Browsing Tag

Piano Pop

Jaina Tang entwined empowerment with vulnerability in her latest single,  No More Tears to Cry

Posted on 9 January 2024

Jaina Tang, a prodigious talent from Singapore, radiated empowerment through vulnerability in her latest musical narrative, No More Tears to Cry.

At just 17, Tang’s journey from a YouTube piano cover artist to a multifaceted musician is nothing short of inspiring. Her ability to play by ear, coupled with her mastery of 17 instruments, songwriting, singing, rapping, and beatboxing, has culminated in a body of work that is both deeply personal and universally relatable.

No More Tears to Cry is a testament to Tang’s artistic evolution. The song is an intricate tapestry of piano pop, interlaced with a profound sense of melancholy, yet it radiates an undeniable strength. This duality is the heart of Tang’s artistry. The piano, played with both precision and passion, lays the foundation for a journey through heartache and resilience. Tang’s voice, delicate yet determined, guides the listener through the emotional landscape of the song.

The way her vocal lines intertwine with the music, evolving into a breath-taking neo-classic score, captivatingly exhibits her skill as a composer and arranger. The song is not just for the heartbroken; it’s a universal call to find strength in vulnerability.

No More Tears to Cry was officially released on December 30th; stream the single on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Arden – I Don’t Sleep: A Poignant Alt-Pop Symphony of an Exposed Heart and Soul

Posted on 7 January 2024

The London-based alt-pop pioneer, Arden, found the inspiration for his latest single, I Don’t Sleep, through the fear that once you have laid your soul bare, there’s no covering it up to the ones you exposed your vulnerability to.

There’s sweetness in the sentiment “there will always be a part of me that’s yours” but the bitterness of that part of you becoming redundant in the wake of a breakup is a cutting juxtaposition. Lyrically, it is powerful enough to make you view relationships through a brand-new cautious lens. Still, within the blossoming swells in the piano melodies and the orchestrally carved crescendos, there’s a scintillating atmosphere, full of spirited passion – stirring enough to make you want to take the dive into inevitable pain.

I Don’t Sleep is a testament to Arden’s ability to blend poignant lyrics with lush musical arrangements. The song achieves a cinematic quality, panoramic enough to be part of a blockbuster soundtrack, yet intimate enough to tug at the heartstrings with every note. Arden’s cultivated songwriting, reminiscent of Owl City, shines through in I Don’t Sleep. His soulful vocal performance, memorable melodies, and sophisticated production showcase a maturity beyond his years.

As he opens 2024 with this energised and refined sound, Arden solidifies his place as an artist to watch, captivating audiences with his honest and witty songwriting.

I Don’t Sleep will hit the airwaves on January 5th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joseph Trem explored the darkness the mind can conjure while creating a moment of connection in ‘Ruminations’

Posted on 25 November 2023

Joseph Trem’s latest single, Ruminations, is a masterful exploration of the darkness the human psyche can harbour, delving deep into the agonising feeling of invisibility and the fear that even if you were to fade away into less than a spectre, your absence wouldn’t be noted nevertheless mourned.

The heart-wrenching reality of feeling worthless is a sentiment that, unfortunately, is all too universal for people battling with depression. Trem did so much more than vent his emotions with Ruminations; he extended validation to anyone who can relate. To amplify the earnest sincerity of the release, the track is anchored by striking piano keys, each note resonating with a sense of pensiveness around his rich and emotive voice which weaves through melodies to draw listeners into an exposition of vulnerable introspection.

The moment of connection within Ruminations positions Joseph Trem as one of the most promising names on the indie-pop scene. His sound, reminiscent of John Legend in ‘All of Me,’ is both haunting and beautiful, filled with a raw honesty that is rare in today’s music landscape. As we look towards 2024, Trem is undoubtedly an artist to watch.

The official lyric video for Ruminations premiered on November 17; watch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sean Daniel swept up the cosmos in his intricate tapestry of pop chords with ‘Counting Stars’

Posted on 19 November 2023
https://soundcloud.com/seandreardon/counting-stars

The Cambridgeshire, UK-hailing songwriter and composer Sean Daniel has veered away from his alt-rock inclinations to make his debut in the pop arena with his latest single Counting Stars.

Immerse yourself in a celestial experience with this starry piano-driven pop ballad from Sean Daniel and the phenomenally talented female vocalist who brought swathes of soul to the release, which uses each note to weave an intricate tapestry of chords that hint at a profound understanding of musical storytelling and showcases a maturity that belies the artist’s novelty on the scene.

The track’s dreamy star-roving atmosphere is crafted through delicate yet powerful piano melodies, perfectly paced to lift listeners into the cosmos. The artist’s skill in chord progression shines brightly, offering a transcendent journey through space and emotion. Delve in for a shot of sonic visceralism.

Counting Stars was officially released on November 7th; stream the superlative single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hanley showed us the future of the pop ballad with ‘So Much for Being Real’

Posted on 16 November 2023

After the success of the 2022 EP, ALIVE, the up-and-coming artist Hanley has shown us the future of pop ballads with the celestial timbres within their latest piano pop score, So Much for Being Real. Through the sequence of crescendos which punctuate the plaintive piano keys beneath the pure yearning within the vocals, you’ll feel your soul stir as much as the instrumental arrangement which emanates the kind of radiant enlightenment which only comes via acceptance and emotional intelligence.

