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June 5, 2023 Interview with ‘Shades Of Blue’ singer-songwriter Lilith Merlot

Interview with ‘Shades Of Blue’ singer-songwriter Lilith Merlot

Image credit: Rona Lane Photography

Lilith Merlot makes music to connect with herself and others, plumping the depths of her creative being and coming out the other side with something soulful to share with her listeners. Recently, she shared a new work, a 5-track EP titled Shades Of Blue, a composition that stretches across the gap, the rift, that has formed between two lovers. The project represents a process, a cathartic unpacking that helps Lilith process personal challenges, a process that she hopes will also help listeners find solace in her music.

RCRD LBL introduces Lilith Merlot:

Stream / Download: Lilith Merlot – Shades Of Blue EP

Growing up, who was your biggest musical role model and why?

Alicia Keys, because I thought she was such a great singer, and I loved that she also played the piano. My favorite albums are her first two albums. The songs on there are such a great mix of groovy, uplifting tracks and ballads about heartbreak and other difficulties. I spent so many hours singing and playing her songs and trying to copy her ad libs! It definitely shaped me in a way. 

Your new EP touches on themes of heartbreak. How do you think music has helped you to process life’s difficulties?

Music has always helped me to feel comforted and not alone, and also it helped me to dream and drift off. When I feel a little sad and I listen to music that comes from the same emotion, I feel understood and connected. It is such a relief. And music can also be so uplifting and energizing, when I need a little badass energy I will play ‘Truth Hurts’ by Lizzo, and I feel like I can do anything. Great way to start the day!

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

My earliest musical memories are of my mom (who was a classical violinist) playing with the orchestra. I was 4/5 years old and I would listen to their rehearsal in an empty concert hall. I just remember how big everything was: the stage, the hall, the massive sound that came from all those instruments. It felt so exciting!

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?

When I get inspired I usually feel a bit restless, as though I have to get something off my chest. So when I recognize that feeling I will sit behind my grand piano at home and start playing around with some chord progressions, and I improvise vocally until I find a melody that sticks with me. First, it’s all gibberish, and then slowly the right words come. When I start writing, I often have no idea yet what I want to write about, but those first few words that come intuitively will set the tone for the song and what it’s about. The first verse and chorus are always quite easy to write, but I find the second verse and chorus the hardest part – that sometimes takes months! When I am writing all I need is my phone to record my ideas, and my green leather notebook to write it all down.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?

Both are so good! I loved creating all the songs in the studio with my producer Serge Dusault. Playing around with a song and trying different things until it all finally comes together is magic. But so is performing in front of a live audience. I initially write all these songs to help me navigate through feelings and just life basically, but I don’t want it to end there. I want these songs to help and maybe comfort others as well! Hopefully, these songs will let people know they are not alone in whatever it is they are going through, and there is no better way to connect with an audience than performing live for them. To me, studio work and performing live have one thing in common: if you are doing it right, you lose the sense of space and time for a moment, and that’s when the magic happens.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

It was not so much a response to my music, but a response to my voice at a time when I really needed it. I was studying Jazz vocals at the Rotterdam Conservatory when I was 19 years old, and I felt very insecure at the time. About my voice and my capabilities. Because of all the studying and the pressure, I had lost my joy in singing and it even changed my tone. Then one day, we had a masterclass by American singer Renée Neufville (who worked with the RH Factor, Roy Hargrove) and all the vocal students had to perform a song in front of her: In A Sentimental Mood. I sang, and for the first time in a long time, I enjoyed it. Afterwards, her feedback was that I sounded just like a Merlot, she thought my voice was so warm, deep and round. That gave me back my confidence, and years later I decided to use Merlot as my stage name.

If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?

Anything that moves me! It would be a lot of different genres, like Classical music, some soul and Neo-soul, Pop and Jazz and definitely some RnB.

Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show

Nina Simone – ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’

Yebba – ‘Dawn’

Amy Winehouse – ‘Frank’ 

Jeff Buckley – ‘Grace’ 

Lizz Wright – ‘Salt’

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

If I could just spend my days creating music in the studio and making albums and playing it live on tour to connect with people that would make me very happy. As long as I love what I create, and there are people out there who resonate with it and get something out of listening to it, that is a huge success to me. Also, I would love to play through Europe, and it would be wild to play in the States and Asia for example. Of course, I want to reach as many people as possible!

