Browsing Tag

Zara Larsson

Anja Kotar’s first single from her forthcoming album ‘NOMAD’

Posted on 14 July 2017

Anja Kotar’s first single from her forthcoming album NOMAD deals with a perennial issue, the one at the heart of young lives across the globe, the one that determines the hierarchy of all our formative years, the issue flagged up in the title, the issue of How To Be Cool. Not that she needs to worry as the song itself is one of the coolest things to happen in pop for a long time and is all the better for the attitude that drives it. For this track isn’t acting as some sort of blueprint, a fast track to popularity, far from it. Rather it questions the whole notion of what being cool is and why you would even subscribe to such an idea in the first place.

A wonderful irony lies in the fact that whilst raising that question, she has blended some eighties vibes, contemporary lyricism and forward thinking dance grooves into the coolest of tunes and the perfect calling card for NOMAD, her musical exploration of the pressures of today’s generation growing up in America. The album is full of infectious tunes and though provoking ideas and unintentionally begs a whole different question. Why be cool when you can be smart?

http://www.anjakotar.com/

Words: Dave Franklin

A&R Factory Present: Rudie Edwards

Posted on 6 March 2017
https://youtu.be/N1V1wnbENfM

British Singer Rudie Edwards Unveils Music Video For “Lover Like You.” which is a great example of what is to come from this awesome artist!

Rudie’s signature sound is fueled by sexy attitude, sly sass, and a penchant for holding nothing back, evident in her latest single “Lover Like You,” which today she reveals the official music video for. Premiered with Refinery29, “Lover Like You” is about knowing what you want from a lover and not being afraid to express it or ask for it and sees the singer dancing with reckless abandon in the midst of a disco tinged glitter party.

“The mission is to wake people up…I want to make some bloody noise that doesn’t sound like all of the other bloody noise out there.” – Rudie Edwards

After moving to London, Rudie attend the renowned BRIT School, alma mater to Adele, Amy Winehouse and Imogen Heap. By 2012, she started splitting her time between Los Angeles and London, writing for CeeLo Green,Erik Hassle, Beatrice Eli, and more.

A&R Factory Present: Dotter

Posted on 11 July 2016

Born Johanna Maria Jansson (she adopted the name Dotter – Swedish for daughter) in the striking and artistically-friendly environment of Arvika, not far from the Swedish/Norwegian border, she started playing music “so early that I must’ve been born a musician.” Enamoured by her parents’ record collection – which featured everything from Led Zeppelin to indigenous music to Enya – Dotter experimented with home recordings and started writing piano compositions as a child.

After collaborating with producers online, she decided to head to Stockholm: not only to study music, but to also to benefit from the potential connections that can be found in a capital city. “I found a guy who wanted to record a demo with me,” she recalls. “And then we fell in love, so I’ve stayed in his studio ever since.”

That connection with producer Dino Medanhodzic also sparked a rich creative partnership as they crafted her breakthrough single ‘My Flower’, her follow-up ‘Dive’ and this summer’s new track ‘Creatures of the Sun’.

“My inspiration is always the ‘70s, but sometimes I don’t think about it so much – it just becomes something that doesn’t sound like anyone else,” she says, noting her love for using natural phenomenon as a metaphor for human emotion. “I grew up surrounded by nature and amongst mountains and I want to bring that feeling into the music. I also wanted to express the importance of protecting and caring for our planet.”

Those themes, she explains, are also prevalent in ‘Creatures of the Sun’. “It’s interesting to think about all of the coincidences that led to us being here on earth. All of my ancestors before me have led to this moment. It could’ve been totally different. Whether you’re a human or an animal or a flower, every second in life we’re important to the earth. And when we die we go back to the earth.”

Since releasing ‘My Flower’ and ‘Dive’, Dotter has focused on developing her live show, with a huge homecoming festival at Arvika’s Hamnfest a particular highlight to date. Mostly, however, she’s been working extensively on new material, both for herself and as a songwriter for other artists. ‘Creatures of the Sun’ is likely to be followed by another collaboration with Medanhodzic with ‘Evolution’ (“It’s about my own evolution as a person”).

Dotter has also been working with London-based producer Michael Angelo, whose credits include Sam Smith and Lady Leshurr. It’s a natural progression for an artist whose ambition is to reach audiences in the UK and North American, as well as at home in Sweden.

Possessing a unique approach that separates her from the pack, Dotter’s inimitable charm will be the calling card that enables her to be discovered by the wider world.