Industry news & advice blog

Combining sultry R&B with dark electro pop, plus a hint of Drum & Bass, singer songwriter Atlanta Mae is not timid when it comes to dabbling with and merging genres, in part inspired by her heritage which brings together the urban soundscape of her London hometown, with a flavour of her Caribbean family roots and vivid island life.

‘CYCLONE’ was concocted alongside artist/writer and producer Pink Mayne and from nothing a dazzling track was borne; “We went into the studio with no set plan or idea. I wanted the track to be super sultry. Light smooth vocals against a marching repetitive beat.”

Atlanta sparked her taste for musical performance through her first forays into theatre, and during her high school years she began performing her own material at talent shows. Fast forward and she became the first unsigned artist to be featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist. With strong support from BBC introducing London and Reprezent Radio along the way, it seems that Atlanta’s star could be rising.

Over the next coming months she plans to unveil more singles and prime herself for the much-awaited release of her second EP, due in early 2023. Watch this space!

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Tungz - ‘Always’

Bristol four-piece Tungz are the caped crusaders of catchy, hi-fi bedroom pop, and their latest single ‘Always’ is a glittering bittersweet pop anthem with instant appeal. Not hard to see why the chaps have been sparking interest from the likes of Clash, Complex, DIY, The Line Of Best Fit and London In Stereo, BBC Introducing, and Radio X, amongst others, and have bagged a deal with Heist or Hit.

The past couple of years have seen Tungz rise steadily from accomplishment to accomplishment with high points including their first headline tour, including a sold out show at London’s Pickle Factory in London, releasing their first EP ‘Okay’ on Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce label, writing a song with Bad Sounds (Somebody To Get Shy With) for their last EP ‘Why Do Anything?’, plus the band’s first gig outside the UK earlier this year in Paris at La Boule Noire with Le Couleur.

Back to ‘Always’, and after years of making DIY videos, Tungz were able to enlist production help for this track, in the form of director Hector Melville. The video explores the song’s themes via juxtaposed mid-party and post-party settings, calling back to the band’s early days playing at house parties.

“This was our first chance to bring in a full team on a video thanks to PPL Momentum Funding which has been a real enriching experience creatively. Obviously we spent most of the money on crystals, but having a focus puller on set was pretty neat too.”

Keen to throw back to their early days of house parties and uplifting tunes, Tungz will be hosting a party at Matchstick Piehouse in South London on Friday 21st October. Complete with a set from the band, plus DJs playing, the band hope to bring their house party vibes to other cities over the coming months. With lots more music and videos on the horizon, it looks like 2023 is going to be another smasher of a year for Tungz.

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Harry Orme - ‘Me & Simona’

Describing his sound as “the sad hug – warm, but melancholy”, singer songwriter Harry Orme’s music is infused with a delicate, enchanting and luminous charm. ‘Me & Simona’ is the collaborative result of his long-standing creative friendship with Frankie Harper, who co-runs Evoke Studios in Leeds.

The pair first met on a co-writing exchange in Copenhagen in 2016, and things blossomed from there; “We wrote some stuff that we really liked, but when we got back to the UK we never found the time to finish any of it off. It wasn't until earlier this year that Frankie sent me a message like, “it's been six years, shall we have another crack and see if we can finish something?” And so, ‘Me & Simona’, in all its gentle wonder, was spawned.

Inspired by songwriters such as Anaïs Mitchell, Damien Rice, Joshua Burnside, Andy Shauf, Nathaniel Rateliff, Laura Marling and Patrick Watson, amongst many others, Harry has been fortunate enough to support some of the esteemed artists he looks up to; he’s opened a variety of special shows for Big Thief, Tiny Ruins, Ciaran Lavery and Scott Walker over the years in Leeds, as well as supporting Sara Watkins at a beautiful church gig in Guildford.

It’s reassuring to know that dream-team Harry and Frankie have some more music in the oven which should be ready for our listening pleasure later in the year. Harry is also busy working on another collaborative single with old pal/touring partner George Boomsma. But next year, he plans to focus on an album release, again a collaborative effort as he aims to feature some of the wonderful musicians he’s performed or toured with in years gone by; “That one feels like a long time coming – there'll be some folks on there who have been playing my music for years but we've never managed to document it, so I just can't wait to have that on record.” We’re just as thrilled to hear it.

