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.

Watch out for LA-based singer-songwriter Elizabeth Woolf and her new album “Till It’s Dark Outside”. She’s a story teller and these albums take a longer to complete. It took 3 years to put the album together. Elizabeth notes, “One of my artistic heroes, Lianne La Havas recently released an album that took her five years”. Check out the track Valencia. Elizabeth says, “It’s a song about getting closure from a past relationship, inspired by a phrase my father told me “all relationships are unresolved”. It started on acoustic guitar after a trip to San Francisco”.  Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

NYC based three piece VHS Collection released the 80’s fused upbeat track Searching For The Light. What’s with the 80’s inspired music this year? From Dua Lipa to The Weeknd. I love the 80’s sound but there couldn’t been a worse year to resurrect the 80’s, but we got it anyway. A flurry of new songs that capture multi-layered synthesizers and the punchy electronic drum sounds. VHS collection will add another solid song to your 80’s inspired playlist. Enjoy while it lasts. I’m betting the 60’s are coming back.  Check it out on our KOAR’s indie invaders playlist.

Anyone hear of Zoe Wees and the track Control? She is based in Germany and the latest track was written about her battle with epilepsy. She has a pretty amazing voice, she conveys her feelings in her voice, and a unique vocal nevertheless. Since its release in March, the song has charted on Spotify’s Viral 50 in dozens of countries. In fact, Zoe was picked to represent Germany in Spotify’s global emerging artist program, RADAR, a program that helps artists broaden their fan bases via playlists and other initiatives. Let’s get this amazing artist outta Germany and here in America.

London Electropop Zoe Wakelam dropped her third single ‘Self-Talk‘. Like her previous singles, it’s raw, honest and a bit experimental – but very listenable. The Aussie born singer songwriter who now lives in the UK draws inspiration from FINNEAS, twenty øne piløts, half•alive, Wallows and Billie Eilish. Zoe notes the song was written in early in 2020, after a time of life decisions, change, doubt, and anxiety. ‘Lately I’ve been a mess, and it’s kinda hard to confess’, is the first line.  Give it a stream.