Julia Michaels released a new track “Lie Like This” that I really like. The 26 year old changed the sound of pop music. Having written with Selena Gomez, Bieber, and Dua Lipa, Michaels is more well known among the songwriting circle than she is with the public, even having some pretty big hits herself. That’s what I like about Michaels, she’s introspective and isn’t posting bra & panty photos on instagram. She isn’t about clicks and likes, it’s about the song. While that may not work for many artists, it works for her, and that’s why I listen to her work.

Kings favorite Zachary Knowles drops a new track Super Sad Songs. He writes good song after song, a rarity these days. The new track follows “slow summer” which is still one of my favorites. The Houston native has been releasing his music through Fader. The 20 year old bedroom artist began releasing songs on SoundCloud before releasing his first EP as a freshman in college at Texas A&M.
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Spotify has launched The Kid Laroi (real name Charlton Howard) to outer streaming space under it’s emerging artist program. The 17 year old rapper has 11 million monthly Spotify listeners landing on playlists including RapCaviar, Pop Rising, Most Necessary. He has collaborated  with Marshmello, Lil Tecca, Lil Tjay, and Lil Mosey. Laroi garnered attention after becoming a finalist in the triple j Unearthed High in 2018. He then released ’14 with a dream’ EP and later signed a deal with rapper Lil Bibby’s record label Grade A Productions. Laroi dominated the charts in his native home Australia, the US, and most of the international charts with the mix tape ‘F*CK LOVE. What can I say? This kid went from the cradle to conquering the charts – the stream count is ridiculous.

Harry Hudson shared a touching new song Overwhelmed. The track comes off his new album Hey I’m Here For You out Nov. 20 via MSFTS/Roc Nation. Hudson says, “We wrote and recorded it in like 30 minutes. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album.” The 27 year old has a colorful bio. Although not a household name he has nearly a million Spotify monthly listeners. He was also diagnosed with cancer at 20. He beat cancer and just as he was releasing his first album, however, Hudson’s father died. But you know what? The best songs come from dark times. Give it a listen on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist

If you remember, the music biz was ready to get back in business in September 2020. Festivals like Coachella were cancelled in March during the height of the pandemic and were re-scheduled for the late fall. But fall came around and the tours were cancelled. With Broadway shutting down indefinitely with a possible Spring 2021 opening, tours were pushed to the summer. Now, the summer tours are off the table and many are being booked for 2022. At this point, nobody knows. You may as well start booking for 2075. Now that the reality and nerves have settled in, artists are rushing to get product out. They’ve given up on the traditional promo run which is put out a record and start touring.
Bieber has been releasing song after song. His latest song Lonely with benny blanco is really good. Superstar Ariana Grande has announced a new album is on the way. Adele will make a rare public appearance hosting ‘SNL’ for the first time. With tours off the table, the money making avenue is streaming. Think about it, streaming now makes up 85% of all revenue in the U.S – the revenue jumped 12% to $4.8 billion in the first half of 2020.