Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Shawn Hook delivers his heartfelt new single ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’.
An honest, emotion-filled song, ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’ sees Shawn lay his love on the line. With lyrics such as ‘I just want to talk now, but honestly I’m inside out, I’m blending with the walls and they’re closing in on me’ the British Columbia-born artist looks inwards and channels his feelings into his work.
A multiple JUNO Award-nominated artist with hundreds of millions of streams to his name, Shawn has collaborated with some of the industry’s biggest hit songwriters, also sharing stages with the likes of The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, The Chainsmokers and Camila Cabello amongst others. He is best known for tracks ‘Sound Of Your Heart’ and ‘Reminding Me’ with Vanessa Hudgens, both of which certified Double Platinum in his native Canada.
As busy as ever, recent TV appearances include Good Morning America, Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and So You Think You Can Dance suggest there are no plans to slow things down anytime soon.
One of the most successful Canadian artists of the past few years, Shawn Hook’s undeniable combination of slick vocals, touching lyrics and tight production sees him deliver yet another memorable hit.
Hannah Grace has released her brand new single ‘Blue’ via Never Fade Records. The new song finds Hannah bounding into 2020 with a bright new twist on her soulful sound. She enlists funky keys and horns alongside a bright pop sensibility as her jaw-dropping vocals fly high with feel-good assurance.
The single has been released to great support from Radio 2, with plays coming from both Graham Norton and Dermot O’Leary. Michael Ball is also a big fan at the station and has invited Hannah in to perform a live session on the show.
Regarding the single Hannah says, “I am beyond excited to share my new song ‘Blue,’ which was one of the first songs I wrote for my album and was quite different to anything I’d written before. I wanted to write something that made me feel good, something I could dance to and really enjoy performing live.”
“I wrote it about being tired of feeling blue all the time! I wanted to put all of my energy into feeling positive. It’s been very helpful for me to sometimes just be distracted from the stresses of life and surround myself with kind people and music to dance to! Everybody gets down with the pressures and sadness of the real world but sometimes you just have to let your hair down and let it go.”
Hannah is gearing up to release her debut album in 2020. The album will feature ‘Blue’, as well as her previous single ‘With You’ and also her gorgeous cover of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’.
Released last year ‘With You’ was added to the Radio 2 playlist and saw Hannah make her debut TV performance on the Sara Cox show. Her cover of ‘Praise You’ also proved a huge success and was used to soundtrack a Lloyds Bank advert before going on to sell over 60,000 copies in the UK.
Hannah Grace has also made an impressive mark on the UK live scene. Last year she played her largest show in support of Barbra Streisand at Hyde Park, while she has also supported the likes of Jess Glynne, Gabrielle Aplin and Hozier. Hannah has also previously caught the attention of Lady Gaga who tweeted a video of Hannah singing on YouTube and called her “a superstar”.
Singer, songwriter, business owner, and boss, Scarlet Parke is a lighthouse for dreamers. Driven by an inexorable force to create, persevere, and grow through her trauma, Scarlet’s music will make you feel every feeling.
She leaves no topic unturned and brings you into her world as a best friend and secret keeper. Outside of music, Scarlet is a rampant advocate for local artists and empowering their success via her company, Parke Ave. Parke Ave is a networking app that focuses on curating opportunities for local/unsigned artists via events, playlists, and local business partnerships.
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
Sitting alone in my room when I was 8 trying to sing every single Christina Aguilera run perfectly.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
Every song starts differently. Sometimes a melody will pop into my head and sometimes I’ll hear a beat and freestyle lyrics but it’s definitely not something that happens when I think about it too much. Most of my songs are drafted as voice memos from random moments of inspiration.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
Performing. Hands down! Before I was ever a songwriter, I was a performer. I’ve always loved acting, dancing, and being a total ham.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
I performed at a High School and when I announced I would be singing my song ‘Fallin’, one of the students asked if she could come sing with me. I brought her up and she sang the entire song perfectly! She told me she had been singing it everyday and wanted to sing like me. My heart melted.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
I would play local pop, R&B, hip-hop, soul and funk. Anything that people gets people moving and feeling good.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Sam Lachow – Lady Sunday, Dave B – Sweetest Thing, Archie – Bad Bitch, Macntaj – Trappy Gilmore, Zahara – Delicate
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
I want to be a pillar of inspiration for those coming from less than ideal circumstances. I want to inspire people to persevere and chase their dreams.
Singer/songwriter mp.oxford had built a universe with personal texts and where melody is everything. He creates a sound that, together with his unmistakable voice, slowly crawls under your skin.
Through his music, he wants to express the snapshots of everyday life from trivial feelings to experiences that leave a mark. He wants to paint these images as vivid as possible, so everyone who closes their eyes and listen can relate.
See our exclusive interview with him below:
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
The earliest memory is within my family. My dad introduced me to music at an early age – He even bought me a drumkit, which I never used actually. But the clearest memory is me and him driving in his Fiat just playing his favourite Danish artists. It just stuck with me.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
I just looked at my memos. 533 recordings. I start with the melody or maybe a cool chord I heard in another song. Then I just do a quick topline and usually, the words I do can be used as a concept cause its right off the back of what I’m feeling at that moment. It should be that natural I guess. Then I put a lot of hours with producers getting the sounds and my ideas right.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
When I’m in the studio and creating new stuff – I have this idea in my head. If I can picture myself doing the songs live – then I know I got something good. It starts and ends with connecting with people. So I always look forward to interacting with audiences.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
Imma keeps it simple with this. I once played some of my music to this guy who was a friend of one of my friends from Copenhagen. He hadn’t heard any of my songs before. He just looked me and said: “I don’t a lot about music – But I believe in the words you sing” – For me that’s is biggest compliment, cause that is exactly how I wanna feel when I’m listening to an artist. Props to that guy.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
Easy. I would do a total mix. It would be named something like: “Have your heard this?” Just be a public service kind of Discover Music on the radio. Play some different songs from different genres and maybe get people to see that there is so much good music out there, they haven’t listened to yet. Just for an example. Fall 2018 I discovered Tierra Whacks ‘Whack World’-video on Youtube. The whole album in one video, because the songs are only a minute long. But they are all fire! Now she’s on Beyonce’s Lion King-album. It’s amazing. Or when I first heard 1975 from the UK playing the Itunes Festival back in 2013. Now, look how big they are.
And that would be the point of my radio show. People sharing music that they just discovered but are not necessarily a big name in the industry.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Frank Ocean ‘Blonde’, Kanye West ‘College Dropout’, Jordan Ward ‘Valley Hopefuls’ Lido ‘Everything’ and The 1975 ‘The 1975’
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
The biggest hit in the world – Of course. Well, that would be nice. But just get recognized for the work I do. That people interact and vibe with my music. Like the guy, I mentioned before. If some people get a feeling out of the words and instrumental of the songs – Then I’m all good. That’s the kicker right there. I mean – that’s the way it should be if you ask me.
One last thought to leave your fans with?
It’s gonna be a good year guys. Hope you enjoy this music! Thank you for your time.
