production Team is to produce music for movies, television, and video games. They have recently been examining the type of music required for these platforms, and are fine-tuning their tracks to fit the bill. Check out our recent interview with Mach-7 Muzik here. instagram.com/mach7muzik facebook.com/Machbeatz #BUZZMUSIC

Coming from Bend, Oregon, the freshly solo Singer/Songwriter and Multi-Instrumentalist Ian Cook and The Brightest Light releases his long-awaited debut single, "Just For Fun." The former frontman and Songwriter/Guitarist of Larry and His Flask have endured a tiresome journey that uncovered his vast creative talent. Cook calls this new solo process a stretch of his 'musical legs,' creating everything and anything he desires within his Alt-Rock/Folk sound. With the release of his mellow debut single "Just For Fun," Ian Cook and The Brightest Light bring the listener into poetic bliss through his carefully crafted lyricism describing a past relationship's unpredictability. Recording the entire instrumentation from his home, we're highly impressed with the portrayal of emotions through delicately crafted melodies and dynamic tempo changes adding vast depth. "Just For Fun" calmly opens with layered electric guitar melodies and mid-tempo drum patterns. Ian Cook's warm vocals naturally bring clarity and peace to the song as he begins to vocalize a sour relationship and coming out strong in the end. He uses excellent analogies in a poetic way to get his thoughtful message across in a highly unique manner. Reaching the hook, glowing brass melodies enchant the song while the surrounding instrumentals break down to a slower pace, ultimately emphasizing Cook's deep lyrical message. What takes the cake are the tempo changes within this song, while perfectly backed up by the instrumentals, they effortlessly cause chills up the listener's spine. We're highly impressed with the overall experience Ian Cook and The Brightest Light has delivered with the release of his textured debut single "Just For Fun," and we're eager to see what his musical future has in store. Congratulations on the release of your debut single "Just For Fun," we're genuinely captivated with the entire piece. Out of all the songs you've created, why did you choose this one to lead the way of your solo career? I think “Just For Fun” happens to showcase the breadth of my sound on my forthcoming album. It’s has a little bit of everything. From dark, brooding passages to a big sing-along, uplifting sections. There’s a little bit for everyone and in that way, I think it’s the best choice as an introduction to who I am, musically on this record.  Seeing as your lyrics within "Just For Fun" touch on quite deep and reflective topics, could you take us through what initially inspired the song's concept? My process for writing this song was a little different than usual. I decided to do a kind of free-write with it. I sort of plucked the first line out of thin air and then began building around that. It’s a really fun way to kind of surprise yourself with what comes out. In the end, it turned out to be about a complicated relationship. Two people that are somehow entwined for better or worse, from the perspective of one of the partners.  We love the textured and dynamic instrumentals within your single "Just For Fun." Seeing as you recorded everything solo, how did your instrumental creative process begin? How did you build the song up? Well, the process starts with just the basic progressions, usually played on acoustic guitar. From there it’s really just a blank canvas that leaves me to choose what direction to go in. I’ll usually lay the rhythm section stuff down after that, bass and drums.  The in-studio flow is really spur-of-the-moment. As far as different instruments and additions, I just sit at the piano and write little melodies while listening to the playback until I stumble upon something that I like. Then it’s just a matter of what instrument that part would sound best to be played on. Kind of nerdy stuff but yeah, that’s about it. I love lush harmony so everything usually ends up with a giant horn or string arrangement of some kind as well.  Could you tell us what inspired you to take this leap into your solo career? How long have you been planning to venture off and release music on your own? Doing a solo record has always been on my bucket list. Having been in an internationally touring band for 15+ years, it was really hard to find the time to record anything on my own. But recently, Larry And His Flask, that’s the band, has wound down quite a lot and with COVID and lockdown, it’s afforded me the time to really dig into it, finally. I had always written songs for myself throughout writing/recording/touring with the band but with time also came maturity as far as my writing went. It all came together quite naturally and quickly, so it just felt right to take the leap and put it all out there.  What has been keeping you inspired in 2020? It’s been a tough year for inspiration. But I have a lovely wife and twin boys who keep me going. I’m just trying to keep my eyes on the horizon and keep the fires burning. I’m anxiously awaiting the return of live music but as far as that goes it looks like we have a pretty long wait ahead of us. I’m just happy to be creating and releasing music and have no intention of slowing down. Instagram Facebook #BUZZMUSIC

