NEW MUSIC: FT. ISELENA , LUCHI BLUE, KDYN & Jewelia
New tracks from the most musically productive county in the country right now, writes Rob Hakimian
We have added all tracks to the ‘cene #KeepitKent Spotify Playlist HERE
ilselena - Brighter Day
Instagram: @ilselena
With burgeoning careers as both a songwriter and a model, you’d think Sundridge’s ilselena would be over the moon, but everyone has bad days - and that’s where we find her on her latest single.
An intimate acoustic-based song, Brighter Day begins with her waking up under a cloud, just trying to maintain sanity as she reminds herself to “remember those brighter days.” Through sheer positivity and perseverance – and tapping into her youthful indiscretion – she turns it around, and Brighter Day transforms into a song of sheer uplifting joy.
With multi-tracked harmonies, lilting piano chords and the energetic patter of the drums, Brighter Days becomes an anthem of overcoming; a pure ray of sunshine through the clouds as she and her friends remind us “it’s only one life that we’ve got… don’t throw it all away.”
Luchi Blue - Made Up My Mind
Instagram: @luchi.blue
Italian-Austrian rapper, DJ and model Luchi Blue has always felt out of place, since his days growing up in South East London and going to school in Kent. He’s had to learn to remain headstrong through struggles, and that’s an ability he called into practice again over the last year of isolation – an experience he pours into his latest cut, Made Up My Mind.
Released to mark the start of Men’s Mental Health Week, Made Up My Mind finds Luchi Blue speaking openly about his struggles - “some days I feel like I’m losing my mind and I don’t feel the same,” he admits. He comes to the healthy conclusion “talking about problems might help ease some of the strain,” because, he reveals “I’ve been here before and I ain’t going back there again.” Interspersing his verses with statistics about male suicides, Luchi Blue shows just how passionate and serious he is about this topic, which he comes out forthrightly in the second verse, offering: “really wanna know that you’re feeling OK.”
Even more impressive, on top of all this valuable messaging, Made Up My Mind is an absolute vibe; waved-out beats that invite you to sink into them and contemplate your own mental health – and that of the important people in your life.
KDYN - Solid Ground
Instagram: @djkdyn
We highlighted KDYN’s The Edge EP back in January, but the teenage DJ and producer hasn’t slowed down since then, with a handful of new singles released in the interim.
The latest is Solid Ground, a track that displays his natural ability with flow and force. First he lifts us up with free-floating synths and a dreamy female vocal, but soon brings us crashing back down to the Solid Ground with a drop crunchier than a head-on collision with a truck load of Monster Munch.
From there, he has our necks whipping up and down, side to side in unison, like they’re made of Play-Doh that he’s just mangling and morphing to his own whims. With outdoor parties back on the menu in the coming months, this is exactly the kind of banger that should be in every DJ’s arsenal this summer.
Jewelia - Was It You Or Was It Me
Instagram: @missjewelia
Originally hailing from Bucharest, Jewelia now calls Sevenoaks home, and has found it a furtive place for her music career, releasing a series of inspired singles over the past year or so.
The latest revolves around the classic breakup question, Was It You Or Was It Me, and she utilises a subtle combination of piano and pastel synths to back up her doubts and questions about what went wrong - “how can you cut somebody off like they meant nothing at all?” she puts it poignantly in the bridge. But, a transformation happens as we enter the chorus, which finds her reckoning with her value, and bright additions of silvery tones reflect back her own vivacity, leading her to the zen conclusion “guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
With such tenderness and talent, there’s no doubt Jewella will find the right one soon enough.