New Music Friday's

Emerging as an international phenomenon, South African singer and songwriter Lloyiso shares a new single entitled “Let Me Love You Now.” The track opens with sparse piano and a sparkling emotionally charged verse from Lloyiso. Right away, he tenderly assures, “You’re perfect to me.” The delicate hum gives way to a swaggering bass-boosted crescendo as his falsetto rings out, “Let me love you now. Let me hold you now.” It arrives on the heels of “What Would I Say.” The latter has already generated over 1 million total streams worldwide in addition to inciting critical applause. Right out of the gate, Beyond The Stage raved, “Blown away yet again by his vocals, Lloyiso shows passion and pain in this confessional single.”

Everything just paves the way for his next anxiously awaited body of work in 2023.

Nigerian born, Toronto-based artist TOBi drops his new single and visualizer “Hoodwinked." This latest single, in addition to his previous singles “Flowers” and “She Loves Me” will be on this forthcoming album coming soon. It was also announced that TOBi will be performing at Afrochella this December.

TOBi on his single “Hoodwinked”: “The character in the song is a child that upon witnessing issues in the home, it affects how he sees the world. He has a general distrust for systems and adults. What happens when the veil is lifted? As he gets older, he starts to see things for what they really are. He’s on a quest for truth. A very challenging quest. Process these complex emotions with big energy and set yourself free.”

Critically acclaimed rock band Wolf Alice share their cover of “In the Bleak Midwinter.” Initially released in 2021 as an Apple Music exclusive, the group are thrilled to share their rendition of Christina Rossetti and Gustav Holst’s classic poem with fans across all streaming platforms ahead of the forthcoming holiday season.

The release of “In the Bleak Midwinter” caps off an incredible run for the band this year, who supported Harry Styles for a portion of his European tour this past summer, opened for Halsey at Los Angeles’ acclaimed Hollywood Bowl and embarked on headlining tours of their own across North America, UK, Ireland, Europe, and Australia. This June, Wolf Alice also released Blue Lullaby, a companion EP containing stripped-down, lullabied versions of select songs from their Mercury Prize-nominated third record Blue Weekend.

A year after his critically acclaimed Madina To The Universe album, award-winning Ghanaian rap artist and musician M.ANIFEST unveils an innovative new project titled The E.P.ilogue. Created throughout 2022, while M.anifest was touring across Europe and America, including packed out shows in London, New York, Oakland and Berlin, to mention a few, the 6-track project comes with international collaborations.

The E.P.ilogue continues on from where M.anifest left off on last year’s album, as he brings his captivating lyricism and rich global sounds to the forefront once again, to deliver a bold, creative and expansive offering that brings his ‘Madina To The Universe’ journey to a cohesive wholeness. The E.P.ilogue represents yet another bold and resonant offering from the consistent and unwavering Ghanaian musician.

“We exist in our own world and we’re trying to create a new wave.” That’s how vocalist Adam Kain describes Cruza, the band blending R&B, psychedelic and alternative sounds. He’s joined by the band guitarist, Charity Joy Brown, and bassist and producer, AJRoth, as they channel their influences into a series of dreamy transmissions. Mixing heavy basslines and melodic guitar loops inspired by artists like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and King Krule with soulful vocals, Cruza exists in a liminal space. Somewhere between alternative indie music and traditional R&B, the band draws on the past and present to create an atmospheric lane of their own. The release of Dog Daze followed a support tour with Puma Blue which has seen the band receive recognition and praise from artists including Reggie, Ravyn Lenae, Smino and Monte Booker. Most recently, the band played Afropunk Festival and is due to drop their first album.