Phayze-Won has been on the music scene since 1998, from releasing his first album with band Triple X. For the last 20 years, he has collaborated with many musicians and worked on perfecting his hip hop sound. Since deciding to emerge as a solo artist, Phayze-Won has given his all to his music, his latest projects being two album releases since 2018. Gearing up for an even more dynamic release, Phayze-Won has released a brand-new single entitled “DRIP”, with a music video soon to come. “DRIP” is a highly energetic hip hop track with R&B influences and assertive sound. Starting off strong with an insane beat and fire verses, this song makes a statement you will not soon forget. The simple, catchy lyrics make this the perfect dance song to pump yourself up with. “DRIP” gives off a dark and mysterious atmosphere with the sharp vocal and instrumental effects used. Phayze-Won makes use of his intense vocals to draw in the listener and keep them on their toes. Phayze-Won’s vivid and expressive sound has been in the making since he was 11 and wrote his first rhyme, and this hard work does not go unnoticed. “DRIP” is Phayze-Won’s first collaboration with artist Brizz, and the first glimpse into his new EP 'I AM KING'. What was your artistic goal with the song “Drip?” Where did the inspiration come from for this track? The song just came as a cocky swagger type vibe something for the younger generation to relate to. How does “Drip” compare to the rest of your coming EP? Is this project unique from your previous albums? Well with this one I wanted it to be hard with fire bars but simply let the beat and hook catch you. What is the biggest lesson you have learned in the 20 years you have worked as a singer/songwriter? I learned to just go with your gut and not listen to the ones that will tell you no or never or you can't. Ii also leaned patience is great to take your time try and process an idea sort of like a movie script but with written out of a page of your own. Where do you see your sound going in the future? Do you think you will continue to experiment and test boundaries? Ohh for sure I always will experiment on other sounds producers and collaborations but I want for my songs to have some type of progress always sound better than your last I love to write and experiment with beats so ya it will be a different sound. What has been keeping you inspired in 2020? What has been keeping me inspired in 2020 is to stay healthy keep family close and keep making blazing tracks for the next year Look out for #iamking 202. Instagram Facebook #BUZZMUSIC

From Los Angeles to Stockholm, the 23-year-old Singer/Songwriter Viveka Cousins releases her emotionally charged debut single, "Easy Fix." Working her way through tiresome internal dialogues by turning to singing and songwriting, Viveka Cousins is heavily inspired by genres across the board like 80s Synth-Pop, Alternative, Folk, R&B, and Electro-Pop. Cousins always experiments with vocal layering and harmonizing for added depth, delivering beauty and grace through her angelic vocals. Regarding her debut hit "Easy Fix," Viveka Cousins tells a relatable story of making sacrifices for love and the risk of losing parts of yourself in the process. Produced by 808 Death Club, the single brings an incredibly moving and compelling tone that allows listeners to place themselves in the heart of Cousins' storyline. "Easy Fix" begins with soft church-like keys accompanied by minimal and distant percussion. Viveka Cousins' vocals stand at the forefront and set the track's vastly reflective tone. Approaching the hook, ambient synths strike down and give the atmosphere this vibrant Electro-Pop feel alongside driving sub-bass that amplifies the track's sonic emotion. As Cousins sings her contemplative story of wanting someone to love, she channels very empowering messages that emphasize who she is and how she shouldn't change herself for someone's affection. The soft and dreamy production perfectly captures Cousins' powerful message and gives listeners a slice of hope and optimism. We can't express how much we enjoyed Viveka Cousins' debut single "Easy Fix," as it's not only bringing an emotionally empowering message to the forefront, but it allows listeners to drift into a dream with the well-crafted and transcendent production. Hello Viveka and a warm welcome to BuzzMusic. Congratulations on your dazzling debut release, "Easy Fix." How long was the song in the making, and was it difficult for you to open up and release something so emotional for your big debut? Thank you! “Easy Fix” was actually developed pretty quickly from conception to the final master. I wrote the lyrics and basic layout of the song one day before sharing with my friend and producer Austin Dhillon (808 Death Club). Within about two months of sharing the idea of the song with Austin, he developed it into what it is now. It was definitely difficult and anxiety-inducing for my first shared piece of music to be something so emotional, but I think that speaks to how quickly I wrote the song and even how quickly it was fully produced by Austin. The emotional component and the “opening up” aspect gave it a sense of urgency. It was exciting but definitely a really vulnerable moment. Could you take us through the lyrical concept within "Easy Fix," what did you want listeners to grasp and take away from your message? I think that “Easy Fix” is a reactionary