MAYA ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO BLACKOUT
After a massive 2017, neo-soul vocalist Maya is back with a stellar new single Blackout, about a moment forever lost in time, out now. Produced by the renowned Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe, Meg Mac, British India), Blackout is an exciting addition to Maya’s impressive discography. The young artist has also dropped a video to accompany the track, directed by Grace Moore.
Blackout is ominous, and intuitive – as though Maya knows something we all don’t, and she’s trying to let us know. Her flawless vocals sit atop a motivated rhythm section with urgency and skill, as her lyrics persuade the listener to pay attention. Joel Quartermain’s expert touch has propelled Blackout into a whole new dimension for Maya, and as her star begins to rise one can only wonder what’s to follow. Speaking on the creation of the track, Maya says, “Releasing this single has got to be one of the most exciting times of my career. Blackout means so much to me lyrically and I feel like the production is the next step sound that really represents my aesthetic…Most people have ‘blacked out’ before, whether it’s when they drink, if they black out a bad memory, or if they just forget certain things. This song takes you through my perspective and how I felt when it happened to me – it was inspired by so many moments of blackout in myself that I still fight everyday.”
The video is as striking as the track itself. Dramatic lighting cloaks Maya and her sisters, as Maya tries to navigate her own personal blackout. Maya was specific about her goals for the video, as she reflects, “The Blackout video shows a cross between the dark reality and positive space. It captures a representation of the dark energies that are felt in those fragile times, juxtaposed with a bright, welcoming space that leads to happiness. The video, set the morning after the night before, features the Blackout Girls chasing me out of my dark memories until finally I arrive at a space where there is no black. There I’m free from the watchful eyes of the blackout, and surrounded by positivity and light.”
With three hometown shows coming up, these intimate gigs are Maya’s element, and fans are lucky enough to be able to catch her before she jets off to New York City to continue writing with world-class musicians over there, as she enthuses, “I have been working with many writers and producers in NYC on my next project, and I’ve been writing a lot and am now just doing the final touches on some seriously felt and fresh music. I’ll be doing more writing in Australia, and working on production of the tracks I already have written in New York. Some more release this year, and an EP toward the end of the year, with a full insight into my new sound.”
Blackout is out now.
WHAT SO NOT ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM ‘NOT ALL THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS’ OUT MARCH 9 FEATURING COLLABORATIONS WITH SKRILLEX, TOTO, DANIEL JOHNS, ROME FORTUNE, SLUMBERJACK, SAN HOLO + MORE
Australia’s What So Not is pleased to announce his long awaited debut album Not All The Beautiful Things — out March 9 via Sweat It Out — featuring frequent collaborator Skrillex, legendary rock lords Toto, plus San Holo and SLUMBERJACK to name only a few. Over three years in the making, Not All the Beautiful Things is about transformation and metamorphosis, a culmination of everything the Australian-born artist has been working towards as he’s built his reputation as one of the most innovative producers in the game, garnering over 455 million combined streams in the process. More than an album, it’s a fully realised artistic statement in which What So Not is in full control of every aspect, from the stage design and visuals to the music videos and merchandise. “I didn’t want to put anything out that doesn’t cohesively match the essence of the songs,” explains the man behind it all, Chris Emerson.
What So Not enlisted some friends to help represent the many moods and voices of the project. The 12-track album will include his last single Be Ok Again featuring former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns, as well as his brand new single Stuck In Orbit which has just dropped today – featuring vocals by BUOY and co-written by Jono Ma (of Jagwar Ma). Listen to Stuck In Orbit HERE.
Of Stuck In Orbit What So Not says: “This song started as a jam with Jono Ma (Jagwar Ma) in his film scoring studio. The vocals began as a sketch of adlibs from BUOY with only two words, drawn out across the verse “I ov-er comp-en-sate”. That set the tone for the entire piece; each word delivered with much thought and consideration. I wrote the next phase of the lyrics whilst ‘stuck in transit’. I had just reached a point of feeling settled in a special place with amazing people around me when (as usual) I had to pack up my life and jump from city to city for months on end. At the beginning of the journey a British Airways’ system crash left me stranded for a night sitting alone staring at a hotel wall. The circumstances compounded and I channeled the frustration and came up with the lines for and around ‘Stuck in Orbit’. Things came full circle as on this very trip I ended up crossing paths with Jono multiple times, jamming further on ideas for the song and when I finally returned, brainstormed the final elements of the vocal with Winona Oak and BUOY.”
For his debut project, What So Not tapped longtime collaborator Skrillex, and fellow Australian breakout stars SLUMBERJACK along with Rome Fortune, San Holo, Dyro and more. Daniel Johns lends his versatile vocals to multiple tracks on the project. Johns praised What So Not saying, “Watching Emoh work is eye opening. A real professional with great vision.”
