It’s that time of year where a lot of folks are travelling to warmer climates, including most of my own family, and I shall join the trend next week in Miami for Miami Music Week, which as always should be a lot of fun. So my next blog post will be on Thursday March 28 – I’m bumping it from Wednesday to Thursday because Monday of that week will be a travel recovery day for me.
In the Report, you can check out my pick of the week, along with one from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host DJ Hunter’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers from online radio’s “3D Variety Show” has his Classic Five focused on the year 1976, and including one of the late Eric Carmen’s classic solo hits – the list was in fact submitted before Eric’s passing on Monday. And if you missed them, you’ll find out what the #1 song and the Fastest Riser are on the latest BILLCS Top 30.
The BILLCS New Music Report is always a work-in-progress and I welcome your suggestions so feel free to contact me at through my social media links right here.
Reminder: Click on the photo to watch the video or listen to the song.
MARCUS & MARTINUS, “Unforgettable”
MEDINA, “Que Sera”
These pair of songs were the two to beat at this year’s Melodifestivalen contest in Sweden. Ultimately, last year’s runners-up, Norwegian transplants Marcus & Martinus, won by a landslide with the irresistible “Unforgettable”. These two brothers know how to put on a show and are talented vocalists, supported by a go-to who’s who of award-winning Swedish songwriters and producers. Last year’s “Air” was really good, but “Unforgettable” is so much better and relatable. After a recent set of years that saw women dominate in just about any awards or contest, it’s time to make room for deserving guys like Marcus & Martinus.
After finishing third in 2022, the duo Medina – Sam-E and Alibi, Swedes of Tunisian and Finnish heritage – returned as the runners-up in this year’s contest. While it wasn’t close, I was rooting for their song “Que Sera” because of its uplifting vibe and its unique multilingual representation which the rest of the world is sure to understand. The song was also well-supported by their team including songwriter/producer Jimmy Joker, also one of the forces behind “Unforgettable”. Medina have been performing for about 20 years, and their natural ease on stage and experience showed how they could wow the audience. They’ve been in the Swedish charts several times, and “Que Sera” deserves to be their international breakout.
GARETH EMERY, LSR/CITY, “Killshot”
“Killshot” was one of the mid-set highlights of Gareth Emery’s LSR/City show which I saw this past weekend in Toronto. It’s a taut and memorable instrumental whose melody could have easily dropped in the late 90’s. Instead we get to benefit from Gareth’s honed and skillful time over the years making top level trance and techno. His songs were all set to so many permutations of colours and laser effects that it was indeed an overwhelming evening that won’t soon be forgotten. “Killshot” though is a zinger which you can expect to hear at other shows and festivals too.
DREAMER BOY, “Heartbreaker”
Dreamer Boy is the Washington native with a presidential name – Zachary Taylor. He wants to be known for bending genres, and “Heartbreaker” infuses pop, rock and country sensibilities into the mix. What stands out the most is the anthemic, singalong hook which sounds like it was dropped in right out of the 1980’s recalling bands like The Cars, Rick Springfield, Franke & The Knockouts and numerous others of the power pop variety. Dreamer Boy has a unique mix happening even if it seems familiar. The production is tight and if you like artists like Benson Boone, then Dreamer Boy will fit right into your playlist.
NICHOLAS CAMPBELL, “Hot Rod Daddy”
Last year, I introduced you to Peterborough, Ontario native Nicholas Campbell and his ballad “I’m Sorry”, which happens to fall into a genre that I don’t write about – country music. However Nicholas’ rockabilly style and his vocal comparisons to people like Jack Scott and Robert Gordon put his music in crossover pop/rock category. “Hot Rod Daddy” takes us back to the late 70’s, early 80’s British rockabilly revival, out of which some major talents emerged like American trio The Stray Cats, vocalist Shakin’ Stevens, and Matchbox. It’s a fun, full throttle rock-out track that puts Nicholas’ diversity on full display with his unique voice, which at times also reminds me of Dwight Yoakam. “Hot Rod Daddy” is culled from Nicholas’ new album Gonna Have A Ball Tonight, and he’s currently on tour in Ontario performing in its bigger cities.
