In a year full of turbulence and separation music always has the ability to bring people together and entertain. Check out the single round up of 2021 from these new artists.
AJ Wander
Following the success of his debut single, ‘Time Out’ (just under 4 million streams), London-based pop singer-songwriter AJ Wander releases a brand new single, ‘Take It All’, on 22nd October via Elevation. The track was produced by co-writer Gethin Williams alongside Brad Mair ((Dean Lewis, Jamie Cullum, Kygo). The video to accompany the song is a beautiful emotive performance from the artist.
“‘Take It All’ is me learning to let go, reminding myself not to get distracted by glimpses of light amongst the darkness. It’s a moment of remembering my self-worth and gaining perspective on a toxic situation. I wrote the song with my mate Gethin Williams last winter, in his caravan in rural Wales.”
– AJ Wander October 2021
Since November last year strong Spotify editorial play listings have allowed music fans worldwide to discover this talented young musician. He recently released the ‘Time Out’ EP that featured three different versions of the track, including a stripped and piano version.
Prior to the ongoing pandemic, AJ had been running himself ragged playing covers at piano bars and hotels across the UK. Once lockdown hit, he turned all his energy and focus into creating his own music and pushing forward his solo career. Wander’s drive paid off as his new music led him to sign a management and recording deal with Elevation, a USA-based music company that specializes in artist development, and a publishing deal with BDi Music, administered globally by Bucks Music Group. With more music to come, Wander is poised as one of the British artists to watch in 2021.
“Time Out is just the first slice of what to expect, setting the bar high for everything that’s still to come. somebody destined to help fill that void for people in what is, for many, the strangest year of our lives…”
– Female First
While his songs tackle relational pain lyrically, they are uplifting and not despairing. They carry a more cinematic, inspiring quality that stays with the listener in the truest sense of pop traditions. Wander’s emotionally engaging tenor and melodic piano riffs provide a warmth and depth rarely seen from a young songwriter.
Performance video of 4 songs from the Unlocked Virtual Festival
Stay up to date with AJ Wander on his website and socials and listen to his full discography on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Marsh Family
The Marsh Family unleashed their debut single in time for Christmas on 26th November – a double A-side release. The first is a self-penned track ‘Bring Us A Candle’ and the second a cover of ‘Mack The Knife’, a hit by Bobby Darin, is in conjunction with the Prostate Cancer UK charity as an official single to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men.
The group consist of parents Ben (a history lecturer) and Danielle Marsh (a university administrator) and their children Alfie (15), Thomas (13), Ella (12) and Tess (9). Also appearing on some tracks and videos with the occasional howl is Monty their dog and their new puppy Boo may appear in the future! They have been likened to The Von Trapps and The Partridge Family.
The Kent based family shot to fame after they uploaded their parody of ‘One Day More’, performed in their front room, to Facebook in March 2020. The track satirized life during lockdown and was recorded on a basic device, the video went viral reaching over 7 million views in three days. The family now have nearly 100,000 YouTube subscribers since channel started last April and over 13 million views of their videos.
They garnered international news coverage and appearances followed on This Morning, BBC Breakfast and US chat show Jimmy Kimmel. The family performed another of their viral hits, ‘Totally Fixed Where We Are’, on last year’s BBC show for Comic Relief and gave the money they made from performances to Save the Children and the World Health Organization‘s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
The family has parodied numerous songs – from musicals to chart hits – to describe their experiences. All the adaptations have clever lyrics and occasional choreography. With input from his family, Ben writes most of the group’s parodies and original tracks.
Check out their website and Youtube for more and listen to their Christmas singles on Spotify and Apple Music.
.wavrunner
US pop hip hop trio .wavrunner release their fifth single ‘Professional’ via Elevation Recording Group on 27th October. The track was produced by JJ from the group and mixed by Joe Grasso (Old Town Road Remix, John Legend, 24KGoldn).
“This song was originally going to be called ‘The Most Beautiful Ass’ because it’s a summery, tropical song that makes us feel like we’re surrounded by a bunch of peaches in bikinis. Anyways, we realized we never say those words in the song and most big pop songs say the title somewhere in the lyrics, so we went with “Professional.” It sounds good and it feels good. The new title and vivid lyrics made for an obvious script for the music video, which we’re excited to share with the world very soon. We’ve already performed this song at big festivals and teased it plenty on socials, so our fans have a decent idea of what’s coming, but the video is going to blow their minds……and wads.’
– .wavrunner
.wavrunner are Jack Wesley, younger brother JJ and Griff. Jack and Griff met as second graders in Cleveland, USA after realizing they were kindred, mischievous spirits. They first bonded over their shared passion for choice four letter words…. A decade later, Jack and Griff are just as fun-loving and cheeky in their roles as co-lyricists for .wavrunner with Jack handling lead vocals, Griff as co-vocalist and JJ who creates the beats and arrangements. The boys age from 18 to 20 years old, and are chaotic, fun, and unapologetically ambitious.
Brash and confident – at times a glorious cringe fest – .wavrunner are young guys who just want to hangout, party, perform and revel in all the spoils that come with it. Instead of an obsession with darkness, depression and violence, this exciting new pop trio plan to make music fun again. They are young, chaotic, fun, and unhinged. Here to tell you to fight for your right to party.
Listen to ‘Professional’ on Apple Music and Spotify
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