song. The lyrics aren’t so complex and they aren’t trying to hide any meaning. They tell a story of learning about one’s self through a romantic relationship. It’s almost written as a letter, looking back on a moment in time. Even with this though, the words and this story are an extremely common emotional exchange: one person losing their sense of self in an attempt to fix someone they care about. I was trying to communicate a common sentiment or experience about self-worth. I was trying to write how it feels to reach that moment, even if just for a short while, where you see or believe that you deserve better. The lyrics are grounded in both my own and the people around me’s experiences with an emotional exchange. It's almost something you wish wasn’t relatable because it's unfortunate but at the same time it’s strangely uplifting to have that moment of recognition within yourself. Why did you choose to keep the production within "Easy Fix" so minimal yet so transcendent? Did you have any inspirations that might have influenced the sonics within this track? “Easy Fix”’s producer, Austin Dhillon, had originally heard the idea for the song and communicated to me that he wanted the focal point to be about my voice and the lyrics. I think that was especially important since it was my debut release. The production felt centered around lifting and highlighting the vocals rather than overpowering them. It was an ongoing question of whether or not to add more percussive elements but without them, I felt like it allowed the vocal harmonies and layering to come through more strongly. In terms of the sonics, Austin knew that I’m a big fan of 80s synth-pop which is where the emphasis and reverb on the synth chords came in for the chorus. He also brought in my favorite element of the song, which is the driving force that comes in at 01:15. Austin had actually recorded then distorted the sound of a washing machine, adding an extra layer of uniqueness. Since moving to Stockholm, do you feel more inspired to create while in Sweden versus living in Los Angeles? What made you make the move? I was raised in Los Angeles by a Swedish mother and an American father so living in Sweden was something I always knew I wanted to experience. I’m currently getting my master’s in English Literature at Stockholm University which is what officially prompted the move. I know that I’m very comfortable being in LA and I feel security there that I don’t feel in Stockholm just yet. However, I definitely think my move to Stockholm ignited my desire and my need to create music. It wasn’t until I was so far away from my friends and family, spending a lot of time alone, that I turned deeply inward and began writing. The transition was and still is a lot about learning how to sit in my discomfort, and as a result, trying to write from that place. Once the pandemic began, things felt even more distanced and heightened. I was experiencing a lot of emotions and wasn’t sure how to sort through them but songwriting and singing helped me make sense of that time. What can we expect to see next from you? I’m hoping the release of “Easy Fix” will set the tone for at least the lyrical vulnerability or style that I’m going for when I’m writing. I’ve kept writing since creating “Easy Fix” and at this point, I’m just excited to develop and work with producers on my new ideas. I can’t say when exactly yet but I’ll be working to share more music in the new year. Instagram #BUZZMUSIC

Sometimes music is the one antidote for the sickness you feel during the turbulent bumps life's unpredictable journey has to offer. It's this sort of sentiment that comes appended to the impossible journey Justin Thomas—the Emmy festooned Songster performing under the R&B Moniker "J-Llyfe"—has taken to get here. During his time wrestling with a cancer diagnosis, the Birmingham-bred Intoner found solace in the sonic tertulias bordering between James Brown, Ceelo Green, and Fantasia Barrino, and as a result, his latest single reaches with heavy-dripping nostalgia under the roof of his latest single, " The Alchemy." On this latest Contemporary R&B ventures, J-Llyfe calls up the hugging harmonics festooning Sharaé's fluttering in the Hook. As she chaperones us through the radiating pathways of her wandering serenade, J-Llyfe, evaporates into existence. He's dripping and oozing with Gospel-reminiscent expressiveness, which coruscates atop his voice; think Sam Smith meets Maxwell during his prime. It all happens over a production garnished with the usual suspects you'd expect from a timeless classic—earthy punch of vintage-sounding drums, synths that masterfully slide along their modulation pads, and a feathery bass that lands like a tonne of bricks—all while the two crooning intoners synergize throughout their bordering verses. During the fleshiest bits of this sonic swan-dive, and as they decry after one another, "tantalizing, empathizing, realizing, the Alchemy," a tape rewinds, and marks the final spin through the effervescent spaces of "The Alchemy's" infatuating chorus. When looking back, the panorama of kaleidoscopic harmonies flooding from every corner of Justin Thomas' musical catalogs shouldn't come as a surprise by now. The hard-earner has succeeded in every creative venture he's set his mind to, from music supervision Emmys, to being a notoriety MC and Director even before this masterfully arranged track