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October 28, 2022 KARMACODA release brand new song ‘Time Flies’ and LP Lessons In Time

KARMACODA release brand new song ‘Time Flies’ and LP Lessons In Time

 Image credit: Bill Shupp

Fearless and profound band KARMACODA shared a new LP Lessons In Time and the song ‘Time Flies’, both via  Sola Musa Music on the 28th of October. The San Fransisco, USA-based band has consistently mesmerised their fans with their universal sound that is likened to the music of the likes of  Paloma Faith, and Adele among others. 

Stream / Download:  KARMACODA – Lessons In Time LP

The new LP  Lessons In Time is a careful mixture of reinvigorating vocals and satisfying downtempo. The 13-track LP takes listeners on a musical feast: for example, ‘Lovely’, the first track, is a euphoric downtempo song that attains the bliss point with its layback piano notes followed by leisured drums beats, and the second track ‘Fly By’ is a beautiful R&B song that is accentuated by the crash and ride cymbal and the hi-Hats, producing a sound that is light and sophisticated. The tenth track, ‘beyond the pale’, contains a special blend of jazz saxophones and melancholic vocals resulting in a ballad that explodes with emotions.  

The dynamic band KARMACODA tell us about the songwriting philosophy adopted for this LP:  “The songs on Lessons In Time were written from reflecting on my life, looking back in time, reliving my best memories. No regrets. These songs are lessons in time. I decided it was time to tell it, not all of it, but some of the more memorable moments while resting in where I am today”.

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May 30, 2022 Review: ELIS NOA share production rich R&B album

Review: ELIS NOA share production rich R&B album

   Image credit: ©pleasedontsearchme

ELIS NOA have shared their latest album I Was Just About To Leave, and it’s guaranteed to make you take a second look and assess whether you are truly happy with the people that surround your daily life. Released via Las Vegas Records, the album shares eleven emotionally evocative tracks. 

Stream/Download: I Was Just About To Leave LP

‘Weights’ is a production-rich track that features a delectable blend of percussion instruments and electronic elements. Emotionally bare like ‘Mad About You’, the track is a refreshingly honest message about factors that canweigh you down in every relationship. 

‘Make Me Think You’ incorporates somber and rich downtempo elements with a sultry R&B tone and vocals that are addictive from the start. A song about reminiscing about love that was and is no more, it is a heartwrenching track about heartbreak but sweet-sounding nonetheless.

‘I Don’t Like It Here’ is a song that reflects on playing pretend with people and concealing your true feelings. This track took us by surprise the most with its composed and attitude fuelled vocal delivery and tempo. 

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May 20, 2022 ELIS NOA share daring song ‘Mad About You’

ELIS NOA share daring song ‘Mad About You’

     Image credit: Dominik Friess

An honest track with a whole lot of glowing attitude, ELIS NOA’s latest song ‘Mad About You’ gives one chills with its engaging and delightfully confrontational lyrics. Frustrated with the toxic traits one can find in certain relationships, singer and songwriter Elisa, wanted to shine a light on these emotionally suffocating thoughts and feelings one can experience as a result. 

Stream/ download: ‘Mad About You’

Elisa shares more thoughts on this poignant and important song: “As we wandered through the very different stages of letting go, ‘Mad About You’ is a moment of anger and disappointment. I felt misunderstood, left out and pushed away. It is also a crucial song and turning point inside the album. While writing, I understood that all anger and disappointment really were an expression of myself, responding to inner insecurities and expectations.  I realized that my feelings belonged to me and were my responsibility. How somebody makes you feel has a lot to do with yourself and very little with the other.“

Mad About You’ features on POP_GROUND.fm

Taking a more bold approach from its predecessor lyrically and production-wise, we get a multifaceted view of what we can expect with ELIS NOA’s forthcoming album I Was Just About To Leave. The LP is set for official release on the 27th of May via Las Vegas Records. We got our first taste of the album with the R&B track ‘Weights’ which took a more ethereal route in terms of its production stylings, however, we are not mad with the production on this spirited track.

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