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Hannah Trigwell - ‘Comfortable’

An instant earworm that you’ll never want to shake, Leeds singer songwriter Hannah Trigwell’s latest pop gem ‘Comfortable’ is just one in a long line of her many infectious, expertly-crafted songs. Whether stripped back or upbeat, Hannah has nailed her recipe for a tasty pop hit so it’s hardly surprising that she’s chalked up plenty of airplay, including BBC Radio 1, positive reviews galore, and even two Number 1 singles in Asia.

Back to our chosen Spotlight track, and Hannah lets us in on the meaning behind the song and why it’s important to keep striving beyond your comfort zone;

“Comfortable is about the pressure to get comfortable as soon as possible, in jobs and in love, or just generally in life. The message of the track is to enjoy life whilst you're young and able to take risks. The music video shows me as an old lady jumping around enjoying myself vs me now taking life just a bit too seriously. My producer Ben Matravers originally came up with the chord progression on guitar and I wrote the lyrics, and we built the track up with other instruments taking a lot of inspiration from Maggie Rogers, Fleetwood Mac and Holly Humberstone. We recorded it in Ben's basement in Leeds, and then he worked his magic on it, before Lee Smith (Greenmount Studios) mixed the track and Andy Baldwin (Metropolis Studios) mastered it. Everyone who worked on the track has really done an amazing job. It's the result of a lot of skill and effort. I'm super grateful to my little team, and really proud of the track.”



Starting out at 17 years old, Hannah has evolved from busking on the streets of her hometown, to performing in front of over 100,000 people across Europe and in Qatar, supporting the likes of Jess Glynne, Jake Bugg, and Boyce Avenue, and building an ever-growing online community of over 800,000 people. Not bad for an independent artist!

Back to the present, and she is focusing on her new album release. Hannah will be dropping a new single every 6 weeks, as the album is unveiled. With previous album ‘Red’ becoming a top ten hit across international album charts, there’s a lot to live up to…but something tells me Hannah will have yet another smash on her hands.

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bukky sky - ‘Your Flame’

Making fresh R&B with a modern urban twist, Bradford born bukky sky delivers the second track from his latest EP ‘HAPPYSEXYLOVEPOTION’. ‘Your Flame’ is a stylish ode to lovers, and embraces bukky’s many influences ranging from Blood Orange and Bob Dylan, to Sadé and Arlo Parks.



Since unleashing his debut EP ‘Brave in Love’ back in January 2021, bukky has been building a solid foundation of support which includes the likes of Soho Radio, Kiss FM, Future Radio, and even BBC Radio London who recently interviewed bukky on air; “For my music to get to that stage and have a live conversation about the song and my musical plans blew my mind.”

On the live front, since September 2021 bukky has played three sold out headline shows in London. He was awarded funding from Help Musicians’ which has played a vital part in the creation of second EP ‘HAPPYSEXYLOVEPOTION’, set to drop in November. And if you can’t wait for more new material, then you’re in luck as another new single comes hot off the press tomorrow. As Bukky elaborates, the third single from HSLP, called 'harakiri' is about “having everything in life yet feeling empty and dead inside whilst knowing you should be grateful for the life you do have.” Get in quick and be sure to pre-save here.

Be sure to catch bukky live as he celebrates the launch of his EP - he’ll be joining the Normanton Street Live line-up at Bradford’s Kala Sangam Arts Centre on 15th October, and then he’ll play various gigs dotted around London in November. Keep it locked on those socials below to be the first to hear…

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How do I get featured on the Spotlight blog?

Our Spotlight blog is compiled every month from fresh new music submitted to us by our members. We want to hear from you!

We select 5 of the best tracks from our members to champion on Spotlight. As well as being featured on our new music blog, your track will also be played on our monthly Reform Radio show, get a free release package from CD Baby, plus the 5 tracks are also forwarded onto a select bunch of music industry professionals...including folks from Big Life Management, Club Fandango, Decca Records, Memphis Industries, Rocksound, DIY Magazine, Transgressive Records and The Great Escape. Find out more about Spotlight here.

To be in the running you’ll need to sign up as a member to The Unsigned Guide, then follow the instructions in your Welcome email to submit a track for Spotlight consideration to us.

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