dropped, and he's got everyone itching to see what he'll do next. Hello J-Llyfe and Sharaé and thank you for joining us at BuzzMusic. What emotions were you both channeling into for "The Alchemy" and its vocal performances? J-Llyfe: The emotions I channeled were being as vulnerable as possible. Stripping away walls that are usually placed in front as protection and placing them behind me. The idea of knowing that I was covered by my partner made the equivalent exchange and experience an easy fall. I was excited in addition to having this project being a duet and allowing me to show off my vocal range. Sharaé: The emotions that I wanted to embody were the initial excitement and butterflies you get in the honeymoon stage of the relationship. Vocally, I also remember us being cognizant of and playing off each other. Love just like creating music is a give and take. Can you dive more in-depth behind the narrative found in "The Alchemy" and the meaning it carries for you personally as J-Llyfe and Sharaé? Sharaé: Alchemy explores the many stages of love, from the butterflies stage to that stage when all the walls come down and you’re comfortable being yourself completely with the other person. J-Llyfe: I couldn’t agree with her more. I think also for me the song itself came from personal experience in another art form which is dance. I have the pleasure of being in the house band for one of NYC’s livest events called “LayeRhythm!” This event takes improvisation and cultivates it in the center of the dance floor. Layered on top of the idea of topics pulled at random from the audience. That’s love, it's a dance that you got to find your rhythm too. The old cliche saying dance like nobody watching. If you only focus on you and your partner blocking out everybody else you can’t miss a beat. What was the most memorable part about working with each other for "The Alchemy"? J-Llyfe: The most memorable part I would have to cheat and say all of it. Sharaé and I have worked on multiple projects before but this was the most hands-on because it was content we could control. I remember telling her one day I wrote a song and that I thought she would kill it. She kind of gave me this blank stare and laughed after I finished singing. I was like, “ok now you try!” She replied, “let me sit with it and get back to you.” To make a long story short, the rest was history. I appreciated the trust she placed in me not only as a writer but as a scene partner and finally as a director. There were a lot of laughs. Sharaé: Aww that’s so sweet. I really enjoyed this entire process too but shooting the video was the most memorable part for me. As he said, we’ve worked together a lot but never at this level. I had so much fun laughing and joking around with J-Llyfe on the set of the video. He’s the best scene partner! What would you say stood as the secret ingredient behind your collaboratory success so far? Sharaé: If we told you, it wouldn’t be a secret LOL! I’ll just say great friends are hard to find and J-Llyfe is a great friend. J-Llyfe: You heard her lol. When she talks I listen and it all matters. We support each other. What can fans anticipate to hear next from you J-Llyfe? Fans can anticipate even more music after this. I’m not the type of artist to get into the quantity battle. When it feels right, I pull out the pad and just let my ink wonder. I enjoy creating conception pieces so the next project will be just that so stay tuned. This won’t be the last time Sharaé and I work together either *cough cough. J-Llyfe Facebook Sharaé Instagram #BUZZMUSIC

The city of Montreal, Canada, has been developing a great reputation for its phenomenal talent and multi-dimensional artists and Eric C is the proof in the pudding. His layered talent has musical influences that blend his multi-cultural background and while growing up on hip-hop, but being a part of Dominican descent, his ability to switch from English to Spanish, and even carry on a love ballad is just a portion of the skills he possesses. Eric C isn’t afraid of new styles or to get creative with his artistry even if he has to deliver a bar for bar on a reggaeton to trap beats. He recently released the rhythmic and vibrant new single “My Way” and this song will most definitely get your hips whining and waist shaking. “My Way” had this charismatic dancehall fused with reggaeton elemental productions that get the body moving and grooving. The paradise feel of the beat adds an escape dimension to the single that makes you forget about your every day stress. It's the perfect song to add to any of your feel-good playlists to put on when you've got your friends over. The lyricism of “My Way” is club-ready, with a romantic but careless feel. “You got me chasing, I'm patient, but I'm waiting, I haven't seen anybody drop it like that” was the first line Eric C delivers in “My Way”, automatically creating this flirtatious vibration for the song, setting the tone early on. The feature from singer Ayla creates this captivating and magnetic chemistry with two contrary voices blending together so effortlessly. What we loved most about “My Way” was the delicate storytelling in the entire cultivation of the single. Here we see Eric C singing and rapping about a girl that he has set his eyes on and is bewitched by. “My Way” is a cute, and an amorous single that will have the dancefloors moved. Welcome to BuzzMusic Eric C. Knowing