INsiders Guide: Daði Freyr, Winona Fighter, Jason Mraz, Lecx Stacy, Jorge Wilson…

May 27, 2026

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Daði Freyr has always aimed for his music to be fun, thoughtful, and a little unexpected. His
distinctive blend of playful synth-pop, witty lyricism, and infectious melodies has earned
him a global following and a reputation as one of the most unique voices in modern pop.
But at the heart of it all is something simpler: an artist who speaks his truth, makes
whatever feels right in the moment, and lets the song be what it wants to be.

Many first discovered Daði in 2020 with his breakout single “Think About Things”, a song
inspired by the birth of his daughter. With its heartfelt message and irresistible groove, the track went viral, amassing over 100 million streams and drawing praise from the likes of
P!nk, Russell Crowe, and James Corden. Although Eurovision 2020 was cancelled, the song’s
meteoric rise catapulted Daði from Icelandic favourite to international artist almost
overnight.

His new album Too Much Not Enough, is his most personal work yet. Written in
songwriting sessions with close friends and collaborators he had never met before, and
finished after his move back to Iceland, it is built around a deceptively simple idea: if
everything is always too much or not enough you will never find peace. It is an album about
being present about not spending your life waiting for the next thing, or pining for the last.
As he puts it, “I’m juggling family life with music life and it can be a lot, but I love it and I
wouldn’t change it for anything… I’m working on being more present.” “Too much not
enough sits somewhere in the middle, where it’s just right.”

Fresh off a massive 2025 that included the release of their debut album, rising punk group Winona Fighter is back with their first new music of 2026. The band – known for their aggressive and outspoken style – is unafraid of confrontation in their explosive new single “BOMBS AWAY”, out now via Rise Records. Stream the song, here: https://WinonaFighter.lnk.to/BombsAway and watch the lyric video here: https://youtu.be/-HBZuQ6LkYw?si=AxnUXheydIRBykze.

On the new track, front woman Coco Kinnon shares: “Everybody needs a song right now.”

“BOMBS AWAY” serves as a follow up to Winona Fighter’s critically acclaimed debut album MY APOLOGIES TO THE CHEF. The band expanded on the record with a deluxe edition last fall, which featured acoustic versions of every song from the original record as well as covers of Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” and Violent Femmes’ “Blister In The Sun”, and new song “(Don’t Get) CLOSE”. Stream/purchase My Apologies To The Chef Deluxe at: https://winonafighter.lnk.to/MATTCD.

Winona Fighter will be performing at Welcome To Rockville later today, and fans can catch them on tour this summer with the idobi Radio Summer School Tour. The month-long tour, which features Honey Revenge, South Arcade, Games We Play and Chase Petra, kicks off on June 19th. Winona Fighter will also return to Vans Warped Tour this year at the Long Beach and Mexico City dates. For a full list of upcoming shows, please see below or visit: https://winonafighter.com/.

multi-GRAMMY® Award winning artist Jason Mraz released Grandma’s Gospel Favorites, an album he first recorded as a Christmas gift for his grandmother, “Nanny Razz,” in 2007.

“My grandmother asked me to make her a gospel album, so I did,” said Mraz.

An intimate and personal album originally created for an audience of one, Grandma’s Gospel Favorites honors some of Mraz’s earliest musical memories, including the 1905 hymn “His Eye Is On The Sparrow,” “Old Rugged Cross,” and Johnny Cash’s “Daddy Sang Bass” featuring longtime collaborator Noel “Toca” Rivera singing background vocals. “Daddy Sang Bass” – the first video from a new batch of Live from The Mranch performances, directed by Jeff Coffman – will launch this weekend on Mraz’s YouTube channel.

The album’s artwork features a watercolor portrait by Linda Cheung, originally painted on the envelope of a fan letter sent to Mraz by one of Cheung’s friends. When he opened the letter several years later, he was in the midst of planning the public release of Grandma’s Gospel Favorites and immediately saw the portrait as the perfect visual for this intimate and personal collection of songs.

On Monday, Mraz will perform his classic “I Won’t Give Up” on the finale of “American Idol” with contestant Keyla Richardson, who dedicated the song to her son earlier in the season. The next morning, Mraz will kick off the East Coast leg of his Still Yours Tour in Palm Beach, FL at Glazer Hall. The tour runs for one month, concluding with two nights at the Brooklyn Paramount on June 9 and 10. The solo acoustic shows, which will feature a retrospective setlist of songs from throughout Mraz’s career, follow a sold out UK & EU run of the tour.

Lecx Stacy is a psychological, philosophical, and romantic artist whose work blurs memory, identity, and sound into something deeply personal. A first-generation Filipino American originally from San Diego and now based in Los Angeles, Stacy grew up immersed in music through karaoke-filled weekends, piano lessons, and early beat-making sessions taught by his older brother. After his brother’s passing, the equipment he left behind became a lifeline. By his early teens, Stacy was selling beats online, and by 18 he had begun shaping a singular voice, using production as a way to process grief, longing, and belief.

Across his releases, his music remains grounded in vulnerability and belief, tracing the fragile space where love, faith, and desire intersect, and proving that Lecx Stacy’s evolution is driven by instinct rather than expectation.His new album The Folkhouse expands that vision into a wider, more immersive world. Exploring grief, heartbreak, and eventual acceptance, the record draws a parallel between Stacy’s own life and that of his father, whose stories of foggy, smoke-filled bar rooms and the culture around them begin to echo into Stacy’s present-day reality. “The album as a whole explores grief, heartbreak, and eventual acceptance, all framed through a parallel between my life and my father’s. The Folkhouse lives in the blur between distorted memory and lived experience, stories my father told me about foggy, smoke-filled bar rooms and the culture around them began to echo into my own life years later.

Jorge Wilson is an indie pop artist from Stoke-on-Trent, UK, who writes with a disarming honesty that reflects the straightforward character of his roots. With a sound he describes as “modern vintage”, Wilson blends nostalgic textures with forward-thinking production, delivering a sound which fuses the charm of the past with the edge of today. Drawing inspiration from artists like Mac DeMarco, Steve Lacy, and The 1975, his music is an honest reflection of who he is and who he’s becoming.After years of playing in a band where he felt unable to fully express himself, Wilson took a leap of faith and launched his solo project in late 2023. Writing, performing, and producing much of his own material, he’s found freedom in self-reliance, guided by a personal mantra: “Listen to nobody.” That independence now feeds directly into his debut EP JPW, a five-track release that he sees as both an introduction and a foundation. “JPW in full is like the blueprint to my sound,” he explains. “Each song shows different elements of my sound in their own way yet they still all sonically link.”

Toronto trio Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances drop “Bleeding Out,” a bouncy and unrelenting garage punk single that fuses high-voltage energy with a darker emotional undercurrent. Driven by punchy riffs, stripped-back production, and a restless, kinetic feel, the track captures the disorienting experience of pushing through pain while refusing to slow down. It’s a sharp and immediate introduction to a new chapter for the band, offering the first glimpse into an upcoming full-length project.

“The day I wrote this song, I was really questioning whether it was worth it,” explains frontman Faiyaz Shah. “I deal with terrible migraines, and I just wanted to write something that made it feel like they wouldn’t mean shit to me.” What began as a moment of doubt quickly evolved into something more defiant, a cathartic release shaped by frustration, endurance, and self-trust.

Vietnamese-American musician Dolly Ave released “Bad Brain“. Blending the 90’s, indie-rock, alt-pop soundscape, the song details her “Frustration with not being exactly where I want to be in life. I am suffering from the weight of everyone’s expectations while navigating what I truly want. In the end I understand part of it is my own self-deprecating behavior. I accept my flaws and choose to continue on with uncertainty.”

The Colombian artist Feid has released the official music video for “Que vuelta vox,” a visually striking and symbolic piece that explores the duality between his past and present identity as an artist. The video showcases the coexistence of two eras and identities: Ferxxo and Feid. Through La Vaquita, a symbolic representation of a portion of Feid’s fanbase, the story reflects the nostalgia and emotional connection tied to the Ferxxo era and the desire to hold onto that chapter of his career.

As the narrative unfolds, Feid embraces his evolution into a new era while still carrying the essence of Ferxxo with him. The visual captures the connection fans have maintained with him throughout every stage of his journey, highlighting that while Feid continues to evolve artistically and personally, Ferxxo remains an inseparable part of both his identity and his relationship with fans. Rather than presenting the two as opposing forces, the video uses metaphor to portray growth, transformation, and nostalgia, showing how both eras coexist within the same story.

This element brings together his iconic emojis and recognizable visual codes, as well as details inspired by his aesthetic and creative narrative, further expanding the identity he has built throughout his projects.

