Russian born, Los Angeles based pop soul artist Cooper Phillip succeeds in capturing the undivided attention of listeners across the globe. With her intense drive, soaring vocals and passionate songwriting, Phillip is elevating herself to the top of her genre with her highly anticipated upcoming release, ‘Speak In Tongues’.
Born in a small town in Russia to a family of accomplished classical musicians, her early years were shaped being raised by her grandmother and aunt while her mother, a master violin player, toured around the world with various symphonies. This separation led Phillip to take comfort in music where she was enamoured by the vocal stylings of Ella Fitzgerald. A young Phillip taught herself Fitzgerald’s songs inside and out, noticing every nuance of phrasing and jazz intonations. Phillip eventually enrolled at the prestigious Moscow State Classical Academy where she studied classical piano, music theory, harp, jazz, blues, ballet and voice. The songstress worked diligently to expand her vocal range and control, taking everything that came in her path and feeding off of the challenge.
Recognizing her daughter’s talent and charisma, Phillip’s mother gave up her flourishing career to accompany a young Cooper on tour throughout Russia. Determined to pursue an international career in music, Phillip moved to New York City at the age of 17. With barely a dollar to her name, the singer worked and hustled, performing in weddings and clubs and sleeping in the storeroom of a restaurant where she sang. It wasn’t easy but she would not be deterred. After a few years in the city, Phillip jumped at an opportunity to sing at a important gig in Los Angeles. She never went back.
New single ‘Low Key’ is an infectious pop anthem highlighting pounding electronic beats, soaring soulful vocals and vibrant synth soundscapes. The song narrates hiding in a relationship, accepting that you’re just a side act, until everything eventually escalates and you realise that your worth is so much more valuable, ultimately making the final decision to cut all ties. The visuals for ‘Low Key’ feature Netflix star Michael Mitchell and showcase the story of a girl feeling unimportant in the relationship. The stunning dance routine is choreographed by Mariah Carey’s dancer, G Madison.
Phillip’s music features an underlying theme of strength, grace and empowerment. “I believe we underestimate ourselves often and our fear takes over. My goal is to show people that they are stronger and can do much more then they think they can”, she admits. Using true life stories, hardships and experiences, the songwriter emits authenticity and courage throughout her music.
Cooper Phillip has seen success with her previous single garnering over 10 million listens online. She has also developed an impressive and loyal fanbase, particularly on social media and has performed at some of Los Angeles most prestigious venues.
“We’re in an era where everyone can voice their opinion and things can become polarized very quickly as we get caught up in conflict. “Paper Cuts” speaks to meeting somewhere in the middle with compassion and cooperation in order to move forward as humanity. The mood of the song is upbeat and feels like summer with an afrobeat vibe, but the lyrical narrative is deep and analytical of our current socio-political system and culture of greed. The increasing unbalance within the Earth’s ecosystem is being directly affected by our overindulgent abundances and also by people being forced to live in scarcity. I wrote, produced and performed the song at my home studio here in Salmo, BC and it’s very close to my heart. I want my music and lyrics to move people — physically, mentally and emotionally toward a more sustainable future. Water is life! and this song was inspired by the global movement of protecting fresh drinking water supplies. I live in a small town of British Columbia, Canada, we are blessed with some of the cleanest water and freshest air in the world. That is all now at risk, as forest fires are blazing the west coast due corporate clear cut logging, Increased industrial activity and rising global temperatures. Small communities of determined people are battling it out against large corporations and government policy: which I see first hand played out during my time supporting the Ymir Community Watershed Society this past year. We are trying to stop clearcut logging in our watershed forest and spearhead a conversation with the provincial government on the issue of forestry reform”. —FRASE
MOB BOUNCE is The Northwest Kid (Gitxsan) and Travis Hebert aka Heebz the Earthchild (Cree/Metis). They grew up in Northern BC and bonded over their love of hip hop. Mob Bounce was officially born with the release of their Mixed Blood Mixtape and since then, they’ve collected three nominations at the Indigenous Music Awards and shared the stage with Buffy Sainte-Marie, A Tribe Called Red, Jeremy Dutcher, Lido Pimienta, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and July Talk. Rooted in their cultures, ceremonies, and connections to place, MOB BOUNCE brings lyricism and power to hip-hop culture from a contemporary Indigenous perspective.