you have the ability to give a multi-dimensional performance, varying from genres and techniques, which do you feel most comfortable with showcasing as an artist? Hey guys, well to me no style, in particular, I love switching it up and trying new things while at the same time sharpening my skills I want to be so good at so many styles that there's always a place for one of my songs in people's playlists whether they prefer the more traditional hip hop or songs or where I blend English and Spanish or songs that are more melody-driven there's always something for everybody & most importantly I try to master them to the point where people ask me for more songs of every genre because I am doing them at a high level. “My Way” was such a fun and charismatic single. What were your intentions with this song and can you share with us, some of your personal favorite elements to the production aspect while creating the song? I created the song with KBMP (the producer of the song) from scratch we wanted to make a song that was overall fun, upbeat & something to dance to. As far as the production goes I got to be in the studio for the entire process so I'd say my favorite thing was being able to create a song with someone I have a lot of chemistry with so shoutout to KBMP he did an amazing job. Ayla was a great addition to the dynamics of “My Way”. How did this collaboration idea form? What component do you feel this combination brought to the single? Originally, I was going to record the song by myself and had laid down the verses and pre-chorus but KBMP had the idea of bringing in a female voice to add a different dimension to the song so I connected with Ayla through a mutual friend & sent her the demo to see if she liked it. Safe to say she did and she did a fantastic job it was a perfect addition and gave the song the extra oomph it needed. How do you plan on elevating your sound in the near future? What are some goals you're seeking to achieve? I want to start releasing bodies of work as I've been releasing singles for a while and feel like it is the next logical step in my progression as an artist I am currently working 2 EP's one in English and the second one in Spanish as I've gotten many requests to make more music in Spanish and I am currently working on releasing merch as well. What has been keeping you inspired in 2020? Life in general COVID-19 is just another reminder that we must always expect the unexpected and adapt to any situation in life so I've just changed the approach a little bit I released less music than last year but I had a little series on my Instagram where I would drop verses on popular instrumentals for example and even managed to shoot a video for My Way Pandemic and all so the lesson really is that there are no excuses. Instagram #BUZZMUSIC

Youthful Southern California rock band General Ed. has come to shine the spotlight on their authentically-driven performances with a live jam-session, titled "Study Hall Sessions". Turning their practice space into a DIY studio during the pandemic-era, General Ed. decided to give listeners an original look at what the band is all about elementally. Michael Godwin is one of the members who mixed, mastered, and edited the live session, combined with being the guitarist and vocalist. Filmed by Scott Godwin, "Study Hall Sessions" features artists Gabriel Godwin on guitar, Jorge Castro on drums, and Anthony Rodriguez on bass. Intense guitar strumming opens up the first track, "Takin' My Time", and there's a potent alternative ambiance settling over the projected soundscape. With industrious metallic tonalities, combined with a scintillating synergy, "Takin' My Time" is able to carve out progressive and eclectic extensions of Alt/Rock music. Their next track, "Stray from Grace" holds a similar atmosphere given off by "Takin' My Time" and features similar buoyant guitar chords used within the track, bringing a sense of familiarity for listeners soon into the performance. Listeners will come to realize that General Ed. maintains their resonance during the live performance, and will only slightly adjust the overall inflections.  Bringing in some modern-day trends with "I Don't Think She Knows", General Ed. takes the time to use the track as an anthem for confused emotions. "I Don't Think She Knows" follows the storyline of obstacles generally in the way with love, especially the turbulence that can result from not knowing what one wants. The band's presence is what amalgamated raucous electric intonations of the song, vividly creating a progressive flair. The production of "Wicked Woman" is similar in a sense, but with the production blatantly amplified. There's a certain sense of yearning imparting from "Wicked Woman", mainly stemming from the realities that love (or lust) can construct instability in one's own mind. The tempo within this track picked itself up quite dramatically, and the band augments their collective soundscape.  