MURA MASA

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By Timothy Monger, AllMusic

Known by his stage name of Mura Masa, electronic producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Alex Crossan hails from the Channel Island of Guernsey located between England and France. A lifelong musician, Crossan began experimenting with beats and electronic production at the age of 15, and just two years later, his track “Lotus Eater” was picked up by a number of different BBC Radio 1 DJs, effectively launching his career. His 2014 Soundtrack to a Death mixtape was released by German indie Jakarta Records, and the following year he signed a distribution deal with Polydor to release his debut EP, Someday Somewhere. Arriving on his own imprint, Anchor Point Records, the EP featured vocal contributions from U.K. singers Nao, Denai Moore, and Jay Prince. His “Lovesick Fuck” single climbed to number one on viral charts and he followed up in late 2015 with the single “Love for That,” featuring Manchester singer Shura. A year later, Crossan collaborated with American rapper A$AP Rocky on a reworked version of “Lovesick Fuck,” breathing new life into the single now retitled “Love$ick.” He began 2017 with “1 Night,” a collaborative single with Charli XCX, in advance of his debut album. Mura Masa’s eponymous full-length effort arrived in the summer of that year via Interscope Records. Alongside Rocky and XCX, the release also featured guest appearances from multi-instrumentalist Damon Albarn, French singer/songwriter Christine & the Queens, and American rapper Desiigner.

This article originally appeared on AllMusic.

 

Source: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mura-masa-mn0000539154/biography

Photo: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35167132

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INGRID ANDRESS

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By RollingStone

Sounds Like: Piano ballads and a bottle of wine; country soul with an L.A. sheen

For Fans of: Rihanna, Sam Hunt, Faith Hill

Why You Should Pay Attention: Raised in Colorado, Ingrid Andress traveled the country with her father, who worked as a trainer for the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets. She seemed destined to pursue sports herself, but passed on playing volleyball in college for a vocal scholarship at Berklee College of Music. There, Andress’ songwriting caught the attention of one of her instructors, hit songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who signed her to her publishing house. The Lady Gaga fan won the Unsigned Only Music contest for her song “Footprints” and went on to score song placements with pop stars like Charli XCX and Akon. Andress’ own music, however, leans toward pop-friendly country ballads.

She Says: “Even though the stuff I do is country, because country to me is the place where I feel most fulfilled, I love stepping into L.A. and New York with all these extreme personalities and have to take them on and write for them. That’s also a part of me. I consider myself a pop songwriter, but as far as I am as a person or artist, I’m nothing like Lady Gaga. I love the stories and songs, and country really supports that, which is why I like it.”

Hear for Yourself: Debut single “Stranger” is a soulful, stripped-down ballad about remorse and yearning to make the same mistake twice. J.G. 

This article originally appeared on RollingStone.

 

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/country/lists/10-new-country-artists-you-need-to-know-june-2017-w487714/ingrid-andress-w487732

Photo: http://radioairplayblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/center-stage-ingrid-andress.html

Video: www.youtube.com