Watch out for Jenna Lotti and the track How To Be Loved. It’s reminiscent of Swift, prior to her indie folk creative endeavor. The Massachusetts native appeared on NBC’s Songland. She pitched her original song to songwriter Julia Michaels. Picking up coverage from Billboard, American Songwriter, Earmilk and LadyGunn, she also received ASCAP’s first ever Peggy Lee Songwriter Award for her original song, “Fake Id”. She has opened for Dan + Shay, Barns Courtney and Hunter Hayes. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Since we first featured Tokyo’s Revenge, he went on to release a bunch of EP’s – the 2019 EPs MDNGHT (SIDE A) and MDNGHT (SIDE B) and joint project with Joey Trap called Trapped in Tokyo.

Tokyo isn’t just painting himself as a rapper, but as an artist that incorporates all genres. He grew up listening to JayZ, Original Flavor, Slipknot, and Disturbed. When did you ever hear a rapper cite Slipknot as an influence?
He made became known through the track “Goodmorningtokyo! Speaking about his debut track, here is what he says. “I think I know I’m gonna blow up because sometimes I feel like my music is garbage. ‘GoodMorningTokyo!,’ I hate that song. I’m like, Damn, I hate my own music, then I sit down in front of my computer, and mix and master my own music, and put in all this work, and then I put a tiny snippet after not posting on Instagram for a month-and-a-half, and people lose their minds over it. And it reminds me that the thing about blowing up isn’t just about whether you make music that people like, it’s about whether or not you can convey their emotions well through the medium of music.
He just dropped the latest 7 song EP, 7VEN. Give it a listen.

Los Angeles singer Belaro shares the video for the track Forever. Give it a couple listens and you’ll be hooked, especially if you like uptempo tracks made for the club. Her debut single came out in 2019 called FGirl that garnered some attention. The latest release is a departure from her debut single as it borrows from the 70’s – the disco era. Whereas artists jumped on 80’s trend, it’s nice to hear someone borrow from the decade before because the 70’s produced a lot of cool sounds. The track had a strong start landing on Spotify’s “just hits”, “Fresh Finds” and “Fresh Finds: Pop”. Give it a listen.

Check out RO and the track mykonos. She’s a self described bedroom producer with support coming from BBC Introducing and Fubar Radio. She’s inspired by experimental artists like Grimes, Christine and the Queens and Imogen Heap. In 2019 Ro performed at Laylow in Notting Hill for Trash Like You Records’ collaboration with The Circle (a charity founded by Annie Lennox). Check it out on KOAR’s Indie Invaders playlist.

When Blackout Tuesday took over social media it had an unlikely ally. That was CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Sure the action was organized by music industry executives, but the Christian Music Industry and its artists generally avoids political discussion, controversy, and disputes. But not this time. Popular CCM artists like Chris Tomlin, for King & Country, Casting Crowns, Matt Maher, Elevation Worship and Kari Jobe and many others partook in TheShowMustBePaused initiative.

The celebrity pastors also shared their voice in support including Hillsong’s Carl Lentz and Brian Houston as well as Judah Smith, Chad Veach and Loui Giglio.

But as the black squares flooded Instagram of Christian artists on June 1st, so did the comments. And it was with a mixed reaction. Some showed support while others vowed never to attend a show again while threatening to unfollow them.

Although christian artists may seemingly support BLM there is a sizable population that view it as an organization tied to an American Political Party. For the CCM artist it can prove quite a conundrum finding the balance between church and politics.
Justin Bieber can enter the political fray, lose a portion of the audience and still have a viable career, whereas a CCM artist could be wiped off the map.

The network of Christian show organizers, churches and radio programmers can have a lasting effect on their ability to perform.
The biggest threat is the backlash from the christian community which is their only audience. It’s a small audience and 100% of their revenue stream.

Christian artists are not entertainers. They aren’t being paid for the song and dance. They are viewed as missionaries that visit churches with a song and a message. Many live off of funds and donations. It’s not uncommon for christian artists to walk away with thousands in funds for a three song set at a local church, while most of their supporters are conservative leaning.

The impact will be seen in late 2021 when touring resumes. Will they still have an audience that forks over money to support their mission? Or will they see them as political activists campaigning for social change mixed with politics. This is the talk in christian circles, and that’s what insiders are grappling with.
While christian artists are caught up in the crossfire of politics, some fear that the upcoming backlash could black out christian music.