Global Artists Spotlight: Flo Gallop, WANI and Buju, Maria Domark And More

Ellysse Mason – “Where Were You”

U.K.-based alt-pop artist Ellysse Mason’s track “Where Were You” is filled with electronic sonic elements and glittery production while also captivating a sense of emotion with its poignant lyrics. Mason’s shimmering vocals and catchy melodies lift the song, she says, “I wanted to explore the clash of contrasting emotions as a relationship comes to its end. ‘Where Were You’ is the straight-talking voice needed to interrupt the silence of a complete communication breakdown. It’s both sides of the story, if either side were brave enough.”

Flo Gallop – “Up”

London pop artist Flo Gallop’s latest uplifting single “Up” celebrates one’s individuality and being truly unique and quirky in your true self. The track explodes with cute adlibs, energizing drums and a memorable hook full of youthful, dewy animation, partnered with colorful acoustic guitar plucks and impassioned vocals telling a story in vibrancy and fun.

Sarko Montaug – “Possessive”

U.S.-based indie-pop duo Sarko Montaug’s synth-heavy track “Possessive” addresses the theme of imbalance. The song aims to be the “dance while setting a reminder to bring up that toxic ex-relationship at your next therapy session” while the track’s avant-garde video explores how control is transferred between and within each of us.

REUNIØN – “Over the Moon”

London duo REUNIØN recently released an honest new single entitled “Over The Moon.” The immersive track is filled with soothing delicate vocals and relaxing instrumentation. In a statement, the outfit said, “It’s [the song’s] about that feeling you get when you meet someone and everything kind of comes into focus, it becomes about them and vice versa. It’s about that butterfly feeling but the greatest kind – the ones that make us feel weightless and like anything is possible.”

The Holy Knives – “Born to Die”

U.S.-based pair The Holy Knives’ latest track is the moody “Born to Die.” With its eerie sonic elements and deep vocals, the track radiates with industrial goth-infused rock guitars, and Eighties-tinged cinematic soundscapes. In a statement, the bad said, “The song started in late-pandemic isolation days when I found myself turning more and more to the internet for social connection. I realized eventually that it was not comforting at all and was in fact more isolating and sometimes pretty menacing. There were a lot of dark things being spread on social media like false information, conspiracy theories, hate, anger, and fear.”

WANI – “Times Two” ft Buju

Starting off with a sublime jazz guitar part, Nigerian-American artist WANI’s new single “Times Two” quickly moves into a party-friendly territory, aided by fellow Nigerian artist Buju. The duo sing about love, wealth and time. WANI said in a statement, “We’ve worked on a lot of music [together], but this is the one track we decided to put out for the people, especially in the current climate, everything slowly opening back up again, might as well give the people something to dance to.”

Misty Mtn – “In The Deep End”

Montana/Los Angeles duo Misty Mtn’s Mo Trunzo and Lucas Segall dreamy new song “In The Deep End” is based on a fictional person and the ideas of empathy and showing up in a friendship. The duo says, “The initial idea for the song came from a time we had a view of a neighbor sitting by the pool in a big ostentatious backyard. Every day in the same spot. From that image, we came to a slightly tongue-in-cheek concept for a song about a certain type of person.”

Maria Domark – Flawless EP

Russia-origin, Israel-based pop artist Maria Domark veers in and out of haunting future pop on her debut EP Flawless. There’s dark, nonchalant pop on “Not Alright” and a spooky dancefloor vibe on “Rumors.” Her lead single “Mieway” builds up imposing basslines and care-a-damn vocals to be the highlight of the five-track EP.