On Repeat: “Savior” – Elley Duhé

(image via pmstudio.com)

After the success of her collaboration with EDM producer/DJ Zedd (“Happy Now”), this Alabama native continues to shows off her vocal prowess on a bonus track off her album, Dragon Mentality.

“In the dead of the night, in the heart of my chest, you hide” Duhé sings in a raspy punchy pitch. “Savior” has a heavy melodic sound to it. Hip-hop-esque backbeats and diverse vocal runs make this song as powerful musically as it is lyrically.

Poetic lyrics shed light on the meaning of saviors. Duhé spoke about the song saying, “Savior is a song about the bonds that keep us together – we save each other every day… when we can help each other we must, when we can love each other we must, we will save us in the end.”

Listen for yourself below:

 


 

Who You Need: Wafia

Image via theyoungfolks.com

WHO: Wafia

WHERE: Netherlands

GENRE: Alt/pop

TOP SONGS: “Bodies”, “Better Not”

Since the August release of Wafia’s fizzy pop single “I’m Good”, fans have been blowing up the singers spotlight. “Good” serves as a fun breakup anthem (or maybe you just decided to stop eating Cheetos in bed…to each their own.) A bouncy beat makes this song cheeky like a 70’s sitcom intro, add in some layered harmonic vocals and you’ve got a hit.

Wafia proclaims her naivety and boy did she learn. She starts out the song like any good ole love story; “I was so young, I was so dumb when I gave you my heart.” The singer says, “‘I’m Good’ was an attempt at writing a self-fulfilling prophecy. At the time I could foresee heartbreak that I was going to have to work through and I wanted to write the song that I’d want to hear at the end of it all.” Genius? I think so.

If you’re interested in some of her other work that may not be pulsing through the radio waves, listen to my personal favorite, her joint EP titled (m)edian, with producer/singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Ta-Ku. “Meet In the Middle” and “Love Somebody” will write the love letter you never found the words for. Also, check out her solo work including “Bodies” and “Only Love”. Not to mention her explosive pop-dance hit, “Better Not” with rising EDM act, Louis the Child.


Who You Need: Elley Duhé

(Image via hamadamania.com)

 

WHO: Elley Duhé

WHERE: Mobile, Alabama

GENRE: Pop

TOP SONGS: “Happy Now” w/ Zedd

You might have heard her on Zedd’s latest single “Happy Now”, featuring flawless pop vocals escorted by a quick pop/dance drop (what Zedd does best). Duhé has begun to make a name for herself. Not long after the release of “Now” we heard her solo single, “Way Down Low”. The punchy track is accompanied by the singer’s raspy vocals. “We will survive, we’re gonna see this through,” seems to be the theme of the hopeful track. Duhé has a captivating sound that goes beyond the normal pop realms.

“Way Down Low” is just one part of the 6-track EP just released by the pop singer. The EP, titled Dragon Mentality is feisty, fun, and intense. “Counterfeit” follows a slight hip-hop beat while “$$$$” and “Fever” could charm even the scariest snake. I haven’t heard an EP this unique in a long time.

Listen for yourself, here

 


 

Q&A with Ace Motel!

(image via facebook.com/acemotelband/)

You may not know Ace Motel yet, but you will soon. Dreamy soft guitars seem to guide their sound into a sweet pop escape. The duo hails from Manchester and is comprised of vocalist Georgia Phillips and producer Kamil McCabe. I asked the band about their latest single, “Still With Me” and what their inspiration has been throughout this process.

Let’s talk about your latest single, “Still With Me”; the writing process & inspiration behind it!

“The idea for the song was inspired by the feeling of moving on in life but still keeping the people you love around you no matter what. The guts of the instrumental came about first; we wanted to produce something for the EP that had an all-consuming, pulsing vibe – something more upbeat but would still maintain the generally laid-back nature of the rest of the EP. Once Kammy had composed an instrumental we were happy with, the lyrics honestly came naturally and was very much a collaborative process because of the experiences in life we’re both facing at the moment. The whole song came together fairly rapidly and once it was finished we definitely felt like the EP was then complete.”

 

Tell me about your intro to music? Did you always want to be in a band/singing?

“Throughout his teens, Kammy played the guitar and dabbled in production. I have always sung but never considered pursuing it as a career until I began singing and writing with him. When we met at uni, we started doing open mic nights together before he really delved into production and we began writing and recording our own music. From then we’ve continued to produce our own songs, and the EP consists of some of the major work we’ve made this past year.”

 

How would you describe your sound?

“Atmospheric, authentic and laid back; we like to produce an organic, clean sound that, when played, is recognizable as ours. We love music that blends all kinds of unique sounds, and so aim to achieve a similar vibe in our own music.”

 

Where did the name Ace Motel come from?

“It took us about a year after we formed as a band to actually come up with the name! It was ultimately adapted from one of our favorite lyrics from one of our favorite songs, ’33 God’ by Bon Iver, where they mention the Ace Hotel. The lyrics to that song always stuck with us, so we thought it was perfect to derive our name from that. We even went to visit the actual Ace Hotel in Downtown LA a few weeks after deciding on the name.”

 

What can fans expect this year?

“Ace motel is going to continue making music. Unfortunately, however, I’m going off to pursue my own passion project, so, for now, my time with the band is over. However, Kammy is going to continue the band independently and we’ll have to wait and see what direction he takes it in, but definitely be excited. Ace Motel has just begun.”