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Rising Pop Star Victoria Alex Says “Let’s Pretend” In New Single

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 14, 2022

Rising Pop Star Victoria Alex Says “Let’s Pretend” In New Single

Pop darling Victoria Alex is back, this time asking: “Let’s Pretend.”

The Torontonian behind the smash “Screaming” is solidifying her pop prowess on her latest single. “Let’s Pretend” features a hypnotic melody, crushing beats, and slung together With Alex’ signature powerhouse vocals.

“The song is about meeting someone and being infatuated by them, the moment you see them. You know you can’t be with them, but you pretend that you are,” Victoria says, adding: “You just start living in your own head. It’s about that moment when you choose something unhealthy for yourself; you can’t stop. It really comes from a place of insecurity, which we’ve all experienced, if not with love, then with something else in our lives. Hopefully people will connect and find comfort in knowing they aren’t alone.”

Victoria has transformed into a mainstay in the music industry, having kicked off her tenure as a Mini Pop Kid before going on to being mentored by Boy George on CTV’s The Launch. Now the pop star is working alongside Breaking Sound – a Los Angeles-based concert company.

Alex, with a message in her heart, conveys life’s highs and lows through her music and lyrics; now having teamed with Toronto-based writer and producer, angel. “I am so excited for everyone to hear my music! It reminds me of the Canadian music I grew up listening to. I hope my fans will love it too, as we have all grown and matured, since I began this journey. I hope my music will still speak to them,” she says.

On the horizon is Alex’s debut EP, a showcase of her fresh perspective on the modern inception of pop music. From “Screaming” to “Let’s Pretend,” Alex is unafraid to take chances; reconfiguring what we think we knew about the genre and creating a new subcategory she is cultivating. The music is loud, and exciting, driven by alternative elements, intertwining Avril punk, and calling on vintage pop we recognize and love. That’s Victoria Alex magic. It’s a twist on what we knew and gives us something new to fall in love with on a track she calls the “personal diary of a young woman’s experience in love.”

There’s no pretending on the excellence of Victoria’s latest single. She captivates and engages with the listener through-out the track, weaving a narrative by resonating with her lyrics. There’s a new pop star on the scene. And she’s asking, “Let’s Pretend”.

Iggy Pop Announces 2023 West Coast Dates

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 14, 2022

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Iggy Pop Announces 2023 West Coast Dates

Fresh off the heels of announcing the highly anticipated forthcoming record EVERY LOSER (Atlantic Records/Gold Tooth Records) and “buzz-bombing, hard-riffing rock” (NEW YORK TIMES) single “Frenzy,” which recently debuted on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, Iggy Pop has unleashed a second track to whet our collective appetites–”Strung Out Johnny,” available HERE.

Along with the brand new single, Iggy Pop has also confirmed four new live dates spanning the west coast. Kicking off in Los Angeles on April 20, the Godfather of Punk’s raw power will be in full force as he performs tracks off his impending 19th solo album.

These limited dates include stops at Los Angeles’ Regent Theater and Hollywood Palladium, San Francisco’s Masonic Theater, and Las Vegas’ The Pearl, and will mark the epic debut of Iggy Pop & The Losers–featuring Andrew Watt, Chad Smith and Duff McKagan.

Pre-sales begin Tuesday, December 13th at 10am PT, with general on–sale beginning Friday, December 16th at 10am PT. Grab tickets at iggypop.com and see below for all announced dates.

EVERY LOSER–out January 6, 2023–is Iggy’s first album to be released via the recently announced partnership between Atlantic Records and Gold Tooth Records, the new label founded by the album’s GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum executive producer, Andrew Watt.

Featuring a murderers’ row of modern day rock icons including the Iggy Pop & The Losers lineup of Watt, McKagan and Smith, Every Loser sets Iggy’s lyrical aggressions toward physical and existential nemeses atop a rock solid foundation provided by members of Blink 182 (Travis Barker), Foo Fighters (Taylor Hawkins), Guns N’ Roses (Duff McKagan), Jane’s Addiction (Chris Chaney, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery), Pearl Jam (Josh Klinghoffer, Stone Gossard) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (Klinghoffer, Chad Smith). The result is 11 songs by the man who refused to go gently into that good night on Free, and is once again charging fearlessly at life itself on EVERY LOSER.

