RĀI (pronounced Ray) is a singer, songwriter and true lover of R&B music. Originally from South Carolina (now residing in Harlem, New York), RĀI’s music is a vibe. He infuses elements of both new and traditional R&B to intentionally create chill, unassuming, timeless music. He sees each song as a piece of art that is influenced more by his life and experiences and not just by what’s hot and trending. R&B has seen changes in style, trends and youth increasingly celebrated over substance, tradition, and maturity but RĀI has an appreciation for all things R&B and believes the two can peacefully exist.
“I’m a singer who grew up loving how R&B music changed the world and made people feel. I’m not changing my music to fit a radio format or gain Instagram followers or whatever. My music is the truest expression of who I am today. I’m trying to create music that people will want to hear next year or the year after that and after that. If it doesn’t pop right now, it doesn’t pop. I am committed to making good music and I’ve found a peace that right now that may not be the most lucrative endeavor and I’m good with that.”
RĀI’s musical inspirations are Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross and Maxwell. With his latest project “Love’s on the Way”, he sought to create an album that was effortless in nature with such a strong vibe that once you pressed play you would just let it ride. And ultimately, that never goes out of style.
“I approached creating my latest project similar to how I imagine a designer approaches creating a collection. Painfully detailed. Each piece unique. Each appealing for different reasons, but it all goes together. I am committed to making good music and I’ve found a peace that right now that may not be the most lucrative endeavor, and I’m good with that.”
Indie artist RĀI brings nostalgia to R&B/soul music fans with the release of his second single “Love’s On The Way,” from his debut album of the same title, due out June 8. Anyone with a love and appreciation for R&B music associated with talented singers like Maxwell and others will love this song!”
– ThisisRnB, April 16, 2018“Rumors of R&B’s demise have been greatly exaggerated over the years. Yes, the genre has seen its fair share of changes, with style, trends and youth increasingly celebrated over substance, tradition and maturity. Nonetheless, there are still artists in that latter category putting in work, such as South Carolina native and current Harlem resident RĀI.“
– SoulBounce, April 12, 2018“This is a performer who, as a writer and singer alike, is a definite proponent of the groove in music, but he isn’t beholden to it. “Back to Life”, like its title perhaps implies, works through a number of well-timed changes that gives the song different looks that, nonetheless, sound like they are part of the same overall package.”
– Indie Band Guru, March 14, 2018“He has a seemingly light touch as a singer…but there’s strength in that delicacy discerning listeners will hear on certain turns of phrase. There are a number of abiding qualities in his singing and two of the most distinctive are heard in how he carefully orchestrates his singing to run alongside the arrangement while never overshadowing it and his phrasing from one refrain to another has subtle distinctions that underline how he never sings anything quite the same way twice.”
– Gashouse Radio, March 5, 2018
LINKS:
https://www.therealrai.com
https://www.facebook.com/therealraimusic
https://twitter.com/raimusicworld
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSuyZwMM7G4v4XK0EKHydIg
https://soundcloud.com/therealraimusic
https://www.instagram.com/raimusicworld
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John Adams – Flames
John Adams is a Singer/Songwriter/Busker hailing from Aberdare in the South Wales Valleys. With a reach in his tone to match Sam Smith and James Blunt he draws influences from the likes of honest songwriters such as James Morrison, Damien Rice, and David Gray. John’s acoustic approach and atmospheric piano accompaniment compliment his unique and impressive vocal ability as he earns the undivided attention of the listener by addressing them directly with emotive and heartfelt narratives.
