Global Artists Spotlight: DANA, Idahams, Jason Maxwell And More

Dana – Future Daughters 

After teasing her debut album with a couple of singles over the past two years, Swiss singer-songwriter DANA is now out with the eight-track Future Daughters. The record houses intimate and melancholic tracks as well as joyous moments too. While the soundscapes may vary throughout the album, the one thing that stays constant is DANA’s impeccable vocals that shine across the LP. In a statement, the artist said, “Future Daughters is a commitment to radical honesty and a celebration of the strength that lies in vulnerability.” 

Cory Singer – “Chance of a Lifetime (The Truth)” 

U.S.-based singer-songwriter Cory Singer pours his heart out on his latest breakup ballad, “Chance of a Lifetime (The Truth).” Singer paints a poignant story about a previous partner while acoustic guitar strums, string arrangements and a tender drum groove rest beautifully under his voice.  

Cristóvam – Songs on a Wire 

Portugal-bred singer-songwriter Cristóvam showcases plenty of creativity on his new 12-track album, Songs on a Wire. The record includes dreamy guitar parts, upbeat grooves and mature songwriting, as well as Cristóvam’s timber vocals. Talking about how the album came about, the artist said in a statement, “These were times where I dealt with a lot of different things, from the loneliness of the pandemic which was a bit intensified by the fact that I live in a small and remote island, to other happy things like getting married, getting signed or having my music go viral and reach so many people and, on top of all that, this sort of big feeling that I was actually starting my life.” 

Lyves – “Shame” 

Part of her upcoming EP Change (out on November 18th), London-based singer-songwriter Lyves introduces a sparkling genre-hopping sound on the single “Shame.” From undulating basslines and bursts of guitar leads and robotic beats, Lyves breathes soul into the track with the hooks. The Italian/Australian-origin artist teamed up with producer Dave Okumu and they co-produced a clear banger together. Lyves said in a statement about the song, “I found this amazing drum sample and very quickly played a few ideas over it to create a vibe. It felt reflective of the mood I was in — I wanted to create something fierce that represented a side of me that I don’t often express musically.”  

Idahams – “Bad Girl” ft Ajebo Hustlers 

Nigeria’s rising star Idahams released his new album Truth, Love & Confessions in September and complemented it with a buoyant, sensual music video for “Bad Girl,” featuring fellow Nigerians Ajebo Hustlers. While the album dives into climate crises and socio-political issues, “Bad Girl” is certainly one of the breezier tracks that lives up to the Afrobeats and Afropop sound that Idahams is championing.  

Piranha Rama – “Golden Blues” 

Richmond, Virginia psych-rockers Piranha Rama are slick and celebratory in equal turns on “Golden Blues,” the song off their recently released album Omniscient Cloud Cover. With the album created as a means of addressing the pandemic and the isolation that followed for all of us around the world, “Golden Blues” invokes an always-connected globe.  

Mykii J x The Kelly – “Bounce” ft DJ Lolo 

Philadelphia-bred Mykii J teams up with singer (and his sister) The Kelly for a no-holds-barred, R-rated song for the clubs, “Bounce.” The music video mirrors exactly that level of fun and a bit of debauchery, complete with glints of neon and a booming bass beat. The party-down anthem energy of “Bounce” is announced almost immediately with Mykii J singing, “It took a while but now the wait is over/ I can’t get over, that the week is over/ Let’s hit the club, I’ll be drinkin’ like I’m supposed-‘tah’/ Ain’t no pandemic when I say I want Corona.”  

The Millennial Club – When It’s Just You & I EP 

California’s indie-pop and R&B band The Millennial Club bring a sense of calm and coziness and top it up with dance-floor-ready grooves on their new EP When It’s Just You & I. Although the lyrical content is often bittersweet and melancholic (“Sleepless,” “xx”) there’s a high relatability factor that’s made them famous all around the world, including Southeast Asia. The band said in a statement about the four-track EP, “This collection of songs is, in a lot of ways, a blend of the old and the new. Two of the songs were written a long time ago [“xx”, “sleepless”] and the other two were created more recently [“hold you again”, “When It’s Just You & I”]; the amalgamation of the two ‘eras’ [in a sense] was something that happened much more naturally than even I would’ve imagined.”  

Jason Maxwell – “For Now” 

Incorporating a dose of feel-good pop with country and alternative rock, Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Maxwell exudes warmth and worldly-wise confidence on his song “For Now.” He sings about second chances, what-ifs and questions present situations, wrapped up in sing-along vocal melodies and country-guitar hooks.  

Renao – “Moonwalking” 

Bengaluru-born, London-based Renao aka Rahul Prasad hit the big time with his song “Nobody” going viral when it was released in late 2021 and he’s been putting out a steady stream of diverse music since then. Following the EP From the South from earlier this year, his single “Moonwalking” takes a leaf out of the book of soul/hip-hop acts like Silk Sonic, with songwriting assists from Finlay Dow Smith and Cleo Tighe. Renao says the funkified beat that they worked upon gave him a kind of Ocean’s 11 visuals. “That’s why there are casino and money references in the song. I thought it would be really cool if I was moonwalking through this casino and that’s basically the inspiration for the whole song. Me seamlessly gliding through a casino was what I felt my girlfriend doing to my brain and so I wrote a song about it,” he added in a statement about the song.