The instrumental play in General Ed.'s cover of The Black Keys "I Got Mine" is definitely a component to hone into right away (with or without effort). The band does a phenomenal job at the performance, bringing listeners into an environment full of show-stopping hooks and fiery musical silhouettes. The fire doesn't get put out in the smallest bit once delving into their last track, "Rain on Magnolia". "Rain on Magnolia" interweaves the melodic and cordial textures of the vocal performance with the punchy bass and drum set. The essential tone of General Ed.'s live performance felt incredibly authentic as if the listener was put directly into the jam-session itself. General Ed. was able to collectively bring real and raw rock elements to absolute life, all while projecting their own contemporary alternative sound. All in all, "Study Hall Sessions" is a tracklist to listen to throughout its entirety in order to get the right feel of General Ed. and what they're capable of as a band. Hello General Ed., welcome back to BuzzMusic. Would you say that the experiences and narratives projected within "Study Hall Sessions" was based on your own introspections, or do you feel it was more of a sentiment you were trying to establish in order to fit a specific trend? The idea behind "Study Hall Sessions" was actually pretty simple. COVID-19 has made life very difficult for so many people around the world, but musicians and bands, in particular, have really been hit hard, not being able to tour or play any in-person shows in order to support themselves, So the only way for us bands to give our fans a way to watch us perform is to do live streams or live sessions. We took a long break during the quarantine in order to ensure that we were all safe and healthy before getting back together, and during the break, we were thinking of possible new projects we could do. We've always been fans of live studio sessions, so after the long break, we decided that the best way to give our fans some live music was to set up our own DIY studio in our practice space and make our own live studio session. We decided to call the live session "Study Hall Sessions" because it seemed to fit our theme as a band well. We feel like the live session turned out much better than we expected, and we're really glad that we were able to make something special on our own for our fans to enjoy. What drove the inspiration to record a full live-set, featuring the specific songs chosen? Were there any songs that felt more motivationally-driven than others? We decided to record a full 6-song live set for the session because we knew that since we were doing all of the recordings, mixing, and editing ourselves, we would have the time and drive to play as many songs as we wanted. Our singer and rhythm guitarist, Michael Godwin, actually took on the challenge of doing all of the mixing and editing for the live session and we knew that he could do a great job. We wanted to try and play songs that we enjoyed playing live, but we also made sure to ask our followers on Instagram for any specific song requests, so the songs you hear in the session were not only some of our favorites but also fan favorites. We knew that we were going to perform our song "Rain on Magnolia" for sure because it's such a fun and high energy live song to perform as a whole band, but we also decided to perform a cover of a classic Black Keys song called "I Got Mine". We've been big fans of the Black Keys for a long time and they were actually one of the main reasons for us starting the band 5 years ago. We thought that this live session would be a perfect opportunity for us to try and pay homage to one of our most influential bands while having a fun time putting our General Ed. spin on the song. Can you delve into the bond you share with the musicians chosen to play in the live session? What was it like collaborating with a band? I'd say we have a strong bond as a band and it shows through our live performances. We've always been a band that works best when we feed off of each other and work together to make fun and unique music. Our singer/rhythm guitarist and our lead guitarist are actually brothers, so they've known each other their entire lives naturally giving them great chemistry. We've also been playing together as a band for several years now, so it was actually pretty easy for us to reunite after months apart and pick up right where we left off. How did the writing and recording process ensue for the tracks listed on "Study Hall Sessions?" Most of the songs we performed in the session were written a while back and we've been playing them live together for a long time. We took a couple of our older songs as well as some newer ones from our EP we released earlier this year called "River Canyon", but all of them were songs that we knew very well together as a band. The actual recording process for the live session was fun and stressful at the same time. Since we had to do all of the filming, recording, and decorating ourselves, it was a long process turning our small practice space in our garage into a semi-professional live studio. We also recorded in a garage with no AC during a really hot day which was a bit of a challenge, but the fact that we were recording in our own garage also made it a more comfortable and familiar environment. What has been keeping you all inspired in 2020? 2020 has definitely been an incredibly difficult year full of terrible losses and depressing news. It's been tough for us to stay motivated and inspired at times, but the brothers, Michael and Gabriel, have been able to work on new songs together during quarantine while staying in touch with the band. This new live session was definitely a breath of fresh air for us as a band, and it feels really good to finally have something new out in the world again. Instagram Website #BUZZMUSIC