"JAZZ IS DEAD". The title of Grammy-nominated musician Theo Croker is written in all caps and comes with a message. Ahead of the release of his new record "Love Quantum", Elana Shapiro sat down with the artist to talk about what the title of of the single means, acknowledging musical ancestry, and why we should stop calling it "Jazz".
The Greek-Sudanese artist Marina Satti is driven to explore cultures and ways of exchange through her language: music. On her debut record "YENNA", she merges traditional Greek polyphony with influences from Turkey, the Balkans, and many more. We spoke to the artist to understand the deep tradition behind her songs and she curated our playlist with her favorite songs from her home country.
Ibeyi, the twins. Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, the sister duo that moves in between worlds physically and spiritually. Raised between Cuba and France, they draw from their Afro-Cuban roots and Yoruba traditions as well as from contemporary Afro-beat scene and Latin jazz. They just released their third LP "Spell 31", which pays tribute to the ancestry and the traditions present in the musicians' upbringing and bridges earthly explorations with celestial connectivity.
The Australian troubadour Xavier Rudd has been in the business for decades releasing his tenth studio album this year. Known for his lyrics advocating peace and a spiritual connectedness with nature, the artist is closely in touch with the Aboriginal communities of the country. Between admiration for the culture, questioning of the own roots, and uplifting the culture, the artist formed is own musical style using the Didgeridoo alongside his other instruments.
Juanita Euka is not a Latin-American singer, she is not a Congolese singer, she is not a Londoner - she is all of those things at the same time and unapologetically herself. On her debut she explores themes of identity, cultural trauma, and pains of colonialism, while also empowering and celebrating Black female identity. Between Congo, Cuba, London, Peru, and Argentina, Juanita Euka walked us through her creative process.
Genesis is the act of creation in religious writing. Berlin-based artist K.ZIA used her recently released debut record for the creation of her own universe. Embracing Congolese and Martinique-an roots, she moves between groovy Afro-Beat and smooth RnB through the voice of two different personas on the album. NBHAP author Liv Toerkell caught up with the artist to find out more about her artistic expression.
The NYC-based artist Amber Mark has been through a lot to get to the release of her debut record. "Three Dimensions Deep" is a reflection of her personal journey within. Over smoothly produced soul-RnB and pop beats, the singer finds self-confidence and explores newly found spirituality. NBHAP author Liv Toerkell caught up with the buzzing artist to find out what lies beyond the 3rd dimension of Amber Mark.
As the beloved Brit-Pop trio is about to finally release their fourth LP "The Dream", we invited Alt-J keyboarder Gus Unger-Hamilton to share some reflections on his favourite record yet. Celebrating the Kings Of Leon shortly before they went stadium-rock superstars, the musician strongly roots for the 2004 sophomore record "Aha Shake Heartbreak" and kindly shares the advice of giving records more than one superficial listen.