IGGY POP & THE LOSERS 2023 U.S. DATES
April 20, 2023– Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
April 22, 2023 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic Theater
April 27, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
April 29, 2023 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl

My Next Read: “Deliver Me from Nowhere – The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska” By Warren Zanes

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 14, 2022

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My Next Read: “Deliver Me from Nowhere – The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska” By Warren Zanes

The fascinating story behind the making of Bruce Springsteen’s most surprising album, Nebraska, revealing its pivotal role in Springsteen’s career.

Without Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen might not be who he is today. The natural follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful The River should have been the hit-packed album Born in the U.S.A, but instead, in 1982, he came out with Nebraska, an album consisting of a series of dark songs he had recorded exclusively by himself, for himself. But almost forty years later, Nebraska is arguably Springsteen’s most important record–the lasting clue if you’re looking to understand not just the artist’s career and the vision behind it but the man himself.

Nebraska is rough and unfinished, recorded on a cassette tape with a simple four-track recorder by Springsteen, alone in his bedroom, just as the digital future was announcing itself. And yet Springsteen now considers it his best album. Nebraska expressed a turmoil that was reflective of a mood in the country but was also a symptom of trouble in the artist’s life, the beginnings of a mental breakdown that Springsteen would only talk about openly decades after the album’s release.

Warren Zanes spoke to many people involved with making Nebraska, including Bruce Springsteen. He also interviewed more than a dozen celebrated artists, from Rosanne Cash to Steven Van Zandt, about their reaction to the album. He interweaves these conversations with inquiries into the myriad cultural touchpoints, including Terence Malick’s Badlands, that influenced Springsteen as he was writing the album’s haunting songs. The result is a textured and revelatory account of not only a crucial moment in the career of an icon but also a recording that upended all expectations and predicted a home recording revolution.

Kevin Drew Announced As 2023 MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award Recipient

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2022

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Kevin Drew Announced As 2023 MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award Recipient

MusiCounts is delighted to honour award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) with the 2023 MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award, presented by CST Foundation. Drew is being recognized for his philanthropic contributions to music education in Canada, and his integral role in expanding MusiCounts’ instrument grant programs from exclusively schools to include community groups across the country. He will be presented the MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award at the JUNO Opening Night Awards, Presented by Music Canada on March 11, 2023 in Edmonton, AB. In honour of Drew’s efforts to support youth music education, $30,000 worth of MusiCounts Band Aid Program instrument grants will be awarded to Canadian schools in 2023.

“This award is for the community leaders who have been putting their time into helping so many kids be able to have music in their lives. I’m just receiving it to remind people that helping people is the greatest achievement one can have,” says Kevin Drew. “Everyone should get on the train of helping others out. We have lost sight of this due to the amount of noise that surrounds our lives on a daily basis. The only noise that matters is someone being able to express themselves through music.”

Drew’s lasting impact on MusiCounts began in 2012 when he approached the charity to create a program to support music education for kids who weren’t having their needs met through the school system. Thanks to Drew’s efforts, in 2013 the MusiCounts TD Community Music Program was launched to provide musical instruments, equipment, and resources to community groups or not-for-profit organizations who deliver music programs to youth. To date it has supported 271 community organizations across Canada and tens of thousands of youth participants with $3.9 million in instruments, resources, and equipment. Additionally, when the Field Trip music festival began, Drew requested everyone on the guest list to make a $20 donation to MusiCounts. The Field Trip fundraisers raised tens of thousands of dollars over several years.

SZA Announces Her Historic First Arena Tour : “The S.O.S North American Tour”

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2022

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SZA Announces Her Historic First Arena Tour : “The S.O.S North American Tour”

Off the heels of her long-awaited new sophomore album ‘SOS’, music trendsetter and icon SZA will embark on a highly anticipated arena tour this spring with support from Grammy-nominated best new artist Omar Apollo. Produced by Live Nation, the exclusive 17-city tour kicks off on February 21 at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH making stops across North America in Chicago, Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Vancouver, and more before wrapping up in Los Angeles, CA, at the Kia Forum on March 22. This tour marks the first time the Grammy-award-winning artist is playing venues of this size and debuting her latest album live to fans.

Born in St. Louis and raised in Maplewood, NJ, genre-defying, and GRAMMY Award winning recording artist SZA released her major label debut album Ctrl (TDE/RCA) in 2017. Revered for its raw and honest lyrics, it landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, No. 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, according to Nielsen Music. The now RIAA-certified 3xPlatinum album received five Grammy nominations in 2018 and more than half the songs on Ctrl are currently certified multi-Platinum and Gold. Ctrl remains on the Billboard 200 chart since its release in 2017 and holds the record for the longest run for any Black female artist’s debut album. In 2022 alone it sold over 600,000 units and is the 10th best-selling female album this year in the country and 50th best-selling album in 2022 overall.

