Pop trio GIVVEN have unveiled their new single ‘Losing Colours’ via Bias Beach Records. Rich in its emotionally intense downtempo textures, one’s mind can easily fixate on the people they hold dear to their heart. The trio is comprised of members Adrian Held (who forms part of renowned electronic duo Klangkarussell), Jordan Haller, and Nikodem Milewski. ‘Losing Colours’ forms part of a bigger picture, which will consist of an EP and three picturesque music videos that will capture the breathtakingly distinct landscapes of Iceland.
Although everyone is not keen on feeling their emotions, ‘Losing Colours’ makes this fear disappear for its duration. The track although wholehearted is an inviting listen from the first few seconds with its laidback acoustic textures and gentle synth infusions. Not predictable and complex in textures, ‘Losing Colours’ is a charming taste of what we can expect from this talented genre-pushing trio.
‘Losing Colours’ features on the Spotify playlist POP_GROUND.fm
Now, if you’ve been following RCRD LBL for the past year, chances are you would have heard about the Chinese-British songstress Fifi Rong and her fantastical build towards releasing her latest crowd-funded album, There Is A Funeral In My Heart, For Every Man I Loved. The singer first arrived on our radar in February 2021 with the release of ‘Another Me’ and the artistic music video that accompanied it. In the nearly full year to follow, we saw Fifi Rong investigate the world of live performance, become a forerunner in the NFT community and launch the impressively successful crowd-funding campaign that helped her give back to her followers and collaborators alike.
It seemed only fitting to round off the year with Fifi Rong as we explore her mind, creative process and plans for the future. Find it all in the exclusive interview below.
Tell us about your first memory of music and how it inspired you
I was 4 watching this TV show about pianists and I developed this aching desire toward it and begged my parents to get me a piano.
In your biog, you mentioned how you’ve struggled to reconcile the two different sides of society (Western and Eastern). Do you feel you were able to bring the two together in your latest album?
Yes absolutely. It’s effortless now, and I can dial to any side as I wish.
There Is A Funeral In My Heart, For Every Man I Loved was crowd-funded, reaching the goal before the campaign ended. Tell us how you feel about this success and what you envision the next step to be
I’m very proud and loved. We reached the goal 2 weeks before the end of the campaign and ended at 164% crossed Indiegogo and my website’s crowdfunding period. This is proof of the ‘1000 true fan’ theory of how modern artists can have true creative freedom and full support from a relatively small number of true supporters instead of millions of distant listeners/fans. Going forward, I will be taking my connection with my real supporters to web3, which is an environment where this culture I have developed in my community can really thrive.
What is your favourite aspect of your video for ‘Out Of Clock’? What makes it stand out from the rest?
I speak in Chinese and English in the monologue at the intro, and tell the story of Why There Is A Funeral In My Heart in Chinese on one of the stereo fields, whereas I kept repeating the Album title in the other stereo field. It sums up the album really, and the production style is my favourite type in all my productions too: ‘passive aggressive’. Also, the chorus really spells out the general emotional signature of the entire album. ‘My heart is running out of love, for anyone, to stay’… after every funeral I gave to every single love affair. It’s a memoir of love after all.
The world of NFTs is quickly evolving, with you as one of the forerunners in the community. Tell us why you believe this new digital world is so important?
Cryptocurrency and NFT is a new technology, a disruptive one. Technology is a one way street, and NFT as a technology will take over the whole world before everyone realises it. It creates a better, fairer world and financial system, a win-win situation for creators, fans, and collectors, and adds much more utility and ownership to the relations between them.
Metaverse is the immediate future that will integrate with most of our lives and NFT is the builder block of this meta universe we are moving into.
Where is a good starting point for an artist looking to enter the NFT game? What tips would you give to a newcomer?
Web3 is powered by people and communities and the key is self governance, so education and connection with others in the community is the first and foremost aspect of longevity in NFT. So I’d recommend finding us on twitter, we have community space to educate and connect all the time around the week/cock. My twitter is @fifirong so follow me and connect on my daily onboarding show and I’ll set them up.
Tell us about your latest album. Which track shouldn’t fans sleep on and why?
‘I’m Enough’ has been talked about a lot from the feedback so far. I didn’t expect that, as I didn’t get special ‘love’ earlier during the making of the album from my peers, so I was sleeping on it. But now the album is out, people are loving it, and felt that it should have been a single as well. But then, the traditional industry may think there’s no single in my album, whereas my true supporters think every song is a single. Guess whose view I care more about?:)
International superstar producer and DJ Benny Benassi is no stranger to creating memorable tracks. Benny has released his latest anthem “Let Me Go” featuring the luscious vocals of Ne-Yo. “Let Me Go” marks the first time the two major artists working together. Created during the pandemic, Ne-Yo and Benassi traded files digitally pinging the song back and forth between American and European continents which resulted in the pop crossover track heard today. The dance floor burner, produced by Benassi and his BB Team in Italy, his highlighted by the R&B superstar’s powerful performance of asking to be let go by an unrequited love.
Benny Benassi shared his gratitude on socials: “I’ve been a fan of NE-YO from day one. I was looking for the right voice to set this track on fire. I was so thrilled when he said he wanted to record it. His performance is so stylish and beautiful. I am honored”
Since the release of the track last week, the song has been streamed over 30 000 times on Ultra Music’s Youtube channel. Check out the track below.
October 14, 2021 (Los Angeles, CA) – Global pop artist and songwriter POLINA released her international smash “Faena” this past August to much acclaim. The track, written by POLINA and produced by ORGAN was inspired by the South Beach Faena Hotel and features sexy vocals, breezy production, and a seductive chorus that you’ll be chilling out to all through the fall. Showcasing the many different vibes of POLINA, the video was shot at the Faena and captures the magic of the space, and the inspiration for the track perfectly. This is an absolute must watch.
Said POLINA of filming the video for ‘FAENA‘, “It was so special to shoot the video at the place that inspired me to write the song. The video follows me as I’m totally alone in the hotel, having a party for one, while Faena’s vibrant locations bring out different characters in me. I had the best creative team around me and there’s quite a bit of choreography involved. Produced by Hoodyakov Productions it’s the first video I-co directed too. So much love and work went into it, now I’m super excited to share it with the world! Enjoy.”
POLINA is a Russian-born artist and songwriter living in Los Angeles. Born in Moscow into an artistic family (her mom is Russian 90’s pop singer ANKA, father is abstract painter Ruslan Gudiev) it was inevitable that Polina would find her way into an artistic medium, and songwriting became her passion. As a songwriter and vocalist, the musician’s credits include: “Legacy” from Eminem’s Grammy-winning album The Marshall Mathers LP (songwriter, guest vocalist), Sean Kingston’s Top 10 UK hit “Party All Night (Sleep All Day)” (co-writer) featured in the movie “The Inbetweeners,” as well as writing credits for global pop stars (Katy Perry, Rihanna) and vocal features on singles for EDM icons (Tiesto, Steve Aoki, Kaskade).
POLINA made a statement on the release of single, “Book of Love,” the chart-topping collaboration with Felix Jaehn (certified Gold in Germany, #1 on the Airplay Chart 4 consecutive weeks), following the breakout success of her song “Fade to Love” (certified Gold in Italy). Her music has taken her around the world, and performing is a passion for the artist who has frequented the stages of some of the world’s biggest festivals (Ultra, Tomorrowland, Electric Zoo) as a special guest artist on Felix Jaehn’s Bonfire Tour, and Steve Aoki’s Wonderland Tour.