Promises becoming little more than empty platitudes is one of the greatest betrayals we will ever experience in life, there’s little solace to be found in the bitterness of naivety after being swept up in an idea of perpetuity, but Hanley’s latest composition which was delivered with superlatively spacey compassion hits the mark of solace with perfect precision.

So Much for Being Real was officially released on October 27; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keli Woods illuminated the keys with enlightenment in his latest piano composition, Skies

Posted on 18 October 2023

Fans of Tom Odell, James Bay and Birdy won’t fail to be consumed by the latest piano composition, Skies, from the UK multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer, Keli Woods.

If his voice accompanied this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert, I wouldn’t be coloured surprised, and that is only the start of the crossover appeal of this sombrely intimate yet juxtaposing strident release, which seamlessly amasses evocative momentum and flair with every intricately laid progression in the epic 6-minute progressive ballad.

Keli Woods’ experience as a monk lent itself effortlessly well to the powerfully metaphorical introspection within Skies. His ability to conjure vivid pictures in the mind with his deeply affecting lyrical prose is second to none. He may have missed out on West End stardom at the age of 11, but all paths, which included performing jazz band in a decommissioned ambulance in Swansea and living the late-night rock ‘n’ roll life, have led him to this point of proving the transformative force of music.

Listen to the live recording of Skies from Real World Studios via YouTube from October 18.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Loulita Gill shared a message of resilience and hope in her classic pop score, Silenced

Posted on 8 October 2023

The singer-songwriter Loulita Gill oozed classic pop class with her recently released single, Silenced, which goes back to the darkest and most vulnerable chapter of her life to offer consolation and solidarity to survivors of abuse.

Few people will ever know the strength needed to keep your head high after you have been subjected to abuse by the people who brought you into the world to cherish and protect you. After the unveiling of this arcanely orchestral score, a deeper sense of empathy will be ingrained in anyone who has never had the crushing experience of vulnerability being exploited first-hand.

Her celestial vocal range, which effortlessly coalesces with the minor piano keys and swells of the classical strings, opens a doorway to compassion. We certainly weren’t coloured surprised when learning the Bristol-based singer’s career has been decorated by accolades. Her music regularly features on global Christian radio stations, GODTV and BBC Radio Bristol.

Watch the official music video for Silenced, which premiered on September 22nd on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Linn Willner stood at the vanguard of emotionally intelligent pop with ‘Dancing on Roses’

Posted on 26 September 2023

For her latest single, Dancing on Roses, the indie pop enchantress, Linn Willner, melodically pulled on the parallels between blossoming naturalism and the early days of relationships, where we can’t see the thorns for the petals.

The orchestral strings in the indie chamber pop score carved a cinematically immersive atmosphere that evokes notions of romanticism while spurring the listener to remove their rose-tinted glasses and view the full kaleidoscope of betrayal-laden complexity when exploring love and human connection. Life will always find a way to strip away your naivety; it is better to pull back the layers with piano pop expositions on the highs and lows of relationships, which portray vulnerability as a strength.

The 22-year-old Swedish singer-songwriter became an icon of our enlightened times with Dancing on Roses. Beyond her beguilingly evocative vocal lines and command over minor piano keys, she’s at the vanguard of emotionally intelligent pop.

Dancing on Roses will debut on the 26th of September; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bree Gregory cut right to the emotional core with her orchestral ballad, See You Soon

Posted on 22 September 2023

The Adelaide singer-songwriter Bree Gregory captured the bitter-sweetness of impassioned goodbyes and the beauty of uninhibited vulnerability with her latest orchestrally arranged piano pop ballad, See You Soon, which strips the sonorous production right back to her vocals, piano keys and a string quartet.

Between the cutting crescendos and the steady strides in her dynamic vocal register that carries the same sense of beguile as Adele, See You Soon cuts you right to the emotional core.

Moving away from her RnB soul sound, which saw her peak at number 4 in the top 10 AMRAP charts with her single, Waiting, was a bold move, but discernibly, her talents lend themselves efficaciously well to more than one genre. We can’t wait to see where this Billboard & Grammy-worthy exposition of viscerally warm raw emotion takes her. Even greater successes are surely in the pipeline.

See You Soon will debut on September 22; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jessamine Barham melodised marionette melancholy in her compelling vignette, Puppet Girl

Posted on 21 September 2023

Every time the dark indie folk singer-songwriter Jessamine Barham turns her creativity to the composition of a new baroquely imaginative piano score, complete immersion in her archaic vignettes is non-optional.

In her seminal avant-garde single, Puppet Girl, the San Diego-hailing artist melodied marionette melancholy by inviting you into a world of powerlessness, subjugation, and betrayal.

Taking the single at face value, you will enjoy a jaunty Evelyn Evelyn-esque cabaret tune; look a little deeper at what is written between the lines, and you will lock into an exposition on the limitations life can find a way of imposing on us. No matter how free we think we are, we all come with strings attached, making Puppet Girl a resonantly dark reflection of reality.

Puppet Girl is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast