Charlotte Cardin
French-Canadian singer/songwriter Charlotte Cardin is a new pop discovery for me, but thanks to the heavy BANKS-like vibes on her new single, “Like Love Doesn’t Hurt” it didn’t take long for me to fall for her. There’s something hypnotic about Cardin’s voice—something that pulls you in and takes over your body. Maybe it’s a combination of her rich, textured vocals layered over hazy electronic production that does it—whatever it is, by the time that electronic wobble & distorted vocal effect hits about a minute in, I’m in complete vibe-out mode . I’ve been hardcore swooning over this song since my first listen. While initially, I wasn’t feeling the rap interlude from Montreal-based MC, Husser, by the second, third and fourth go it felt right. I think my initial hesitation came from my still being hooked by Cardin’s trance-inducing voice, but I think this added hip-hop element works with the song. I enjoy hearing Cardin ad libbing in the background, over Husser’s biting rap, and vice versa when the vocals come back in. I don’t know a lot about Charlotte Cardin, but I’m invested now. Check out the song that served as her OFFICIAL break last summer, a jazzy little pop number called “Big Boy,” which showcases Cardin’s serious vocal chops, pairing them together with edgy, contemporary electronic beats. “Like Love Doesn’t Hurt” is available now (iTunes / Spotify).
Draper
Draper was flying under the radar for me until I was smacked in the face and utterly smitten by a song called “Home.” While I’ve heard of Draper—both from his songwriting/production credits (Cheryl Cole, Låpsley, Rita Ora, All Saints, Iggy Azalea)—not to mention his rather substantial remixography, twisting up original tracks by Bring Me The Horizon, Twin Atlantic, Ellie Goulding, A.M.E. and others. His work as an IN-FRONT-OF-THE-SCENES (but still kinda behind-the-scenes) artist wasn’t brought to my attention until last year’s VERY good “All I See” (featuring Laura Brehm) came out. Well, I’m making up for lost time NOW and loving EVERYTHING he’s putting out—starting with the über chill, smooth AF electronic-pop—R&B-hybrid “Home” featuring the tremendous vocal stylings of an unknown (that needs-to-be-known-immediately) Abi Ocia. This synthful stunner hooks you in from the get-go, with Ocia’s perfect vocals coming in almost right away, Draper‘s complementary production accentuating, the vocals instead covering them up. Even when the synths swell, relegating Ocia to the background, she still shines. Stunning. Check out the recently released video for “Home” and catch Draper‘s debut headlining show in London, May 6th at Birthday‘s. Also be sure & check out Draper‘s latest collaboration with Scottish synthpop outfit, Prides (he previously remixed their 2014 song, “Seeds You Sow“)—”Break Over You,” which premiered over on Idolator. Check out “Home” on iTunes and Spotify.
Terror Jr
World—get ready for Terror Jr—the new self-professed “dream pop supergroup” consisting of mega-super-producer Felix Snow, writer of sick-ass-songs David AKA Campa and a mysterious vocalist going by the name “Lisa.” HMMMMM…?. A new song called “3 Strikes” was unveiled in an EPIC 3:11-long music video promoting Kylie Jenner‘s ever-expanding cosmetics & lip care line. The song featured in the video (which SOME thought was Kylie herself) is a slick, future-pop cut boasting Snow’s trademark production stylings—chock-full of glitches, bass wobbles, synth-flares and heavy vocal F/X all coming together to create a sort of post-apocalyptic house party soundscape. DOPE. While little is known about the band, it looks like they’re slowly building up their brand—creating a Facebook page as well as individual Twitter handles for members David (@david__terror) and Lisa (@lisa_terror) and an Instagram account for the band. All the articles written about Terror Jr thus far have mentioned a (now elusive) link in the band’s Facebook page to Effess Records—AKA Felix Snow‘s independent label (AKA the forces behind KIIARA); a connection which is still being eluded to, but only vaguely now. What’s also interesting to me is Kylie Jenner‘s mysterious connection to Effess. Not only does “3 Strikes” appear in this latest video, but another Effess artist—Kiiara—had a song (“Say Anymore“) appear in a video promoting Jenner’s collab with Calvin Klein. I’m curious to see if Kylie is just a fan of Felix Snow‘s work, or if this is all just one giant coincidence. In the mean time, check out “3 Strikes” below and stay tuned for new tunes from Terror Jr, because from the looks of it, something wicked this way comes.
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Tiggi Hawke
Allow me to introduce you to a promising new popstar-in-waiting—a young singer/songwriter going by the name Tiggi Hawke. Her sound has been described as “colorful,” “brash,” and “bold” so OBVIOUSLY I’m excited to hear it. While Tiggi’s forthcoming EP (as-yet-untitled) will serve as the “OFFICIAL” introduction to the world, we have been blessed in the interim with a BANGIN’ HOT remix by “IT” Swedish producer Tobtok of a song called “In The Wild” (which will appear on the EP). Not sure who Tobtok is? Well, he’s the dude behind the MASSIVE european smash-dance cover of Tracy Chapman‘s “Fast Car“. While the Tobtok remix of “In The Wild” is more a showcase of his skills as a producer/remixer, we ARE treated to a taste of Tiggi Hawke the singer/songwriter. I like a remix which allows the original vocals to shine through and not be overshadowed by excessive production and bass-bumpin’ beats. While Tobtok‘s floorfiller of a remix does have a colossal bassline and massive production value, my favorite bits are the ones that hone in on Hawke’s sweet, earnestly delivered vocals. From the looks of it, Tiggi Hawke is just getting started. Currently living and breathing music as part of the creative community & hotbed of musical talent settling into North London’s Tileyard area (THINK Mark Ronson, Chase & Status, Basement Jaxx, JONES, Ella Eyre, etc.)—Tiggi Hawke could be the next big thing in British pop. Fingers crossed because I like where there this girl is going.
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