“Que Vuelta Vox” not only accompanies the song but also expands its meaning, becoming a key element in Feid’s storytelling and reaffirming his ability to reinvent himself without losing the essence that brought him to where he is today. Feid is nearing the end of his tour, with final stops in cities such as San Francisco, Houston, and Dallas. The tour follows the release of his latest EP, “EL GREEN PRINT: La Saga (Disc 1) — FEID VS FERXXO,” and a celebratory hometown concert in Medellín, marking a new era in his career.

Grammy-nominated, West Coast singer-songwriter, producer, and visionary BLXST announces his new album Labor of Love to release on June 12, via EMPIRE and International BLXST.

Fully self-produced, Labor of Love centers on the discipline, sacrifice, and intention it takes to build something you truly love—reflecting the labor he pours into both his music and his family, balancing his roles as an artist and a father. The project reflects his most personal and authentic work to date, shaped by themes of relationships, personal growth, fatherhood, and the everyday realities of showing up, from early mornings and long nights to the quiet moments of self-reflection.

A 24-second accompanying trailer is also released, reflecting the project through different people’s walks of life and their versions of love as labor. From scenes of BLXST running and people working out at the park, to a hairstylist washing a client’s hair, and a chef cooking, BLXST shares a note on love and perseverance: “Love is more than a feeling, it’s actual labor. It’s showing up, showing up wrong, showing up tired, but for who and whatever you got love for, just make sure you show up committed. You don’t have to be perfect, just don’t quit.”

“This album represents where I am right now in this phase of my life, no characters, no fiction. Everything is authentically me,” shares BLXST. “The vulnerability, the storyline, the intention, this is all me.”

The announcement builds on the momentum of his latest single “Day After Day” feat. Big Sad 1900, also featured on the album. Labor of Love follows BLXST’s 2024 album and short film I’ll Always Come Find You, a 20-track concept project divided into four acts and executive produced in part by Sounwave. While that release leaned into character-driven storytelling and expansive narratives, Labor of Love shifts inward, prioritizing real-life experiences through a more direct and unfiltered lens.

Alongside the album announcement, BLXST will host a special community pop-up on Sunday, May 10 from 12 to 2 PM at Harun Coffee in Leimert Park, offering free coffee to mothers as a labor of love.

Donna Lewis has always been a beacon of individuality, crafting her own path with grace and conviction for over 25 years. Her iconic love ballad I Love You, Always Forever continues to resonate across generations—an enduring anthem that topped both US and UK charts and still holds its place as one of the most beloved songs in history. Recently, UK sensation ROMY of The xx reignited that magic by sampling Donna’s classic hit, alongside Fred Again, bringing I Love You, Always Forever back into the global spotlight.

But Donna’s story today is more powerful than ever. Having emerged from a battle with breast cancer, her strength and resilience radiate through every note. Just named an “Ageless Beauty” by The Sun andprofiled by the likes of People Magazine, her albumRooms With a View continues to inspire. Rooms With a View, produced in collaboration with Holmes Ives, offers listeners an intimate and raw portrayal of the courage it takes to overcome life’s greatest challenges.

Donna Lewis is now collaborating with iconic composer-producer David Lowe (“Touch and Go”, BBC themes) on Wanderlust, an indie-electronica meets dream pop album released via Aztec Records. She shares, “Each song on Wanderlust holds a memory shaped by a moment held together by a long time friendship between Dave and I. These songs are traces of where we met, creatively and emotionally. Nothing was forced, each song found its own way. It’s a conversation between us that never really ends, just echoes in different forms. This record is the map of a journey we found ourselves inside of.”

For millions who have faced similar health battles, Donna’s story isn’t just a narrative—it’s a beacon of hope, a reminder that strength can be found even in our most vulnerable moments. At a time when the world needs stories of resilience and beauty more than ever, Donna Lewis shines brighter than ever before.

Emerging indie pop singer-songwriter, Aly Navarro, has released her latest single, “Embarrassing,” off her upcoming EP, Do Not Resuscitate, slated to be released later this summer. This stripped-back, emotional ballad captures the internal spiral of self-doubt after falling for a person and feeling unsure whether the connection is mutual. “Embarrassing” is now available to stream and download worldwide on all major music platforms.