This faithfulness to a personal story is mirrored in how John came into the musical world and continues to progress as a musician. A truly homegrown talent, he began his career busking on the streets, using the money to pay for his first release, fittingly entitled “The Pavement is My Stage”. After the album reached No.7 in the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts in 2016 he took a leap of faith and left his job as a Mathematics Teacher. That gamble paid off and John has gone on to support household names such as Take That, Lemar, T’Pau and Katherine Jenkins. His hard work and impressive live performance have built a strong following of 50,000 online followers, over 6 million views on YouTube and a steady 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Eager to show his progression John released his album “You Never Know Who’s Listening” in 2018 which combined his live organic sound with a minimal electronic production to make a sound that is satisfyingly different from the usual guitar wielding Singer/Songwriter. The album was very well received by fans and the music industry alike and has already accrued over 6 million plays on Spotify. All 4 singles were playlist by the BBC and Spotify editorials with “See You Again” and “Dandelion Wishes” becoming Radio 2 favorites. He spent the year up and down the country performing at the UK’s largest festivals such as The Isle of Wight Festival, Great Escape, and Victorious Festival, and his headline tour sold out in just two days from release. To end the year on a high his festive hit “Lost In Christmas” became the soundtrack for “La Feltrinelli” Christmas campaign all across Europe.
Not showing any signs of writer’s block, John is excited to reveal ‘Flames’, the first single off his new EP “No White Lies”, was released on February 8th. Directed by John himself and Rhys Davies of Furball films, the stirring music video was imagined after a house fire occurred outside the studio. He explains: “All the usual questions flooded my mind as I strummed my guitar. How did they feel? What did they grab? Who was to blame? I eventually came to the conclusion that they’d be so concerned with survival that these questions were never answered. As dramatic as it seems I felt exactly the same about a relationship at the time and after writing the song I decided to take the same approach to the situation and leave. I centered the song around the lyric “It’s too late to argue who’s to blame, this house will burn down anyway” and pulled on a few semantics to compare the feelings of a house fire to the trapping of a relationship. I tried to mirror this concept in the video with the use of wool. In the beginning, a couple proudly exchanges thread to connect each other and enjoy the unity it brings, but over time the tangled web becomes frustrating and controlling just like a bad partnership.”
LINKS:
https://www.johnadamsmusic.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/JohnAdamsMusic1
http://www.twitter.com/johnadamsmusic1
https://www.instagram.com/johnadamsmusic
http://www.youtube.com/johnanthonyadams1 -
Lex Audrey – Godgiven
Please meet Vienna based three-piece Lex Audrey
Featuring Niklas Apfel (vocals, guitar, samples), Patrick Pillichshammer (drums, sampling pad) and Lukas Staudinger (bass, synthesizer), with a nod to Audrey Hepburn the band asks their audience to take a closer look at the world. This look should also meet their debut EP ‘God Given’.
On ‘God Given’ they confront their audience with contrasts, they combine euphoria and sadness and manage to shift the musical boundaries between Rock, Pop, and Electronica.
The band sees the world in red, yellow and blue but when these three primary colors are mixed they turn to black.
Welcome to the world of Lex Audrey.
LINKS:
http://www.lexaudrey.com
https://twitter.com/lexaudreymusic -
Jamel Thomas – It Starts At Home
Jamel Thomas is a rising hip hop artist from Toronto, Canada. After releasing his first LP “One On The House” in February of 2018, Jamel was able to break onto the university and college radio scene, getting play on over 100 campus stations; some notable mentions are: American University in Washington DC, University of Maryland, St. Louis University, the University of Texas and University of Notre Dame. The album charted in the top 5 on over 10 stations, making it to the NACC (North American College and Community) radio charts, peaking at #23 and competing against noteworthy artists from labels such as Roc Nation and Mass Appeal.
In 2019, Jamel released his first music video for “It Starts At Home” with a string of new music videos to follow. He is also planning to release a new, much-anticipated album this September. There is a captivating, high-energy element to Jamel Thomas’s music featuring an alternative hip hop sound distinct from anything else that’s out. Jamel describes himself as “Kendrick Lamar meets Drake meets The Weeknd,” but strives for originality in every song, infusing elements of R&B and Pop into the mix. He is committed to innovation and will continue to surprise his audience in the months to come!
LINKS:
http://jamelthomasmusic.com
https://facebook.com/jamelthomasmusic
https://twitter.com/jamelthomasndr
https://instagram.com/jamelthomasndr
https://youtube.com/jamelthomasndr