Sweden has always been a hotspot for bubbly, melodic fun: from Robyn and producer Max Martin to ABBA, The Cardigans and back again. But never before has the small Scandinavian country birthed such a uniquely magnetic, otherworldly pop creature as Zhala. A&R’s, take note: the former Lykke Li backup singer—who just last week debuted the far-out “Slippin’ Around,” her first and only single and video, via her YouTube channel—is a free agent. Considering she’s released one of the heaviest, trippiest tracks of the year, and did it all on her own with only the help of social media and a few friends’ recommendations, says quite a bit about how little risk the music industry is still willing to take on independent artists, even in a world where Sleigh Bells is being booked for Saturday Night Live and Gotye’s on Glee.
The video, which features the singer in tribal makeup and what appears to be Charles Manson’s beard around her neck, is the stuff of late-night art school experimentation, like Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart” under a Wiccan spell. With its wolf calls and slapping drum echoes, and elements of R&B and dance, the song itself is the perfect backdrop for a go-go dancing rave witch like Zhala to enter the pop sphere with. I speak to the Swedish-born startup on Interviewhere.
WORLD PREMIERE: “Do Ya” – SWV (Feat. Brianna Perry)
Speaking of nails…
I still can’t believe I got to see my childhood idols, SWV,
live in concert twenty years after their groundbreaking debut album dropped!
Although with maturity the sisters ditched their signature nails:
their new ish ain’t bad at all… hear it here!
[Trust: You know I love a good air horn and hype man.]
For one-night-only, UK nail artist, Sharmadean Reid, housed all her stateside friends under one roof to celebrate the soon-to-be-released book spanning her mini masterpieces. Her now-infamous nail salon, WAH Nails, is responsible for bringing back the acrylic madness of the 90′s R&B scene (a.k.a. Coko-nails) with the help of high fashion (see her Prada/banana set), British pop stars like Jessie J, hip-hop (see her Cash Money set below) and, of course, the blogosphere (tooting my own horn). Still one of the most visited posts on the blog - ‘pro.nails’ - and more specifically WAH Nails, is through and through Smoke & Mirrors in look and mentality. Ms. Reid’s party last week at the W Union Square blew the tips off of everyone. Big ups to my girl Mandi! And if you’re ever across the pond be sure to visit Reid’s game changing shop.
To hold you all over until the next “The Blog Made Me Do It” mixtape drops… I collaborated with NYC t-shirt startup, DeerDana, on a free set aptly titled “Iced Tee.” It’s perfect for this not Spring, not Summer kind of weather. Featuring new tracks by Smoke & Mirrors favorites Kalenna, Bei Maejor, Dawn Richard, French Montana, N.O.R.E., and more. Download it here today!
If you’re feeling the blog’s new look, you can thank Olivier Theyskens collaborator/t-shirt designer/illustrator extraordinaire, Dana Veraldi. She shot me in support of her t-shirt line, DeerDana, which counts Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Weezy not only as tee subjects but fans themselves. Stocked at Opening Ceremony and selling via her independent site, she’s gained quite the following. I chose her “MJ” design featurng The King of Pop‘s signature moonwalk move emblazoned upon an ultra-soft white cotton tee. Paired with a fedora, a single Chanel moto-glove and loafers, and The Row “Smashton” pants, it’s my take on the late-great Jackson whom I grew up idolizing. My adoration for the singer can be seen throughout the shoot, where I try as hard as I can to emulate his harder-than-they-look performances without falling on my face. Click here to check out my Q+A for the site.
It’s so great to watch those you interned with become designers of their own… and that’s the story with Ken Borochov, whom I met while hustling at Elle Magazine years ago. He’s taken a very cool path since, creating his own luxe line of gold plated brass accessories, housed under the name ‘MORDEKAI.’ The latest collection, entitled ‘Mort de Rose’ boasts some pretty ornate Hamsa crowns, decked in dragonflies, roses, and all over leaves. Perfect for the Slick Rick in all of us…
WORLD PREMIERE: “Baby Girl” – N.O.R.E. (Feat. Cassie)
As Cassie‘s finishing up work on her sophomore album,
she sets some slither-y springtime flames to Superthug‘s latest mixtape track.
