Brooklyn duo Pagoda just released the track Best Laid Plans. If you like 80’s and synths, you love the track.
“Hey this is Mike and Jason and we’re from Brooklyn. We make pop music about Mike’s life with synths and stuff. We like it, hopefully you will too, and if you don’t, that’s cool. We’ll probably make more anyway” shares the duo.
Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders playlist.

Do you know rising music country star Morgan Wallen? He’s the hottest artist in country. I should say WAS the hottest. He’s been dropped by his label after a drunken racial slur he soon regretted.

That’s right. He’s been dropped by country music radio, playlists, and his label Big Loud Records.
Big Loud Records, The Nashville-based label in conjunction with Republic Records said:

“In wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely,” the label wrote. “Republic Records fully supports Big Loud’s decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated.”

iHeartMedia — the largest radio owner in the U.S have removed Wallen’s music from rotation.
Morgan has been removed from the two biggest country playlists – Spotify’s “Hot Country,” and Apple Music’s “Today’s Country”.

CMT said they are “in the process of removing his appearances from all our platforms.”

“We do not tolerate or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values that celebrate diversity, equity & inclusion.”

Nevertheless, Morgan Wallen has been cancelled, dropped, and suspended on all platforms. It’s most likely the end for this rising country star. Whereas artist could get away with erratic behavior in the past, this is no longer the case.
 

Look out for In My Room by Jen Kalicharan, the 21-year-old Guyanese-Canadian artist. Like Ariana Grande, she has a 4-octave vocal range. The R&B/pop track  is the first single off of her upcoming EP, “I Did This for You”.
The inspiration for the song came when Jen was isolated from her old life at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jen has previously dropped 7 tracks, her sound combining Swedish-pop structure with hip-hop
sonics and early 2000’s vocal production. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Listen to the new track These Games by UK’s Stephen Sims + Decade Defector. The track takes you back to the early 80’s in the world of synth wave acts like Ultravox, Soft Cell, and Depeche Mode.

“The song is about the games we play in the pursuit of love and the pain endured along the way” shares Sims.
They recorded a 10 track album during the lockdown of last year which is set for release this year, with singles following each month. Next release ‘Hunter’ late Feb. Sims track Fix Me is still one my favorites.

The Weeknd is spending $7 million of his own money on the Super Bowl halftime show. The Super Bowl is footing the bill for the usual production costs, but The Weeknd says:

“we’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl.”

Production costs can run up to $10million. The production this year will be extra special if The Weekend is throwing in an extra $7 Million.