“Embarrassing” is an acoustic indie-folk ballad driven by a delicate guitar, paired with Navarro’s stripped-down, honest vocals, allowing her to take center stage and express her vulnerability. Through its minimal production, Navarro’s emotional heaviness is anchored in her songwriting, proving that the simplest arrangements can carry the strongest impact. Stripped of percussion, Navarro’s tender vocals amplify the sensitivity and the quiet dread of losing an important person, mirroring an all too familiar reality that everyone has once felt in their lifetime. “This song encapsulates the heart-wrenching feeling of being completely enamored with someone, and knowing deep down that you love them in a way that they will never love you back,” says Navarro. “I remember saying, out loud, ‘this is so embarrassing,’ when I realized that I placed all of my happiness in the hands of a person who never cared about my happiness at all.” As the track moves through her overthinking and anxiety of the unknown, Navarro invites us into a personal confessional, where she struggles to fight the battle between the hope of wanting a partner, but the fear of not being loved back. The song was written by Navarro, recorded, produced, and mixed by Michael Leto, and mastered by Theo Quayle.

• Izza releases “Prima Ballerina,” a theatrical, sultry pop track centered on fame, power, and unapologetic self-confidence.

• “The prima ballerina of a dance company is typically the lead dancer who exhibits the most skill and creativity. While I have felt isolated and judged for pursuing my creative endeavors, I use this song to reclaim my sense of power and authority over my art while learning to embrace the obstacles that come with wanting to claim center stage as the prima ballerina.” – Izza

• As the third single off of her forthcoming EP A Night At The Ballet: Act I, out July 17th, the track is accompanied by an official music video. Watch it HERE.

Hope house sister duo me n ü today unveil their latest solo single ‘YOUR EYES’ out now.

A refreshing and blissful entry into summer sounds, ‘YOUR EYES’ is built around an intoxicating sample that drives the track with a subtle romantic tease. Warm, rushing synths and hazy rhythms shimmer amidst lush vocal chops, capturing the intimacy and ecstasy of love at first sight. Designed for coastal drives and moonlit sessions, ‘YOUR EYES’ builds on the world me n ü have been shaping across their releases, inviting listeners deeper into their dreamy, dancefloor-rooted signature.

“When making ‘YOUR EYES’, we were looking for a song that was perfect for summer night drives. We wanted the pulsing synths to replicate that euphoric feeling of falling in love, and the vocal to feel nostalgic and new at the same time.” – me n ü

Jazz instrumentalist and vocalist GOOSTAVO introduces ‘AKA GOOSTAVO III’, a six-track EP that marks the start of his most expansive project yet. Fusing smooth, layered tones with spoken word and fluid melodies, the record drifts through honeyed, ambient textures. Rooted in soul and atmosphere, it reflects GOOSTAVO’s personal journey with neurodiversity in vivid, expressive detail.

‘AKA GOOSTAVO III’ is available now on your streaming service of choice via APOLLO Distribution.

Multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and vocalist Lola Bates officially unveils her highly anticipated debut album, Love and Power, available now on all streaming platforms via Gravel & Echo Recordings, distributed by Virgin Music Group. A deeply personal and sonically expansive body of work, Love and Power marks a defining artistic statement from Bates as she steps into her voice with intention, vulnerability, and control.

“What if one day I decided to shatter the glass of my own reflection and find the strength to change my way of being, as an act of love for myself?” Bates shares. “This is what I’m trying to get at with ‘Love and Power’. Each song is a reflection of myself coming to terms with my weaknesses, taking agency over my life, love, and relationships, and recognizing where power ignites within myself.”

Australian-American duo X & Ivy continue their hot streak of releases with their debut on DJ Tennis’ Life and Death label. Their new single, “Special Attempt,” is out now.

Marking a new chapter for the explosive project already backed by Peggy Gou, Bradley Zero, Roza Terenzi, Jennifer Loveless, BBC Radio 1, Capital Dance, Kiss FM, and more, “Special Attempt” arrives with serious momentum. It’s a raw, groove-heavy club cut rooted in classic house and ’90s rave, capturing X & Ivy’s playful chemistry while staying firmly anchored in dancefloor intention.

X & Ivy’s Todd Edwards collaboration “Keep Me” in 2024 marked an important turning point — but it’s their own ever-evolving release output and consistent support from key selectors that have sustained their momentum, with each release pushing them deeper into the scene’s fabric. Their sound pulls from Chicago house, Detroit techno, UK breakbeat, acid, prog, and soul, landing between basements and larger-scale festival stages.