Five of my friends released music in the last couple of weeks – they’re all such uniquely talented humans who are paving the way in song-writing, poetry and conscious messages through their art. I am so proud to be fan of all of them. Here are tracks from Jared Gelman, Jesse Saint John, Kojey Radical, Lola Coca and M. Tennyson.
First of all, Jared Gelman’s “Never Know What It’s Like” takes on the hyper relevant paradigm of understanding gender dysphoria and expression through a heart felt ballad produced by genius Ray Riech and the lens of a stunning futuristic video (image above) shot in LA directed by Maria Skobeleva – but again a perspective of the city that is rarely shown in media. Jared truly is “an enigma, trapped by the stigma”.
Next up is a debut from Jesse Saint John who I’ve written about here for years since his work with Brooke Candy and evolution to become one of the most sought-after pop writers in the world – penning tracks with Sia, album smashes for Britney and recently for Camila Cabello. Jesse is a conceptual genius by any other name, and his song MOVE is a gym friendly, genre bending banger which does exactly what it says – makes you want to MOVE. Obviously the lyrics are completely brilliant and my personal favourite is the sass imbued “jerking me around but all that jerking can’t be too good for your health.”
Another super intelligent being I have had the honour of working with in the past is Kojey Radical – a multi-disciplinary artist who has evolved to become the face of cleverly constructed poetry as rap. Not sticking to any specific genre, Kojey is a pop/rap/rockstar with a soul and consciousness and this comes through again in If Only – a song about his experience with depression and the culture of sadness.
On the topic of loneliness, the enigmatic entity that is Lola Coca – super empath and London’s answer to pop’s impending new universe of quality and soul intertwined simultaneously has just released “A World Without Love” via Instant Records, celebrating women and the various connections between them. I love the guitar middle 8, it feels like The Beatles at a beach which is actually full of love.
Last but by no means least, M. Tennyson just released his debut single “Easy”, premiered via Out Magazine with the most incredible depth and filled super memorable hooks. I am so happy to see my friends leaving their sonic imprint like this, 4th density art at it’s finest.