SERENA ITTOO, “My Heart Is Yours”
After an impressive release with “Nature Foreseen”, the UK’s Serena Ittoo is not just another big voice with the touching “My Heart Is Yours”. I like it when producers leave in little mistakes, such as notes slightly off key, because it reveals the artist’s humanity and imperfection. But for a bare piano track, “My Heart Is Yours” has a compelling, mostly pitch-perfect vocal. And it’s nice that Serena took a commonly used phrase and title in music and made her own unique story out of it. Serena and team have created stellar indie work here with “My Heart Is Yours”, but one day I believe she’ll be singing a big production and her vocal will welcome a shower of praises.
AMIR EKBATANI, “Tell Me You Love Me”
“Tell Me You Love Me” is the second homemade release by L.A.-based singer/songwriter Amir Ekbatani. About the song, Amir says that it “is a state of the union on dating in 2024, told from the year 1984, a safe-haven sanctuary of simplicity from the overcomplexity of the present day”. While dating was still pretty complicated to me back in 1984, the times were certainly less layered and more straight-forward. And while there were probably other songs called “Tell Me You Love Me” written in the 80’s, Amir’s lyrics and especially his vocal bring something fresh to the table in 2024. The song is succinct and his voice is an immediate ear-grabber among other male vocalists out there. We wouldn’t have this song though without Amir’s tragic backstory – he was an athlete who lost his left leg after a car accident, and it took him four years to regain his mobility. He went back to school to study music production and engineering, while still working as a fitness trainer after his recovery, and became a self-taught multi-instrumentalist. Releases like “Tell Me You Love Me” will provide all the goods Amir needs to be a credible force in the music industry as a performer, so go get ’em Amir!!
Note: If the artwork looks familiar, it does somewhat resemble the poster for the 1988 Tom Cruise movie “Cocktail”.
AMISTAT, “Same Old Eyes”
Amistat is a duo comprising Germany-born twins Josef and Jan Prasil, whose innate ability to complement each other’s talents is a highlight of “Same Old Eyes”. I’m hearing a lot of folk-inspired pop music coming out of Australia lately, where Amistat has been based, and the brothers have managed to amass hundreds of thousands of listeners through actively touring, which is currently focused around the UK and central-western Europe. “Same Old Eyes” is a standout track from their EP A Moment In The Sun (usually stylized in lower case). If you’ve enjoyed similar artists that I’ve brought to your attention like the UK’s Netherlands-based Waiting For Smith and Australia’s Matt Boylan-Smith, then “Same Old Eyes” will appeal to you because of its positive lyrics about finding your own truth, and inspiring melodies and harmonies, which eventually bring the song to an anthemic turning point.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs on several online radio stations around the world.
“Last Of Us” is the latest by American dance producer Gryffin with vocal by Rita Ora
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S PICK OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online stations Radio GTA, Halton Hills Radio Online, & FM108.ca. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week every week on the “Top 40 Timeline”.
It’s “Lotta Love” by Rozalla, a faithful remake of the Nicolette Larson hit version of the Neil Young song
DJ HUNTER’S BOP OF THE WEEK
DJ Hunter is the host of the online radio shows “Modern Hype”, which can be heard on several online stations, and “Pyjama Party”, with both shows anchored at Energy 885.
“By Your Side” is by Canadian-American dance producers Caslow with vocalist Bertie Scott and producer PatFromLastYear
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show heard Tuesdays on Planet Radio Canada. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” usually of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
Eric Carmen – All By Myself
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Sara Smile
Elvin Bishop – Fooled Around and Fell In Love
Dr. Hook – Only Sixteen
Maxine Nightingale – Right Back Where We Started From
BILLCS Top 30 #1 SONG
Benson Boone has a lock on #1 for a second appearance at the top with “Beautiful Things”
BILLCS Top 30 FASTEST RISER
New Zealand’s Will Swinton zips up the chart with “Harmless” (25-11)
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 
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