SZA has won various awards since the release of Ctrl including a 2022 GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Dou/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More” with Doja Cat, Billboard Music Awards’ Top R&B Female Artist, BET Awards’ Best New Artist, BET Soul Train Awards’ Best R&B/Soul Female Artist and Best New Artist, MTV Video Music Awards’ Best Visual Effects for the “All The Stars” with Kendrick Lamar, and NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding New Artist. In 2019, she won NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding Duo or Group for “All The Stars” with Kendrick Lamar and Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation for the Black Panther Soundtrack. SZA also received Billboard’s 2019 Women in Music Rule Breaker award.

To this day, SZA continues to set the standard on creativity and songwriting, while shattering records with over 7.2 billion streams worldwide across all platforms. To close out the trying year of 2020, SZA gifted fans on Christmas Day with the hopeful track “Good Days.” Grammy-nominated for Best R&B Song, the single quickly became SZA’s greatest gainer solo single release, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and marking her first time in the chart’s top ten as the main artist. December 2021, SZA scored her second lead artist top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with the official release of “I Hate U,” which debuted at #7. The song also entered at #1 on both Spotify and Apple Music US charts and broke the record for the most streamed R&B song by a female artist on Apple Music in its first week. “Shirt,” her most recent single has garnered over 60 million streams globally since its release in October. SZA’s long-awaited new album SOS includes features by Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers and Ol’ Dirty Bastard; with production by Ctrl hitmaking collaborators ThankGod4Cody and Carter Lang, alongside Jeff Bhasker, Rob Bisel, Benny Blanco, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Emile Haynie, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Jay Versace, and more.

Omar Apollo is one of music’s most exciting shape-shifters. In just a few years time, the Indiana-raised Mexican-American singer-songwriter went from teenage strummer to one of the most hotly-tipped rising stars of his generation— most recently honored with a Grammy Nomination for Best New Artist. His debut, critically acclaimed album “Ivory” released in April 2022 featured the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Evergreen” and was supported by 2 sold out North American tours including stops at historic venues like The Greek Theatre, Kings Theatre, and Coachella.

THE S.O.S NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
Tue Feb 21 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Wed Feb 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Fri Feb 24 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Sat Feb 25 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Mon Feb 27 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Tue Feb 28 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Thu Mar 02 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center*
Sat Mar 04 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Tue Mar 07 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Thu Mar 09 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Mar 10 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Mon Mar 13 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
Tue Mar 14 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thu Mar 16 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sat Mar 18 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sun Mar 19 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Wed Mar 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum

The Interrupters Announce North American Co-Headline Tour with Frank Turner for 2023

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2022

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The Interrupters Announce North American Co-Headline Tour with Frank Turner for 2023

On the verge of wrapping their massively successful summer/fall tour dates, The Interrupters have announced a tour, produced by Live Nation, that will kick off on April 20, 2023 in Portland, OR running through June 3 in Anaheim, CA. Frank Turner will co-headline on select dates throughout the tour with additional special guests joining in every city.

“With the recent release of our fourth album In The Wild, we are so excited to get back out on the road and celebrate live music across the U.S. and Canada with the incredibly talented Frank Turner and so many of our amazing friends,” The Interrupters share. “We are honored to have Hepcat, Laura Jane Grace, Chuck Regan, Bedouin Soundclash, The Skints, The Bandulus, and Left Alone on select dates with us. We can’t wait to see you all! This is gonna be a party!!”

“After doing 50 states in 50 days last summer, I was wondering how you follow that, in terms of touring the USA…” Frank Turner shares. “And now I know – team up with one of the best punk bands out there. I’m really excited to share a stage with The Interrupters, it feels like a meeting of minds and music. I can’t wait to hit the road.”

The Interrupters released their fourth studio album In The Wild this past summer, which has been regarded as “the best songs the Interrupters have ever written…beyond even the incredible candor is an ambitious musicality” (Alternative Press). Along with their 2023 tour announcement, the band has also dropped a stripped-back, acoustic rendition of their song “Raised By Wolves,” which they performed live at the KROQ DTS Sound Space earlier this year. This past weekend saw the band performing at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas alongside The Black Keys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Imagine Dragons at Los Angeles’ The Kia Forum.

