Benee has become the new stream queen. Ironically, the New Zealand artist went from making pizzas to writing songs that have generated millions of streams.
Benee began posting covers to soundcloud. The 19-year-old pop gained attention with her single “Soaked”.  Her latest track Supalonely has now become a massive hit. Madison Beer and TikTok influencer Charli D’Amelio have boosted the song’s reach even further. Mind you, these TikTok influencers are now the go-to people for boosting a songs a reach.

I stumbled on the track Nowhere To Hide by Los Angeles based Ethan Davis aka Mr. Popular. The track comes off his debut album “Flair For The Dramatic”. It has a Broken feel by Lovelytheband.
“Nowhere To Hide was initially about my anxiety and feeling trapped in it; also me trying to numb that pain of past relationships gone bad,” Ethan Davis said of the song. “By the time the song was finished, I realized it was more about the redemptive side of being stuck. ‘Stuck inside your love with nowhere to hide and I don’t really mind’ means that it’s not always bad to be stuck somewhere. It’s more about your perspective of the circumstances and allowing God or your lover to shape your view of the situation instead of your anxiety”

Dua Lipa is set to trademark her name. Moreover, you’re only trademarking a name if you’re set to rake in tons of cash – and that she is.  She became one of the richest pop singers with only two albums under her belt and she beat the odds because most artists fizzle out after their first album. Right now Dua Lipa is in high demand and ready to make fortune.
You would think the UK singer would be disappointed with the inability to tour.  Ironically, pop artists don’t need to tour to pay the bills. They can launch a slew of side ventures ranging from clothes, cosmetics, and books.  With all the business thrown her way, the 24 year old singer must make the right decisions. When to say yes and when to say no. It’s balancing act of being in the public eye and creating demand and over-saturation.

Nashville electro pop artist Stef released two new songs Jane Doe and Allison Wonderland.  Many artists are walking down the lonely road and writing melancholic songs but Stef is vibrant and writing and releasing up-tempo energetic songs. To be honest, listening to the 20 year old singer-songwriter is a nice break from hearing the hundreds of artists writing songs about social distancing and live-streaming with face masks. Stream the track on Indie Invaders Playlist and you can stream Jane Doe on Spotify’s Fresh Finds.

Who else believes artists should stand on their own foundation rather than leeching off of other artists? How many celebrity collaborations do we need to see? I’m not souring on collaborations because I personally love some of them, especially if it’s birthed from true passion and an artistic motive. The pairing of Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello was fantastic and Sam Smith & Normani was quite good as well.
With Zoom now at the forefront, many of the collaborations are simply arranged  for “audience reach” and “eyeballs”. There is simply no synergy and connection between the artists. I’m not the only one who thinks celebrity pairing is overplayed, many industry insiders have noted that the specialness has been lost from the overabundance of artist collaborations. When the pairing goes wrong, both artists are effected. I won’t mention names, but there are plenty of circumstances when collaborations did not benefit either artist. Let’s get back to art and play smart.