Folk-fusion artist BONOMO is excited to drop his upcoming single “Goes On”. The dreamy indie-folk record was written and produced by Adam Bonomo and engineered by Alexi Bertholet. Lyrically, “Goes On” depicts a positive message – small moments of kindness have great power and everlasting effects.
Reflecting on the upcoming single release, BONOMO frontman, Adam Bonomo says, “I’m excited to finally put a recorded version out. This song is always a favorite at our live shows”. Currently, BONOMO is excited to share the new single “Goes On” which is available on all digital streaming platforms. Be sure to follow BONOMO on social media to stay up-to-date about all music releases.
Baltimore-based rock and roll artist, Josh Christina, is an old soul proudly raised by Jim and Patti Christina with a strong belief in God, country and work ethic. They’ve turned out a polite, well mannered, humble and even a bit shy son (when not on stage) that loves old cars, his family, his friends, his fans and definitely music!
He inherited his musical chops from his biological father (a drummer), his mother (Baltimore-area singer Patti Christina), and his grandmother, who was a big band singer in the ’40’s and ’50’s.
Josh spent the past 16 years honing his sound – a combination of the country, classic rock, gospel and blues he was raised on. And while most artists find the pressures of today’s music scene to look and sound a certain way daunting, Christina continues to find success in both Baltimore, Nashville, Memphis and beyond by doing what he does best – being himself.
“I don’t know about you, but I fall in love with strangers every day. I’m on the streetcar. I make eye contact with someone. I fall in love. Somehow I feel like they understand me, and I understand them. I try formulating ideas and ways that I could possibly interact with them. Of course, all of them are ridiculous. When I finally gather the courage to say something, it’s their stop and they get off. This song is about being the girl who wanted to, but who never actually did anything about it.
Listen to “Mr. Tomorrow” on Apple Music or SoundCloud or Spotify now.
I co-produced this track with my music partner, Jonathan Karkar. We are both story-tellers through music and are heavily influenced by theatre, so our songs tend to take you on an emotional journey through dynamic peaks and valleys to represent the human experience. I’m releasing an EP later this year with songs that I wrote between the ages of 12-16. I revamped them all to from the perspective of my adult self. This EP represents my youth and love through the eyes of a kid. I had never experienced love when I first wrote these songs, but used my imagination to create stories and perpetuated lyrics/music.
These songs represent nostalgia for the present”.— Kyra Mastro
“Baby was meant to be a love letter to someone, but ended up being one to me. My new record was mastered by Trevor Case of Case Mastering (Kelly Clarkson, Missy Elliot). Baby features contributions from Brockhampton affiliates singer-songwriter Jack Larsen and producer Connor Barkhouse, as well as Samurai Champs’ Merv xx Gotti and Jeah. Stream “Thank Ya” – the first single I’m sharing with you off of Baby – wherever you get your music“.—-Alex Bent + the Emptiness
Toronto based independent alternative band Eden Warsaw is kicking off the summer with their long awaited 13-track LP ‘Calm the Coast’ starting with the vibey new single ‘Ecstasy’. ‘Ecstasy’ which sonically distorts conventional electronic with a Coachella-esque, free spirited vibe, and a visual story of wanderlust as the first part of two one-shot music videos. The accompanying single and video for ‘The Sunrise’ is a musical and visual story illustrating the morning after ‘Ecstasy’ and intentionally leaving much to individual interpretation, which is a common theme throughout the album.
Their debut EP released September 2018, saw singles featured on Alternative Press, Pure Grain Audio, CBC Music and also featured the award- winning single ‘Somebody Tell Me’ (Winner – Best Rock @ Toronto Independent Music Awards). Last summer Eden Warsaw completed their first Coast to Coast Canadian tour and performed for thousands at the 15th Anniversary Block Party for Toronto’s Yonge & Dundas Square. Release dates for Ecstasy and The Sunrise/Calm the Coast LP are slated for June 14th and July 19th respectively, well timed for upcoming festivals they’ll be featured in at popular summer hot spots Wasaga Beach, Blue Mountain and more.
https://soundcloud.com/edenwarsaw/10-ecstasy/s-G9V4n
neillfrazer@hotmail.com