Watch “Raised By Wolves (Acoustic)” Lyric Video HERE

TOUR DATES:
April 20—Portland, OR—Roseland Theater
April 21—Seattle, WA—Showbox Sodo
April 23—Vancouver, BC—Commodore Ballroom
April 25—Edmonton, ALB—Midway Music Hall*
April 26—Calgary, ALB—MacEwan Hall*
April 27—Missoula, MT—The Wilma*
April 29—Minneapolis, MN—The Fillmore Minneapolis*
April 30—Chicago, IL—House of Blues
May 1—Pittsburgh, PA—Roxian Theatre *
May 3—Toronto, ONT—History*
May 5—Montreal, QUE—Olympia de Montréal*
May 6—Hampton Beach, NH—Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom*
May 7—Boston, MA —MGM Music Hall at Fenway*
May 10—Wallingford, CT—The Dome at Oakdale*
May 12—NYC, NY—The Rooftop at Pier 17*
May 13—Asbury Park, NJ—Stone Pony Summer Stage*
May 14—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore Philadelphia*
May 16—Norfolk, VA—NorVA*~
May 17—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore Silver Spring*
May 19—Cincinnati, OH—Bogart’s*
May 20—St. Louis, MO—The Pageant*
May 21—Denver, CO—Fillmore Auditorium*
May 23—Salt Lake City, UT—The Complex*
May 24—Garden City, ID—Revolution Concert House
May 26—Monterrey, CA—California Roots Music and Arts Festival
May 27—Las Vegas, NV—Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival
May 29—Sacramento, CA—Ace of Spades
May 30—San Francisco, CA—The Fillmore
June 1—San Diego—SOMA
June 2—Los Angeles, CA—The Wiltern
June 3—Anaheim, CA—House of Blues
*Frank Turner co-headline with The Interrupters

“Sometimes When We Touch” Doc Puts The Spotlight On Soft Rock

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2022

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Soft Rock dominated pop music. Then became a punch line. Now its influence is felt everywhere from hip-hop samples to TikTok. The exclusive new series charts a musical movement through its most treasured songs, stories and stars.

Sometimes When We Touch is streaming January 3 exclusively on Paramount+.

Adam Lambert Announces His Brand-New Album ‘High Drama’: 24th February 2023

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 13, 2022

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Grammy-nominated international superstar Adam Lambert announces his brand-new album, High Drama, via his new deal with Warner Music. To celebrate his new album, UK fans will be treated to a one-off exclusive show in late February, with location and details to be announced in January.

From today, Fans will be able to listen to two Instant grat tracks; ‘Ordinary World’ – Adam’s powerful atmospheric ballad version of the Duran Duran hit, plus his beautiful rendition of the Noël Coward classic ‘Mad About The Boy’ – which he performed to much applaud on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing last month (Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Qrat9qskTYU) and will feature in the forthcoming film about the life of Noël Coward.

Adam is no stranger to impressing crowds with his carefully curated transformation of other artist’s songs, from the beginning of his career on American Idol, to his 2018 performance at the Kennedy Centre Honours, where Adam reduced Cher to tears with his delicate ballad reading of her mega-hit Believe, to his role as the current frontman of Queen.

Executive produced by Adam himself, alongside production from the likes of Tommy English (Kacy Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen), Andrew Wells (Halsey, OneRepublic), George Moore and Mark Crew, High Drama showcases a journey through modern music. The diverse collection of songs span from classics such as Ann Peebles’ ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’ and Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ to modern hits like Billie Eilish’s ‘Getting Older,’ which gets a glam-inspired transformation and a rock-leaning rendition of Lana Del Rey’s ‘West Coast’, each song showcasing Adam’s unmatched vocal talent.

After blowing everyone away on the eighth season of American Idol, Adam Lambert went on to release his debut album ‘For Your Entertainment’, which included the international hit ‘Whatya Want From Me’ and earned him a Grammy Award nomination. Adam followed this success with his second album ‘Trespassing’, which became the first album to reach the number one spot in the US and Canada by an openly gay artist. His highly anticipated third album ‘The Original High’ was Adam’s first for Warner Bros Records, which was executive produced by Max Martin and Shellback and included the smash hit ‘Ghost Town’. In between touring the world with Queen, Adam has been exploring the world of film and TV, with a cameo in Oscar winning film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, as well as voicing character ‘Emperor Maximus’ in animated-live action hybrid movie ‘Playmobil: The Movie’ and voicing the role of the devil in Netflix animated series ‘A Tale Of Grimm’ in 2021. In 2019, Adam released single ‘Superpower’(September 4th),ahead of his highly anticipated EP ‘Velvet: Side A’, which went into the top 10 download chart in the UK and US on release. At the beginning of 2020, Adam Lambert launched the ‘Feel Something Foundation’; a non-profit organisation in support of LGBTQ+ human rights.