Smoove would be an understatment…
“When people aren’t used to something, they’re afraid of it—and naturally you hate something before you love it,” muses Kalenna Harper on the intro to her first solo mixtape released last month, Chamber of Diaries. That’s exactly the reception her major-label, electro-infused debut, Last Train To Paris, by hip-hop/R&B trio Diddy-Dirty Money, got when it was finally released after name-changes and numerous pushbacks at the end of 2010.
“I was never signed to Bad Boy [Records],” the singer (who goes by simply Kalenna) explains. “My contract was [solely] to work with Diddy-Dirty Money. Since then, I’ve just been in the studio writing and working on my next moves.” If her Diaries hint at what’s to come from the Altanta native, the next steps are bold ones. The 17-track free download released online, much like her efforts with Diddy-Dirty Money—and later with DDM bandmate and former Danity Kane member, Dawn Richard—is genre-defying yet tightly produced with elements of chromatic hip-hop, sleek, refined R&B, and infectious electro-pop. Unlike the catchy confections of current American chart-topping pop stars led by hitmakers Dr. Luke, RedOne and David Guetta (Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj), Kalenna’s music is darker. She worked with Timbaland-collaborator Ryan Tedder, Rodney Jerkins, D’Mile, Firstborne and Shakespeare. The result is much less Jersey Shore fist-pump and more ambient house.
The heavily introspective record provides Kalenna with the perfect platform to let those weary of Diddy-Dirty Money’s futuristic eclecticism come correct and learn exactly who the singer is. “The concept is raw, truthful emotion…I tell the truth in my music. I don’t sugarcoat anything documenting my life.” Just hear fervent Danjahandz-like stunners, “Poison” or “Pain & Alcohol”, and you’ll witness this raw, reflective R&B paired with scratching, at times, violent techno backdrops for yourself. Chamber of Diaries also gives space to explore Kalenna’s clever songwriting. On one of the mixtape’s few, fully rapped tracks, “6,000 Sistas,” she even coins her own term for cash. “’Sistas,’ in simple terms, is money. The phrase came from an inside joke with my friends and I. If you look at the Presidents on money, they’re all dressed in wigs and makeup, so, we just started calling them ‘sistas,” she dishes.
“Grace Jones is a big influence for me,” Kalenna says of her visual aesthetic. “Her style is very intriguing and speaks to who I am in many ways.”
Sonically, she has been compared to Brandy and Grace Jones herself (with whom she worked with on a Diddy-Dirty Money track). By refusing to be pigeonholed by genre, she explores territory many artists only begin to face in their late careers. “If I need to sing to get my point across or if I need to rap to do it, I will,” she asserts, holding true to the sound she’s developed over her still young career. And that’s what makes her independently-released mix such a hit. But Kalenna is no indie artist, which is perhaps why she’s relatively unknown to many ears. While Pitchfork readers are busy debating the latest Diplo leak, Kalenna’s putting out wildly appealing music that many times ends up only being heard by late-night hip-hop blog sifters. The mixtape’s stalled at only 6,200 downloads on DatPiff.com—a true crime, since her music could, much like Missy Elliott’s before her, find a home between the ears of a much broader, more discerning audience.
R&B ain’t dead…and neither is good choreography.
Props to former Dirty Money-er, Dawn Richard,
for bringing the dance formation back to prime level a la Miss Jackson!
Her new EP and video go off! Get it while it’s hot here.
She’z the bizness.
I hinted at what was to come from heritage fur house, Blackglama collaborator, Brandon Sun, when he was just about to debut his first RTW collection at NYFW this past season… and now here’s the result: a cohesively concise set of looks that scream ‘we takin’ ova.’ Boy’s a loaded gun – ’bout to blow!
Street art legend, RAMMELLZEE, displays his last works at New York’s Suzanne Geiss Company gallery (76 Grand St.)
until April 21, 2012
Find more info on the graffiti and hip-hop forefather here.
Elizabeth and James‘ Fall/Winter ’12 collection will blow you away…
it’s wearable, affordable, and the accessories were designed by Jackson Moad (always a plus).
Best concert in a while. Expected though…
Hadn’t seen The-Dream in a good year or so and he never disappoints.
Find the last Radio Killa “LIVE” session on S&Mhere.
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