Perhaps most eyebrow-raising of all, the album features a collaboration with rock legends Toto. After years of Emoh dropping their seminal sing-a-long hit Africa in his sets, Emoh was able to go into the studio with one of his favorite bands to write their new anthem We Keep On Running.
Having established himself as one of the world’s most revered electronic acts, it’s hard to believe that What So Not hasn’t yet released an album. The man behind such massive anthems as High You Are (50 million-plus streams), Waiting (with Skrillex and RL Grime), and his remix of RUFUS du Sol’s Innerbloom (#30 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 list for 2016), has a slew of EPs under his belt, including 2016’s widely-praised Divide & Conquer. Last year What So Not released Be Ok Again, writing and performing the vocals himself for the first time. The song has garnered over 2 million collective streams and was one of the most played songs on Triple J throughout the summer.
Balancing prolific touring and studio time, 2017 saw What So Not close Coachella’s Gobi tent and headline Australia’s Listen Out festival and sold out shows across Europe, the USA and UK. His creative sphere has not been limited to music either, delving into the writing and co-directing of music videos, conceptualising his 600 square foot ‘Peacock Horse Monster-truck’ and heavy involvement in all aspects of the show programming. What So Not promises it’s just the beginning of what fans can expect from this exciting new phase of his evolution looking ahead to his 2018 touring schedule. “We’re creating this entire world that people can step into,” he says.
Not All The Beautiful Things will be released through Sweat It Out on March 9.
What So Not – Not All The Beautiful Things
1. What So Not & SLUMBERJACK – Warlord
2. What So Not – Be Ok Again (feat. Daniel Johns)
3. What So Not – Beautiful (feat. Winona Oak)
4. What So Not – Stuck In Orbit (feat. BUOY)
5. What So Not & James Earl – Demons (feat. Rome Fortune & Tommy Swisher)
6. What So Not & Skrillex – Goh (feat. KLP)
7. What So Not & Toto – We Keep On Running
8. What So Not & San Holo – If You Only Knew (feat. Daniel Johns)
9. What So Not – Monsters (feat. Michael Christmas & tobi lou)
10. What So Not & Dyro – Bottom End
11. What So Not – Same Mistakes (feat. Daniel Johns)
12. What So Not – Us (feat. Daniels)
SUMNER ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE PICTURES + EP ALL THAT I AM
There’s something very special about the enigmatic electronic duo Sumner, consisting of Jack McLaine and Chloe Wilson. The underground newcomers have already played alongside Vera Blue, The Smith Street Band, Montaigne, graced the Falls Festival stage and are a part of the upcoming Party In The Paddock…but in 2018, it’s about to get a whole lot bigger with the release of their exciting new single, Pictures, on February 9. This dark RnB track examines solitude, and is the first taste of Sumner’s upcoming debut EP, All That I Am (out Feb 16), a release that explores illness, diagnosis, personal struggle and catharsis, all within Sumner’s own very cool little world.
Pictures plays with a wide variety of elegant influences; the duo embrace the production style of Lorde’s first LP, while adding their own distorted pop/RnB stylings reminiscent of Frank Ocean and heavy bass that feels like something off an Arctic Monkeys record. It’s a potent combination that particularly shines on this single, as the duo have skillfully pieced together some seriously eclectic moments to create this one intelligent, mature, hooky song. Reflecting on the inspiration behind the track, Jack and Chloe agree it’s definitely about feeling very alone, “The song was inspired by the feeling of being alone in a packed club full of people. Feeling distant and out of touch with the people around you laughing, dancing and having a generally happy time.”
The EP All That I Am is further proof that Sumner are one to watch. This collection of songs is perfectly unique and completely self-assured, and not only is that very rare for such a young project – it’s precisely what makes them special. All That I Am is effortlessly cool and refreshing, with open vulnerability within the lyrics that overflow atop consistant beds of glowing, pulsating, dexterous production. Jack and Chloe share a little more about the process and the team behind it all, “The EP was entirely self-produced and recorded. We worked with some mates for particular parts such as Shanice Osita Chuku on additional vocals in 45 Roses and Pictures, and Billy Bennett (Save The Clock Tower) on additional guitar for Lover. We also worked with Ross Irwin (The Cat Empire, The Bamboos) for the horn parts on 45 Roses. The EP was mixed by Kevin ‘KD’ Davis (Rihanna, TLC, Destiny’s Child, Tupac) and mastered by Grammy Award winner William Bowden (Gotye, Hermitude).”
Music is the constant thread shared between Jack and Chloe, as they reflect on the theme of the EP and what it was that brought them together, “We used music as a catharsis, with the EP following a story from illness to a cleaner, healthier mind with a change of perspective through the process… We met living in the small town of Launceston and finding each other’s music through mutual friends. We decided to link up to play a one off gig as ‘Sumner’ and we haven’t stopped making music since.”
Pictures will be out on February 9 and All That I Am is set for release on February 16.