At the start of the 2022, Adam joined the judging panel for the new ITV (UK) Saturday night entertainment show Starstruck, alongside Beverley Knight, Sheridan Smith, Jason Manford and host Olly Murs. The show was a huge success and Adam will be back on the panel in 2023. 2022 also saw Adam join Queen for a Sold-out European tour including ten shows at London’s ‘The 02 Arena.’ Adam is currently working on writing his own musical, which will feature original songs and has a Stellar line up of collaborators. ‘High Drama’ marks Adam’s first release via Warner Music.

Tracklist:
01 Holding Out for a Hero
02 Chandelier
03 Ordinary World
04 Getting Older
05 I Can’t Stand the Rain
06 West Coast
07 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
08 Sex on Fire
09 My Attic
10 I’m a Man
11 Mad About The Boy

San Antonio-Based Alt. Country JEREMY PARSONS Releases “Tickin'”

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 12, 2022

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San Antonio-Based Alt. Country JEREMY PARSONS Releases “Tickin'”

Texas-born singer/songwriter Jeremy Parsons grew up soaking in the sounds of Country Music, and now that’s the only thing running through his veins. Having taught himself to play the guitar at an early age, Parsons began performing his original songs in high school. With a genuine personality, unique humor, and heartfelt passion for his occupation, Parsons draws from his personal experience to write keenly perceptive and introspective songs.

“We have those moments when we sit down and look where we are,” says Parsons. “Sometimes followed by that is the thought, ‘Is this where I thought I’d be?’ or ‘Is this where I should be in my life?’”

Over the last decade, Parsons has captivated audiences across the US and Europe and recently seen in The Hollywood Digest. With three records under his belt, he’s unleashed “Tickin’,” the first of three singles from his forthcoming EP. Born out of a contemplative time during the pandemic, “Tickin’” is a modern production done in the spirit of Country legend Emmy Lou Harris’ Deeper Well from the perspective of someone inspired by projects from Nine Inch Nails, Porcupine Tree, Puscifer, and modern pop productions.

Indigenous Pop/RnB Artist HAYLEY WALLIS Sings Of Life’s Simple Joys With “Not That Serious”

Music

Eric Alper

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Dec 12, 2022

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Indigenous Pop/RnB Artist HAYLEY WALLIS Sings Of Life’s Simple Joys With “Not That Serious”

It’s easy to get lost in the motions of our day-to-day lives, and Hayley Wallis is here to remind us that life is about the little things with an easy-going R&B pop single “Not That Serious” – available now.

Hayley Willis takes the time to remind us that life isn’t as serious as we make it seem, encouraging listeners to practice self-care and forgiveness with ourselves. Gentle nudges towards “forgetting our exes” and “drinking wine like it’s Friday” are perfect anecdotes for living in the moment, as opposed to worrying about the big picture.

“Not That Serious” is the official teaser for Hayley Wallis’ newest EP, Halulu, translating from her native tongue to mean “butterfly.” The project touches on messages of cathartic change and embracing our mental health, much of which “Not That Serious” hints at.

“I dug deep into my ability to be vulnerable in sharing some of these stories,” Hayley Wallis comments.

“Not everyone has the same journey – but within everyone’s journey there will be transformation and growth, so I hope that some of these songs resonate with people and make them feel something – whether that’s joy, comfort, or connection.”

Working alongside producer David Hodges throughout the Halulu EP, the two come together to create a rich story of stepping outside of one’s comfort zone to see the world from a different perspective. Wallis’ passion for storytelling coupled with a desire to leave a long-lasting positive impression on her listeners has put her in a position to make a powerful impact on those who need it most – all while showcasing her immense talent as an R&B pop singer.

Storytelling is deeply rooted in Wallis’ culture and bloodline, calling on its healing properties not only to tend to her own wounds but to help others. “Storytelling is ceremony; it’s special and it’s powerful,” she explains. “We are taught that words are powerful, so you want to make sure that every lyric you’re writing down carries good intention. With that being said, I really want to make every song and lyric in this upcoming EP count and hold meaning.”

Now based in Vancouver, Wallis began her musical journey at a young age singing for her family and community in a small, isolated island known as Klemtu, located in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Being part of the Kitasoo Xais Xais nation has ultimately shaped who Wallis is today, and helped her carve a path for where she is bravely steering her journey with her debut EP. She sings for herself, her children, and her people, and hopes to set an example that will empower the young generation of her community to pursue their dreams.