Julia Holter is pleased to share her mesmerizing cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Gold Dust Woman‘, available widely for the first time since its creation in 2012. Recorded after the release of Ekstasis, Holter’s take on Stevie Nicks’ classic adds a celestial layer of lucidity.
Holter says of the cover: “I always wanted to make this cover available officially. I recorded it at home in 2012 for a Mojo special on Fleetwood Mac. The propulsive dark vibe of this song was appealing and I think the raw energy of my recording captures an exhilarated moment in time for me, in which I was about to start touring, playing my own music for the first time.”
Holter recently scored the soundtrack for the film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, available to watch online now and her fifth studio album Aviary was released in October 2018.
UK DJ and producer duo Punctual have unveiled their new single ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, a rework of the Mario classic of the same name.
Punctual transform ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ from a mid-2000s R&B favourite to a melodic club jam, channelling raw emotion and infectious grooves into something made for the dancefloor.
Composed of Will Lansley and John Morgan, Punctual burst onto the scene in 2016 with debut single ‘Eva’, released through Becky Tong’sJuicebox label, which surpassed 5 million streams and garnered support from Zane Lowe, Pete Tong, Phil Taggart and more. They have since amassed millions of streams across their diverse back catalogue, kicking off the new decade with the euphoric ‘Imagine’, a single that drew support from BBC Radio 1 favourites Danny Howard and Scott Mills.
Crafted with the dancefloor in mind, ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ is a club groover that loses none of the emotion of the original.
The frontman of indie band Saint Mars Tryzdin has released his first solo ‘A New Way’, which premiered via CelebMix. Tryzdin gained publicity after releasing his remarkable rendition of pop queen Adele’s single ‘Hello’, which generated buzz across renowned publications like Huffington Post, Daily Mirror, RFM, as well as television networks like Fox News and NBC4 TV. The young singer then joined the band Saint Mars as their lead singer. Saint Mars has been streamed just under 3 million times across major music streaming services.
We find out more about Tryzdin in this exclusive.
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
I remember driving around with my parent and listening to RnB and pop music in the car.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
I like to know what I am writing about before jumping right into the song. So first I usually find a good story or just something interesting, then I write about it. I like to find the chorus first and then build around that. Then I find the right beat and start putting the song together.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
I prefer a live audience because it really makes all the music make and the hard work pays off.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
I was in 1st grade at my Elementary School talent show. I was singing ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele; at the end of the performance, I remember the crowd cheering and clapping. At that moment I knew that I wanted to become a performer.
You previously mentioned this about the new single, “The song to me is about empowerment and overcoming your fears and especially overcoming hate”. How does one overcome hate?
The way I did it was starting to ignore it or really pretending they weren’t there. I also started working harder on everything they were telling me I couldn’t do, I then realized that the more I did that, the less it did affect me.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
I would play a mix of all genres. I would do that because all music has its own stories and they all have a meaning.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Billie Eilish ‘When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go’, Ben Platt ‘Sing To Me Instead’, Xxxtentacion ‘?’, Tom Walker ‘What A Time To Be Alive’, and Alec Benjamin ‘These Two Windows’
Describe the process of creating your solo single.
It was really stressful, to be honest, there was a lot of times where I wanted to give up and I thought “no one would like my music”, there was also a lot of not knowing what to do next and how to make the song the best it could be. But I’m the end it was all worth it, and I’m happy people like the song.
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
Success to me is being recognized on the streets, performing across the world, millions of people listening to your music. Success to me is not money or materialistic things. It’s really all about how your music or your craft makes people feel.
Madeline Mondrala, well-known as That Brunette, is a Brooklyn based Experimental Pop songwriter and performer who began writing and performing music from the young as of eight years old. Mondrala would later attend the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in New York with peers like Mitski, Verité, and Sean McVerry. She released her first EP Cloud in 2013 and Madelin in 2017. The musician was scouted as a writer and artist BMG Publishing and would work with producers like Dem Jointz (Brandy, Rihanna), Larzz Principato (Dua Lipa, Halsey) and Ryan Marrone (Nicki Minaj). Madeline released her single ‘Coolest Girl’ last month, and is soon to release her EP Millenium Fig on the 28th of August.
We find out more about this singer and songwriter below.
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
Listening to Motown in the car with my mom on my way to school, Playing Hole in my headphones under the blanket in my room when I was supposed to be asleep. Rummaging through my dad’s cd collection and discovering Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. Magical…
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
I usually like to start with me and a piano. I typically come up with a baseline, melody and lyrics simultaneously. Once I’ve written the song I’ll think about the type of production I envision for it. From there I’ll present to the producer I think would be the best fit to help bring the song to life. If they’re into it, we’ll get to work producing the track together.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
That’s a toss-up, but I think I have to say that I like the process of creating music a little bit more. That’s what made me fall in love with music in the first place. I love the feeling of birthing a new piece of music. Every song is my favorite song I’ve ever written when I’m writing it.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
I remember and cherish any time anyone has ever told me either in person or online that one of my songs meant something to them. There’s no better feeling than knowing you had a positive impact on someone through a melody you crafted or words you wrote.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
It would be the perfect mix of bright shiny pop, hip hop, alternative pop, indie R&B, and musical theatre.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Right now I would definitely be spinning Kah-lo’s latest single ‘Melanin’, some Caroline Polachek, Sudan Archives, Taylor Swift’s latest album Folklore, and Avenue Beat’s jam ‘Fuck 2020’.
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
I would like to achieve a sense of fulfillment within myself in creating authentic songs that represent my life experience. I make music because it brings me joy. I always go back to that truth if I start to feel societal pressure to “be somebody”. Success means being me, and I’m already myself. When I look at things through that lens, I feel very successful indeed.
One last thought to leave your fans with?
Hang in there. Every day is a new opportunity. Rest when you need to. Eat nourishing delicious food. Take a bubble bath. And listen to my new EP Millennium Fig
