NYC singer/songwriter Victor Perry @wallflowerperry is back with romantic new upbeat solo single “One More Minute”

VICTOR PERRY, “One More Minute”

Following up his first solo release in two years “Punching Bag” (just wrapping up a run on my personal chart, where it peaked at #5), Victor Perry returns with one of his best and most romantic songs, the upbeat “One More Minute”. The story behind the song is pretty straight-forward – about making the most of an opportunity or perhaps a key moment in a relationship where you want that moment to go on and on. Victor conjures up some delightful imagery set to an engaging vocal, which recalls some bright soul/pop singles of the 70’s. Your ears will be glued to every word in “One More Minute”, where lyrical substance wins when it’s sung against intuitive production that makes the most of every part of the song. It won’t take long before you’re wrapped up in “One More Minute” with the song on repeat.

It’s a forever holiday in “Palms” by L.A. singer/songwriter @KaceyFifield and reunites with South Korean producer Little Rain

KACEY FIFIELD and LITTLE RAIN, “Palms”

Like no other song I’ve heard this year, “Palms” has “end of summer romantic anthem” written all over it. Kacey Fifield is back with her third single from her upcoming project, which reunites her with South Korean producer Little Rain, after releasing the successful “Ghost” last year. Little Rain co-wrote the song with Kacey and frequent collaborator/mentor Robbie Rosen, and it will transport you back to that special holiday in a warm destination where you just wanted to stay forever.  Those palm trees will beckon and one day you’ll be back to create new memories. “Palms” has a relaxing lilt, and before you know it you’ll be swaying back and forth and enjoying Kacey’s story. At only 17 and with a solid, growing social media following on Instagram and Tik Tok, Kacey Fifield is a talent on the rise in the pop/dance genre and “Palms” is another fine song that puts on display the high quality and standards that come with each of Kacey’s releases.

To be instantly transported to a good time, spin “Celebrate” by Dutch producer @theLaurentius and Luxembourg singer/songwriter Oke

LAURENTIUS and OKE, “Celebrate”

Not too many songs can evoke simple sheer unadulterated joy. “Celebrate” happens to be one of them, brought to you by Dutch producer Laurentius, whose music has been featured in this blog before, and Luxembourg singer/songwriter Oke. The song however has festive, African-influenced rhythms to support its theme of striving for success set against imagery of Mount Kilimanjaro.  Oke’s tireless, happily persistent vocal will instantly win you over in this song which reminds me of early 80’s songs by Juluka (or, later, Savuka).  Laurentius’ uplifting production nails the vibe of “Celebrate”, so make sure you save this one for not only when you want to recognize some kind of achievement, but when you just want to kick off having a good time.  Laurentius and Oke have a full EP coming soon called Jaiye, so watch for that one!

Meet Germany-based singer/songwriter XADES with sultry “Locked In” from new EP “Shaded”

XADES, “Locked In”

Germany-based, Netherlands-born singer/songwriter Xades (pronounced “shades”) is off to a fine start with her debut EP called Shaded. What’s quite interesting is that Xades has had a modest career as a DJ in Europe under the moniker MSJY, so she is stepping out from behind the decks to show off an attractive, sultry, sometimes sassy vocals. Latina through heritage, you can sometimes hear similarities to Selena Gomez in her pop approach, though her songs gravitate to the alternative genre.  “Locked In” has kind of a puzzling start, but you’ll quickly get immersed in its hook and atmosphere, thanks to a mix of playful rhythms and interesting synth work. As a DJ, Xades knows what makes a record sound good, and the eclectic mix of electronics and jazzy backdrop in her EP is very appealing. “Locked In” is also available in a truly quirky and transforming techno-based remix by Switzerland’s Atrice.

Denmark’s @Boye_Sigvardt team up with Norwegian artists Jesper Jenset @JJenset and HAYES @thohay_ for “Faded Off”

BOYE & SIGVARDT, JESPER JENSET and HAYES, “Faded Off”

In 2021, Boye & Sigvardt released one of my favourite songs of the year with a real grower called “Microdose”, which ended up at the top of my personal chart near year’s end. “Faded Off”, their recent single, hones more in on a pop vein, in a collaboration with two Norwegian talents, vocalist Jesper Jenset (who has appeared on my chart as well) and new producer HAYES (who as Thomas Hayes, steps away from a steady acting career in his native country). The production is crisp, with some nice guitar sounds as highlights, the sound is mid-tempo and laid back, and Jesper’s vocal (which has moved on from the teen sound of his earlier recordings) is assured, making “Faded Off” a memorable release.

“Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” teams up UK/Irish producers @Menrvamusic with veterans @PinkPandadjs and Belfast-based singer Jessica Hammond @jessicamusicx

MENRVA, PINK PANDA and JESSICA HAMMOND, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”

UK/Irish producers Menrva are on a real roll this year, first with the fun and amazing “Play It Cool” and latterly with powerhouse vocalist MOYA on the buoyant and bubbly “You”. Now the lads unite with veteran UK producers and renown DJ’s Pink Panda and former UK contestant on “The Voice”, Jessica Hammond, for the swinging deep house of “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”. The song is solid, no nonsense house at its best, with a smooth vocal that really shines. It’s perfectly tailored for clubs and must be eyeing the UK singles chart with the sudden dance presence on that chart currently a welcome sensation. You simply can’t go wrong with a track like “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”.

“The Boss” is a slick, fun deep house track by France’s @Coopexoff & @djCharlesB with singer/songwriter @RobbieRosenlive

COOPEX, CHARLES B and ROBBIE ROSEN, “The Boss”

What starts out like it might be another fine European-flavoured Robbie Rosen pop/dance track is immeasurably improved even more after 30 seconds when “The Boss” launches into deep house mode. This fun track is brought to you from two rising and prolific French producers, Coopex and Charles B (whose “Losing My Mind” I wrote about a while back), who know their way around structuring a production to maximize what the song has to offer in a scant 2:14. As Robbie has proved time and time again, his voice is highly adaptable to any dance music setting though it’s put a little further into the mix this time to offer a sophisticated edge to the song. “The Boss” is a blast, even providing a surprise salute to Diana Ross’ same-titled 1979 hit along the way. But what it really begs for is an extended dance remix to focus on its killer of a chorus.

Meet USA-based London-born singer/songwriter dhruv @dhrvie with soulful pop song “Blur”

dhruv, “Blur”

Sometimes all it takes is a fine song for an artist’s voice to get stuck in your head. A perfect example of this is dhruv, a London-born singer/songwriter of Indian parents who spent much of his childhood in Singapore. That he has such a subtly soulful voice in his new single “Blur” seems contrary to where he was raised, but he latched onto American and British artists through his own discovery as a teenager. He was signed to RCA a few years back after an early single “double take” went viral on Tik Tok and topped charts in south Asia. He’s since released an album called Jezebel, and it’s taken a while but “Blur” is getting North American alternative radio attention, conveniently on the heels of another rising RCA artist, Steve Lacy. It’s an introspective midtempo song that shows off dhruv’s beautiful tone, which is kind of halfway between Zayn and Troye Sivan. Keep your ears open for more music this year from dhruv.

L.A. based multi-talented violinist Esther Anaya puts her stamp on electronic rendition of “Adagio For Strings”

ESTHER ANAYA, “Adagio For Strings”

Colombia-born Esther Anaya has spent her life in the entertainment business. From age 6 she has been immersed, which has led to performing as a singer (opening on Maluma’s worldwide tour a few years back), actress, violinist, and producer/DJ.  Now based out of Los Angeles, I saw her recently open for Cash Cash in Las Vegas in a DJ set, in which she pulled out her violin and gave another dimension to some classic dance tracks over which she played. I later found that she had recorded a version of Samuel Barber’s classical piece “Adagio For Strings” – and despite having already been interpreted by Tiësto and Armin van Buuren – Esther puts her own stamp on it, bringing the mix down a few times for listeners to soak in her exquisite violin playing, before relaunching into a whirlwind of trance-flavoured synths. Be sure to check it out!

Meet new British electronic producer Rory Carney @Carneysound with disco-flavoured “A Little Magic”

RORY CARNEY, “A Little Magic”

“A Little Magic” is intent on putting a smile on your face while you strut your stuff to its old school disco rhythm. It’s by London-based electronic producer Rory Carney, who so far has released a handful of singles after working behind the scenes in the biz for a number of years. “A Little Magic” is a rather straight-forward production with a compelling hook, a singalong chorus, and an ear-catching vocal by Matilda Mae.  In these days in dance music which often means huge synths and big effects even in independently released productions, sometimes less is more when the song is strong enough. Such is the case with “A Little Magic”, and though a touch long at over 4 minutes, it could get a big boost from a more uptempo remix to match its happy vibes.