Jeremie Johnson’s “Like Latifa” Inspires Listeners With This Profound Message

What figure, song, or quote that compels you to be brave in adversity?

For me, it is Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” and also my favorite anime character, Sailor Moon. I know those two are extremes but they, out of many, have help me to brave in tough situations. I have so many other examples but it would be a really long list.

Jeremie Johnston, an Indian living in United Arabs Emirates, embraces a certain recent figure in recent years as the symbol of bravery in his latest release “Like Latifa”.

I recently conducted an email interview with Jeremie about the song as well his musical career. You can click below to read his answers. You can also listen to his latest release and my current favorite song from him.

Continue reading

Argentinian Musician Cielo Pordomingo Talks Her About Latest Release and Reflects on Her Music

I recently talked to Cielo Pordomingo, a musician from Argentina, about her newest release as well as her musicality. This was my first time conducting a live interview, so I was a bit nervous and anxious about how it would turn out. Initially, it was supposed to be a video interview, but I could only capture the audio.

Take a listen below the cut!

Continue reading

“Lens (We Use to See)”: Sound Ninja’s Newest Release That Features Musical Creativity and Passion Blended Together Seamlessly

Welcome to mid-November! How are you fairing? It has gotten really cold here in Nagoya, so cold that I am craving hot pot dishes with lots of kimchi every day. Speaking of cold temps, if you haven’t check it out yet, I am still looking for writers for my “25 Days of Holiday Songs” series that will be published through December. If you are interested, let me know! I can’t wait to read and post all the blog posts about various holiday songs!

Without further ado, let me introduce today’s upcoming artist: The Sound Ninja. Though a relatively new artist — only started to release songs this year — his songs are filled with passion and creativity, especially with his latest release.

Continue reading

UK Pop-Rock Band Kimono Loco Mixes Nostalgic and Modern-Day Musical Themes With “Hello, How Are You?”

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Kimono Loco has become one of my new favorite bands this year. The band released their 80’s flavored EP,  entitled “Hello, How Are You?”, about two months ago. It features a musical throwback to the 80s with a modern twist of featuring indies rock-pop — a sound that I am in love with. This amazing blend of an 80s throwback, pop, and indies rock in  “Hello, How Are You?” is a definite recommendation for any music listener as it energetic, refreshing, and nostalgic.

I recently drummer Alejo Sonnenberg a couple of questions about the band, their influences, and their recent releases via email. Take a peek under the cut to find out what recent artist inspires them (And what you should listen for in their music!)

Continue reading

“We’re Alright” in Getting Over Those Roadblocks in Our Lives — How Do You Overcome Them?

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

October has been a rollercoaster for me! This weekend, I caught a terrible cold that had me bedridden for a couple of days. I am just coming back “online”, aka back to normal, after spending pretty much four days sleeping and fighting a head cold.

I have meant to write about today’s artist for a while now. This artist has recently released two new songs within the past three months, with the current released about two weeks ago.  As a singer-songwriter, Jeremy Hoekstra has a beautiful talent for blending the sounds from different musical genres into his songs.

I had the privilege to review his latest release “We’re Alright”. This song’s message is very relatable to our lives. How so? Find out behind the cut!

Continue reading

Welsh Alt-Rocker Rhys Davis Presents Gritty Nostalgia in Nouveau Mode

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Sorry for the week-long, unannounced hiatus. This week was crazy busy as I worked seven days, studied for an exam, and then had practice for a play that I will be in.  I came home after work every night very tired and wanted to go to bed early, thus not being able to focus on this blog. Sorry for disappearing!

For today’s blog post, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Welsh alt-rock musician Rhy Davis’ latest release Nouveau Mode. This release brought many nostalgic feelings to mind when I listen to this four-track EP. How can something so brand new bring back this feeling?

Well, read on to find out!

Continue reading

Sitting Down With Kuba Kluza to Find the Meaning of Ourselves In “This Time”

“Who am I?”

“What is the purpose of MY life?”

“Which direction should I lead my life in?”

If you are like me, you have asked these questions many times over the course of your lifetime. There is nothing wrong with them. Yet, sometimes these questions can cause certain feelings like uncertainty, fear, and doubt to creep into our hearts. But also, we have been told by others in the society we live in that we have to fulfill a specific role and follow a generic map of our lives. Even though our hearts don’t agree with these general roles and life maps, this is what society strongly advises us to do.

Polish singer-songwriter Kuba Kluza shares this dilemma in his new single “This Time”. I interviewed the singer-songwriter about his musical background, influences, and the meanings behind his new song.

Continue reading